‘Spotty’ and ‘teenager’ are two words that often go hand in hand.
From breakouts and blemishes to oily complexions, your teen years can be some of the most problematic of your skin’s life. What can you expect from your skin in your teenage years? And what are the best devices for treating it?
What is skin like in your teenage years?
Like most things in life, everyone is unique. Whilst some maintain perfect skin throughout their entire life, many develop blemishes or acne in their teenage years.
If you’re going to suffer from bad skin at any point in your life, it’s likely to be in your teens. Whether it’s clogged pores, painful pimples or acne, more than 85% of teenagers suffer from skincare problems. In other words, it’s completely normal.
Why?
Well, it’s mainly due to hormonal changes. When you start puberty (usually between the ages of 12 - 14), there is a surge in hormones known as androgens.
The excess hormones cause your oil glands to become more active, enlarge and produce too much oil or sebum. When there’s too much oil, pores become blocked with hair follicles or bacteria. Once blocked, it becomes inflamed which is what causes pimples or spots to form.
In females, changes such as starting your menstrual cycle or taking birth control pills can make your skin noticeably rougher and cause the appearance of your pores to become more noticeable.
What can I do about it? What are the best devices for teenage skin?
Whilst spots and blemishes might be an inevitable part of life for many of us in our teenage years, the good news is that there are lots of things you can do to treat them.
Cleanse
If you’re looking for an easy way to keep blemishes at bay, start with a cleansing device. We recommend either a Clarisonic Mia Smart or a FOREO Luna 2 cleansing device.
If you’re just getting started with cleansing, start with a soft brush, like the Clarisonic Radiance Brush Head rather than jumping in with a harsher exfoliating style brush.
Our Resident Product Expert, Heather Talbot says: “Often people jump straight to the harshest brush because they think they need a deeper, cleanse. However, when suffering from blemishes you have to treat the skin as if it’s very sensitive.”
“My advice would be not to use anything too harsh and keep your skincare routine very simple - only ever introducing one thing at a time.”
Blue Light Therapy
If you’re struggling from moderate to severe acne, Blue Light Therapy can be an effective form of treatment. A form of light therapy, the LED diode can work on any skin type and works by killing the bacteria in the skin that causes acne from the offset.
We recommend Blue Light Therapy Devices such as the Quasar MD Blue Acne Device. 100% natural and dermatologist-recommended, it helps to prevent breakouts all together by killing Propionibacterium - the bacteria that lives in the oily region of the skin’s pores and causes acne.
Heather explains: “Whether you’re using a new device or skincare product, make sure you use it for at least 2 skin cycles (12 weeks) as it allows your skin to adjust and see if it works for you.”
Scarring
So, you’ve won your battle with acne but now you’re left with unsightly scarring that leaves you feeling less than confident about your complexion. Don’t fret, as there’s plenty of treatments you can do at home that can help reduce the appearance of it.
Microneedling devices such as the GloPRO Microneedling Regeneration Tool, works to regenerate the skin by triggering your skin’s natural Collagen production - working to replace stubborn scar tissue with a fresh, renewed complexion.
Heather explains: “Collagen in acne scar tissue is really lumpy, what the GloPro does is regenerate that scar tissue - creating new freshly formed tissue that is smoother, softer and less red in appearance.”
Read more: Best Skincare Devices for Your 20s
