Why Do Teens Get Acne?

Last Updated on February 19, 2023 by Marie Bautista

Once you hit puberty, aside from various physical and emotional changes that you will undergo, chances are you will start to have some acne.  If you are one of 2 (like teenage me – ehem ) out of 10 teens who don’t get acne, you are so lucky!  Even the lucky ones do get occasional bouts of acne and hey, take heart, adults do get acne, too.

In fact, old folks believe that acne comes with puberty. Knowing that doesn’t give you comfort as you stare at that enormous zit on your nose on the first day of school, right? Reading a blog on choosing the best face wash for teens will also help.
So, what is this gross, icky acne and is there a way to let it get away from your life forever?

Acne and its Causes

Acne is a condition where the skin gets certain types of bumps.  These bumps can be:

• cysts,
• blackheads, and
• whiteheads.

Hormonal changes that come with puberty often is the culprit  when it comes to teenage acne. If your mom or dad suffered from acne as teens, studies point out that you might get acne, too.  Take heart, though, because like puberty, having acne is a phase.  Once you are out of your teens, chances are your acne would go away, too.

But since your teenhood seems to be forever, and what really counts is the cyst, blackheads and whiteheads removal ASAP, here are some tips to stop them from claiming your nose as their permanent resident.

Acne vulgaris is the bump that most teenagers get.

By the way, “vulgaris” doesn’t mean anything nasty, ok?

It just means “of the common type”.

In common language, you would probably call it pimple, zit or in Filipino slang “tigidig”. These zits show up on your face, shoulders and upper back.

If you look closely at your skin (and if you were really paying attention in Science class when Teacher taught you about the Sense of Touch and the Skin), you will find pores or hair follicles.

These are called oil or sebaceous glands.  The sebaceous glands produce sebum.  Sebum serves as a a moisturizer or lubricant for your skin.  In your childhood years,  you would probably notice that you have the softest, smoothest skin.

That is because your oil glands are making just the right amount of sebum.

Once you hit teenhood, your hormones make your oil glands produce more oil or sebum, and in some teens, these glands go out of whack and become super-active.  Once more sebum is produced, your pores will become clogged.  Bacteria can then get in the pore and multiply.  This causes a big red ugly bump – your acne.

You get whitehead if a pore gets clogged up and closes.  The bump will bulge out of the skin, but it is white.  The opposite is true if you get a blackhead.  The pore gets clogged but remains open.  The top gets exposed to air and darkens, giving you a blackhead.

Are there any pimple, blackhead or whiteheads removal at home?

The best way to avoid getting these ugly zits is to regulate the build up of oil.

How?

• Get into the habit of washing your face twice a day.
• Use mild soap and warm water.
• Some use a facial wash specifically for oily skin.
• Don’t scrub your face hard.  If you think you are scrubbing the zit and the icky bacteria away, you are so wrong.  Scrubbing hard may irritate your skin and make the bump infected.
• Use makeup and skin products that don’t clog pores.
• Look at labels and go for “noncomedogenic”.

And please make it a habit to remove all your makeup before sleeping!

And keep your hair away from your face. 

Acne loves your forehead and nose!  Keep these parts squeaky clean!

I don’t have lots of pimples but I have lots of whiteheads! What are remedies for whiteheads removal?

Use creams that contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.

I have seen some nose strips in the drugstore specifically for whiteheads and blackheads.  You apply the nose strip on your nose, moistening it a bit.  The strip would get really hard as it dries.  Pull it out when it is hard and dry and out come the blackheads and the whiteheads!

I have been personally using tretinoin occasionally for years, and I never had a single whitehead or blackhead.  I don’t recommend this for teens, though, because this stuff is harsh for sensitive skin.

Be careful with your blackheads and whiteheads.  These aren’t as bad as pimples in   the sense that they don’t hurt as much, but they can still get irritated and infected.

Don’t pick or squeeze them! They can get infected and become worse.  Would you want to have scars on your face in the future?