Should Your Teen Use Retinol?
SHOULD YOUR TEEN USE A RETINOL-BASED PRODUCT TO TREAT THEIR ACNE?
We recently posted a poll on our social media to find out what our patients are observing in relation to their teen’s skincare habits or lack thereof. We weren’t surprised to discover that the majority of teens are not even washing their faces twice a day. So, we wanted to take a moment to help you better understand the most common causes of teen acne and also explain some of the treatment options that we have available at The MAC to help your teen discover clearer skin.
In the fast-paced lives of today’s teens, there are 1 million other things to occupy their interests and almost none of them revolve around skincare.
Unfortunately, without proper skincare, more advanced therapies are going to be ineffective. When we bring teens and their parents in for skincare consultations, we try to educate the teens on the importance of each step in their regimen and why daily habits are the only way to maintain clear skin. Your teen should be washing their face at a minimum, morning and night. In addition to this, they should wash their face after sports events or any other activity that produces sweat. The effects of skipping that cleanser just one night could take up to several weeks to be evidenced on your teen’s face as an acne lesion.
Contrary to what most parents believed to be the cause of their teens' acne, diet does not play as pivotal a role. While there are studies associating dairy products, particularly skim milk, with an increased risk of acne lesions, the studies are lacking sufficient evidence to cite this as a scientific fact. We do know, however, that spicy foods, red wine, gluten, among other things, can play a pivotal role in rosacea outbreaks which often appear very similar to acne lesions. Rosacea is actually an oil disorder, contrary to what most patients believe. Unlike acne, however, rosacea patients need a more sensitive treatment regimen than their acne patient counterparts. We offer a custom skincare regimen and treatment with our BBL Forever Young rosacea protocols to help minimize the manifestations of rosacea which are unfortunately lifelong. So should your teen eat cheeseburgers and french fries every night? No, because we care about their cardiovascular health, but an occasional cheeseburger or sweet treat is likely not the cause of your teen’s acne.
LET’S ADDRESS THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: HORMONES!
We all know that teens are an overflowing well of hormones. With an increase in hormones like testosterone, teens are at a higher risk for oily skin which is directly related to the formation of acne lesions. Since we can’t (and don’t truly want to) stop the natural occurrence of puberty, we have to find ways to control the oil. Oil is best controlled by using a combination of twice-daily cleansing, exfoliation up to three times per week, the use of salicylic acid in skincare products, and teaching your teen good hygienic habits such as avoiding touching their face, cleaning their phones, and performing skincare after sweating.
Now that we have discussed three of the most commonly believed contributors to acne, let’s discuss treatment options to help your teen feel more confident in their skin. In addition to some of the products discussed above, we often use a combination of several other products including glycolic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and retinoids. Retinoids come in varying formulations and strengths but are all derived from Vitamin A. Retinol and tretinoin are two of the most commonly recognized retinoids. Although retinoids have been scientifically proven to be highly effective in the treatment of acne, without improving basic facial hygiene, controlling oil, diagnosing rosacea, and maintaining consistency in skincare routines, jumping straight to retinol is unnecessary and will likely result in frustration from some of the side effects associated with retinol.
DID SHE JUST SAY SIDE EFFECTS? YES.
As with most prescriptions, there are side effects. Thankfully, retinol has been heavily studied and is deemed safe for children as young as 12 years old. Side effects frequently observed by our patients include redness, dryness, flaking, irritation, peeling, and photosensitivity. These side effects are dose-dependent and believe it or not, your body will adjust to a product over time. We generally recommend a staged introduction to the retinol starting once or twice a week and maintaining that application dose for several weeks before increasing the frequency of application. This is why we love having our patients in for a complimentary skin assessment and consultation. We want to help educate you and your teen and make the best treatment plan for your lifestyles and concerns.
SO SHOULD MY TEEN USE RETINOL? I THOUGHT YOU SAID YES AND NO.
There are patients who will require retinol to control their acne. Retinol is safe and has many amazing anti-aging properties. However, we have other treatments that may help your teen find clear skin without the use of retinol. One of these treatments is BBL Forever Clear by Sciton. This treatment uses a combination of multiple wavelengths of broadband light to safely and effectively destroy the acne-causing bacteria in the skin, reduce redness and inflammation, and decrease surface oil production. The treatment can safely be performed in as little as 20 minutes and has been proven effective in numerous clinical studies in reducing acne in teens and adults. If you have rosacea, we can also treat it at the same time.
Want to learn more about BBL Forever Clear? Check out our previous blog post here, or call or text our office to schedule a consultation with one of our knowledgeable, licensed medical providers.