The teenage years are a phase in life marked by hormonal changes, mood swings, and, often unfortunately, skin problems. Teenage skin requires special care because it’s a time when hormones run wild, leading to excessive oil production and an increased likelihood of breakouts. Common skin issues for teenagers are acne and blackheads, which can affect confidence and self-esteem. And even though they are a part of growing up, that doesn’t mean teenagers have to suffer through them. We bring to you six tips on how to care for teenage skin.

 

1. Cleanse Your Face Daily

For maintaining healthy teenage skin, it’s essential to establish a daily skincare routine and stick to it. 

After a long day, your routine should begin with face cleansing. Cleansing should remove makeup, impurities, excess oil, and dead skin cells that accumulate on your face throughout the day. Not removing those impurities clogs pores, which can cause breakouts and worsen skin conditions, such as acne.

Choose the right cleanser tailored to your specific skin type – if you have oily skin, a gentle foaming cleanser can effectively remove excess oil and impurities. If you have dry or sensitive skin, a hydrating, non-drying cleanser is ideal to maintain your skin’s moisture balance. 

FOREO LUNA™ 4 mini facial cleansing device is created specifically to gently exfoliate teenage skin (ages 13-19) as a fantastic way to ensure clear, glowing skin with minimum effort. LUNA™ 4 is clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt, oil, and makeup residue while uncloging pores, preventing breakouts, and tackling oily complexion. It also enables the active ingredients in your creams, serums, and masks to penetrate deep into your skin, which makes it a perfect first step in your evening routine.

2. Stay Hydrated

Maintaining proper hydration helps to mantain healthy skin – drinking enough water is crucial for overall health, which, as a consequence, results in radiant and healthy skin. 

By drinking enough water, you support the body’s natural detoxification, which is vital for flushing out harmful toxins. This, in return, helps reduce breakouts on your skin.

Additionally, well-hydrated skin is more elastic and better equipped to repair itself and recover from damage – which means that it can recover faster from issues like sunburn or irritation. 

 

3. Don’t Touch Your Face With Your Hands

You probably already know it by now, but let’s repeat: avoid unnecessarily touching the skin on your face with your hands. Our hands come into contact with countless surfaces throughout the day, accumulating dirt and bacteria. When these bacteria enter your skin, they can clog pores, leading to blackheads and acne. Furthermore, constant touching can spread the existing infections. 

It can sometimes be hard to be mindful of this habit, particularly when you’re tempted to scratch an itch or pick at blemishes, but remind yourself that by minimizing hand-to-face contact, you reduce the risk of transferring impurities to your skin and helping it stay clean, smooth, and breakout-free.

 

4. Don’t Squeeze or Pop Pimples

The prospect of squeezing or popping pimples and blackheads can be oh-so-tempting (we have all experienced it), but this can lead to infection, scarring, and more blackheads. Squeezing or popping pimples can push bacteria deeper into the skin, increasing the risk of infection and damaging the skin in a way that the scar might persist long after the pimple itself has healed.

If there is a pimple that you have to pop, we wrote a thorough guide to popping pimples – just make sure to do it in as hygienic conditions as possible, and if the problem worsens or persists, make sure to visit your dermatologist. 

When it comes to blackheads, instead of picking on them, a better approach would be to use devices specifically designed to remove blackheads effectively. Such treatments target the root causes of pimples without the unwanted consequences of squeezing. 

For teenagers dealing with blackheads, innovative vacuum suction devices like FOREO KIWI™ can offer a safer and more efficient solution. Just as blackheads can be teenagers’ worst nightmare, KIWI ™ can be blackheads’. This device boasts a perfectly calibrated vacuum suction that is gentle on the skin while highly effective at extracting stubborn impurities from deep within pores. But that’s not all; KIWI™ also uses blue LED light to exterminate any remaining bacteria under the skin, effectively preventing future breakouts. 

KIWI ™‘s clinical results speak for themselves: 

100% of users report that the device unclogs pores from the very 1st use.

100% of users say KIWI™ reduces blackheads, whiteheads, and excess oil.

90% of users report that pores look smaller from the very 1st use.

90% of users report an improvement in skin blemishes and uneven texture.

FOREO KIWI pore vacuum device vacuuming pores on the nose

5. Maintain a Balanced Diet

Since a balanced diet is crucial for overall health, it is naturally also very important for your skin’s health and appearance. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish, whole grains, and nuts feeds your skin with essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids it needs. 

On the other hand, eating sugary and processed food can lead to fluctuations in blood sugar levels, potentially exacerbating skin issues such as acne.

When your blood sugar spikes, it can cause inflammation in your body and cause your skin to produce more sebum which clogs the pores. Both inflammation and excess oil can result in blackheads and acne.

 

6. Protect Your Skin from the Sun

It is a well-known fact that excessive sun exposure damages the skin, but in the case of acne, it can additionally worsen acne scars and inflammation. Without the proper protection, harmful UV rays lead to increased melanin production, which can cause existing acne scars to become more visible and take longer to fade. 

It is important to incorporate sun protection into your daily routine with at least SPF 30 when outdoors, regardless of the season. When choosing the SPF, look for oil-free and non-comedogenic sunscreens specially formulated for acne-prone skin. These sunscreens are designed to provide proper protection while minimizing the risk of clogged pores.