We deal with a lot of hormones in our house (aside from my own). I have two teens: my oldest child is 15 and my middle is 12. Over the last year we’ve been dealing with hormone-induced acne breakouts. We’ve been working hard to establish skin care regimens that I hope they will stick to through adulthood. I’ve learned a lot about teen skin needs and today I am sharing everything I’ve learned!
Acne, blackheads, and oily skin top the list of teen skin complaints. For kids who play a lot of sports and are not accustomed to daily face washing each morning and night, the combination of sweaty, dirty, and hormonally-induced oily skin can wreak havoc on their complexions. The most important thing for young teen skin is to avoid using harsh products that will dry out the skin. The emphasis should be on balancing drying out acne and hydrating skin. Overly drying products actually create more acne because your skin responds by producing more oil to balance out your skin’s dryness.
Products
These are the teen skin products recommended the most and the ones my teens use:
- Cetaphil Facial Cleanser. // Despite all the marketing teens don’t need a lot of fancy skincare products. A simple, gentle cleanser to use morning and night is sufficient. Cetaphil is our favorite.
- Neutrogena Hydroboost. // Whether you are in your teens, twenties, thirties, forties or beyond, hydrating your skin is critical. The lack of hydration is one cause of wrinkles later in life. Neutrogena’s hydroboost or Kiehl’s Oil-Free Gel Cream offers enough hydration for most teens who battle oily skin and acne. and CeraVe Night Cream is another good option.
- Sunscreen. // Elta-MD SPF 40 is hands-down my favorite sunscreen for the face. It’s not greasy, it absorbs easily and it locks in moisture. You can buy it tinted or untinted.
- Differin Adapalene Gel. // Differin adapalene gel used to be a prescription is now over the counter. An adapalene gel is a great product to apply every other day in the T-zone. It’s a retinoid but it is still gentle on the skin.
More Tips
A teen who is experiencing a bout of acne should wash their face as soon as they are in for the night so they don’t get too tired and decide not to do it. I usually keep skin care wipes in my car so when I pick my kids up from practice they can immediately wipe the sweat and dirt off their face. Keeping them in a sports bag (if they’ll remember to use it) is another good trick. Also, try to change their pillowcase weekly!
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