Delivery Flowers Usa La

Teen's Guide to Clear, Beauty-licious Skin!

Pimples are the bane of a teen's life - just as you start to take an interest in how you look and in boys your face decides to betray you! Fear not, 98% of teens will experience pimples thanks to puberty so you are not alone. Here's a sure fire guide to make your face a pimple-free zone.

You can lay the blame for pimples at Mother Nature's feet. Always good to blame a mother! Basically, teen pimples are a result of puberty. That's the time when your body starts to prepare you for changes that will take you from being a girl and becoming a woman. Part of that process means that your hormones go crazy. These major hormonal changes result in you being more moody, sprouting hair in places you never thought about before, and an increase in your body's oil production. It's the extra oil surging through your body that has a lot to do with why you are getting pimples.

Next culprit is bacteria. Your face naturally has bacteria on it, but when it's mixing with all that extra oil it's a recipe for disaster.

Finally, your body sheds thousands of cells every minute - that's a normal part of what happens with your skin. But, when you have the combination of excess oil mixing with bacteria and dead cells it's sending a signal for pimples to party on your face.

The bacteria, oil and dead cells end up clogging your pores and that is what leads to pimples. The clogged pore has a build up of dirt, bacteria and dead cells, which leads to infection and forces the pimple to push up toward the skin's surface. You either end up with a blackhead, white head or a pustule or papule. They are all classed as acne.

The difference between a white head and blackhead is simply that a white head has a closed pore and in the case of the blackhead the pore remains open and that's what makes it change colour as a result of it being exposed.

Now, to make your face a non-pimple friendly zone is too easy. There are 3 simple steps you need to do. If oil and bacteria are major contributors, you obviously need to remove surface oil and bacteria from the surface of the skin. The best way to do that is by cleansing.

Remove Bacterial from the Skin by Cleansing

You need to cleanse skin twice a day (morning and night) to remove dirt, oil, grime, makeup, and bacteria to keep those pores clear. Be sure to use a cleanser that is non-drying on the skin. A lot of facial washes feature an ingredient known as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and you want to steer clear of this as it is very drying. Now, you might think that's exactly what my oily skin needs - TOTALLY NOT!! Your skin's job is to keep the surface nice and moist. If you use something that dries out the surface, it sends a message to the skin to pump out more oil. So, you actually make the oil cycle worse not better by using anything that dries out the surface. So, look for an SLS-free cleanser that has good antibacterial properties and is gentle on the skin.

Get Rid of Dead Cells by exfoliating

Dead skin cells on the surface of the skin mix with the bacteria and oil and that leads to major pore blockages. So, remove those dead cells.

The easiest and most effective way to do that is by using an exfoliator. An exfoliator is designed to scrub or buff away those dead cells so they can't clog pores. It also helps bring fresh, plump new cells to the surface of the skin.

Really important to use an exfoliator with super fine particles. Exfoliators with large exfoliant particles will over stimulate the skin, leading to more oil production. They can also knock the head off pimples and spread bacteria and infection over the face. You should exfoliate at least 2-3 times a week.

Protect your skin with moisturiser

Use a good moisturiser. A lot of teens think they shouldn't use a moisturiser as it will just clog their pores. The wrong moisturiser will certainly do that but if you use the right one it will have the opposite effect. As well as all the stuff happening at a hormonal level leading to clogged pores your skin is also exposed to a heap of external pore cloggers - pollution, smoke, dirt.

A good moisturiser acts to protect against these external elements to help keep pores clear. You need to use a moisturiser that is light, fast absorbing and full of ingredients that protect, nourish, normalise and renew.

Follow these three steps and you will notice a difference in your skin. Now, this doesn't mean that the pimple fairy will never strike again.

Bitz zits minus the skin irritation

You may still have pimples or get little breakouts now and again, which means you need some extra treatment in the form of a pimple lotion designed to get rid of pimples without trying to dry them out.

Remember, you never, ever want to use anything that is designed to dry out the skin surface as it only results in the skin going into defense mode and pumping out more oil to over-compensate.! What you do want is a product that will work to normalise oil production, balance skin, fight bacteria, reduce redness and swelling, and help skin heal.

Seek out natural pimple ingredients and healers like sea buckthorn berry oil, tea tree oil, neem oil, ylang, lavender. These are all proven pimple fighters but their advantage is that they won't leave your skin irritated, red, or flaky. It is far better to treat pimples naturally than to attack the skin with harsh ingredients.

So, there, you have it. Your daily cleanse, pimple serum and moisturise should take you about 2 minutes morning and night. Exfoliating is just a couple of minutes 2-3 times a week. It's that simple. Make your face a no pimple go zone and you will notice a difference! Oh, and choose flowers and plants not nasty chemicals when it comes to what you use on your face!

Snezna Kerekovic is a beauty editor with a passion for empowering girls with information and inspiration to help them navigate their way through their teen years. check out for more girly stuff - beauty, fashion, celebrity, life.