Being a teenager is an absolute nightmare. The hormones are all over the place, causing disruption everywhere. If it’s not the emotions affected, it’s the skin. Teenagers have a reputation for being full of white and red horrible acne.
Acne appears for a few reasons. When it comes to teenage skin, it’s largely linked to the hormones. The hormonal imbalances created during puberty lead to the natural oil production being affected. The body releases more oils or not enough for the skin to look soft and clean.
Just because teenagers commonly get acne doesn’t mean you must deal with it daily. There are some steps that you can take to reduce acne breakouts and get rid of them quickly. Here are 13 simple rules for teenage skin care that you should follow right now.
Start with a Healthy and Balanced Diet
While there are rumors that junk food and greasy meals cause acne, this isn’t quite the truth. It’s not the fat in food that causes more breakouts on the skin. However, that doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want without consequences.
Eating too much sugar and fat can disrupt the hormonal balance further. This means you will likely suffer from more breakouts, as the oil production is directly affected further.
A healthy and balanced diet helps to ensure your body gets all the nutrients it needs. This includes your skin. Your skin needs help to produce the right amount of oils, collagen, and healthy skin cells. If there are certain foods that you don’t want to eat, you’ll need to add them directly to your skin to help get the benefits. This is especially the case when it comes to avocados, coconut oil, and olive oil.
Don’t forget about your water intake. You may not be hungry, but thirsty. Your body can’t tell the difference. Dehydration leads to the skin drying out, and the oil production is increased considerably. Your pores become blocked, and you end up creating the perfect space for bacteria growth. These bacteria cause the acne that appears on your face!
Focus on more leafy greens, protein-filled foods, and fiber. They will keep your gut working effectively, helping to balance out the hormones.
Find Out Your Skin Type
We all have different types of skin. And we can have different types of skin from various parts of the body. When it comes to the face, you will likely either have oily, dry, or combination skin.
Every other teenager is the same. You are not alone with your skin type, and all types of skin are prone to acne. It’s the management of your skin type that will help to minimize acne breakouts.
By knowing the type of skin, you have, you can make sure any cleanser you buy or any makeup and product you purchase is designed for your skin type. The last thing you want is a product that is designed to boost the natural oil production when you already have oil, greasy skin! Likewise, your dry skin doesn’t need any more oil stripped out of it.
Your skin type can change as you get older. It will depend on trauma, environmental damage, and skin care routine over the years. Don’t rely on the same product for the rest of your life!
Some of the product purchasing will be a case of trial and error. When you find something that works, stick with it for a couple of months and then move onto something else. Don’t give your body a chance to get used to the formula within the product.
You can control the amount of oil that is produced. Using a salicylic acid cleanser and oil-free moisturizer and primer will help. Throughout the day, use a tissue to blot at your skin if you have a large excess oil production problem. Don’t use your hands as this will just make it all worse!
Cleanse Carefully and Thoroughly
We’ve mentioned finding the right type of cleanser for your skin type, but you also need to use it right. There’s no need to use a harsh cleanser on your skin. Teenage skin is fragile. Ripping off the top layers will open your pores to more dirt and grime collection. You’ll end up with more bacteria and inflammation, meaning far more acne and sensitivity.
The best thing you can do is use a mild cleanser on your face. Look out for natural options, including aloe vera, lemon juice, and coconut oil. All these cleansers add more nutrients to your skin while helping to manage the levels of oils your body produces.
If you do have oily skin, make sure any product you pick up is oil-free. This isn’t just about cleansers but about your makeup, toners, moisturizing creams, and more.
You only need to wash your face twice a day. Any more than that and you will do more damage. Wash at the start and end of the day. Throughout the day, you can then use facial tissues to blot away any excess oil to help manage the greasy look throughout the day.
Make Sure You Use Sunscreen
It’s never too early to think about sun damage to the skin. There are still so many things that we don’t know about DNA, cells, and UV rays. There are teenagers who have skin cancer due to the way they don’t look after their bodies.
So, one thing you need to do as a teenager is wearing sunscreen. It is possible to get moisturizing creams and foundations with added sunscreen protection if you want to avoid putting too many creams on your skin. This can help to minimize oils on the skin. You can get a moisturizing sunscreen for dry skin.
Sunscreen will help to do more than preventing damage to the cells. It prevents premature aging to the skin. It will avoid blemishes and dark spots while avoiding scars getting darker and more prominent on the skin. You can also reduce the risk of more acne forming.
You’ll want to think about the type of sunscreen you get to make sure it works with your skin type. The best advice is to find a sunscreen that is oil-free. It should protect against UVA and UVB rays, and you want to apply it 15-20 minutes before a trip out in the sun. Carry it with you to reapply when necessary. If you have oily skin, you’ll likely need to reapply more frequently, as the sunscreen will come away with oils running.
Make Sure You Moisturise Daily
Even those with oily skin will need to moisturize daily. There are multiple benefits throughout life to moisturizing. When it comes to teenage skin, it will help to control some natural oils produced by the body and manage that greasy or dry look.
When your body feels dehydrated, it will believe your skin needs more oils. If you keep the skin hydrated, the body gets the message that it can minimize your oil production. Likewise, you add extra oil to dry skin to help rectify the problem of low oil production.
The moisturizing cream will also help to block the pores with something good. You don’t end up with dirt and grime building up, which means bacteria doesn’t have the best home to grow and multiply. Acne is likely a thing of the past.
We also can’t deny the benefit of the skin’s look. The moisturizing cream keeps the skin soft and smooth.
Always Wash Your Makeup Daily
Don’t go to bed without washing your face. This isn’t just to cleanse it of the dirt from the day, but to cleanse it from all the makeup you’ve used. Even if you just use a little bit of tinted moisturizer and mascara, you want to cleanse your face before you sleep.
Not removing makeup from your face will lead to clogged, bacteria-filled pores. The skin is more likely to become irritated, inflamed, and full of acne. The makeup will also transfer to your pillow, meaning you get that makeup back in your pores the next night.
Even when traveling or tight on time, you will want to use a cleansing wipe to get rid of the makeup. It’s better than nothing and will open the pores a little. However, you want to cleanse properly as often as possible.
Avoid the Foundation Where Possible
While you need to clean the makeup off daily, you’ll also want to limit the amount of makeup you do use. Foundation is overused and misused by most people. Even as we get older, we don’t know how to use foundation properly.
It’s commonly placed on in a heavy layer, blocking the pores and preventing the skin from breathing. There’s this layer that is irritating and scratchy, and you know you’re wearing it without even touching your skin.
That isn’t how you should use your foundation!
Foundation is best for anevening out skin tones and creating a smooth coloring. As a teen, you don’t need that! Your skin is already smooth and even. You have a natural glow that your mom wishes she had.
What about the acne? Your foundation makes it worse. Even oil-free foundations can clog the pores and make the acne worse. The best thing you can use is a tinted moisturizer on your skin.
Don’t Exfoliate More Than Twice a Week
Your skin doesn’t need a scrub every single day of the week. You can cut the exfoliating to just once or twice a week (twice at the most). Even if you have oily skin, you don’t need to scrub to open the pores.
When you exfoliate, you’re removing the dead skin cells and opening the pores. You get deep into the pores to get rid of dirt and grime, but the right cleansers will also do this. What you also do with exfoliating is remove the top layer of your skin! You run the risk of tearing the skin.
Exfoliating also runs the risk of spreading the bacteria around your face. That acne spreads across your cheek and chin, making it worse! You also end up with irritation, causing inflammation and redness.
Sticking to just once a week will give the skin tissue a chance to repair.
When you are exfoliating, just rub gently. Avoid scrubbing and using harsh chemicals. Don’t forget to moisturize afterward.
Look After Your Body by Sleeping
As teenagers, we all like to stay up. This is the time that parents stop regulating bedtimes and a chance to stay up with friends. But your body still needs sleep. In fact, your body needs a little more sleep than your younger self because of all the hormonal changes.
A good night’s sleep will also help to manage your acne and skin health. When you get enough sleep, your hormones find it easier to balance. That means your oil production can balance out. You can reduce stress, which leads to more hormonal imbalances.
Don’t be tempted to stay up late watching TV. You’re putting stress on your eyes and muscles in your face. The more you contort these muscles, the more your skin is contorted. You’ll suffer from dark circles and premature aging signs.
You want to get at least eight hours of sleep on a night. If you struggle to get a good night’s sleep, consider creating a bedtime routine. You can use some beauty rules above to help create that skin benefiting routine to unwind and relax.
Don’t Pop Your Pimples
I know how tempting this is, but you need to avoid doing it as much as possible. Avoid popping your pimples, because you just make them worse. You spread the bacteria across your face and damage your skin, giving the bacteria a new home. You’ll break out in far more and suffer from the red and inflamed skin.
Picking at your spots will also increase the chances of your pimples scarring. Then you’re left with a prominent reminder that you had a bad breakout in your teenage years.
Instead of picking, pick up a cleanser and start working at the bacteria on your skin. Remove it and nourish your skin through natural options like coconut oil, lemon juice, and aloe vera. They will help to add acid to clean out the specific bacteria that causes acne and brighten your face.
Aloe vera helps to reduce inflammation and support the skin cells. Coconut oil will help to add more moisture to your skin while killing bacteria. Lemon juice helps to tighten and reduce the pores, creating less room for the bacteria to grow.
If you want a natural way to reduce the sign of your pimples, use toothpaste. Just a dab over the acne will help to kill off the bacteria and reduce the redness.
Keep the Water Lukewarm
When you are cleansing, make sure the water you use is lukewarm. If you can, opt for distilled water to get rid of chemicals and minerals in your usual tap water. Yes, this will be harder and more time-consuming, but it can be worth it for those with extremely problematic skin.
Cold water isn’t good for cleansing your skin. The pores will close, which means the cleanser and water can’t get in there to get rid of any build up.
Hot water can damage the skin. Even if it doesn’t feel too hot, it can be harsh on sensitive skin.
Lukewarm will work on the pores while protecting skin tissues and cells.
Know Your Skin Care Products
There are some beautiful smelling and sparkling skin care products out there. Celebrities bring out something new, and there are products designed to allure to your preferences and style. However, they aren’t necessarily going to be good for your skin.
The manufacturers don’t care about your skin. There are little legal requirements in marketing when it comes to skin care products. Companies can produce “secret formulas,” meaning some of the ingredients don’t even need to be shared on the back of the products, and these are toxic ingredients!
It’s time to step away from the marketing and do your research. Look out for products that really will look after and cleanse your skin. The great news is there are plenty of natural products that work just as well (and sometimes a lot better) than the products on the market. Most products now include the natural ingredients because of the benefits, so why not go direct to the source.
There are times that you need something on prescription. This leads to the last rule for teenage skin.
Always Talk to a Dermatologist
Don’t pick up any cosmetics or prescription options without talking to a dermatologist. This is especially important if you have highly sensitive skin or skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
Your dermatologist will know the toxins to avoid. They’ll know how they can affect your skin and whether they will offer any benefits to your acne or oil levels. A good dermatologist will also be able to offer alternative recommendations if something isn’t any good for you.
This is something to do even with natural products. The issue with some natural products is that they can still include some chemicals or they can be harsh on sensitive skin. Your dermatologist will also tell you how to use the natural products on your skin best.
Follow the Rules for the Best Teenage Skin
The best thing you can do is follow the above rules. Your hormones will balance out, but while you wait for that to happen, you don’t have to just put up with bad skin. Following the above rules helps you get clear, bright skin. You’ll be able to manage your oil production, even if you can’t completely reverse the problem.
The above rules are suitable for all types of skin. While most teenagers have oily skin, there are some with dry and irritated skin. Make sure you moisturize well and cleanse your pores of all the dirt and grime build up throughout the day.
Leave a Reply