Two of the hardest things about being a teenager:
#1. Wishing you were already 25 with your own car and condo in the city
#2. Teenage Acne.
What causes it? Well one thing that you can’t do anything about; a natural process complete with drastic hormonal changes and utter emotional confusion, called ‘puberty’ and also several things that you can control.
As a teen’s body begins to mature, oil glands in the skin and hair go into overdrive and when you combine too much oil (sebum) with many dead skin cells in the pores, bacteria gets trapped and multiply and viola, acne.
So ideally, you want to continue to exfoliate those dead skin cells and keep your skin as clean and your pores as unclogged as possible. One mistake many people make is using scrubs and alcohol based products that dry the skin so much that the oil glands work even harder.
So best advice for teenage acne:
DO:
- Cleanse your face twice a day with a gentle cleanser and warm water and again after exercising.
- Use only moisturizers and skin care products that are labeled oil free or ‘non-comedogenic’
- Purchasing a powder, mineral based makeup such as GLO Skin Beauty as most cream foundations will only make things worse.
- Talk to a doctor.
These ingredients can help reduce acne:
- Retin A (prescription only)
- Retinol
- Clindamycin antibiotic gel
- Oral antibiotics
- Oral contraceptives
- Salicylic acid
- Benzoyl Peroxide
- Glycolic Acid
Most acne treatments can make your skin dry, pink and flaky so make sure you use your oil free moisturizer as well along with a 30 SPF sun block. (For extra moisture you can also add a few drops of Jojoba oil to your moisturizer).
Don’t
- Suntan. Acne is not actually made better by sun tanning, it just makes it look less severe, in fact you will be doing much more to damage and age your skin.
- Scrub or rub your face
- Pick or squeeze blemishes (It can create scarring)
- Use greasy hair products
Skincare products we recommend to treat teenage acne
You need to see a doctor, as acne is bacteria and infection and there are medical creams, antibiotics and products that will be much more effective than the ones you can get over the counter.
Dr. Gidon Frame offers a consultation covered by your medical that will get you on the best road to reducing your acne right away and avoiding not only your current struggle with it but also the scarring that can occur from acne years later.
Getting acne is a natural process of teenage life but living with it is not necessary…give us a call.
