Teenagers are loaded with a lot of things. Yes, they don’t have to think about their next pay cheque or paying bills or worry about their children, but they do have to do things right for a brighter future. Their to-do list generally includes getting good grades, participating in extracurricular activities or engaging in sports, making friends, and basically, enjoying their teen years. It is also the time when people are conscious about their appearance. Teen acne happens to be one of their concerns. The red spots on their skin is something that they try to get rid of. There are three ways to reduce teen acne, and you would be happy to know that they don’t involve going to a doctor.

You might think that you are the only one with red marks on your skin, but actually acne is extremely common and can affect people of all ages.

Dr. Jasmine Reese of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital shared that adolescents and young adults between ages 12 and 24 tend to be the most affected ones.

It generally starts during the beginning of puberty. It affects girls earlier than boys, but typically people outgrow acne. About 12 per cent of women might still have acne even in their 40s, said Reese.

Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar recently took to Instagram to share a clip on understanding teen acne. The video featuring Ghazal Furniturewala, a nutritionist from her team, was all about ways to manage teen acne.

How is teenage acne formed?

According to Furniturewala, acne forms on the topmost layer of skin when you are a teenager.

Unlike adult acne, teenage acne doesn’t leave a mark on your skin and subsides faster, provided you don’t pinch it or burst it.

She noted that an adolescent’s body undergoes many changes, including the secretion of hormones. Due to this, there is excessive production of sebum, which is the oily substance in your skin. When there is excess production of sebum, it clogs the pores and leads to formation of acne.

How to reduce teenage acne?

Furniturewala gave three tips to help you reduce teen acne.

1. Try to lead a stress-free life

Stress is something that affects teenagers too, so as a teen, you should learn how to lower your stress levels. The expert suggested that reducing screen time could actually help to manage stress. It could lower the cortisol levels in the body.

You might be hooked to screen for eight to nine hours, she suggests reducing your daily screen time by 30 minutes. Having a good quality sleep can also help.

2. Don’t be a couch potato, so exercise

Teenagers can be pressured by exams and assignments, so all the more reason to workout. Furniturewala suggested to dedicating 60 to 90 minutes every day to exercising or playing. She added, “You can also try rock climbing or skiing or skating or yoga or trekking.”

3. Check your diet for clear skin

She suggested to stay away from chips, aerated drinks, biscuits and energy drinks. Yes, they are all very additive and consumed by many, especially youngsters. But if you want clear skin, you know what to do.

Make your diet healthier by including dry apricot, pumpkin and green bhajis at least once in a week. A little bit of nuts, ghee and cream can also be included in your daily diet, said the expert. Root vegetables, sweet potato and taro root are good too as they help to smoothen the hormonal transition.