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For teens, entering the world of skin care and building a routine can be confusing. Add acne to the equation, and the whole task can seem impossible. Not only are these teens dealing with a skin-care complaint that can seriously affect their confidence, but they’re being bombarded with hundreds of products, each of which claim to help. This abundance of choice backfires, dermatologists told me. A wide range of products actually leads to a lot of teens entering into a frustrating cycle: By buying and trying every new skin-care product, they seriously damage their skin in the process and make their acne worse.
But I’m here to help. I’ve used my three years of skin-care writing expertise, and chatted with dermatologists, to nail down the skin-care steps and products to best help teens with acne. Now, when I say acne, I’m talking about anything from angry red pustules to bumpy closed comedones and pesky whiteheads and blackheads. The treatment that’s best for a teen will depend on the type of acne that they’re developing — and below I’ve made it clear which product is best suited for which type of zit.
Below, I’ve built an entire skin-care routine, from the basics that every teen (and everybody, for that matter) will benefit from using daily, to more targeted treatments for preventing acne, as well as products to use during a breakout, and to prevent acne-scars. Each step of the way, I’ve kept teenage budgets in mind. Throughout, I’ve peppered advice from my dermatologists about how to best treat acne, some common mistakes, and words of encouragement, such as their advice on when to seek help from a professional. “If you’re seeing dark marks or scarring, if it comes on very suddenly, if it’s very painful, then it’s best to see a dermatologist right away — because not all red bumps are acne,” says Carmen Castilla, M.D. “Also if it’s really affecting their self-esteem or self-confidence, it’s better to come in.”
If you already know the type of product you’re interested in (and the kind of acne that you have), you can jump straight ahead to that section. And make sure to also read my more general guide to teen skin care, as well as our pieces on dealing with acne.
If you only buy three things:
Cleanser
Everybody should cleanse — always once at night, and potentially once in the morning (only if you have particularly oily skin and feel the need). For this, you’ll want a simple, gentle product — CeraVe is hard to beat. You can also incorporate a cleanser that’s targeted toward acne treatment, which will have ingredients like salicylic acid (an exfoliating BHA) or benzoyl peroxide (a topical antiseptic).
You might be wondering, Why can’t I just use my acne-focused cleanser every day? That’s because although the percentage is low, using a targeted cleanser every day is too much for young skin. “Every day is probably too much. Anytime you’re introducing something new with an active ingredient, introduce it slowly. See how you tolerate it, and see if it works,” says Dr. Jeremy Brauer, founder at Spectrum Skin and Laser. “If you benefit from using it only a couple of times a week, fantastic. If you find that you need to use it more often, then you can do so.”
And not to complicate things, but if you’re incorporating an SPF (which you should be) or if you wear makeup, I advise you to start double cleansing. Your first cleanse will be with an oil-based cleanser, to break down any lingering SPF, makeup, or grime, then your second cleanse will actually get to work on your skin — so it should be a water-based cleanser, to break down and remove sweat and dirt.
This is a simple, noncomedogenic, soap-free cleanser for your first cleanse. Then, you move on to either a gentle cleanser or a targeted cleanser for your second cleanse.
CeraVe makes my favorite gentle cleanser: Its hydrating formula contains ceramides and glycerin, so it won’t dry your skin out as it cleanses. If you have oilier skin, you might prefer its foaming cleanser — it’s still hydrating but gives the pores a bit more of a strip.
If your acne is showing up as closed comedones (tiny raised bumps on the surface of the skin), blackheads, or whiteheads, salicylic acid is the ingredient to incorporate into your skin-care routine. “This is usually the first sign of acne teens experience, and they’re very common along the forehead,” says Castilla. “Salicylic acid will help exfoliate the skin and unclog the pores.” Four dermatologists recommended this cleanser from La Roche-Posay — it contains 2 percent salicylic acid, the percentage Dr Jaimie Glick, M.D., says she always recommends to teens as it’s effective yet not too strong (but still not gentle enough for daily use, think three to four times a week).
If your acne is red, angry, and showing up as pustules, benzoyl peroxide will be the best ingredient to introduce. Three of my dermatologists recommended this cleanser from CeraVe as an effective, non-irritating choice. “Benzoyl peroxide can be very drying but this a gentler formulation,” says Castilla. “It contains hyaluronic acid to help maintain hydration and ceramides that help support a healthy skin barrier.” Those with drier, sensitive skin types might prefer to incorporate benzoyl peroxide in the cleansing step, as opposed to a spot treating step, as it is much gentler on the skin. A ward of warning, though: Benzoyl peroxide can stain towels and bedsheets — so lock the guest towels away.
Moisturizer
Moisturizing is another universal step, but it really becomes vital when you’re introducing acne-targeting ingredients to your routine. “For the most part, these ingredients are all drying and irritating,” says Castilla. “A good moisturizer is going to help your skin tolerate them.”
If you have oilier skin, several of my dermatologists recommended a gel-based moisturizer. In fact, most of them named this one by Neutrogena as their favorite. Dr. Margarita Lolis told me she recommends it as it’s simple, and kind to skin. “You want to use a moisturizer that does not have many ingredients. They can irritate or even serve as allergens since your skin barrier is already compromised,” she says. “I recommend staying away from any fragrance, parabens, lanolin, formaldehyde, etc. Look for moisturizers that contain humectants and ceramides, as this one does.”
This creamier moisturizer is suited to drier skin types. Dr. Lolis, Dr. Castilla, and dermatologist Vladyslava Doktor all recommend it to their acne-prone patients with dry to extremely dry skin types. “It’s good for sensitive skin, and has ceramides, which are basic moisturizing ingredients,” says Dr. Doktor. The moisturizer also contains niacinamide, which is an anti-inflammatory (and should help with redness). I also like its Cicaplast Baume B5 moisturizer, which I’ve been using for three years or so on my extremely dry, acne-prone skin.
SPF
SPF is a universal last step, but it becomes even more vital when you’re using acne-targeting ingredients. That’s because retinoids (more on that, below) and benzoyl peroxide increase the skin’s sensitivity to UV damage. Sun damage can also lead to the darkening of any scars that acne may leave behind. So if teens haven’t been using SPF, now is the time to get into the habit.
My preferred SPF comes from Elta-MD, which is a sunscreen targeted towards acne-prone skin. It’s a mineral sunscreen that uses zinc oxide to form a physical barrier between the skin and the sun. It’s by no means cheap, but it’s been recommended to me by dozens of dermatologists, who tell me teens won’t be put off by its consistency. “It feels like silk going on, is perfectly seamless, transparent, and lightweight,” says Philadelphia-based dermatologist Dr. Nazanin Saedi.
Spot treatment
Spot treatments are for — you guessed it — treating individual spots or active breakouts. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can offer you is to avoid picking, squeezing, or just generally futzing around with your spots. This is what causes them to scar, and can also introduce more bacteria into the area, leading to more breakouts. Resist the urge, pop a pimple patch over it, and you’ll thank yourself down the line (as satisfying and tempting as it may feel to pop!).
If you want to really target a zit, use this cream after cleansing, but before moisturizing. This spot treatment has a 10 percent concentration of benzoyl peroxide, compared to the above cleanser’s four percent. This means it’s much more effective but, as Dr. Saedi warns, “can cause irritation if you use too much and get it on unaffected skin.” Use it sparingly, dabbing it on your red angry pimples, and make sure to keep the area and the skin around it well moisturized (and again, far away from the fancy guest towels).
A piece of advice from every skin-care professional whom I have ever interviewed: Don’t pick your spots! Tempting as it is, picking can lead to scarring, and pesky bacteria from picking-fingers can actually make your breakouts worse. When teens feel the urge to pick a spot that has already surfaced, I recommend slapping a pimple patch on the area instead. It will work best on freshly prepped skin so use it at the very end of your routine. These patches from Hero Cosmetics will shield the pimple from potential pollution, reduce the urge to pick, and use hydrocolloid to draw gunk from within the breakout to the surface. They’re also almost invisible.
For deeper spots that haven’t surfaced yet, a patch with microdarts can speed up the process. These ones from ZitSticka deliver salicylic acid, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid via micro darts into the skin. They help increase skin-cell turnover, reduce inflammation, and speed up the entire healing process.
Retinoid
Retinoids is an umbrella term for a group of vitamin-A-derived products that stimulate cell turnover, and help reduce the look and texture of acne. While retinoids are beneficial for all kinds of acne, it’s a particularly popular choice for those dealing with painful cystic acne, which is often triggered by changes in hormones. Retinol and retinal are both kinds of retinoids, as is adapalene, which is the retinoid found in Differin gel. Differin gel is so popular as, while it was once available only by prescription, you can now purchase it over the counter.
Differin, as mentioned, is great at stimulating skin-cell turnover, but it can also be very irritating, and many people using it for the first time can notice redness or a purge period. That’s why it’s important to introduce it to your routine slowly, says Dr. Brauer. “We’re not racing, we’re taking the tortoise approach.” If you’re using this, slot it in after cleansing, and before moisturizing. “I would advise that a little goes a long way, just a pea size for the entire face with moisturizer on top,” says dermatologist Brooke Jeffy, M.D. “If struggling with irritation, application on dry (not damp) skin can help as can sandwiching it between layers of moisturizer.” If retinoids simply don’t agree with your skin, you might want to chat with your doctor about starting a form of hormonal birth control — which has also been shown to help tame this kind of acne.
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