Banish Blackheads/Pimple Prevention 101
The teen years can be hard to navigate. Mountains of homework, extracurricular activities after school and looking for date possibilities all while looking cool, can be hard enough. When you look in the mirror and a face full of pimples is staring back at you, it makes all of the above so much harder to deal with and then everything almost seems
impossible. Your gut reaction tells you to scrub your skin clean. If you work at it hard enough and often enough it will go away. The more the better, right? Wrong. This is actually when you want to put on the brakes and think calming and soothing. Your face is red, irritated and angry. Scrubbing it raw and squeezing it to death will only make it redder, more irritated and extremely angry. An increase in testosterone during puberty causes the skin to produce more oil(sebum) in the skin. This oil can become trapped in your pores where it can combine with dead skin cells and bacteria to create blackheads and these unsightly and painful zits. I see adults and teens alike in my treatment room suffering from acne. Most of what I see could have been prevented or drastically reduced if and when they follow my advice. You too can get this under control if you follow the 7 simple steps below.
1.Establish and maintain a good cleansing routine. This means finding the right cleanser appropriate for your skin type and using it morning and night. Do not use bar soap. This is too drying causing your skin to produce more sebum and then trapping it under this tight, squeaky clean feeling skin. Washing your face too often will do the same thing. Twice a day is plenty, if you play sports and get really sweaty you can add another cleansing. Get into the habit now, just like brushing your teeth.
2. Use a moisturizer after you wash your face. Most teens don’t want to add more oil to an already oily skin. Thinking it is contributing to their acne. This is absolutely not true. If you are using the right moisturizer it will actually help prevent future breakouts. Oily skin will in fact produce more oil if you don’t use moisturizers. This overproduction of oil will lead to more pimples.
3. Do Not Pop Pimples! As tempting as it can be and the desire to rid your face immediately is one of the worst things you can do. The average life of a pimple is only a few days. Attempting to extract it improperly will increase it’s life anywhere from two weeks to several months. The picking also spreads the bacteria which can cause more pimples to form. Depending on how much damage is done from the picking, popping and overall prodding of the pimple you can be left with unsightly scars for life. Constant reminders of a pimple that could have been long gone in just a couple of days. Not to mention it’s a lot easier to hide a pimple with cover-up if it’s only a raised bump not some scabby, weepy mess with jagged flaky edges.
4. Don’t touch your face. It seems innocent enough but our hands are filthy and you run the risk of spreading the bacteria (Propionibacterium Acne) that causes acne. This includes resting your chin in your hands when you are trying to stay awake in chem class. Make sure your cell phone is always clean and never press it directly against your skin. If you wear glasses/sunglasses, hats, actually anything that comes into contact with your face it should be clean and sanitized regularly.
5. Keep your hair clean and off your face. If you have breakouts around your hairline and/or forehead, wanting to hide them behind some bangs is probably ideal. Except that-that is most likely how they were created in the first place. Whether it is the oil from your hair or the products that you use. Shampooing your hair daily and making sure to rinse it out well will help. Keep styling products to a minimum. All of this contributes to clogging pores.
6. Stay out of the sun and use sunscreen daily. Many teens and adults for that matter think that getting a tan helps reduce their acne by drying it out. This is absolutely untrue and can actually contribute to making the acne worse. If you think a bit of color makes it look better then by all means go out and get a spray tan. But stay out of the sun and wear sun protection. You will keep your skin clearer and the SPF will help you to look younger (no wrinkles)
and live longer (no skin cancer).
7. Book a TEEN and PRETEEN Facial appointment at Skin and Wax today!!!
7. Find an Esthetician (Cate Campbell) and get a facial. A licensed skin therapist can analyze your skin type and condition. Will choose appropriate products for your skin and guide you on proper home care. They will perform a deep cleansing, professional exfoliation and extractions if needed. The esthetician would also be able to determine if your condition is serious enough to see a dermatologist and could then work in conjunction with the doctor to get your skin healthy and clear.
*For more information or more detailed help I offer a Teen and Pre-teen facial at my studio- Skin and Wax.
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