Flurry of Pawns

What is a simple counter to an advance of pawns?  Please provide something straight forward, to at least give me a fighting chance.

As a low-level player, I frequently encounter an opponent who masterfully advances most or all of the pawns.  This pressure of the pawns forces me to play defensive and I can't mount an attack.

If I exchange pieces that leaves my king exposed.  If I try to move pieces, that opens me up to attack.

The end game, if it gets to that stage, puts me in an impossible position.

I think the rule of thumb is:

If your opponent advances on the  flanks, you  have to try and break open the center

Thanks rooperi!  I'll keep that in mind.  It'll probably take a few tries to determine how to be effective, but that is the sort  of tip I was seeking.

Open up the center and pay attention to the diagonals of access to the weakened side.

Thanks goldendog!  I now have a new weapon against those darn pawns.

Try to undermine a pawn chain by attacking it's base pawn. 

when i face off against opponents who keep pushing pawns in the opening, i usually just laugh and type insults into the chat (yeah, i'm a dick sometimes) while they keep pushing pawns and i just keep developing normally. yes it makes it difficult to attack right away (which i like to do) but usually it just weakens their position. be patient and look to attack their weak/backwards pawns.

Thank  you Spielkalb.  I am aware of the tactic you mention.  By the time I realize I am in trouble with advanced pawns, it is often too late to try to maneuver and nab the base pawn.  

I look to capture the base pawn if I have pieces and postion.

trigs, I have noticed that patience can work to one's advantage, especially with players rated lower than me.  The darn "better" players seem to play flawlessly against me.