The Teen Acne Treatment Plan You Should Try First
I’m going to come right out and say that what’s worse than seeing your pre-teen struggle with pre-algebra is seeing him (or her) deal with acne. Worse than that is when you know the dermatologist will suggest Retinoids or Benzoyl peroxide as the quick fix.
I had horrible teen acne in 6th grade. I had it all over my forehead, so of course, I always wore bangs and even a hat if I could (fashionably) get away with it.
You’ve likely been there, too. And it’s not fun.
At least with algebra, you can usually find an easy answer.
What surprises me about this age group is how motivated they are to problem-solve their own acne… to the point of even being willing to try non-conventional approaches to fixing it.
I was the one who snagged my brother’s prescription acne cream to apply to my own face… long before DIY acne recipes, and the Internet for that matter, were so readily available.
I asked my MadeOn readership about acne in their home:
Most mentioned their boys, not their girls. I researched and found out that teen acne is more prevalent with the male population in this age group.
57% of the respondents said their teen was open to trying almost anything.
43% said their teen is interested in trying natural remedies. (That's fantastic!)
In the survey, I listed 20 possible treatments to find out what has been tried, tried and failed, and tried and worked. The list included everything from manuka honey, to maca supplements, to diet changes, to using astringents.
I’ll share the results with you in a minute, but I need to preface this with something very important (in addition to the disclaimer that I am not licensed to give medical advice on acne):
Just like eczema and other skin conditions, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. There may be multiple causes.
We do know that it’s an inflammation issue, that it’s often bacteria-related, and can also have a connection to hormones.
When you’re plagued with it at age 13, all that doesn’t usually matter. You want something that will work now.
Have him try one of these strategies...
5 approaches to attacking acne that your teen can try now:
Oil Cleansing Method : The how-to is in this blog post I wrote in 2012. This is apparently working for many of my survey-takers. Crunchy Betty covers it extensively in her ebook Food on your Face for Acne and Oily Skin. In a nutshell, just apply the correct oil to your face (based on your skin type) and leave on your skin for 2 minutes, apply a warm, damp washcloth, and then gently wipe off.
DIY Acne Mask: mix 3 TBS honey with 1 TBS cinnamon. Apply to face, wait 20 minutes, and rinse.
DIY Toner: Toners had a high success rate with my readers. Mix 3/4 cup strong green tea with 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar in a glass jar. Apply to face with a cotton ball. Store toner in fridge and use up within 2 weeks.
Use a micro-fiber wash towel for cleaning the face.
Try really, really hard not to pick at it (Yes, I know. Much easier said than done.)
Those were the most popular remedies that found success.
3 ways MadeOn can help:
There’s a popular YouTuber who is also a Certified Holistic Health Coach named Corrina Rachel. She put together an extensive video related to eczema and acne: the causes, along with natural remedies and DIY recipes. (MadeOn is featured there as well.) I took her content and created a PDF file for you to download. It’s called 10 Tips to Deal With Acne and Eczema. Her video link is contained in the file. Download here. It’s free!
Zinc oxide: the American Academy of Dermatology recommends finding products that contain zinc oxide to absorb oil, camouflage redness and prevent irritation. Our Simply Soothing Rash Cream contains over 15% zinc oxide in its formulation. Have your teen try the stick form for easy application (because they like easy!).
Replace any store-bought soap (especially if it’s anti-bacterial) with goat milk soap. Let MadeOn take care of that for you. Click to view
5 ways Mom can help:
Work in healthy, delicious alternatives to processed sugar and from-the-box foods. If you’re up for it, try reducing or eliminating grains and/or dairy to see if they’re the culprit.
Replace the anti-bacterial soap you have in the bathroom with a nourishing goat milk or other handcrafted soap, like our Avocado Goat Milk Soap.
Reduce or find a way to deal with stress (his, not just yours 😉 ).
In most cases, the acne will go away with age. A quick “this too shall pass” message from you may help.
It’s easy to hardly give anything a good try, so be a good example here. If YOU are trying to establish a healthy habit, set the example of giving something a good amount of time before giving up.
Natural Treatment for Acne Prone Skin (for Teens and Beyond):
Rash Cream & Avocado Facial Bar Testimonials
"I bought the Simply Soothing Rash Cream to try out on my shaving rash. It worked amazing. THEN my daughter tried it on her acne and it's working better than her $100 prescription cream! Will definitely buy more of this."
Annette in Ontario, Canada
"I have acne prone fair skin that burns/wrinkles/scars easily. This soap put ALL my other cleansers outta commission, I need them no longer"
Cari
Jane W:
This rash cream is wonderful!!!! It works on all of my family’s skin rashes, irritations, itches - we use it for everything. And it works!!
I have multiple skin issues, from very thin skin, to dermatitis, to unknown rashes and highly allergic to any kind of insect bite or sting. I literally need to take Benadryl to ease the itching. Having said that, I tried the Simply Smoothing Rash Cream and it is excellent. It really does calm the itching and fully moisturizes my skin. Highly recommend.
I was using your junior product on baby's bum until the soothing rash lotion arrived. Your regular lotion helped so much my little one hardly gets a rash. So now if there's the slightest pink I put soothing rash on, and it clears it up quick.
When I first got your bee silk lotion years ago, I was making my own sunscreen by crudely mixing zinc oxide and the simplest form of liquid lotion I could find. It did the job, not pretty though. And after using hard lotion, I just couldn't buy another liquid lotion with all those extra ingredients. I'm not sure why it took me so long to connect the dots. But I love your soothing rash lotion. It goes on so easily and absorbs quickly, I think this will be great for sunscreen when we need it on our face. Can't wait to try it out.
Thank you Renee for another awesome product.
Soothing is right! It reaches small areas, feels good and helps heal rashes
I've never tried a diaper rash cream with zinc oxide in it, because all those I saw had other odd ingredients in them. This one was a great exception :) The ingredients are clean and the cream has been great for my son's diaper rash. So glad we tried this :)
I got this because my son has had some really dry patches of skin through the winter. Reading the reviews, I was hoping this would be a miracle solution for us. He's been using it daily for 3 weeks now without much change to his condition. I feel good about the ingredients, but this wasn't the miracle I was hoping for.
I am a senior citizen, a grandma, and I've had 5 children via C-sections. I am round in shape and thus I have overlapping skin folds, which get worse as I age. The skin underneath the overlapping skin has been red, irritated and very sore, like a severe sunburn. I have even had yeast in these skin folds. I had been using an antifungal powder for the past few years trying to address the skin irritation, but I had to apply the powder several times a day and it didn't even fully prevent the irritation and pain.
My dermatologist told me to stop the powder and to use a cream that contained zinc oxide.
I've been using the Simply Soothing Rash Cream for several weeks now and from the first application it has provided relief from the burning, soreness and irritation. Plus I don't need to reapply it during the day, just once works great. I have not had any soreness or irritation in my skin folds since I starting using it. The stick form makes it very easy to apply.
I'm sold! No more powder! I'm using Simply Soothing Rash Cream daily. My dermatologist was very pleased.
I purchased a Simply Soothing stick for myself and immediately loved the feel on my winter skin, especially under my eyes, which is especially sensitive from the dry air. One of my teenage daughters was complaining about dryness and I offered her my stick to try. She is PICKY and completely resistant to any of my 'natural' or 'DIY' style treatments, but she agreed (I suspect it was only so she could tell me it didn't work LOL) Lo, and behold - the next morning she asked if she could borrow the stick for school!!! As soon as she was gone, I ordered a stick for each kid for Valentine's Day (I like to give them something 'loving' <3 )
They all love them!! My oldest (in college) mentioned that it's become her nighttime moisturizer - easy to apply and totally absorbs overnight leaving soft, soothed skin by morning. Thank you for such an awesome product!! I will be ordering another round for all of us!
Since the Pandemic and the introduction of harsher and harsher chemicals in the workplace, it can be difficult to ride the wave to balance sanitation with safety. With sanitation compliance, I was experiencing warning signals on my skin with dryness, itchiness, redness and discomfort. At night, I had an especially hard time gearing down to sleep with my hands and forearms itching all the way past my elbows. Since I couldn’t sleep, I got up looking through the cabinets to find something to help. That’s when I saw a travel-size Simply Soothing Rash Cream that I had bought for First Aid summer misadventures. I applied a generous amount to my hands and arms like evening gloves. It immediately stopped the burning and itching like magic! I slept like a baby. Although Renee originally made it for diaper rash, I’m glad that she took “diaper” off the label! ;D I used it for several consecutive nights to heal the micro-abrasions on my skin due to harsh sanitation chemicals. Ahhhh, Sweet Dreams…
I mainly use on the baby’s bottom if an issue arises but my husband uses it for big guy chaffing, nothing else has ever helped like the simply soothing has