How to successfully treat Teen Acne

Teen acne can be a real problem for teenagers but treating acne doesn’t have to be difficult. From feeling embarrassed, uninformed, to really having an effect on their self-confidence, treating teen acne with a corrective approach is worth the results.

It is always important to remember, this condition is common for this age and it will, in most cases, pass as you grow older.

Educate on how and why acne is there in the first base, will instantly make you feel at ease. Acne can be caused by excessive oil production, combine with a busy teen life, such as sport and stresses from school pressure, not to mention an influx of hormones. Hormones can cause an increased oil production and since Bacteria love to feed off of this oil, acne can develop as a result.

One of the biggest mistakes made in treating an acne condition, is to strip the skin of these oils. These oils contribute to our skins acid mantle, which is our lipid barrier, or protective barrier. Striping this barrier only increases the risk of more infection, inflammation and skin sensitivity, making the condition worse.

Another common mistake is to use skincare that contains bleach. At first you might think it makes sense that since bleach kills bacteria the acne should go right? But it will only be gone for the short term and here’s why.

The oil will return, and so will the acne. The acne is caused by an increased oil flow, bacteria feeds off of this oil and the pores become infected.

Therefore, the bacteria that is causing acne, is simply a bi-product of the excess oil. The trick is to treat the excessive oil and not the bacteria as such!

Firstly, as a teen you must understand that 70% of your result will come from home. Keeping your homecare routine simple, with 3-4 cosmeceutical skincare items which will be enough to yield results; more than this and you will simply become overwhelmed and are unlikely to commit to the routine.

Start your acne treatment journey with a lightweight lipid barrier repair moisturiser first to calm, hydrate and smooth your skin. Followed by a series of AHA (alpha hydroxy acid, fruit acids) treatments, such as Ultraceuticals Mandelic Facial Treatments. AHA’s will work to digest dead skin cells, hydrate an already stripped skin, and dislodge comodomes (blackheads). If scarring is present, skin needling treatment would be required to stimulate new collagen and elastin for skin correction.

This approach is for conditions that are not cystic, if you require medication, it is recommended that you consult your medical practitioner.