Tween Acne!!

Start your cleaning habits NOW!  Acne can start at any age. Tween acne is starting to affect our children at 10-13 years old, but even a few will start developing blackheads as young as 8.  Usually mild, mainly whiteheads and blackheads with a few small pimples. One thing to keep in mind is preteens that develop acne early, often get more severe acne during the teen years. Acne is often caused by a hormone increase, which triggers the body to produce more oil in the skin. This excess oil clogs up your pores and bacteria begins to grow. Pores get inflamed making a pimple.

Teach your tween good skin care habits!  Start early having your little ones cleanse their face every night before bed. This starts a routine, and can prevent the mild blockages from ever getting started. It is hard to add a new routine into a preteens "busy" schedule. Starting early can help prevent the struggle a parent and child might feel. Definitely get your boys cleansing early since they tend to experience the more severe acne. 

Good rules to follow:
* Wash the face once or twice a day with a mild cleanser and warm water.
* Do not scrub your face. This can actually make acne worse by irritating the skin. Use your hands and fingers instead of a wash cloth. (cloths can be abrasive to the skin)
* Wash the face after sweating to help keep pores clear.
* Try not to touch your face throughout the day.  Your hands can distribute bacteria it has collected during the day. This can make acne flair up.
* Wash your hair regularly. Your hair carries dirt and oil that can get onto the face.
* Hair sprays and hair gels and clog your pores. Try to keep them off your skin.
* If you wear make up it needs to be oil free and non-comedogenic.
* Hats and beanies can cause breakouts on your forehead. They are big bacteria carriers.
* DO NOT PICK OR POP!!!!! Doing this can cause the infected nasty stuff to reach deeper into the skin causing your pimple to get even bigger. It could also cause scarring.

To put it is simple words... acne is a pore that gets full of oil and dirt. It gets covered with dead skin cells and a little more oil and dirt. Sometimes bacteria can end up in the pore and become infected causing a pimple. You have to gently exfoliate the dead skin off the pore so the dirt can come out. (exfoliating to ruff and the infection can spread!) It sounds so simple, but it is a long journey. The blackheads and pimples will not go away overnight.

Nearly ever case can be controlled, it is a matter of finding what works best for your preteen. Just because a product works on their best friend, does not mean it is the right fit for your tweens skin. There are many great acne treatments out there to chose from containing ingredients like salicylic acid, glycolic acid and benzoyl peroxide. Here is a little information on these ingredients and how they work on the skin.

Salicylic acid is one of acne's biggest enemies! It penetrates into the pore to clarify and break up impacted debris, clear skin follicles, and relieve white and blackheads to lessen future breakouts. It softens keratinized barrier cells, and assist in detoxification. Acting as an anti-inflammatory it helps pimples and pustules go away faster. It promotes healthy cell turn over, stimulates circulation and increases collagen production. Salicylic's exfoliation helps hydrate, tighten and firm skin, and reduce pore size. (see previous blog for more information)

Glycolic acid works by breaking down the glue that holds the dead cells together and exfoliates the skin. Opening up the pores allowing black heads and white heads to be washed away. This exfoliation will help diminish wrinkles, fine lines, clogged pores, and hyperpigmentation. It can also help with acne scars. (also in a previous blog post)

Benzoyl peroxide is the most frequently used acne treatment. Propionibacteria acne, aka P. acnes, are the villains responsible for acne breakouts. These guys can not live in a oxygen rich environment. Benzoyl peroxide works by introducing oxygen into the pore and killing the P. acnes! Thus reducing the breakouts.

These ingredients work well together to help clear the pore from dirt and cellular debris, helping with the blockage. You need to continue this program even after the breakout goes away or the pesky bacteria will just come back. This is a long term process. That is why creating this face cleaning habit early is so very important.

The sooner they begin treating their acne, the easier it will be to control. If you do not see a visible change in 6 weeks with once or twice a day cleansing using over the counter products, you might want to talk to a dermatologist. 

Your tween is probably sensitive about his or her skin flair ups. Try not to nag about it. Be supportive and loving. Remind them they are not alone! Have them look around at their friends and see that they are all in this together.

Professional Skin Care Academy has available Raspberry Refining Cleanser, Clarifying Toner Pads, and Blemish Spot Treatment to help with your skin care needs. The cleanser and toning pads help get ride of the dead skin layer and bring up the debris, while the Blemish Spot Treatment dries up the blemish. We also offer customized facials that focus on the skin specific needs. Please feel free to comment if you have a question or concern. Together we can help our tweens feel good about themselves.