If you’re a teen battling acne, chances are you’ve heard all kinds of advice about what’s causing and how to treat your breakouts.
“You need to wash your face more!”
“Stop eating potato chips and chocolate and your face will clear up.”
“My best friend’s sister used toothpaste to make pimples go away over night!”
“Popping that zit will help it heal faster.”
Unfortunately, most of what you’ve heard isn’t quite the truth. Can you decipher fact from fiction when it comes to treating teen acne?
1. Using Facial Scrubs Will Help With Acne.
Myth. While facial scrubs can help remove dead skin cells off the face, they can also leave tiny cuts in the skin that can lead to inflammation and leave the skin vulnerable to infection. Additionally, many recent studies have proven that the tiny, plastic beads used in many exfoliating products and scrubs are harmful to the environment.
2. The Best Way To Exfoliate Is Chemically With A Retinoid.
Truth. With facial scrubs out, it’s important to know that the best way to slough off dead cells is with a retinoid product prescribed by your board certified dermatologist. In fact, if you have moderate or severe acne that hasn’t gotten better even after treatment, a retinoid may seriously help. These products can help your medicine work better and help you maintain a clear and smooth completion.
3. Makeup Will Improve Your Acne.
Myth. Some kinds of makeup may have ingredients that claim to calm and minimally help treat breakouts, but they simply don’t have a high enough level of proper ingredients or medicine needed to clear up acne or fight zits. You best bet is to schedule some time to visit with Southeastern Dermatology’s Product Educator, Jennifer, to formulate the best skin care regimen for your skin type.
4. Laying In The Sun Will Help Your Acne Clear Up.
Myth. While sun rays may temporarily “dry-out” acne by drying out and damaging the skin, you could very likely end up with more acne from over active oil glands trying to compensate for the parched skin. It’s also important to know that just one blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person’s chances of developing melanoma later in life. A person’s risk for melanoma also doubles if he or she has had five or more sunburns at any age. Yikes!
5. Using A Tanning Bed Will Improve Your Acne.
Myth. Just like basking in the sun, using a tanning bed or sunlight won’t help your acne – it can make things even worse! Drying out your skin causes oil glands to go into overdrive. The increased oil production can lead to more clogged pores. Just one indoor tanning session increases users’ chances of developing melanoma by 20 percent, and each additional session during the same year boosts the risk almost another two percent.
6. Washing With Hot Water Will Help With Acne.
Myth. Washing with HOT water will dry out your skin and cause inflammation that can lead to more acne. Along the same lines, washing your face more than twice a day can also cause irritation and inflammation, which often further worsen teen acne. When washing, don’t scrub too hard and don’t leave cleanser on your skin for longer than 10 seconds. It’s important to know that dirt doesn’t cause acne – it’s caused by bacteria. Think about washing your face as prepping for medicine, not clearing zits.
7. Alcohol-Based Astringents Are Good For Acne.
Myth. If you’re trying to rehab your face, it’s best NOT to hit the bottle – Alcohol based astringents that is. Alcohol dries out your skin, but does not kill the bacteria that lives deep inside pores and leads to blocked pores, pimples and kinds of acne. Additionally, alcohol does not exfoliate the skin.
If you’re serious about fighting teen acne, considering making an appointment with Southeastern Dermatology to find out more about acne treatment in Knoxville, TN. Dr. Doppelt and his team have a smooth record of helping teens in Knoxville clear up acne and get rid of zits for good!
