It’s no easy task being a teen. On top of the high dramas of trying to conduct a sentence with the smallest amount of actual words (OMG that sitch is sooo OTT. LOL), working out if Kate or Milly is your BFF and being grounded for sneaking out, you have to deal with the onslaught of skin problems.
At puberty, there are some major hormonal changes which have profound effects on the body, including the skin,” explains Dr Susan Austin from Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia. Azclear Action scientific affairs manager Kerryn Greive agrees that teenage years are a time when hormones switch on and can play havoc with once clear skin. The culprit is androgens such as testosterone, and yes girls do make some testosterone. Testosterone is the big baddie when it comes to acne and while we can’t do much about our changing hormones, we can select topical products that help make life easier for our skin,” she says.
Hormonal changes cause a thickening of the oil (sebum) in the skin as well as a build-up of the dead skin on the surface. The combination of these effects leads to a tendency to clogging of the pores which may then lead to inflammation (pimples),” reveals Dr Austin. These pores can then become infected and, in bad circumstances, can lead to cyst formation and scarring.
But it’s not just hormones that are causing pimple problems - the continual touching of our faces with hands carrying bacteria can aggravate acne issues. Our hands are a microbiological forest, containing many millions of different organisms, mostly bacteria,” says ’s Amanda Foxon-Hill. According to a Berkley University study, the average person touches their face nearly 16 times an hour – this equates to nearly 384 times per day and 2,688 times per week.”
With 85 per cent of teenagers suffering from acne, there’s a big market out there for products to help address this particular pain of growing. Special skincare products can be used to prevent or reduce the build-up of the dead cell layer and reduce the excessive thickness of the sebum. This can reduce or alleviate the tendency towards clogging and the resultant inflammatory process,” says Dr Austin. Market research shows there is a growing number of customers with sensitive skin conditions opting for over-the-counter or self-selected solutions rather than prescription-based therapies, according to Dr. LeWinn’s.
While there may be a big market for acne products, teens are particular about what they are looking for. Teenagers want results fast,” reveals La Clinica For Skin & Body founder and owner Rita-Marie Hopfiner. They don't want it to be known that they are using skincare products for their problem skin. Teenagers need products that are affordable, effective and don't produce secondary, negative side effects.”
According to Dr Austin, the mainstay ingredients found in over-the-counter products targeting acne are benzoyl peroxide, alpha hydroxy acids, such as glycolic acid, and beta hydroxy acids, such as salicylic acid. She also revealed a strong trend of many acne products including vitamin A derivatives to help heal the skin and reduce scarring. But while these may be the mainstayers – there are a host of new hero ingredients cropping up in today’s teen skin remedies. Teenagers are at the forefront of any new trend, so we find they will be the first to discover and try the latest product on the market,” reveals Clearasil brand manager Margaret Hooper.
New ingredients
Two ingredients that are new in the area of teen skin are safflower oil and nicotinamide. Safflower oil contains a high level of linoleic acid,” explains Greive. By using products that contain safflower oil, you will boost your skin’s natural linoleic levels and can help clear up the acne.” While skin normally contains linoleic acid, low levels can cause acne. Nicotinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that is essential for healthy clear skin. Topical products that use nicotinamide can help to reduce many of the symptoms of acne or acne prone skin such as redness, swelling and sensitivity,” says Greive.
Another key ingredient Ego believes is key for teen skin is azelaic acid, an ingredient that has been clinically proven to be an effective anti-acne treatment with fewer adverse effects than benzoyl peroxide.
Natio believes that because of the delicate nature of young skin, it’s important to find skincare that is both gentle yet effective. A key ingredient in the Natio Natural Solutions range is Tamanu. Used by Pacific Islanders for thousands of years as a topical skin remedy, Natio product development manager Susheel Ghandi explains that Tamanu offers the skin natural antibacterial protection and encourages skin cell renewal and anti-inflammatory support. The brand also uses natural actives such as zinc, horse chestnut and corn starch to help regulate oil production and control shine, and natural salicylic acid derived from the willow tree to make skin cells shed more easily.
agrees that nature is key when it comes to treating acne. There are some great natural ingredients that are tough on impurities but kind on skin, leaving it looking pure and radiant yet doesn’t strip skin of moisture,” explains NIVEA VISAGE senior brand manager Sonya King and assistant brand manager Natasha Jones. One of these ingredients is magnolia extract, which eliminates oil and dirt without over drying, helps to clear blackheads and breakouts.”
Another brand opting for the natural route is Be In Awe. The gentle, yet active formulation of its amala Clearing Serum actively targets the development of acne and removes excess dead skin build-up, which may block follicles producing inflammation and bacterial infection. Active ingredients include nordihydroguaiaretic acid, oleanolic acid, salicyclic acid, azelaic acid and sandalwood oil. It contains no SLS’s, parabens, formaldehyde releasing agents, artificial fragrance and known sensitisers.
Kaolin Clay is also cropping up in the ingredient list of products targeting acne. Two brands using Kaolin Clay to deeply cleanse, soften and draw out impurities gently is and Dr. Le Winn’s. Both also use willow to help soothe breakout-induced irritations and for its anti-inflammatory properties.
As long as teenagers continue to be hormonally charged individuals with a strong desire for clear skin, there will be a market for products specifically targeting this group. Below we take a look at some of the hero products on the market that helps address problematic teen skin.
Hero products for teen skin
Cleanance Anti-Shine Regulating LotionAzclear Action Medicated Lotion
Be in AWE amala Clearing Serum
Botani Skin Rescue Kit
Dermalogica Clean Start range
Dr. Le Winn’s Medic Spot Gel
Living Nature Rescue Gel