All About Puberty 1 | Page 4

Girls

he first physical change for girls is breast development. One of the first signs of puberty for girs are breast buds. These are firm tender lumps that will first appear on one or both breasts. In the first stages of brest development, a girls breasts can be a bit painful as they are tender and growing. Eventually these buds will grow into mature breasts. If you are feeling sensitive about the development of your breasts, don’t be afraid to ask a parent or guardian to get you a crop top or training bra.

Pubic hair is often the second noticable change during puberty. Pubic hair pubic hair refers to the growth of hair in your genitalia area. Pubic hair is often much more coarse and stiff than the hair on your head and is also a lot darker, similar to your eyebrows. There is not much you can do about pubic hair but you can get your bikini line waxed if it becomes embarrassing

Body growth is innevitable during puberty. During puberty you grow faster than any other time in your life except when you were a baby. The average growth spurt during puberty lasts approximately 2-3 years and counts for 20% of your adult height.

Acne is caused when the pores of the skin become clogged with excess oil, or sebum. The acne most teens experience is known as 'acne vulgaris' and appears on the neck, face, chest, back and shoulders. There are two main types of ace; blackheads and whiteheads. Blackheads occur when a pore gets clogged with sebum yet remains open. The sebum becomes dark, giving it a 'black' appearence.

Whiteheads occur when the wall of a pore opens up, allowing bacteria and oil to go beneath the skin. This results in a swollen red pimple, often with a large pus-filled top. There are creams you can get to help pimples but the important thing is to not squeeze them or cover them with makeup.

A girl's period is often the last and scariest physical change during puberty. A period is when the lining of the uterus breaks away and is released through the vagina as a small amount of blood. The scariest thing about getting your period is that you never really know when it is going to happen. However, you will usually get your first period about 2 years after breast development. A more accurate approximation is about six months before you get your period you will notice a thick, white mucous discharge coming from your vagina. No one likes getting their period but there are things you can do to help like wearing pads and tampons.

During puberty you will notice a lot of social and emotional changes.

During puberty you might find yourself seeking more responsibility and independance. You may find yourself wanting to do more things individually, not wanting to rely on your parents as much or maybe just wanting to be alone more.

Starting to develop and explore a sexual identity is normal during puberty. You may find yourself feeling sexually attracted to another person either of the same or opposite sex. There are three types of sexual orientation. Hetrosexual (also known as straight) means a person is attracted to the opposite sex.

Homosexual means a person is attracted to a member of the same sex and bisexual means a person is attracted to a member of either sexes. During puberty you will discover what sex you are attracted to and it is not wrong to feel attracted to the same sex even if you are straight and vice versa.

During puberty you are likely to feel more self-consious and compare your looks with those of your friends and peers. You will also be more likely to agree with the opinions of your friends and be susceptible to peer-pressre

TPL

Physical, Social & Emotional Changes