Skincare for Teens: 7 Essential Tips

If you’re a teenager or have kids in their teenage years, here’s everything you should know about the right skincare products and procedures.

Teenagers often have to deal with skin concerns because of puberty. While acne can occur at any age, teens are more prone to breakouts due to hormonal changes. The oil glands get stimulated when hormones become active, so more oil is produced: oil, dead skin cells and bacteria clog the pores and cause breakouts. It is therefore fundamental to start taking care of the skin as soon as possible.

1. Wash your face twice a day using a gentle cleanser and warm water, do not scrub or overwash (at least always wash your face in the evening, cleansing in the morning can sometimes be skipped). In order to eliminate the bacteria, choose a cleanser that contains benzoyl peroxide. Always double cleanse if you wear makeup during the day: oil-based cleanse first and water-based cleanse second. Ensure that you’re not sleeping with makeup on: this can make acne and oily skin worse, it will clog your pores leading to more breakouts. But listen, don’t use makeup wipes: they contain alcohol, which can irritate your skin, and they just don’t effectively cleanse the skin. This is the best time to start investing in safe and professional tools and products, in order to protect your skin from damage from the beginning.
2. Get into the habit of using a toner, something with acid in it if you are acne prone or have particularly oily skin. If you don’t, use micellar water to ensure you’re removing dirt and makeup from the skin properly.
3. When it comes to serums, in the daytime use ingredients that help decrease oil production like salicylic acid and niacinamide (in low dose). In the evening, switch to a retinol with niacinamide, which has a brightening, antioxidant and calming effect on the retinol. You can also choose a retinol with azelaic acid, because it’s a dicarboxylic acid that will work as an antibacterial and help with the cell turnover, the redness and the irritation.
4. Proceed with a gentle moisturizer to keep your skin barrier hydrated: don’t use a drying moisturizer, because drying too will stimulate the oil production. Prefer creams with ceramides or probiotic creams that balance your microbiome.
5. Choose a sunscreen that is more mineral based than chemical based. Sunscreen can sometimes exacerbate acne, so don’t use heavy or greasy products like SPF 50 or 50 but try to use 25 to 30 ones. If you play sports or often stay in the water, buy a dedicated water resistant sunscreen for both your face and body.
6. Don’t pop the pimples or pick your spots: you’re going to end up with scarring, which can take years to heal, and also pigmented spots and pigmentation on the skin. Try not to touch your face, your hands collect a lot of bacteria.
7. There are some skincare ingredients that you absolutely don’t need if you’re a teenager. The first is vitamin C: it helps with hyperpigmentation, skin texture and wrinkles, but your body already has vitamin C in it if you have a balanced diet. The levels of vitamin C drop off significantly as you get older, into your 20s and 30s. Next is hyaluronic acid: it’s the sponge in our skin that pulls and retains water, and teenagers have plenty of it in their skin, so you don’t get more benefit from adding more of it topically (it’s like having a wet, soaking sponge). Last one is peptide serum: peptides are shown to increase collagen, something that teenagers don’t need at all since collagen production starts reducing at around 25 years of age.