Many high school students experience skin blemishes like acne that for some, may seem endless. For teens who suffer from an abundance of acne, knowing its sources and solutions can help prevent future breakouts.
According to MayoClinic, excesses of the skin oil sebum, clogged hair follicles, bacteria, and inflammation mainly cause acne. However, other factors can increase the severity of acne like hormonal changes, certain medications, an unhealthy diet and stress. Students shouldn’t fret though, as this common skin condition usually won’t last more than a few days or weeks at most. The AAD explains why high school students experience a prevalence of acne. Hormones, called androgens, in puberty increase the size of the skin’s oil glands. These glands start making more oil, which can clog pores.
Allure in 2017 confirmed that while expensive solutions can always be an option, multiple “home remedies” exist for each type of breakout. If the problem at hand comes from whiteheads, then this could likely be caused by under-exfoliating. Simply washing one’s face with a scrub once or twice a week takes care of any dead skin cells. Students could also buy gentle exfoliating solutions like salicylic acid, as well as drugstore products such as Clinique, Neutrogena, or Differin.
In general terms, acne can be avoided by refraining from touching one’s face. Hands often have bacteria and natural oil, which effectively blocks pores. Once a person has acne, make sure not to irritate it, because that can lead to additional breakouts and even lifelong scarring. For those that love cheese, some studies show that cutting back on dairy can improve skin health. COVID-19 brings on a new obstacle for clear skin with maskne. Yale Medicine uses this term to describe the kind of acne caused by wearing a face covering that traps oil, sweat, and bacteria beneath it. Dr. Suozzi from Yale advises simple steps to avoid the pimples, with a simple skin care regimen and avoiding makeup.
Acne appears in adulthood as well as adolescence. Even shimmery, flawless celebrities have either struggled with it in their childhood or remember the experience negatively. Byrdie puts it best; “All skin is good skin, which is why good skincare is more of a journey than a destination.” Kendall Jenner continued in an Instagram post reported on by Harper’s Bazaar that she wants to demonstrate to, "a younger generation that not everything is perfect" and that while she overcomes her insecurity about acne, she, “wouldn’t ever wish that feeling upon anyone.”
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