Simple, Easy and Effective Regime for Teenage Boys

Whether you’re in your early or late teens, the time to understand your teenage skin is now and it all begins with a regular skincare regime. When you understand what’s going on under your skin, you can take the right measures to minimise those embarrassing spot moments.

It’s perfectly normal to experience things like acne, pimples, blemishes, oily patches and other tell-tale signs indicating that you’re well on your way to adulthood. Whether it’s normal or not, we understand you still want to stop them and we are here to help!

After reaching and going past puberty, you’re going to experience an overproduction of specific hormones such as testosterone, which means you’ll be dealing with oiliness, higher levels of sweating, zits, pimples and other indications that your hormones have gone into overproduction mode. Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal.

If you need a quick recap on testosterone, then that’s the key male hormone that gives you your male attributes, including strength, energy, vitality and that deep manly voice that every boy wants!

In addition, you’d want to pay close attention to what you’re eating on a daily basis – something we’ll cover in more detail towards the end of this article.

Since you’re at an age where your body will be producing more plentiful amounts of testosterone, it’s important to understand how these levels can be kept balanced. In turn, this will allow you to achieve balance in your skin’s health, look and feel.

Healthy lifestyle choices are one of the best ways to achieve balance in your skin and to better achieve that, here’s what you can do to stabilise testosterone levels:

• Exercise regularly and/or staying physically active
• Cut down on processed and refined sugars/carbohydrates as much as possible (baked goods, candies, white rice and bread, etc.)
• Get a good 7-9 hours of sleep each night
• Avoid taking medications like corticosteroids
• Reduce and manage stress as well as anxiety in healthy and productive ways

Follow the above and you can achieve balance in your skin to some extent. For complete balance, however, you need to ensure you have a consistent and regular skincare regimen with products that contain essential active ingredients.

In your quest to have clear skin, it’s important to look for these key ingredients in the skincare products you choose:

As long as your skincare products contain hyaluronic acid as a key ingredient, then you’re all set – an ingredient which is touted for its ability to give you clear and smooth skin. Even though our bodies are capable of producing it naturally, hyaluronic acid levels drop tend to drop, especially as your skin becomes drier due to your hormones going into overdrive.

This is why it’s essential for your skincare products to have this key ingredient to help keep the skin hydrated, smooth-looking and full of zest.

ALA is naturally present in every cell of your body. It’s an antioxidant that combats free radicals – compounds which destroy healthy skin over time. With ALA in your skincare regime, you can effectively combat dryness and an overproduction of oil – two culprits that cause rough and textured skin.

Make sure ALA is present in your skincare products and you’ll be looking fresh and feeling fantastic all day long, keeping your confidence levels in check when it’s time to exchange numbers!

Perhaps the single most beneficial ingredient to look for when it comes to looking after teenage skin is salicylic acid. One of the most common issues teenage boys deal with is acne spots and blemishes. Skincare products containing salicylic acid unclog pores, and reduce the breakout of whiteheads and blackheads.

Its anti-inflammatory properties work to heal as well as sooth acne-prone skin, and keeps your skin feel smooth and refreshed all day long.

It’s very easy to snack on junk and processed foods when you’re a teenager. Who can say no to a burger and fries meet up or a get together at your favourite pizza place over the weekend?

While it’s understandable that you’d want to consume fried food or that which is processed, contains excess salts and sugars – it can work against your skin in many ways. With high testosterone levels, your skin is already producing too much oil – having oil-rich, salty, sugary and processed foods can further exacerbate any acne or other skin-related problems you may be suffering from.

It’s best to stick to wholesome and natural foods like fruits, vegetables and lean protein. Rather than burgers, pizza or fries, go for a bowl of chicken salad or add some nuts and seeds to your fruit salad. With that said, having a ‘cheat day’ isn’t a bad thing – just make sure you stick to your skincare routine and healthy eating habits throughout the week.

There are five key things you need to do in order to keep your skin under control:

Use a gentle cleanser to wash your face twice a day (once in the morning and then at night) and ensure that your hands are clean before you apply it to your face in slow circular motions.

Bare Addiction’s Gel Cleanser contains key ingredients like salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid, providing a deep yet gentle cleansing formula suitable for all skin types. It also offers the hydration your skin demands day and night, while ensuring oil levels are balanced. This encourages dead skin and debris to be lifted off the skin, leaving it smooth, shine-free and less likely to have a breakout.

Using a gentle chemical peel or exfoliator is necessary for going deeper into the skin to clean out dirt, oil, and particularly dead skin cells. Start with exfoliating twice a week and that should be enough. If not try three times a week; however be careful not to exfoliate.

Even though physical exfoliants, like a scrub, can feel good in the short term, you need to be weary of these products if you have sensitive, acne-prone skin, scrubs could irritate the skin further and make spots more inflamed, as well as create micro cuts on your skin that could get infected. It’s best to stick to something gentle yet effective!

When it comes to serums and sheet masks, you may think that this is something only girls use. This isn’t entirely correct. A good quality, lightweight serum and sheet mask will work wonders to keep your pores open and allow moisturisers to easily penetrate the skin, providing for deeper hydration. It can even provide extra protection against spots. It’s best to apply these after cleansing and before using a moisturiser.

Sheet masks help the serum penetrate deeper into your skin, working to reverse dry, tired and spotty skin. It’s a win-win. So if you are game, try a sheet mask or at least use a serum!

Always moisturise after you wash your face – we can’t stress this enough! Because if you don’t, your face will feel dry, and your skin will tend to produce even more oil - this could lead to an excess build-up of bacteria and dead skin cells, and eventually, acne.

Apply your moisturiser twice a day and one which has an SPF of at least 30 or higher.

You’d want to use our Daily Defence SPF moisturiser during the day to:

• Have broad spectrum protection from UV and blue light
• Target spot-causing bacteria
• Have smoother skin that’s shine-free by balancing the skin’s oils
• Hydrate and protect the skin

Use our Nightly Refresh moisturiser at night to:

• Refresh and rebuild the skin from daily stresses
• Even and smooth out your skin tone and texture
• Minimise signs of hyperpigmentation, scaring, and sun spots
• Target spot causing bacteria while you sleep

Applying a face mask or sheet mask can further help you purify and brighten the skin, keeping it clear and free from spots, blemishes, zits, and other annoying stuff that might ruin your weekend date! Look for ones that are multifunctional, have low levels of added fragrance, and are formulated for sensitive and young skin.

On a final note, here’s our suggestions for quick yet effective routines:

The quick routine (morning and night) – Quick and easy for fast results

• Cleanse
• Spot cream for emergencies
• Moisturise

1. Day moisturiser
2. Night moisturiser

The ultimate regimen (morning and night) – Extra care for best results

• Cleanse / Exfoliate
• Serum / Sheet mask
• Spot cream
• Moisturise

1. Day moisturiser
2. Night moisturiser

Now you’re ready to parade the streets with confidence and renewed flair.