Whilst many adults may want to dismiss teenage breakouts as a passing phase and nothing to worry about, there is a growing understanding that pimples and acne not only affect the skin but the psyche of many young people as well.

With the arrival of the all-important selfie, the perfect body, complexion and look are even more important and bad skin can have a dramatic effect on the self-confidence of many teens.

Sadly, the major contributing factor to whether you will get through your teen years pimple free or not comes down to genetics and hormones however, adopting good skin care habits from a young age can help reduce the impact of these factors.

The basis of any good skincare routine – regardless of age – is washing.  The most important product to buy and use is a good, gentle face wash that uses mild cleansing agents and works with pH of the skin.  Clean skin will not be as prone to pimples and breakouts but at the same time do not OVER CLEAN as this will overstimulate the skin causing more pimples.  The temperature of the water is also important – use warm to cool water to rinse the face. 

The next thing to realise and accept is that pimples take time to heal whether you are using topical or oral treatments for breakouts.  It will take time for blemishes to heal – do not expect miracles.

If you are using oral medication for acne, always consult your doctor on what other products you are using and never mix prescribed medication with other over the counter products. Find out what you can and cannot use.

Even oily, pimple prone skin needs moisturising, but it is important to use the right type of moisturiser.  The natural response to breakouts is to try and dry them out but without moisture, the skin’s natural response is to produce even more oil.  An oil-free, non-comedogenic (i.e. does not block pores) moisturiser is ideal – preferably with an SPF. 

It is natural to want to cover-up spots and breakouts – but too much make-up too often will only make the situation worse.  There are acne-friendly make-up options available.  A good moisturiser followed by a mineral powder that provides light coverage is a good option – otherwise, a lightly tinted moisturiser can also work well.  Look for the word non-comedogenic on labels and always, always wash make-up off before going to bed.

Keep hair clean.  Dirty, oily hair that hangs on the face will only encourage more pimples.  Wash hair daily and avoid hair products that are oily.  Keep hair off the face as much as possible.

Avoid the two P’s – popping and picking.  Popping pimples may make you feel better, but it will actually take longer to heal and often leads to permanent scarring. Furthermore, popping causes cross-contamination and constantly fiddling with the skin spreads the oil.

You are what you eat – and that is the truth.  The occasional pizza and chocolate will not make a huge difference your skin, however sticking to a healthy diet and drinking lots of water will help keep your skin healthy.

Celltone’s Spot Control Range focuses on maintaining the health of the skin to prevent unhealthy germ growth which leads to pimples and breakouts.  For more information on the range go to www.celltone.co.za and follow us on Facebook.