The best acne treatment for teens is the one that gets results quickly and safely and without breaking the bank. More on that below.

Acne-prone skin is a common condition among people of all ages, but it’s even more likely to develop during the teenage years. Approximately 85% of teenagers will experience acne before reaching young adulthood.

Also read: How to choose the best acne treatment

Biggest Take-Aways:

• Stress is a common cause of acne in teenagers, and managing stress through techniques such as exercise, relaxation techniques, and spending time with friends can help reduce the risk of acne breakouts.

• The best acne treatments for teens should address the three main causes of acne: inflammation, bacteria overgrowth, and excess oil production.

• For more than 20 years, Exposed Skin Care has offered a safe, affordable, prescription-strength skincare regimen that targets the three main causes of acne and includes a blend of scientifically effective and naturally soothing ingredients.

The teen years might be your first time discovering the need for an acne treatment plan. An understanding of the causes of acne and ingredients to look for to address them can help you choose an effective yet gentle skincare routine, such as the regimen from Exposed Skin Care.

 

Primary Causes of Acne for Teens

Stress

As has been indicated in many medical reviews, dermatologists believe that excessive emotional stress plays a big role in the increased level of acne during the teenage years. Stress management may be as important as any topical teenage acne treatment.

Here are some ways teens can manage stress:

• Exercise regularly: Physical activity can help reduce stress and improve mental health.

• Practice relaxation techniques: These can include deep breathing, meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation.

• Get enough sleep: Adequate sleep can help improve mood and reduce stress.

• Eat a healthy diet: A balanced diet can help improve physical and mental health.

• Talk to someone: Sharing feelings and concerns with a trusted friend or family member can help reduce stress.

• Take breaks: Taking breaks from schoolwork or other responsibilities can help reduce stress and improve productivity.

• Find ways to relax: Engaging in activities that are enjoyable and relaxing, such as hobbies or spending time with friends, can help reduce stress.

Regardless of what causes the stress, our body releases hormones like cortisol. Cortisol is shown to cause inflammation, a leading cause of acne.

Fluctuating Hormones

The role of hormones in acne formation has also been medically reviewed quite extensively. Hormonal shifts start to occur for most people between the ages of 10 and 14, and they don’t usually settle into their new “normal” until age 18-20.

These hormonal changes are completely natural and healthy, and we do not coping with them by using hormonal acne medication. But a downside of hormone changes is that they can lead to an increase in oil production on the face.

P. acnes, the bacteria that causes acne, exists naturally on your skin. But it feeds on oil, so when you have more sebum on your face, P. acnes gets a full buffet of food and it can multiply.

P. acnes cannot survive for very long in the presence of oxygen, but when it gets stuck inside a pore blocked by excess dead skin cells, it can multiply freely and cause an infection, which then triggers an inflammation response, and thus, acne.

Click here for our article about how to defeat hormonal acne.

Top 5 Tips To Prevent Teen Acne Breakouts

Here are five powerful ways to prevent acne breakouts and treat acne early:

1. Use non-comedogenic skincare products: These products are formulated to not clog pores and are less likely to cause acne, especially in teenagers and young adults with acne-prone skin. More on that later; we will discuss what we think is the best acne treatment for teens.

2. Avoid picking or squeezing pimples: This can lead to acne scars and further irritation and should be avoided when treating acne.

3. Use a spot treatment for moderate acne: Spot treatments are designed to target specific areas of the skin and can be effective at treating moderate acne without irritating the surrounding skin.

4. Treat acne early: Early treatment can help prevent acne from worsening and reduce the risk of scarring. It is important to start a skincare routine as soon as acne is noticed to effectively manage and treat acne breakouts.

5. Avoid using too much or harsh exfoliants: Over-exfoliating or using harsh exfoliants can irritate the skin and lead to further breakouts, particularly in young adults with acne-prone skin.

Potential Side Effects Of Different Acne Treatments And How To Manage Them

Acne treatment options, such as over-the-counter (OTC) treatments and prescription medications, can have potential side effects. We especially recommend against prescription medications, but many teens still end up on medication, so we decided to include this section.

Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are the most common ingredients in OTC treatments. Still, they can cause dryness, peeling, and skin redness, especially when a product relies on a bad formula. These side effects can usually be managed by using the product as directed and applying a moisturizer to the skin.

Prescription medications, such as retinoids and antibiotics, can also cause side effects, including dryness, peeling, and redness of the skin, as well as increased sensitivity to sunlight.

Isotretinoin, a prescription medication used for severe acne, can have more serious side effects, including dryness of the skin, lips, and eyes; joint and muscle pain; and changes in mood or behavior. It is important to talk to a dermatologist about the potential side effects of any medical acne treatment and how to manage them.

In some cases, lifestyle changes and home remedies, such as using a non-comedogenic moisturizer and avoiding certain skin care or makeup products, can help to manage side effects and prevent acne from worsening or recurring.

Best Acne Treatment for Teens

The best acne treatments for teens address the primary causes of acne development like excess oil production due to puberty-induced and stress-related hormonal shifts.

To help with teenage facial acne, we recommend a consistent skincare routine that includes washing your face with a gentle cleanser, moisturizing, and applying anti-inflammatory acne products twice a day.

Seek out proven products, like the Exposed line, which guarantees results with its blend of scientifically effective and naturally soothing ingredients.

 

Don't Be Rough on Your Skin

When faced with the frustration of a new pimple, many people feel the urge to pick, pop, or pull at their skin. This feeling is completely normal, and you can rest assured that there is nothing shameful about having pimples, or about feeling so frustrated that you want to pop them.

But if you can resist the urge to pop your pimples, you may find that your skin will surprise you by healing more quickly than you expected. Popping your pimples can also lead to scarring, and while a pimple can last for just a few days, there's no telling how long a scar will last.

Instead of trying to get rid of your acne by popping it, instead, turn to a morning and evening skincare routine that is guaranteed to get rid of your acne.

Best Acne Treatment for Teen Boys

The Exposed Skin care skincare kits are made for people of all ages and genders. Both young men and women with acne need to maintain a consistent skincare routine with healthy ingredients in order to treat their breakouts. Below, we will go more into depth about skincare routines for both the morning and evening.

 

 

Morning Skincare Routine

Step One: Cleanse

Your morning facial cleanser should include ingredients like salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is a medically reviewed, gentle exfoliant that can break up the oil and dead skin cells causing blackheads and whiteheads.

Using this product every morning will gently wash away any dead skin cells that blocked your pores during the night.

Our cleanser combines salicylic acid with sage extract in order to prevent dryness and irritation, and pro-vitamin B5 to regulate oil production (particularly useful for teenagers).

Step Two: Apply a Gentle Toner

After you cleanse your skin, you can rebalance it by applying a clearing tonic with healthy ingredients. A clearing tonic will provide a protective layer to your skin so that impurities throughout the day will not get into your skin or cause acne.

A toner is also relevant because it opens up your pores to prepare them for the next step, which is a powerful teenage acne treatment serum.

In your toner look out for ingredients like:

• Green tea extract to control oil production

• Passion flower to calm down visibly irritated skin

• Azelaic acid to prevent irritation and bacteria without causing photosensitivity throughout the day

Step Three: Apply an Invisible Acne Treatment Serum

With your pores open from your toner, a high-quality serum will get deep into your skin to treat acne at its source.

Ingredients like benzoyl peroxide and tea tree oil prevent acne by reducing acne-causing bacteria.

Just note that these acne-fighting ingredients should ideally be matched with calming ingredients like green tea extract to heal and protect your skin even while benzoyl peroxide is fighting off bacteria. This ensures overall skin health, along with acne treatment.

Step Four: Apply a Moisturizer

Especially in the winter, or if you have dry or easily irritated skin, you should apply an oil-free moisturizer before heading out for the day.

Natural ingredients like caffeine and pumpkin seed reduce redness and leave your skin looking clearer and healthier, while also preventing irritation that can cause more acne.

Step Five: Take a Probiotic Supplement

Treating your internal health with a supplement can give your body the nutrients it needs to ward off blemishes and prevent breakouts.

While some supplements don't do much, our probiotic complex only uses ingredients like minerals, probiotics, and essential vitamins that have been proven effective by medically reviewed studies to help clear your skin.

 

Evening Skincare Routine

Step One: Cleanse

Using the same facial cleanser as the morning, again wash away all cosmetics products or impurities that may have gotten on your skin throughout the day.

Step Two: Use a Tonic

Similar to the morning routine, the tonic will calm down redness and it will also prepare your skin for those powerful acne treatments that will be working on your skin throughout the night.

Step Three: Use a Clear Pore Serum

The clear pore serum will work throughout the night to clear away blockages and help rejuvenate and recover damaged skin.

With ingredients like salicylic acid, green tea extract, and licorice root extract, it is guaranteed that waking up with a new pimple will become a thing of the past.

Step Four: Moisturize as Needed

If you are prone to dry skin, an acne-fighting moisturizer can keep your skin soft, fresh, and acne-free throughout the night.

Be Consistent

It can take anywhere from four to six weeks for any acne product to really work. It's very common for people to try a product for a week or two, then get discouraged and switch products.

However, unless a product is irritating your skin, stick with it. This is the best way to really find the products that work for you.

The Exposed method to fight acne without irritating your skin with harsh concentrations of chemicals relies on a daily routine that introduces different products for morning and night.

If you use the Exposed Ultimate Kit, you even get the added benefit of the Microderm Scrub and a Clarifying Mask, both of which we recommend using twice a week.

We know that having acne can be tough. It's not shallow to be upset about having acne; a breakout can affect everything from your confidence to your personality. We take acne seriously, and that's why we don't make empty promises: because we know our products work.

Try out Exposed and see what all the hype is about.