What Triggers Teenage Acne and How to Beat it

Adolescence is a very memorable stage of everyone’s life. It is during this stage where we figure out who we want to become, build our dreams and develop our physical and psychological well-being.

However, with all the demands of school, family, and friends, being a teenager is not always a walk-in-the-park. Some go through tough times, dealing with not just the people around them but also dealing with all the changes that happen in their bodies during this stage of life. (1)

You get mood swings, you get angry and upset all of a sudden, and you seem to be emotional all of the time.

Relax! You are not alone.

Hormones are important substances in our body capable of developing secondary gender characteristics. For females, it helps the formation of breasts, widening of hips, and developing of our reproductive system. For males, it develops the Adam’s apple, deepening of the voice, production of bodily hair and development of the male reproductive organ.

Hormone’s role is very complex and affects all that, our mood, and our skin too. (2)

Although it is not true for everyone, teenagers usually suffer from acne. Again, because of all the hormonal changes that are happening, it affects the skin in many different ways. Especially for those who are predisposed to have oily skin, it is usually at this stage that it starts to come about.

Hormones can trigger excess oil production that leaves you with not just a shiny forehead, but also with acne. (3)Because of too much oil in the skin, it suffocates the pores, resulting to clogging. When acne-causing bacteria gets involved, it infects the pore and leads to a brand new zit.

Blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples are all types of acne. For more information, you may read the classification of acne here.

Although we cannot stop the hormones in action during adolescence, there are many different ways to help prevent or deal with acne. It is best to consult a dermatologist to help figure out the best solution fit for your skin-type to solve acne.

It is also important to note that there is no single effective solution to treat acne for all skin types. Acne is usually multi-factorial and the approach to healing it usually focuses on what factors are involved in its formation.

Here are the ways to help control teenage acne:

Use a mild facial cleanser twice a day to remove excess oil and dirt. It is recommended to use a cleanser with salicylic acid to help dissolve clogs in pores that may worsen acne. Do not wash your face more than twice a day to prevent stripping off too much oil that will just make your skin more sensitive.

Washing with warm water is preferable to help open pores but avoid using water that is too hot. Aside from damaging the skin, it may also cause dryness. Our body will compensate if it thinks there is not enough moisture. The result? It will lead to overproduction of sebum.

Moisturizers are made to hydrate our skin however, not all moisturizers are created equal. If you are acne-prone, most likely you have oily skin. Choose gel-based or water-based moisturizers that will not clog the pores. Cream-based moisturizers are usually formulated for people with dry skin. Test out products and choose which is best suited for your skin type.

It is a good idea to visit and discuss acne problems with an expert. Sitting down with a dermatologist will enable you to explore the best possible solution to solve acne problem. You can have a personalized anti-acne skincare regimen and it will be tailored specifically for your skin type.

If you have prescribed topical acne medications like retinoids from your dermatologist, do not over apply. Usually, a pea-sized amount is enough to cover the entire face. Do not be too eager to apply more than what you need. You will just end up with a more sensitive, irritated and dry skin.

Milk is the culprit to most unexplained breakouts because cows are given hormones so that they can continuously produce milk for our consumption. Think of breastfeeding. Mothers have milk-producing hormones so they can breastfeed their kids. This is the same with cows. We consume the milk, all of its nutrients and hormones and voila, it interacts with our own body and a new zit is surely on its way. You can make a food diary and take note of what you eat and any pimple formation to check if this applies to you.

Most people are not fond of applying topical acne medications because it leads to redness, sensitivity or painful, stinging sensation on the skin. Blue Light Therapy is an alternative solution to killing acne-causing bacteria and is a popular in-office treatment. (4) You can invest in your own blue light to get at-home treatments and continuously work your way to banishing those pesky bumps!

It is very tempting to pick, squeeze, and scratch pimples away. Especially when you are stressing to get rid of a huge zit, it is oddly satisfying to pop it not knowing that you are making the matter worse. Whatever you do, do not, I repeat, DO NOT PICK YOUR PIMPLES! You might have a secondary infection, you might spread the bacteria and cause more pimples to form, and you are risking of giving yourself an acne scar.

Using a clay mask once or twice a week is a fun way to help control oily skin. Depending on the clay mask you are using, you may do a spot treatment to draw out excess oil, dirt and other impurities deeply embedded in the skin.