Acne can be an embarrassing and stressful part of adolescent and teen life.
And although it can feel isolating, acne is one of the most common skin conditions among kids and adolescents. It can start as early as two years before any signs of puberty and can last beyond the teen years.
And while some acne breakouts may be inevitable, there are steps kids can take to help them manage their acne and establish healthy skin habits.
What Causes Teen Acne
Despite popular belief, there is little scientific evidence that chocolate, fried foods, sugar, or other unhealthy foods often consumed by teens cause skin to breakout.
Instead, most adolescents and teens see an increase in acne because of hormone levels that are increasing in their bodies. These hormones stimulate fat glands in the skin and increase production of sebum. Sebum is an oily secretion that lubricates and protects skin. But when there’s too much sebum production, as well as dead skin cells and other debris, it can block skin follicles and cause acne.
Other triggers for acne include:
- Stress
- Hormone imbalances
- Menstrual periods that bring hormonal changes for girls
- Food and drinks (such as sports drinks) that are high in iodine
- Helmets, chin straps, or other tight clothing or equipment that rest on skin
- Some makeup or greasy hair products that block pores (look for oil-free, noncomedogenic products instead)
Acne, Black Heads, and White Heads
There are actually several types of acne, but these are the most common:
- Papule: these are early pimples that are swollen follicles that look like small, red, inflamed bumps. They feel hard and when there are a lot, it can feel like sandpaper.
- Whiteheads: Pores that are closed with the oil and dirt trapped under the surface that create a small bump that looks white or flesh colored.
- Blackheads: Pores that are clogged but remain open and look like tiny black spots.
- Pustules: These are infected pimples that contain a yellowish fluid. The enlarged bump will have a yellow or white center.
- Nodules: The larger, harder, often painful red bumps with greater inflammation leading to higher risk of scarring
What Makes Acne Worse
It’s natural for your teen to want to pick, rub, or scrub at the acne on their face, but these actions can make it worse. It can make the acne spread, irritate the skin, or cause scarring.
Make sure when your teen washes their face, they limit washing to two times a day. They should use a gentle cleanser and avoid scrubbing their face hard with a washcloth.
They also should avoid picking at their pimples because it can drive the inflammation deeper. It’s also important for them to avoid popping pus-filled pimples because it can cause permanent scarring.
Daily Tips for Teen Acne Treatment and Prevention
Tell your teen or adolescent that treating acne takes time. They do not go away overnight, and it’s best to be patient. It is also extremely important to be consistent and persistent with treatment. Acne will flare up & decrease, but one shouldn’t get lazy about treatment regimens during periods of the acne looking relatively good.
Teach them to have a daily routine of washing their face in the morning and at night before bedtime. Have them use a gentle cleanser and wash their face gently.
Avoid oil-based creams and lotions that can block skin follicles. Instead, stick to fragrance free, water-based lotions and products.
They can use over-the-counter lotions containing benzoyl peroxide to treat and prevent minor blemishes and mild to moderate acne. Benzoyl peroxide helps kill bacteria, unplug oil ducts and heal pimples.
Have them start slowly with a wash or lotion with a smaller concentrate of benzoyl peroxide, such as 2.25-5 percent, once a day. They can increase to twice a day after a week if their skin doesn’t get irritated, such as turning red or peeling. If they don’t see results after four to six weeks, they can try a higher concentrated lotion or gel. Again starting at one time a day and increasing to two if their skin is not irritated.
Other Treatment Options
If your child has severe or persistent acne, your pediatrician or dermatologist can prescribe alternative treatments for them, such as retinoids or antibiotics. For severe cases of cystic acne, sometimes isotretinoin is prescribed. All three of these options come with side effects and risks that you will want to weigh and discuss with your provider.
Budget-friendly tip: Look for infant seats that can hold infants up to 18kgs to get the most use of your car seat. Also, consider convertible car seats, which can be switched to forward-facing when the child is ready.
Forward-Facing Car Seats
After one year old, children can legally ride forward-facing, though safety advocates recommend staying rear-facing as long as possible.
Once in a forward-facing seat, children should stay in this style of the centre until they’ve reached that seat’s weight and length limits. Most seats accommodate up to 30kg or more. The centre should have a five-point harness system (two shoulder straps, two hip straps, and a crotch strap). This style offers better protection than booster seats for older children because it has more places to distribute crash forces.
When securing your child, ensure the shoulder harness comes from at or above your child’s shoulders. The chest clip should be on the chest at armpit level.
Safety Tip: Some seats have safety anchors to help you clip in the middle. However, these clips have weight limits, so change the installation after your child outgrows the limit.
Booster Seats
Between four to eight years old, as per the recommendation, children are to either be in a five-point harness forward-facing seat or a booster seat. Safety advocates say a child may need a booster longer–even up to 12 years old–until the vehicle’s seat belts fit the child properly.
The booster seat allows the child to use the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt by keeping it at the right height.
After eight years old, your child can stop using a booster when:
- The vehicle’s shoulder belt fits snugly across the shoulder, and the lap belt lies flat on their upper thighs.
- Your child’s knees bend at the edge of the back seat, and their feet touch the floor
- Your child can stay seated like this for the entire trip.
Safety Tip: Check your child’s booster to ensure the shoulder belt fits snugly across the shoulder–not the neck. And the lap belt should lie flat across the upper thighs–not the stomach.
Car Seat Inspections
The best thing you can do to ensure you have the safest car seat for your child and install it properly is to have it inspected by a certified technician. If you are an expecting parent, it’s best to have your infant car seat installed and inspected before your due date to be ready for your baby’s arrival.
Dairy and Proteins
- Cheese sticks or cheese cubes
- Yogurt cup or yoghurt drink
- Lunch meat rolled up
- Hard-boiled egg
Veggies
- Cucumber slices
- Pepper slices
- Carrot sticks
- Sliced, pitted olives
Fruit
- Whole fruit that travels quickly, like apples or bananas
- Cut up fresh fruit (for apple slices, you can soak in a small dish of water and a dash of lemon juice to prevent browning)
- Dried fruit (such as raisins, cherries or mangoes)
Whole-Grains
- Nut-free cereal
- Granola bar or fruit bar
- Air-popped popcorn
- Bagel (with cream cheese)
- Whole-grain crackers
- Homemade muffins
- Stuffed rolled-up aloo or whole-grain pita bread
Healthy Snack Ideas for Home
When you’re at home, you can use the same snack ideas as above. But snack time at home can also be an excellent opportunity to introduce new foods to your child or present foods in an enticing way.
It’s also the best place to change your child’s snack routine if you’re trying to switch from processed foods to healthier options.
Kids are more likely to try new things if they look enticing and let them enjoy the food in a fun way. You also can involve them in the shopping and food preparation to get them engaged and excited about their healthy snacks.
Smoothies: Frozen smoothies are a tasty way to introduce a fruit or other ingredient (like spinach!) in small amounts. Here are some smoothie recipes to try:
Ex. Apple, Banana, Mango and Sapota smoothies
HEALTHY SNACKS FOR SCHOOL GOING KIDS
When choosing healthy snacks for kids, it's important to keep in mind the nutritional value of the snack and also their taste preference. Here are some tips and suggestions for choosing healthy Indian snacks for kids:
Choose snacks that are rich in fiber: Fiber is essential for good digestive health and helps keep kids feeling full for longer. Some examples of high-fiber Indian snacks include roasted chana, sprouts, and fresh fruit.
Avoid fried snacks: Fried snacks such as samosas andpakoras may taste good, but they are often high in unhealthy fatsand calories. Instead, choose snacks that are baked or roasted,such as roasted peanuts or baked vegetable chips.
Include protein-rich snacks: Protein is an essential nutrient for growing kids. Some protein-rich Indian snacks include roasted chana, boiled egg, paneer tikka, or a handful of nuts.
Limit sugar intake: Many Indian snacks can be high in sugar.Try to choose snacks that are low in added sugar or have naturalsugars such as fresh fruit or dried fruit. Avoid packaged snacksthat contain a lot of added sugars.
Offer a variety of snacks: Offering a variety of snacks can keepkids interested and engaged in healthy eating. Try to offer a mixof savory and sweet snacks, such as hummus with carrot sticks,fruit chaat, or roasted poha chivda.
Consider homemade snacks: Making your own snacks cangive you more control over the ingredients and ensure that theyare healthy. Some examples of easy-to-make Indian snacksinclude roasted makhana, sprouts chaat, and roasted chivda.
Involve kids in the snack-making process: Kids are morelikely to eat healthy snacks if they are involved in the process ofmaking them. Try to involve your kids in choosing and preparinghealthy snacks, and make it a fun activity thatyou can do together.
Healthy sanack options:
- Veg cutlets/ Corn cutlets
- Mini vegetable idlis/ masala idlis
- Paneer tikka
- Oats pancakes
- Vegetable poha
- Avalakki with Jaggery
- Sundal
- Mixed fruit custard
- Hara Bhara kabab
- Veg spring rolls
- Masala peanuts
- Dahi vada
- Churmuri
- Sprouted Moong dhal salad
- Paneer sandwich
- Vegetable sandwich
- Pav bhaji
- Vegetable pasta
- Veg soup/ Chicken soup
- Veg paratha/ Egg Paratha
- Methi pakkoda
Babies with food allergies or food allergies in the family
In the past, doctors advised parents to avoid foods that were common allergens (such as dairy, eggs, peanuts, and other nut products). However, recent research indicates that late introduction of such foods can increase their risk of allergies. Before starting solids, talk to your paediatrician for recommendations for your baby. Babies at high risk for food allergies (severe eczema or strong family histories of allergic disease) might be referred for allergy testing before starting foods commonly associated with allergies. If you are concerned about this, consult your paediatrician.
If you notice a change in your baby after eating a particular food, such as diarrhoea, a rash, or vomiting, consult with your paediatrician.
How much and how often should I feed my baby?
When you first start giving your baby solids, they only need a few spoonfuls or small pieces of food. At this age, solid foods do not replace breast milk or formula but rather complement it.
Between 6 to 12 months, breastmilk or formula is still an essential part of your baby’s diet and will still provide most of your baby’s nutrients as your baby learns to eat solids. Their digestive system is also immature and needs time before fully processing solid food. However, you can start to incorporate more complex proteins like meats and move toward giving “meals” of solids that may begin to replace 1-2 milk feedings each day. Unless you and your paediatrician have discussed allergy concerns, raw honey is the only food to avoid.
As your baby grows, it will increase how much solid food they eat and gradually decrease the amount of formula or breastmilk feedings they need. So, while a younger baby usually requires milk every two to three hours, by their first birthday, they may only need three or four milk feedings each day.
After 9 months, you should be offering your baby two to three healthy meals per day. Frequently these meals can be foods you and your family are eating at mealtime, just put them into sizes and textures that are safe for your baby. Put a portion in a blender or baby food grinder, mash food up or cut it into small pinkly-diameter pieces (your baby’s pinkie) to decrease choking risk.
Continue to feed your baby breastmilk and/or formula for your baby’s first 12 months. You can continue breastfeeding after 12 months if you and your baby desire.
What about vitamin D and iron supplements for breastfed babies?
If your baby is breastfed, talk to your paediatrician, as they may recommend that you give your baby a vitamin D and/or an iron supplement during their first year.
From 6 months on, when solids are starting to supply some necessary nutrients, meats, such as turkey and chicken, are rich in iron and are good options to introduce to your baby. Beans and legumes are also iron-rich. Iron-fortified cereals are also an option to increase your baby’s iron intake.
What should my baby drink at mealtimes?
Offer your water in a cup. Do not give your baby juice or sugar-sweetened drinks since those can damage teeth and lead to obesity.
When can I switch to cow’s milk instead of formula or breast milk?
After your baby is one-year-old, you may give them whole cow’s milk as long as they have a balanced diet of solid foods. Try to limit milk to 500ml/day to prevent a decrease in appetite for solid foods. Alternative dairy (such as soy, almond, rice or coconut) is acceptable if they are fortified with calcium and vitamin D. If your child is not eating a balanced, solid food diet, is overweight or has other health issues, speak to your paediatrician for guidance.