Teenage Skin Care Routine: How to Talk to Your Kids About Their Skin

Once your child becomes a teenager, it’s time to have “the talk.” No, not that talk. We’re referring to the talk regarding their skin care routine.

Teaching kids proper skin care habits early will benefit them now and well into the future. By taking good care of their skin now, they can avoid common skin care mistakes that result in acne scars and dangerous sunburns.

What is the best way to talk with your kids about skin care? What products should they use and when?

Here are three of the key things to know:

1. Teenagers often struggle with acne due to hormonal changes.
2. There is no better time than the present to teach kids the dangers of UV rays.
3. By making their skin care routine simple, they are more likely to stick to it.

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Understand Their Skin Care Needs

Before you can steer your kids toward a specific skin care system, you need to know more about their skin care needs. Teenagers have different skin care issues than adults, and these can also change by gender.

Hormones: One of the biggest differences between adult skin and teenage skin has to do with our hormones. Teenagers go through some dramatic hormonal changes that send their oil glands into overdrive, which can lead to acne breakouts.

Thickness: Another key difference is the thickness of the skin. Although teenagers have thicker skin than children do, it’s not quite as thick as a full-grown adult’s skin.

Gender: Teenage boys and girls have both biological and lifestyle differences that can impact their skin. Girls get acne sooner than boys do, starting around 11 years old. However, boys generally get more severe acne than girls do, because of the higher number of androgens in the male body.

With these differences in mind, you can find a skin care solution that works for your teenager.

Keep it Simple

While some teenage girls won’t mind going through numerous steps in their skin care routine, the same can’t be said for boys. Most teenage boys won’t stick to a routine that is overly complicated.

Introducing them to a simple skin care system is critical for teenage boys. The easier the skin care regimen is to follow, the more likely it is that teenage boys will stick to it.

Stress the Importance of Proper Skin Protection

Teenagers don’t yet have the thick skin of an adult. This makes them highly susceptible to sun damage.

To make matters worse, teenagers are known for not considering the consequences of their actions. With their increasing spikes in testosterone, teenage boys are especially prone to engaging in risky behaviors which can wreak havoc on their skin (see claim: “…This increase is often linked to changes in mood and behavior in adolescence such as aggression, an increase in risk taking, and depression.”)

Talking to them about the dangers of unprotected exposure to the sun is essential. Many of us didn’t get this talk growing up and this is evident by our country’s high rate of skin cancer.

Take the skin care quiz

Appeal to Their Vanity

You’ve lectured your kids about the dangers of sun damage and pleaded with them to use their skin care system to no avail. What else can you do?

Another way to encourage proper skin care habits is by appealing to their vanity. In fact, this works equally as well on adults.

Showing them what happens to skin after repeated sun damage will no doubt have them lathering up in sunscreen every day. While they may care more about their looks at this stage, they will eventually realize the importance of their health as well.

Find an Acne Treatment System That Works

Even with a regular skin care system, teenagers can struggle with hormonal acne. Not only is this form of acne often painful, it can lead to anxiety and depression in teenagers (see claim: “Young people presenting with acne are at increased risk of depression, anxiety and suicide attempts.”).

There are some skin care ingredients which can help your kids have an easier time navigating their hormonal acne. For example, Salicylic Acid is an effective acne-fighting ingredient that can be found in acne creams like ours.

However, it’s also important to recognize when your teenager needs to see a dermatologist. If over-the-counter acne treatment systems aren’t working, a dermatologist may prescribe something stronger.

An Uncomplicated Skin Care Routine for Teens

Many of us weren’t taught good skin care habits growing up. As a result, we struggled with our acne and spent our teenage years in the sun without proper skin protection.

It doesn’t need to be that way for our kids. By talking to them about their skin early on, you can teach them better skin care habits that will make them happier and healthier.