Tackling teenage acne

Here's how you can deal with teenage acne..

Teenage acne is known to trouble more than 85% of young adults. The usual hormonal impatience to get rid of those pimples immediately results in a lot of pinching and scratching, acne scars, and further leading to more acne.

A few healthy lifestyle changes here and there, some basic skin maintenance are all that is needed to deal with acne. The first thing to do would be to understand your irritant. Many teenagers do not have hormones as the cause behind their acne. It can also be your body reacting to certain food habits, products or just asking for a bit of maintenance. For such cases, you can do the following:

* If acne occurs mostly on the forehead, there is a probability that your haircare product or the oil that gets produced on the scalp over time is acting as an irritant. So, you can try going for an alternate haircare product or wash your hair more often.

* If acne is on or around your nose bridge, check for the presence of whiteheads or blackheads. There is a high probability that you would require a medical clean-up.

* Avoid eating fatty or oily food. It is hard to process fatty/junk food by our system and since it just gets stored, it might irritate the bloodstream and thus, the skin.

* Drink enough water to keep yourself well hydrated. Water also acts as a coolant for your body and its shortage results in lowering the pH level (making the blood slightly acidic), which then results in body acne.

* Get your hormonal profiling done. Some have thyroid/menstrual cycle issues which are at the base of recurring acne. It is better to have the same detected and corrected at an early stage itself to not just prevent breakouts but to also help with the proper functioning of the internal systems.

* Routine skincare can be undertaken as soon as you are able to take responsibility and maintain the habit of doing it.

* Use gentle, fragrance-free and pH balanced cleansers.

* To prevent dry skin, apply liberal amounts of moisturiser after bathing.

* Initiate early sun-protection behaviours like applying sunscreen regularly, wearing a hat to cover the face, etc.

* A few skin masks such as fuller’s earth mask or sandal mask can help soothe your skin. Other than that, try to avoid any homemade masks without properly researching on them before.

Professional help

If you start experiencing skin concerns like acne, blackheads, whiteheads, blemishes, pigmentation, dry skin and scars, it’s time to visit a dermatologist. Usually, this happens when you step into adolescence. Keep in mind that the development of such skin conditions is not just about your face’s cleanliness. This is why it is important for you to be evaluated by a doctor at the first sign of skin concern so that a plan can be implemented to prevent such conditions.

One of the other benefits of getting professional treatments from medical experts is that skilled aestheticians perform the procedures under professional supervision. A simple thing like extraction can damage the skin permanently if not performed properly. No matter how young or old you are, it’s important to take care of your skin.
(The author is founder, Kosmoderma Skin & Hair Clinic)