Acne in Adult Women

Acne most often occurs during or soon after puberty and diminishes in the late teens or early twenties, but it may persist in some individuals for many years.

However, there are some women in whom acne does not appear until the twenties, or even the thirties. We do not know why this happens. While the stresses of modern life, such as competing in the workplace, have been mentioned as potential causes, there is no good evidence that this is so.

Cosmetics have also been blamed. In some cases there may be hormonal imbalances.

If this is the case it is advisable to consult a dermatologist for treatment.

Where do you go for fun.....?

By Chamintha Thilakarathna

What's entertainment? What are the options, for young people in search of some fun and entertainment? The question arose when recently I found myself free on a Saturday evening. Wandering what to do and where to go, I scanned the newspapers for some ideas , but to my surprise found nothing. Ticking off the interesting possibilities I realised they did not agree with my purse. So it was back to the idiot box and later to some soft music at home.

It's not surprising that young people crowd themselves into air conditioned discotheques and nightclubs on weekends. And, during the day time, they hang out in shopping malls, hoping that something interesting will come their way. What else is there to do, anyway?

"Sri Lanka has only night clubs for youngsters, if you call it entertainment. We don't like Galle Face. We have limited choice if we want to travel, that is either down south or up country. In Colombo there is basically no place to go," said twenty five year old Dilshan Pieris from Mt. Lavinia.

How about spending an evening at a restaurant or even going to a movie and later an ice-cream, the old fashioned way?

"It's too expensive. If you want to go to a proper restaurant, one meal would cost you half a month's pay," said Shaminda Dissanayaka, a medical representative at Hemas pharmaceuticals.

"Movies are definitely beyond the budget of an ordinary family," said Ms. H .Pathirathna from Ratmalana, a mother of six children. "There are few movie options if one is looking for a family evening out. We could go either to Liberty or Majestic. Liberty is screening a series of Hindi movies leaving Majestic as the only possibility. Even that will cost you a fortune with Rs.80 a ticket for adults and RS.60 for kids. And, when you go with the kids, they will want to have icy chocs, drinks and snacks, basically everything they see at the drinks counter. And, at the end of the day, one will undoubtedly be sold out," she said.

Mr. Nihal Wanaguru agreed with Ms. Pathirathna. He said, "Even the entertainment available cannot be afforded by the general public. And, I definitely cannot take my fifteen ear old daughter to a movie because most of them are adults only movies. Neither can I take her to Sathutu Uyana," he said.

But Roshan Marcus, a twenty three year old working at Agatha International disagreed. "There are lots of entertainment options. And, Rs.80 for a movie is not an unaffordable price to the majority. But we definitely need more entertainment and proper entertainment," he said.

S. Ratnayaka (22) from Ratnapura said that even if you satisfy yourself with the movie option, a lack of facilities keep him from the cinemas.

"There aren't enough facilities. Most of the time, you boil inside the hall, if it is a Sinhalese movie that is being screened. I go there to relax, but I can't because either the seats are uncomfortable or the crowds are not well behaved. Even if all these things work out well, the cinema authorities begin to chase you out even before the curtain comes down," he said.

For Shirangika Abeyratna, a student from Kelaniya with strict ground rules at home, "decent entertainment," according to her parents, is limited.

"For persons with strict rules, there is no place to go. Movies are out, for they are mostly adults only ones and so are discos. And as for Sathutu Uyana, it is out of the question, definitely," she said.

So for most youngsters entertainment is hanging out at a mall or teasing the girls, or just window shopping. "We just hang out at these places because there isn't any other place to go. Basically people are jobless if you ask me. And the guys come for looking for women and not shopping," said Anusha Jayasinghe from Pepiliyana.

"I love the beach but the beaches are too dirty to go to so I prefer to stay at home," said twenty-four year old Sharma from Dehiwela.

How about the newest family favourite........ the television?

"I personally think that T.V entertainment is stupid. There isn't anything useful to watch on TV," argued Dinal Gunasekara, a twenty-two year old Open University student from Polhengoda.

"All you find is a Hindi movie or a song. The majority of Lankans do not even know their language. We blindly follow a culture and entertainment that does not agree with us. Only one out of five channels have Discovery. Even Music channel which used to broadcast from MTV original has now switched to MTV India again broadcasting Hindi stuff. If channels keep showing such nonsense, younger generations will turn out to be total junkies."

But if restaurants, movies, theme parks, beaches, discos are not what you have in mind or too expensive to be considered, what kind of entertainment are you looking for?

"I want to have a simple and inexpensive lunch and swim with my two children, maybe once a month. That is not available in the city," said Ms. Jayasundara from Colombo.

Two housewives whom the Mirror Magazine spoke to said that what they would like to have is a place where they could take their little kids for a fun time. "The only places I can think of right now are Wonderland and Sathutu Uyana. Even they are not open most of the time," they said.

Some youngsters came up with ideas like bowling alleys, better movies, cheaper theme parks, snooker joints, exhibitions with variety, cleaner beaches, informal and inexpensive restaurants, kiddies parks, places where one could relax with a book without much disturbances, roller blading areas, as suggestions to improve entertainment for the common person. One eighteen year old who wished to remain unidentified suggested that the planetarium and the children's theatre at Bauddhaloka mawatha be reopened and re-organized to accommodate children as well as adults looking for a quiet evening out.

More Mirror Magazine * Glad to be a country boy..

Return to Mirror Magazine Contents