The teenage years are the perfect time to encourage your child to adopt a healthy skin care routine. Good habits established early on can lead to a lifetime of glowing skin. The most important things to remember about teenage skin are to not to wait too long to start acne treatments, to visit your dermatologist to set your teenager up for success for the next school year and to help your child follow these steps to become an expert in teen skin care.
Face washing
Just as we brush our teeth twice a day, we should also be washing our faces twice a day. Teach your teen to cleanse his skin with a gentle cleanser, such as EltaMD® Facial Cleanser with orange essence. Over-washing can make acne worse. Using a Clarisonic facial brush can be the perfect way to ensure that your teenager isn’t scrubbing too hard, and the ultrasonic cleansing gently removes dirt, oil and makeup from deep inside pores for the best clean ever. A visit with an aesthetician can be helpful to find quality skin care products and teach your teen how to properly cleanse his skin.
No picking
Teach your teen a hands-off policy. Picking at or “popping” pimples can force infected material deeper into the skin, creating a more severe lesion that ultimately leads to scarring.
Acne
Mild acne can be treated with medicated cleansers or topical medications that may include benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, antibiotics and vitamin A products such as tretinoin. Moderate or severe acne treatments may also include medications by mouth including antibiotics or isotretinoin. All acne products can result in over-drying of the skin, so an oil-free moisturizing lotion can help to decrease irritation that could lead to your teen skipping her acne medications. Close follow-up with your dermatologist and an aesthetician familiar with treating acne can be very helpful to cement a good skin care routine for your teen. If your teen has multiple clogged pores, an aesthetician can remove these lesions with extractions or a deep cleansing procedure.
The teenage years are also the ideal time t o instill sun safety habits to last a lifetime. Encourage your teen to apply sunscreen every day, and choose a sunscreen intended to be used on acne prone skin such as EltaMD® UV Clear.
It’s never too early to teach your teenager about good skin care routine. Get a head start on glowing skin by following these guidelines, and see your dermatologist for expert advice.
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