Acne is a common problem, especially among teens. This skin condition is caused by a number of factors, including hormonal changes that happen during the teenage years. Few teenagers have naturally clear and unblemished skin and many use great skincare routines and some subtle makeup to hide blemishes. Unfortunately, acne can have a big impact on any teenager’s confidence and self-perception. You face a considerable amount of social pressure from your peers to look perfect, and that can make you anxious.

Thankfully, there are several solutions available to help you combat acne and get that clear, unblemished skin. The best acne treatment includes several factors like your diet, skincare, hygiene, and the right products for your skin type. If you’re careful and take the right precautions, you can control breakouts and enjoy clear skin. 

Tips to Minimize Acne

Often, acne is unavoidable, but some habits and triggers can aggravate the skin condition and make your acne worse. You need to follow a good diet and remain active because a healthy body will lead to a healthy skin. Other steps you can take to protect yourself from acne include:

• Maintain a Skincare Routine –Teenagers can be a little negligent about their skincare, which contributes towards their acne-related problems. A diligent skincare routine with cleansing, toning, and moisturising is essential to maintain clear and healthy skin. Wash your face twice every day and make sure it’s hydrated. Even if you have oily skin, you need to apply moisturiser or serums. Keeping your skin hydrated will slow down your natural sebum production.

• Don’t Pop a pimple –It can be tempting to pop a pimple in order to remove it and reduce the pain. Unfortunately, that can leave behind an acne spot that will linger for months. Instead of popping the pimple, apply overnight spot treatments that will dry it out. The blemish will fade without a trace and you won’t need to worry about it excessively.

• Don’t Touch Your Face With Unclean Hands – You should avoid touching your face altogether, but that’s not always possible. People subconsciously touch their faces when they’re distracted or bored. If you do want to touch your face, make sure your hands are clean. Acne-causing bacteria can transfer from your hands to your face and lead to breakouts. You can easily avoid this if you clean your hands with anti-bacterial soap regularly.

• Keep your Hair Out of Your Face – The dander and oils in your hair can transfer to your face and cause breakouts. Keep your hair out of your face as much as you can and ensure you’re diligent with your hair care.

• Change the Pillow Case – The pillowcase can have dead skin cells, oils and dirt from your hair and face, and other such unpleasant substances. If you change your pillowcase every day, you can minimise the possibility of acne or reduce the severity of the breakout. 

The Best Acne Treatment Products for Teenagers

There are no one-size fits all solution when it comes to skincare. Different people react differently to products so you need to experiment with and explore the options available to you. You also need to choose products that are specially formulated for your particular skin type. For example, if you have extremely oily skin, you’ll need cleansers, toners, and moisturisers that are specifically formulated for oily skin.  The suggestion below are collated from a review of customer feedback on multiple e-commerce sites across Australia and the USA.

Nivea Daily Essentials

As mentioned before, you need a good skincare routine to keep your skin clear of acne and blemish-free. Nivea Daily Essential consists of all the items you need to keep your skin clean, balanced, and hydrated. This range consists of a Refreshing Cleansing Mousse, Refreshing Toner, and Moisturising day cream with an SPF of 15. The cleansing mousse is gentle so it’s ideal for dry or sensitive skin. The toner is just strong enough to clean the skin and gentle enough to balance it. The day cream will restore hydration to parched and stripped skin. An SPF of 15 isn’t really enough so you will need to apply sunscreen before you step out.

Natio Acne Clear

This system is specifically targeted towards acne-prone skin so it’s quite effective. Natio is an Australian brand. This system is more suitable for combination to oily skin and contains antibacterial agents that target acne-producing germs. The Dual Action Cleanser and Toner is a little too harsh for dry and sensitive skin, but works well for oily skin. The Detoxifying Face Scrub contains gentle jojoba beads that exfoliate the skin well and leave it clean and fresh. The Oil-Free Moisturiser is ideal for acne prone skin and will help your skin stay matte all day.

Sanctuary Spa Deep Cleanse Facial Pore Refining Toner

Toner is essential to remove lingering cleansing agents and restoring the balance to your skin. This solution will also soothe any irritation and minimise the chances of acne and blemishes. The toner contains white willow and witch hazel, both of which are considered great for your skin. The Sanctuary Spa toner is mild enough to suit all skin type so you don’t need to worry about breakouts and other such problems.

The 3-Step from Clinique

Clinique is a known skincare and cosmetics brand and while their products are a little more expensive compared to the ones mentioned above, they are effective. The 3-Step solution from Clinique consists of a cleanser, a liquid exfoliant, and a moisturiser. You can choose a system based on your skin type. All three products can be used in your daily skincare routine.

Origins Super Spot Remover Gel

Spot treatments are a great way to dry out and remove acne overnight. The Origins remover gel has salicylic acid and witch hazel extracts along with ingredients like red algae and caffeine. All of these ingredients will dry out the acne overnight. All you need to do is apply the gel over your acne with a cotton swab before you go to bed and let the treatment sink in overnight.

In Summary.....

There is no silver bullet when it comes to treating teenage acne and a lot of the time it is trial and error, trying different products and methods to reduce the effects of breakouts. It the standard tropical treatments do not work for your it is always advised to go and see your general practitioners and often chronic acne can only be treated or improved with prescription medication.