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From the Aesthetician: How to Have Clear Skin - Even as a Teen (Yes, Really!)

clear skin for teens

Clear skin for teens - every teen wants it! and for some, it takes work. Remember how old you were when you discovered your first pimple? There was an awareness that you were coming of age, right along with the "ew!" factor.

Then....... it got worse when those red bumps of acne got bigger and appeared more often. Even though you can't go back and change what happened to you as a teenager, you can help teach your children new habits that may help to prevent their acne from ever starting.

The secret to helping your teen have clear skin is to help them learn to take care of their skin consistently.

Dr. Bailey teaches that a good skin care routine involves 4 steps: CLEANSE, CORRECT, HYDRATE, PROTECT. Thus, your acne clearing skin care starts with how you cleanse it.

First things first - a word or two about washing your face to fight acne!

It's important! We can stop acne due to clogged pores from forming by simply getting kids to wash their faces every night starting at a very young age. Bacteria is all around us on a daily basis, including bacteria that will infect small clogged pores. When we touch our faces with our hands, the bacteria are getting all over the skin.

Washing your face at night allows all of the day's bacteria, pore-clogging oil, and dead skin cells to be removed. When this happens, the skin can experience its cycle of cell turnover at a time when it's not exposed to harsh wind or other climactic conditions that might chap skin or stress the skin barrier. This is especially important if you exfoliate at night, which is, incidentally, a great way to lessen blackheads and have a bright and fresh complexion in the morning. 

As kids get older, they start to sweat more, and the hormones turn on the oil-producing glands. This is the perfect setup for flourishing skin bacteria and clogged pores.

It is important for your teen to wash their skin twice a day to help them have clear skin. 

How does acne start in teens?

Usually, the first sign of acne starting is the formation of blackheads on the outer creases of the nose, middle of the brow, and the chin area.

When this happens, it's extremely important to concentrate on washing because, unfortunately, it’s only going to get worse unless it's addressed!

The blackheads start increasing in size and number, and you begin to see redness start to happen around the pores. Pimples start to form then as well.

This is when we want to catch and start a good skin care routine before the acne gets out of control. 

I want to share with you some product tips I'm teaching my 7-year-old to do almost every night to prevent acne.

I have her use a sonic skin cleansing brush. We have a Clarisonic Brush. A Foreo is another good system. Our Clarisonic sits in our household bathroom counter, one unit for a family of three! Everyone has their own brush for their own skin type. She uses a Luxus brush, one of the softest brushes for her sensitive skin.  

best soap for young teens to prevent acne

CLEANSE and CORRECT ACNE in one step.

She uses a bar of Dr. Bailey’s Calming Zinc Cleansing Bar that is made with simple ingredients- Saponified olive oil, (infused with Calendula) and shea butter, oatmeal, 2% pyrithione zinc. This allows the skin to be cleansed in a gentle, hydrating, non-drying way for young skin.

HYDRATE to prevent dryness with acne.

best face moisturizer for teens with acne

Moisturizer is used only if she needs it. When kids are young, their natural lipids are still working very well as long as we don't strip them with harsh soaps! They should only use moisturizer if the skin needs it. A great moisturizer for teens is Dr. Bailey's Daily Moisturizing Face Cream for Normal to Oily Skin. 

PROTECT acne-prone teen and pre-teen skin with daily sunscreen

best daily sunscreen for preteens and teens with acne

Yes, my 7-year-old wears sunscreen on her face every day. A favorite choice is Sheer Strength Pure Physical SPF 50+ Spray Sunscreen.

What would your skin have looked like as a teenager if someone had explained all of this to you?

So many times, we miss the early chance to help our teens prevent acne from getting out of control.

I have so many parents that come in for skin treatments, and the conversation inevitably leads to how they wish they had taken care of their kids' blackheads because now their acne is out of control with scarring and/or hyperpigmentation from sun exposure on inflamed pimples that then tan and mark the skin even more. What's more, this can even happen at a seemingly young age.

Often by early teens, kids have to start prescription medicines such as topical Retin A or an oral antibiotic to control the acne. But, it's nice to try to keep the pores from becoming clogged in the first place as it's one of the early steps in the acne process.

While the above steps are not guaranteed to prevent acne from ever happening, they definitely lighten the chances. Plus, it gives you and your children the opportunity to establish good skin care habits that will last a lifetime. Of course, good skin cleansing and wearing sunscreen every day should also be added to this list. Let's train our children to take good care of their skin!

Ultimate Acne Solution Kit for teen acne

If your teen already has acne, try the skin care routine that Dr. Bailey created in her Ultimate Acne Solutions Kit. 

It combines the best medicated ingredients to clear acne including benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid along with glycolic acid and her Daily Moisturizer.

Cover all the teen acne bases with her  Pityrosporum Folliculitis Acne Kit

Best acne treatment kit for teens

This kit also addresses the component of fungal acne with Calming Zinc and Sheer Strength Sunscreen.

 

clear skin for teens tips from aesthetician

Danielle has been working as an aesthetician  for 13 years, 3 of those for Dr. Bailey. She discovered her love of makeup, products and natural skin care working at a spa, inspiring her to get her license to become an aesthetician. She currently lives in Northern California with her husband and daughter. Their hobbies include golfing and traveling across the United States.