Becoming a teenager is a wonderful experience with the new found freedom. But with growing up comes one thing that annoys us all, that is teenage acne. Teenage and acne seems to go hand-in-hand. It is common to see teens with serious acne breakouts before it goes away as we get older. Still, nobody wants to let that big pus stay for too long when you can get rid of it for good. Here’s what you need to know about teenagers and acne, and the steps to treat it.
What is Causing Your Acne?
In our teenage years, the hormones are kind of haywire, and the significant fluctuation influences the skin to produce more oil in the glands, and that’s the starting point for acne to form. Some of the excess sebum within the pore gets mixed with dead skin cells, dirt, pollutants, and impurities allowing acne forming bacteria to grow and this causes inflammation surrounding the area.
Next thing you know, acne forms the next day.
So yes, there’s not a lot that you can do with fluctuating hormones as it’ll get better as you get older. Unless, you have a serious form of acne called cystic acne which goes deep into the layers of your skin.
The key is to take preventative steps so other factors won’t be the reason why you’re having acne in the first place. For example, other possible causes of acne include the food that we eat, stress levels, medications that we take, having skin issues of allergies, or even the season that we’re in.
Should acne forms on your skin, here are some of the treatments that you can do to calm it down.
Skincare Routine
Committing to a skincare routine is a good start to not only minimizing teenage acne but also preventing it from happening in the first place. If this is your first time in a skincare routine, start with the essentials – cleanser, toner, and moisturizer – and work your way after you get used to the routine.
Ensure that the products you’ll be using are non-comedogenic and they’re a must for acne-prone. The term means that the product is formulated in such a way that it won’t clog the pores – the starting point of the acne to form as mentioned – thus preventing one of the factors that can contribute to the formation of acne.
It’s also a good idea to exfoliate your skin. Nothing too much as doing the routine once a week will do to purge out dead skin cells instead of letting them get trapped in the pores. You can use a physical exfoliation such as a face scrub once or twice a week. Or mild home use chemical peels for as long as the product is not abrasive to your skin.
Should acne still form on your skin, rest assured there are treatments that you can do along with your skincare routine.
Medications Used to Treat Acne
For mild types of acne, a topical medication works well and can be done alongside your skincare routine.
Usually, in the form of spot treatment, this type of medication has ingredients such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide that works to heal inflamed skin and kills acne-causing bacteria at the same time. These spot treatments come in varying concentrations according to the severity of your acne and in most cases, 1-2% concentration is more than enough without being too abrasive on your skin. Apply the spot acne treatment to the affected area before applying moisturizer.
If your acne is rather serious and the spot treatment doesn’t do the trick, you might get retinoid or antibiotics (either topical or oral) via prescription from your dermatologist. These products are stronger and work from within your body. Side effects such as flaking of the skin and redness can be expected but moisturizing the skin should calm it down.