Raising a child is never easy, but the teenage years can get truly turbulent! From family rows to fitting in at school, our teens are more moody and self-conscious than ever. Unfortunately, all these new stresses and tantrum-inducing hormones can wreak havoc on your teen’s skin, creating breakouts and acne.
Acne can cause the confidence of even the most outgoing teenager to plummet, so it’s vital that your child knows you’ve got their back. Overzealous parents sometimes panic in their quest to give their teen clear skin and make choices that can actually worsen the condition.
If you want to help your teen deal with acne, make sure you avoid these five common mistakes:
- Over-cleansing or exfoliating
One of the most common mistakes people with acne make is over-cleansing or exfoliating too roughly. It seems to make perfect sense to scrub away the dirt and impurities that cause breakouts. However, over-cleansing can actually cause your body to retaliate and produce more sebum to compensate for the natural oils you’ve stripped away, leading to more acne.
If your teens want to exfoliate, advise them to do so no more than once or twice a week. Help them find a gentle, ph-balanced cleanser that won’t irritate the skin or cause further inflammation.
- Trying too many products at once
When you and your teen are desperate to clear up a bad case of acne, it can be tempting to try every product out there that promises to stop breakouts in their tracks. However, adding too many new products to your teenager’s skincare routine at once can have unintended side-effects. Selecting products that are wrong for your adolescent’s skin type and combining certain ingredients can cause dryness, oiliness or even increase acne.
Help your teen by making sure they don’t introduce too many new products into their skincare regime at once and remind them to be patient. Remember: Some treatments take time to work and shouldn’t be abandoned prematurely.
- Reaching straight for a well-known product
If it’s on TV or endorsed by a celebrity, it’s gotta be good, right? Not necessarily. There are a lot of big-brand acne treatments on the market that may be ideal for some skin types but not others. Do your research by checking balanced Proactiv reviews and skincare studies to find the best regimen for your teen. The number of products out there can be overwhelming and choosing the wrong one could actually make your teen’s skincare situation worse. So it may be best to consult a professional before diving into treatment.
- Putting off seeing a dermatologist
Whether it’s to do with money or a busy schedule, many parents put off booking an appointment with a dermatologist for far too long. As an investment in your teen’s self-confidence, it’s a small price to pay. Some acne can’t be treated with over-the-counter medication alone. To treat acne effectively, a tailor-made skincare routine may be necessary. A skilled dermatologist can give you and your teen some simple skincare tips to treat acne and advise you which products best suit his/her problem skin.
- Making acne a big deal
More than likely, your teen thinks that his or her skincare woes are the end of the world. While it’s important to be sympathetic (never tell them they’re over-reacting!), it’s also not a good idea to join them on the freak-out wagon. Don’t pester them over the little things and do whatever you can to limit their stress, as stress hormones play a big part in causing breakouts. Simply be supportive and offer advice when and if needed.
Believe it or not, acne affects up to 50 million Americans annually. So, while it might feel like it, you and your teen are far from alone. Like most of the awkward parts of growing up, this too shall pass. In the meantime, just focus on keeping your teen’s self-confidence up and helping them manage their skincare routine by avoiding the common acne mistakes listed above.
