How to Build an Effective Skincare Routine for Teens

As parents and caregivers, we’re incredibly careful about what we put on our children’s skin. From birth onwards, what parent doesn’t fret about shielding their delicate façade from UV rays, using the right bathtime bubbles, shampoo, and more?

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Do teens have different skincare needs from adults? You bet they do…

As parents and caregivers, we’re incredibly careful about what we put on our children’s skin. From birth onwards, what parent doesn’t fret about shielding their delicate façade from UV rays, using the right bathtime bubbles, shampoo, and more? Then, before you know it, the heady tween and teen years arrive, bringing a whole host of new challenges to navigate. 

This should absolutely include helping your knocking-on-the-door-of-adulthood offspring to define an easy-to-follow teen skincare routine.

Skincare for teenagers needs to address three key elements:

  1. That the skin is naturally thinner than adult skin—and, therefore, more sensitive to harsh ingredients.
  2. Tweens and early teens aren’t yet producing adult levels of sebum.
  3. Puberty and those pesky hormones!

Not to mention the elephant in the room, the constant wild west influence of social media.

K.I.S.S Skincare for Teenagers (keep it simple & straightforward)

Tweens and teens do not need luxury skincare routines. They also don’t need masses of different products, despite brands and online sources trying to convince them otherwise. What is needed is simplicity, consistency, and using products that support what their skin actually needs—namely, to:

  • Keep it healthy.
  • Keep it hydrated.
  • Promote a healthy skin barrier.
  • Protect from UV rays. 

There’s also the incredibly common issue of acne, which we’ll discuss further in a moment.

Creating the Right Teen Skincare Routine

The basics of tween and teen skincare targets age and skin-appropriate habits that will be (hopefully) adopted for life. Cleansing, moisturizing, and sun protection are crucial, as is the choice of products. The collagen content of teenage skin is at the highest it will ever be. This begins to degrade from the mid-twenties onwards (yes, it really is that early). However, using harsh products too early, such as vitamin C and retinol, can hasten this onset.

Therefore, skincare during the early years only needs to remove toxins, add moisture, and protect from harmful sun damage. Yes, we know we’re banging the same drum over and over, but it can’t be stressed enough that less is more when it comes to teenage skincare.  

Your tween or teen only needs to:

  • Use a simple, fragrance-free cleanser morning and evening.
  • Apply an age-specific (again, fragrance-free) moisturizer after cleansing.
  • Ensure daily sun protection (either within their moisturizer or as a separate product).

And, importantly, use makeup products that are also formulated for their age and, vitally, don’t contain harsh ingredients.

Consistency is important. If a teen builds up great skincare habits and a strong understanding of what good care entails, then they’re far more likely to continue this into adulthood. However, one huge difference that today’s generation has compared to previous ones is the constant online pressure to try this product, buy this one, or simply conform to their peers.

As parents and caregivers, try to educate your teen to be critical of such sources. Yes, some information is totally valid. But is it just hype or is it genuine skincare advice? The best (and, one could argue, only!) sources they should really take note of are dermatological and aesthetic experts. 

Dermatologist Tips for Teen Acne

A quick word on teen acne (because that’s a whole other subject in its own right). One of the most common issues seen in teens who suffer is that they:

Use too many different products with no consistency.

Couple this with the fact that many contain harsh ingredients that actually exacerbate the condition, and it’s clear to see that the solution begins with using fewer products—not more.

Teen acne care may require mild AHAs or salicylic acid, but the main focus should be on promoting good cleansing to clear pores and using light moisturizers to build a healthy skin barrier. If acne continues to be more than a mild issue, then one-to-one help from a dermatologist is the way forward.

If you and your teen are looking for expert skincare in Texas, then Bayou City Dermatology can help.

Visit Services | Bayou City Dermatology to find out more and call to book a consultation today.