The Best Acne Treatment For Teens: Treat Acne Swiftly

September 13, 2021

4 mins

Struggling with acne during your teenage years is pretty much a universal experience for guys. Your body is changing dramatically and rapidly, and it can be difficult to manage skin issues as you're steeped in testosterone.

The good news is that since so many people experience acne, especially teenage acne, there's a lot of information on fighting it properly.

After years of studies and research, professionals haves a clear understanding of what acne is, why it happens, and the best ways to treat it.

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What Is Acne?

Acne is a common skin condition that primarily occurs when pores or hair follicles become clogged with oil (called sebum when produced by your skin), dead skin cells, or other debris. After the pore becomes clogged, they can become infected with bacteria, creating a pimple.

Although you could break them down even further, there are basically two subtypes of acne:

Non-Inflammatory

As the name suggests, this is a less severe version of acne and is much easier to treat. The most common symptoms are open or closed comedones. These are tiny bumps that are either exposed to air (blackheads) or not exposed to air (whiteheads). These lesions will generally not result in any swelling and aren’t painful. Over the counter options are often sufficient to treat non-inflammatory acne.

Inflammatory

Much more serious and often painful, this version of acne is typically accompanied by papules, cysts, and larger bumps filled with pus. Skin around the area typically swells up creating redness and skin that is painful to touch. This acne is usually due to deep clogs and a lot of the issues are occurring underneath the skin. It can take a while to soothe inflammatory acne and might require prescription-strength products.

How Is Teenage Acne Different From Adult Acne?

For both teens and adults, acne is caused when pores are clogged with excess sebum, dead skin cells, dirt, bacteria, or other “gunk." The key differences are the events that lead to the pores clogging and what to do afterwards.

Why Acne Appears

It’s common knowledge that during puberty hormone levels swing dramatically and create imbalances. Whenever androgen hormone levels are out of whack, particularly testosterone, the body can respond by increasing the amount of sebum it produces.

This excess oil can then become trapped in pores by itself or combine with dead skin cells, dirt, makeup, etc. and clog up pores, resulting in acne. Hormone spikes may occur in adults due to menstruation or menopause, but they are much less common than the swings of a teenager.

Where Acne Appears

Another huge difference is exactly where the breakout occurs. Most adults will see acne appear on their chin and jawline, but teens will normally experience it on their forehead, nose, and chin, also known as the “T-zone” of the face. Additionally, teens are much more likely to experience acne on their chest, upper back, and shoulders.

What To Do After Acne Appears

The last critical difference between the two are the treatment options. During the aging process the skin becomes more dry and sensitive. Since a teenager's skin is typically more oily and more resilient, it will be able to handle treatments that might be abrasive, harsh, or irritating for an adult. Since a teenager may be able to handle higher concentrations and potencies of ingredients, there are more options available for treatment.

What Ingredients Treat Teen Acne Best?

All of these ingredients can be used to treat acne in both teens and adults. When trying to treat acne, it’s important to make sure that whatever treatment you are using does not irritate your skin and cause further inflammation.

In low concentrations, these ingredients should not cause any irritation, but it might take longer for them to work. The trick is to find the maximum strength possible that won’t cause any additional harm.

Salicylic Acid

The first choice for fighting back against acne is generally salicylic acid. This beta hydroxy acid is highly effective at removing the dead skin cells from your outermost layer of skin along with reducing the swelling, redness, and overall inflammation.

Salicylic acid is especially effective for treating noninflammatory acne like blackheads or whiteheads. You can find salicylic acid in lots of over the counter products, but there are much stronger formulas available that require a prescription.

Retinoids

Derived from vitamin A, retinoids provide a tremendous boost to your skin’s healing abilities. Not only will retinoids help support firmer, more supple-looking skin and support a brighter, more youthful complexion, but when it comes to acne, retinoids are very effective at helping to unclog pores. By acting like a bulldozer and clearing a path, retinoids will help other medications to get deeper into the skin and clear the breakout faster.

Lactic Acid

An alpha hydroxy acid, lactic acid is a common ingredient in skincare products that's often used as an exfoliant. Lactic acid is great at dissolving the bonds that are formed between dead skin cells, which will help even out skin tones, brighten the face, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. This can also help to get rid of dead skin cells before they have a chance to clog your pores.

Glycolic Acid

Another alpha hydroxy acid, think of glycolic acid as a stronger version of lactic acid. They're both used as exfoliants and provide several of the same benefits. The difference between the two is often how deeply the ingredients reach.

Since glycolic acid is the smaller of the two, it will penetrate deeper into the skin. If you are looking for a toner that will be gentle on your skin then go with lactic acid, but if you want a heavy duty deep clean then glycolic acid may be the better option.

Benzoyl Peroxide

One of the largest contributors to an acne breakouts is bacteria known as propionibacterium acnes. This benign bacteria species lives in your pores and feeds on the sebum oil in your skin.

While it does help to keep your skin waterproof, it releases acids when it digests the sebum, which can cause inflammation of the skin and trigger an acne breakout. Benzoyl peroxide is a highly effective way to kill this bacteria that lives underneath your skin while helping to clear out your pores while the solution is at it. Benzoyl peroxide is especially effective for reducing inflammatory acne.

Azelaic Acid

Another effective treatment for bacteria-induced acne is azelaic acid. Commonly used for treating the redness and inflammation associated with rosacea, azelaic acid can be effective at treating acne as well. Not only is azelaic acid an effective way to reduce propionibacterium acnes, but it also helps to reduce the production of keratin.

Keratin is made by the body to help protect the skin from damage, but when it’s overproduced then it can lead to dead skin cells sticking together. Once this happens, it becomes much more difficult for your body to shed them and they often end up getting trapped in your pores and start a breakout.

Prescription Antibiotics

In more severe cases, a dermatologist might recommend using a prescription antibiotic. The most popular choices for topical antibiotics are erythromycin (Erygel) and clindamycin (Clinda-Derm). In some cases the prescription might feature these antibiotics mixed with benzoyl peroxide in order to really boost the effectiveness.

It’s possible that you might be prescribed an oral antibiotic instead of a topical one. A typical first option is often either minocycline (Minocin) or doxycycline (Doxycin), but might include azithromycin (Zithromax) if those treatments aren’t effective.

Do I Still Need to Moisturize If I Have Oily Skin?

No matter what type of skin you have, you should always apply moisturizer. It sounds impossible, but even oily skin can get dehydrated. Just because your skin might have lots of sebum, it doesn’t mean that the surrounding skin isn’t overly dry.

Sebum is essential to skin health and plays a role in lubricating skin and keeping it hydrated, but it’s not nearly as effective at retaining moisture as emollients, occlusives, and humectants.

When it comes to finding a moisturizer that won’t cause acne, make sure you look for non-comedogenic products. These products and ingredients are studied and rated on their likelihood of clogging your pores. The lower the number on the comedogenic scale, the less likely it will cause pimples or acne. Avoid using heavy or thick moisturizers and opt for water-based or oil-free products.

The Takeaway

The teenage years can be a brutal time for acne. Teenage skin is generally more oily, and the dramatic hormone swings can trigger a breakout out of nowhere. With proper care and a healthy skincare routine, you can reduce the frequency and severity of outbreaks. In the event they still flare up, using products containing the ingredients above can help soothe your skin and get it cleared up safely and quickly.