Skincare routine for teens

The basic skincare routine for teens

The American Academy of Pediatrics, on its HealthyChildren site, recommends a simple three-step regimen for tweens and teens: cleanse twice a day, moisturize at night and protect with sunscreen every morning. Teen skin is thinner, more sensitive and more easily irritated than adult skin, so it doesn't need adult anti-aging products or long routines. Simple, gentle and consistent works best.

Morning

1. Wash with a gentle cleanser that has no alcohol, using lukewarm water and your fingertips, then pat dry with a soft towel (AAD).
2. If benzoyl peroxide is your acne treatment, use it now as a wash or a thin layer. It bleaches fabric, so use white or old towels.
3. Sunscreen: broad-spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, every day, even when it is cloudy. The AAP suggests a mineral formula with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, and a tinted one for deeper skin tones.

Night

1. Take off any makeup, then wash again the same gentle way.
2. If adapalene is your acne treatment, spread a thin film over the whole area that breaks out, not just on the spots.
3. A lightweight, non-comedogenic moisturizer: a gel for oily or acne-prone skin, a light cream for dry skin.

Adding an acne step to a skincare routine for teens

Pick one active ingredient that matches the spots. For blackheads and whiteheads, the AAD recommends a retinoid to unclog pores, and adapalene is sold without a prescription. For red bumps and pus-filled spots, it suggests a wash with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. For blackheads and whiteheads the AAD pairs the retinoid with a benzoyl peroxide wash, which is the routine above: the wash in the morning and adapalene at night. For a side-by-side of which product suits which kind of breakout, see our guide to acne treatment for teens.

What a skincare routine for teens doesn't need

• Anti-aging products such as retinol serums, AHAs, BHAs and vitamin C, which the AAP says target wrinkles and dark spots that aren't a concern at this age, and can cause redness, peeling and irritation. An acne treatment like adapalene is a different case: it treats acne, not wrinkles.
• Fragrance, sulfates, alcohol-heavy toners and physical scrubs.
• Viral overnight routines with face tape, masks and jaw straps. The AAP notes there is no evidence they work, and many products at once can irritate skin and even worsen acne.
• Anything that stings or burns. The AAP calls that a red flag, not a sign it is working.

How long to wait

Give an acne treatment six to eight weeks before you judge it (AAD). MedlinePlus notes that acne may get worse during the first few weeks of adapalene, that skin may be dry or irritated for the first 2 to 4 weeks, and that the full benefit can take 8 to 12 weeks or longer.

Sports, sweat and hair

Wash your face as soon as you can after sweating (AAD). Equipment that rubs, such as a helmet or chin strap, can cause breakouts, so the AAD suggests clean, soft padding between the gear and the skin. Hair oils and gels can cause tiny bumps along the hairline and forehead, and it helps to wash pillowcases, caps and headbands that touch the hair.

Common first-routine mistakes

• Putting adapalene only on spots. Apply acne treatment evenly over the whole area that breaks out.
• Washing more than twice a day. The AAD says to limit washing to twice a day and after sweating.
• Starting several products at once. The AAP advises introducing one product at a time.
• Stopping when the skin clears. DermNet notes that acne treatment controls acne rather than curing it, so it needs to continue to keep working.

For parents

Acne is most common in teens and young adults, NIAMS says, and blackheads are dark because air changes the color of the oil, not because the skin is dirty. Teens often feel blamed when someone tells them to wash more, so it helps to treat acne as a normal skin condition with a plan. The AAP's advice is to keep the routine short, inexpensive and consistent, and to focus on health rather than trends.

When to get help

See a dermatologist for deep, painful lumps, which often leave scars and need a dermatologist's treatment, or if breakouts are still there after six to eight weeks of a routine like this one. The sooner deep acne is treated, the fewer scars it leaves, the AAD says.

Back to the best acne treatment for teens