The breakout of acne for a teenager is as an unsettling, albeit rather common experience. Several reasons can account for this distressing feature of adolescence. First, the oil glands, as the name implies, generate oil beneath the skin in order to facilitate the passage of oil to the hair follicles and the surface of the skin. The hormones regulate the production of oil and are responsible for the differences in size of the oil glands.

As teenagers go through puberty, these hormones become very active and therefore produce larger oil glands, which in effect, can cause acne. Stress also excites these hormones into increased levels of activity. Second, if the pore, through which the oil passes, is blocked, then a swelling of oil on the surface of the skin can occur. This swelling appears as acne. Lastly, when the protective bacteria on the skin interact with the blocked oil in the hair follicle region, a chemical change occurs in the oil that leads to inflammation of the skin.

Various treatments are available that can help to relieve and eliminate acne. Depending on the severity of the case, skin creams, lotions, orally prescribed antibiotics and laser treatments are some of the medically applied skin care remedies. There are however, many approaches teenagers can take to avert the onset of acne. Basic skin care practices such as washing your face at least twice a day, taking daily showers to get rid of dirt and other bacteria that builds up on the skin, exercising regularly to reduce stress levels and drinking plenty of water to keep the body free of harmful bacteria are effective prevention habits. Moreover, there are things that should be avoided in the effort to prevent acne.

Teenagers should refrain from touching their face with unclean hands, eating too many oily foods, letting their hair frequently come into contact with their face and spending too much time out in the sun. While acne is certainly a matter of concern for many teenagers, the battle against it can be successively carried out by maintaining proper skin care habits.