How Will I Know for Sure When I Hit Puberty? The first sign of puberty for boys, which usually occurs between ages 10 and 14, is an increase in the size of the testicles, also referred to as your gonads. These sex glands, housed in a sac called the scrotum, wake up during early adolescence and start to pump out testosterone in response to chemical messages from your brain’s hypothalamus and pituitary glands. Without any warning, you may find yourself shifting from thinking about trucks to thinking about sex. Testosterone is also responsible for your developing a beard and other body hair, your deepening voice, and your penis widening and lengthening. On the negative side, this hormone is the culprit behind a teen’s breaking out with zits at the most inopportune times. It can even make you do stupid things just to impress your latest love object. Can You Really Go Blind or Get Hairy Palms From Masturbating? None of the myths about over masturbating are true (like hairy palms or going blind), but you are going overboard if you’re masturbating in public or have rubbed yourself raw. Usually people prefer to masturbate in their beds or in the shower. Mutual masturbation means touching another’s genitals and having yours touched, to give and receive pleasure. Some people feel this is much safer than sexual intercourse, which is definitely true with respect to avoiding pregnancy and many sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. When Will My Breasts Develop? Breast development can begin as young as age 7, but usually things start happening between ages 8 and 12. If no change has occurred by the age of 14, it’s worth asking your doctor about why your body is running late. What’s the Proper Way to Shave? Rinse the area with warm water, then press a warm washcloth against it for a minute or two (to help soften up hairs to be shaved). Shave with short strokes in the direction of hair growth (not against the grain); don’t pull the skin and make sure to use a sharp razor every time. Aftershaves are okay to use (unless they cause a burning or tingling sensation that’s too uncomfortable); you can also try a moisturizer instead. If you experience razor burns (tiny bumps of inflammation), you may want a lotion like bacitracin (or another antibiotic lotion clindamyacin) to ease inflammation. Is it Weird That I’m Not Circumcised? Circumcision is not a medical necessity, and some say that because the foreskin has a lot of nerve endings, it makes sex more pleasurable to keep the foreskin on. Others swear that circumcision enhances feelings by leaving the glans more exposed. There are some data that uncircumcised penises have a higher risk of acquiring certain STIs (sexually transmitted infections), such as chancroid (shows up as an ulcer on the penis) and HIV. If you’re not circumcised, you need to keep your penis clean, because warm, moist areas can trap bacteria. When showering, pull back the foreskin and wash that area with soap and water. How Will I Know When I’m Ready to Have Sex? Safe sex should combine meaning, pleasure, and vulnerability in a way that makes you feel confident in sharing your most intimate thoughts and feelings. If you’re having sex but are missing a piece of that equation, you should ask yourself a few simple questions: Is this the right partner? Will he or she be there for me next month, next year, for the duration? Is there mutual trust and respect here? Can we really talk about anything? Is he or she pressuring or guilt-tripping me into having sex before I’m ready? And do I know everything about his or her past sexual life, before me? If you’re not having pleasure, it may mean that you do not yet have clear answers to some of these questions and may want to explore a healthy sexuality without actual intercourse, through touch and other senses. What Can I Do About My Super Sweaty Armpits? Hyperhidrosis, or excess sweating, is a common plight among teens and adults. It can happen in the armpits, feet, palms, face, or elsewhere, and can be embarrassing if it occurs at an inopportune time. While it’s not the most embarrassing thing that will ever happen, we understand that it’s a real problem that people like to have fixed. For whatever reason, supersweaters have more active sweat glands than most people. You can get prescription antiperspirants that contain higher concentrations of aluminum hydroxide or aluminum chloride than ordinary deodorant, such as Drysol (20 percent) or Certain Dri (12 percent). These can be applied three nights a week at bedtime and washed off in the morning. After it is working well, it can be applied once or twice a week (and still washed off in the morning) for three to six months until sweat production has subsided. Most people can then back off and not use any of the medicine for another three to six months, then repeat the cycle. How Do I Figure Out My Bra Size? To measure yourself for a bra, you need a measuring tape and a mirror. You can do without the mirror, but it can be a bit awkward. Measure yourself around your chest, just underneath your breasts. Take that number and add 5 inches -- that gives you your band size. If the total number is an odd number, round up to the next even number. For instance, if your under-breast measurement is 32, you add 5 inches, making it 37, then round up to the next even number, which makes it a 38. Next measure around the biggest part of your breasts, usually over the nipple line. Here’s where the mirror comes in handy; you can use it to make sure that the tape measure stays level all the way around from front to back and around again to meet in front. To find your cup size, subtract your band measurement from your bust measurement. I Think I’m Addicted to Something -- What Do I Do? First, see if you can quit cold turkey. Just stopping abruptly often works for those in the early stages of an addiction, as it’s more like breaking a bad habit at that point. But once your brain has been hardwired to crave the substance or behavior, you may need additional help. If you try to quit yourself but can’t, seek help. Start with your doctor and/or your school counselor, to seek information on how to quit. How Can I Get Rid of Terrible PMS? Swallowing 500 milligrams of calcium supplements with vitamin D (400 IUs) twice a day may help, especially for those not getting enough milk or dairy products. Some complementary therapies may work, although the jury is still out with respect to formal studies evaluating these. These strategies include using ginkgo biloba (gingko leaf extract) or Vitex agnus-castus (chasteberry) and eating carbohydrates. (Yes, that was in one study.) Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, nicknamed NSAIDs (pronounced en-seds) for short, may help; examples include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and naproxen (Aleve). Birth control pills, which regulate hormone levels, may also help, especially ones with every-three-month periods. Why Do My Breasts Hurt Sometimes? Well, there are a lot of normal changes that go on, especially during the menstrual cycle; your breasts can become hot, swollen, or sensitive. They also may undergo fibrocystic changes or develop potentially painful lumps and bumps that grow over the course of the menstrual cycle, then deflate when you get your period. You can deal with fibrocystic changes with good support bras or sports bras, especially right before your period. If you notice a lump or a bump, don’t inspect it every day. Instead examine your breast at the same point in your next period cycle (usually a month or month and a half later), to see if it is the same size, shrinking, or growing. If it is the same size or smaller, that means you’re experiencing fibrocystic changes of the breast and don’t need to worry about it. If it is in exactly the same place, and growing, it may be a benign growth called a fibroadenoma, and you should consult your doctor and/or your pediatric gynecologist. Source: ivillage.com