Skincare Essentials

Breakouts can be frustrating. Whats the best way to reduce and prevent them?

Breakouts can be frustrating. What’s the best way to reduce and prevent them?

Gwen Brown, Staff Writer

A big problem teens face is their skin. Bad skin can be the beginning of insecurity within most post-pubescent teens, so it is important to have a daily skincare routine–but what does that entail?? Don’t be alarmed. It’s exactly what it sounds like! A skincare routine is simply an everyday routine you follow to achieve a desired outcome. While it can be difficult to begin and maintain unfamiliar routines, keep in mind that most products rely on everyday usage for results.

So how do you even begin to start taking care of your skin? The first step is a good cleanser. Cleansers work to strip your face of oils that build up throughout the day. They clean your pores and keep your skin fresh. So what are some good cleansers? My personal favorite is Cetaphil’s Gentle Skin Cleanser ($7.99). It doesn’t dry your skin out too much but still gets the job done. If you have dry skin I would recommend the gentle formula because it won’t be able to remove all the oils from your face.

Next comes moisturizer which, obviously, moisturizes skin and keeps it healthy. By moisturizing every day we encourage our oil glands to create fewer oils so they don’t become overworked. This allows for healthier skin as you age.

One of the most popular solutions for blackheads is salicylic acid. It works to shed dead cells from the top layer of skin and decrease inflammation. Salicylic acid is most commonly used for blackheads and is a vital step in my skincare routine. I saw results in only a week of using it. It helped reduce pore visibility and cleared up my skin. 

Hyaluronic acid is also a very important step. It helps to hold moisture in your skin, which gives the appearance of more radiant, young looking skin. These products can get pricey, but Neutrogena has a low-budget hydraulic acid for only $17.99. 

WEAR SUNSCREEN. I can not stress this enough! The UV rays from the sun can be extremely damaging to your skin by causing wrinkles, sun spots, or even cancer. It’s the most important part of maintaining good skin. 

GEHS junior Indigo Graves is already on board with skin care. “First I wash my face with Cetaphil gentle cleanser and then I use rose witch hazel,” she said. “I use Alklief to help my acne, then I lock that in with my Cetaphil dry skin moisturizer. For serums I use Willow Bark serum and hyaluronic acid.” 

Indigo’s routine doesn’t differ much from mine. I start by cleansing my face with either benzoyl peroxide or Cetaphil’s gentle cleanser. Benzoyl peroxide kills the bacteria under your skin and works particularly well for inflammatory acne. After that I use a salicylic acid from Paula’s Choice and top that off with a vitamin C oil. Next I use Cetaphil’s hyaluronic acid. Finally, I lock all of that in with a moisturizer. I do this every night, but in the morning I just use a sunscreen moisturizer. This routine has made me much more confident in the appearance of my skin than I used to be.