DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and have a bad case of acne. I read your column regularly, and when teens complain about complexion problems you always tell them to go to a dermatologist, so don't lecture me about going to a dermatologist. Just answer my questions, please. Why do guys have more acne problems than girls? What percent of teens get acne? I notice that very, very few adults have acne, so when I'm an adult my acne will be history. When does acne start to go away without any dermatologist visits? — Nameless, Lake Charles, La.

NAMELESS: Almost all teens have some complexion problems, with about 5 percent developing severe acne. In general, girls get acne earlier than boys — at about ages 14 and 16, respectively. The most severe forms of acne generally peak three to five years after the first attack.

We don't know why, but boys generally have more severe and longer lasting cases of acne. One of the reasons girls appear to suffer less from this skin condition is that they seek medical treatment sooner and more often than guys. Acne problems could not come at a worse time than the formidable teen years, but for most acne sufferers, it subsides by age 20.

SHOULD I BE A FRIEND TO MY EX?

DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend and I broke up about a month ago because I wanted to date another guy. I liked my ex, but I didn't love him, even though he told me many times that he loved me. My ex wants us to remain friends, even though we are no longer dating.

I don't dislike this guy, but I don't want to be a friend to him. I'd be glad to talk with him if I met him at a party, but I don't want him calling or texting me the way friends contact friends. I want to tell him this, but my sister thinks I'm being a stuck-up snob and that I should be his friend. What should I do? — Friendless, Las Vegas, Nev.

FRIENDLESS: You are not being snobbish when you choose not to remain friends with an ex-boyfriend. It's your life, and it's up to you to choose your friends. When a teen relationship ends, the teens rarely remain good friends, but are civil when they meet.

TEENS ENJOY TEXTING

TEENS: Do you consider yourself to be a typical teen when communicating with family and friends by use of a landline telephone, cellphone or sending and receiving texts?

A survey by The Pew Research Center shows that teens are more likely to text daily than call on their cell or landline. The survey found that 63 percent of teens communicate daily by sending and receiving texts, and the typical teen sends 60 texts a day.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at rwallace@galesburg.net. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.