Starting a new school year can be an exciting time for teens and pre-teens, but it can also be stressful if hormonal changes over the summer have caused acne breakouts on the face.
Skincare is probably the last thing on a teen’s mind as they prepare for classes, exams, and extracurricular activities, but they’ll need to change that to heal acne breakouts and get them under control by the end of the semester.
Here are some tips to help guide them through their journey to clear:
1. Educate teens/pre-teens about how the skin works.
Much of the frustration with teen acne stems from not understanding why breakouts happen. Break it down for them: Acne in teens and pre-teens often occurs because the body is going through the hormonal changes of puberty during the teen years, which can cause the body to produce more oil. Oily skin can clog the pores, which causes breakouts.
All of this is totally normal and happens to millions of teens and adults every day. The way to treat and prevent acne is to create a healthier environment for the skin’s barrier. You do this by completing a thorough skincare routine twice a day, and by eating a balanced diet that limits your intake of acne-causing foods.
2. Send teens to school with travel-size skincare products.
Between classes all day and practice in the afternoon if they play sports, cheer, are in the marching band, etc., sweat and dirt can pile into the pores and cause breakouts by the time they get home in the evening. Active teens and teen athletes should start their PM skincare routine right after practice and wash their face right away to prevent sweat and dirt from building up.
Keep them equipped with a travel-size skincare kit to go in their gym bag. This should include a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen to keep the skin barrier healthy and protected.
3. Encourage them to make healthier food choices.
This can be a tough one, but once you explain how and why some foods cause more oiliness and breakouts, you can encourage them to prioritize their overall health and eating what’s best for the skin. This isn’t to say a little indulgence isn’t OK here and there. The idea is to make healthier choices more often than indulging, not the other way around.
We spend our whole lives in our skin. The sooner we get into the habit of taking care of it the way it needs, the more years it will reward us with a healthy, radiant glow. Let’s show our teens and pre-teens how to properly care for their skin now so they are prepared with knowledge to keep acne away.
Catch us on the news!
We spoke with Fox 19 first and then channel 12 about tips to help your teen and pre-teen to keep acne away this school year.
Fox 19: https://www.fox19.com/video/2022/08/08/back-to-school-skincare-tips-with-sylvia-brownlee/