And I'm Beth. As a society, we're obsessed with our skin. But the pursuit of perfect skin can make life difficult for people who struggle with skin conditions.

我是貝絲。作為一個社會，我們對自己的皮膚非常著迷。但是，對完美肌膚的追求可能會讓那些飽受皮膚病困擾的人生活艱難。

Spots, zits or pimples. There are many names for the red inflamed marks which appear on the face and neck, but the medical term is acne. Acne is a skin condition which can affect anyone. It often happens between the ages of 14 and 19, but can continue into adulthood.

斑點、青春痘或粉刺。面部和頸部出現的紅色發炎印記有很多名稱，但醫學術語是痤瘡。痤瘡是一種可影響任何人的皮膚病。它通常發生在 14 到 19 歲之間，但也可能持續到成年。

There are many types of acne, from blackheads and whiteheads to more severe forms of cysts and scarring.

痤瘡有多種類型，從黑頭粉刺和白頭粉刺到更嚴重的囊腫和疤痕。

But whatever the type of acne, looking different from others can be emotionally damaging, especially during the teenage years when our self-image and physical appearance are changing. In this programme we'll be hearing from a skin doctor or dermatologist who suffered acne herself.

但不管是哪種類型的痤瘡，看起來與別人不一樣都會對情緒造成傷害，尤其是在自我形象和外貌都在發生變化的青少年時期。在本節目中，我們將聆聽一位曾患痤瘡的皮膚科醫生或皮膚科醫生的意見。

And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too.

和往常一樣，我們還將學習一些有用的新詞彙。

But first, I have a question for you, Beth. Mild or moderate acne is very common in teenagers and young adults. So, according to the UK's National Health Service, what proportion of people aged 11 to 30 experience some amount of acne? Is it… a – 75% b – 85% c – 95%

但首先，我有一個問題要問你，貝絲。輕度或中度痤瘡在青少年和年輕人中非常常見。那麼，根據英國國家衛生服務機構的數據，在 11-30 歲的人群中，有多少人會有一定程度的痤瘡呢？是...... A - 75% B - 85% C - 95

I'm going to guess that it is c – 95%.

我猜是 c - 95%。

OK, Beth, we'll find out if that's the correct answer at the end of the programme.

好的，貝絲，我們將在節目結束時找出正確答案。

Dr Sharon Critchlow is a dermatologist originally from Barbados. As someone who grew up with acne, she understands the impact it can have on a person's mental health, as she explains here to BBC World Service programme, The Conversation.

莎倫-克里奇洛博士（Dr Sharon Critchlow）是來自巴貝多的皮膚科醫生。作為一個在痤瘡中長大的人，她深知痤瘡對人的心理健康的影響，正如她在 BBC 世界服務節目《對話》中所解釋的那樣。

Well, we know for sure that it does tend to arise from puberty onwards, so the biggest cohort of patients is in the teenage age group. However, a proportion of patients, up to 20 or so percent, are certainly in females. It will persist well into the 30s, 40s, much longer than people often give it credit for. And we also know that it has a huge psychological impact, so even mild to moderate acne, because it affects teenagers who are quite emotionally vulnerable, it affects their friendships, their peer groups, and so it should never really be trivialised.

我們可以肯定的是，這種疾病往往發生在青春期以後，是以最大的患者群體是青少年。不過，女性患者也佔一定比例，高達 20% 左右。這種疾病會持續到 30 多歲或 40 多歲，比人們通常認為的要長得多。我們還知道，痤瘡會對心理產生巨大影響，是以，即使是輕度到中度的痤瘡，也會影響到在情感上相當脆弱的青少年，影響到他們的友誼和同齡人群體，是以，絕不能輕視痤瘡。

Acne tends to start during puberty, the stage in people's lives when they develop from a child into an adult because of changes in their body. Hormones such as testosterone, which are released into the body during puberty, often cause acne to appear.

青春期是人一生中因身體變化而從兒童成長為成人的階段，痤瘡往往始於青春期。青春期釋放到體內的睪丸激素等荷爾蒙往往會導致痤瘡的出現。

Of course, puberty involves emotional as well as physical changes. Acne can be harder to live with for someone who is emotionally vulnerable, meaning someone who gets their feelings hurt easily. Acne affects your confidence and how you interact with the world, so it shouldn't be trivialised or made to seem less important than it really is.

當然，青春期除了生理上的變化外，還涉及情感上的變化。對於情感脆弱的人來說，痤瘡會讓他們更加難以忍受，這意味著他們的感情很容易受到傷害。痤瘡會影響你的自信以及你與世界的互動方式，是以不應輕視它，也不應讓它顯得不那麼重要。

At times, most teenagers are self-conscious about their looks and having acne adds to social pressure. Acne is largely genetic and the build-up of oil and bacteria in the pores of the skin, which causes spots, is due to hormones, which are completely natural.

有時，大多數青少年都會對自己的長相感到自卑，而長痘痘則會增加他們的社會壓力。痤瘡在很大程度上是遺傳性的，而皮膚毛孔中油脂和細菌的堆積導致斑點的產生，則是由於荷爾蒙的作用，這完全是自然現象。

Here's Dr Sharon Critchlow again, telling BBC World Service programme, The Conversation, how her own experience with acne led her to help others with the same problem.

下面是莎倫-克里奇洛博士（Dr Sharon Critchlow）再次向英國廣播公司世界服務節目《對話》（The Conversation）講述她如何通過自己的痤瘡經歷來幫助其他有同樣問題的人。

I didn't have the luxury of being able to see a dermatologist when I was younger. My family simply couldn't afford it so I had to get through it as best I could and you just, you know, tried everything over the counter, etc. And I just felt if I could help people with something that has been such a bane of my life, and having that inside experience as well, so I would often tell my patients pretty much anything I recommend to them, I've tried it myself, I can tell them it works. Growing up, Dr Critchlow didn't have anyone to help her get through acne. If you get through something, you manage to survive a difficult experience or challenging period of life.

我年輕的時候沒有機會去看皮膚科醫生。我的家庭根本負擔不起，所以我只能盡力熬過去，你知道，我嘗試了所有的非處方藥，等等。我只是覺得，如果我能幫助人們解決困擾我一生的問題，而且我也有這方面的經驗，所以我經常告訴我的病人，我推薦給他們的任何東西，我自己都試過了，我可以告訴他們是有效的。在克里奇洛醫生的成長過程中，沒有人幫助她克服痤瘡。如果你熬過了一些事情，你就設法度過了一段艱難的經歷或充滿挑戰的生活時期。

Instead, she got whatever medicine she could buy without a doctor's prescription, known as over-the-counter medicines, from her local pharmacy.

取而代之的是，她從當地藥店買到了任何不需要醫生處方就能買到的藥，也就是所謂的非處方藥。

Dr Critchlow calls acne the bane of my life, an idiom meaning the cause of unhappiness or misfortune. But as she grew older and her acne improved, she used her experience to support her patients in the UK. For most people, acne stops as they grow older, but remember it's completely natural and you're not alone. Which reminds me of my question, Beth. What proportion of 11- to 30-year-olds get acne to some extent? You said it was 95%, which was the correct answer.

克里奇洛醫生稱痤瘡是我生命中的禍根，這個成語的意思是不快樂或不幸的原因。但隨著年齡的增長和痤瘡的好轉，她利用自己的經驗為英國的患者提供支持。對大多數人來說，痤瘡會隨著年齡的增長而停止，但請記住，這完全是自然現象，你並不孤單。這讓我想起了我的問題，貝絲。在 11 至 30 歲的人群中，在某種程度上有痤瘡的比例是多少？你說是 95%，這是正確答案。

OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with puberty – the stage of life when a person changes from a child to an adult. Someone who is emotionally vulnerable has their feelings and emotions easily hurt. The verb to trivialise means to make something seem less important than it really is. If you get through it, you manage to survive a difficult experience or period of life.

好了，讓我們從青春期--一個人從兒童變為成人的人生階段--開始，回顧一下我們學過的詞彙。情感脆弱的人，他們的感情和情緒很容易受到傷害。動詞 "瑣碎化"（trivialise）的意思是讓某件事看起來沒有那麼重要。如果你熬過去了，你就設法度過了一段艱難的經歷或生活時期。

Over-the-counter medicines can be bought in a shop without a doctor's prescription.

非處方藥無需醫生處方即可在商店購買。

And finally, the idiom the bane of my life refers to a source of persistent unhappiness or misfortune. Once again, our six minutes are up, but remember to join us again next time for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English. Goodbye for now!

最後，the bane of my life 這個成語指的是持續不愉快或不幸的根源。我們的 6 分鐘時間又到了，但請記得下次再來 6 Minute English 觀看更多熱門話題和實用詞彙。再見

Bye.

再見。