Teenage years can be especially tumultuous when it comes to caring for skin. There is acne, eczema, hormones and bad diets to take into consideration, plus fluctuating sleep patterns and the stress of school, college and university. There are lots of things to bear in mind when constructing a skincare regime for young skin – simply take a look at my tips below…

Change your bad habits

If you suffer from spots, there are plenty of little things you can do to reduce outbreaks. The first – and possibly the hardest – bad habit to beat is to stop touching your face so much.  When you lean on your palm or rub your face a lot, it transfers the bacteria from your hands onto your complexion, and this can block pores, irritate the skin and create outbreaks. Face touching is often a subconscious act, which makes it tough to break the cycle, but it’s well worth the added effort for a clearer complexion.

A good habit to take up is to wash your pillowcase roughly twice a week to keep it fresh and clean. During sleep your skin renews itself, resulting in the shedding of dead skin cells and the excretion of sebum – the oil produced by the sebaceous glands of the face – onto your pillow. This is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, which is not ideal when trying to keep skin clear and blemish-free.

image source: pixabay.com

Wear an SPF

The summer months can be incredibly beneficial for the skin, as the essential extra boost of vitamin D from the sun works give the complexion a lovely healthy glow. As great as sunlight is for the skin, it is very important to protect it properly with an effective SPF of at least 30 for young skin, as the UV rays can be very damaging. UVA penetrates the skin and are present all year round, not just when it’s sunny. This ray is the main cause of tanning, but it is important to regulate the amount of UVA you receive as they can also cause skin damage and premature ageing. With their shorter wavelengths, UVB rays damage the uppermost layers of the skin and are most commonly witnessed as sunburn. These are most intense when the sun is at its strongest in the summer, and from 11am until about 4pm.

Slathering on some sunscreen with an appropriate level of SPF protection is a must during the summer – however, it is very important to remove every trace of product before bed as the ultra fine composition of the formula can block pores as the skin is trying to regenerate itself at night.

My top sunscreen pick: Vichy Capital Soleil Mattifying Face Fluid Dry Touch SPF 50, an innovative formula enriched with silica microspheres which combat shine and offer a completely matte finish for oily skin.

Photo by Ben

Don’t overburden your skin 

It’s tempting to chop and change between products when you have a troublesome complexion, but you must remember that young skin is delicate and can very easily be overburdened. Build up a dedicated regime of products that work, and stick to it – that way, if there is a certain product that your skin doesn’t agree with, it is simpler to identify which one is the troublesome one. Choose formulas that are as streamlined as possible, and are free from known irritants such like parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, and overpowering fragrances. Also, try to resist the temptation to over-cleanse. Not all oils are bad – in fact, they can be very beneficial to the condition of the skin. Cleanse the complexion twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, and that should be enough.

My top cleanser pick: La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Deep Cleansing Foam, which is alcohol-free, paraben-free, oil-free and non-comedogenic, and works to regulate and restore the skin.

My final tip – if you have troublesome skin, try not to stress about it too much. Chances are your skin doesn’t look anywhere near as imperfect as you think it does! Plus, the stress may actually make your complexion harder to manage, so follow a simple regime, break the bad habits and smile!

Useful blog posts: 

Ruth of A Model Recommends has gorgeous skin, and that’s thanks to a streamlined skincare routine of really great products. A Model’s Guide to Teen Skincare: Cleansers. Here she talks the best cleansers for teen skin.

Caroline of Beauty Mouth is a skincare expert, and has created a number of ‘cheat sheets’ to better looking skin on her blog. Acne Cheat Sheet. Her cheat sheet for acne is a must-read!

By EMMA 

Emma writes for a British beauty website, Escentual.com, and is passionate about matching the right skincare product to the right person. When she’s not reading up on the latest beauty buys, she’s extolling the virtues of proper SPF protection and brushing up on her fragrance knowledge.