By Sofie Chan
Cover Editor
Teens are united by the indescribable agony when you discover a new pimple budding deep inside your skin. Though genetics, hormones and diet play a huge role in acne—controlling things like pore size and inflammatory response—caring for your skin will help minimize those irritating pimples and even make your face sparkle.
It’s impossible to get a flawless face overnight, so a consistent routine with the right formulas is crucial in maintaining clearer skin.
To make my skin sparkle, I start with a gentle oil cleanser from ma:nyo to remove sunscreen, as well as melt any pore-clogging substances. That includes sebum, which is an oil naturally secreted to retain the skin’s hydration.
However, when sebum, dead skin cells and dirt combine, they can clog pores and eventually cause pimples to form. This oil cleanser is non-stripping, which means that it doesn’t remove more sebum than necessary to keep your pores clean and is dermatologically tested to be safe for sensitive, dry and acne prone skin.
I practice double-cleansing: after everything on the surface is dissolved by the oil cleanser, I use Curel’s Sebum Control foaming face wash to thoroughly cleanse all the dirt, sunscreen and remaining oil cleanser on my face. I have combination skin—meaning my forehead, nose and chin tend to produce more oil than the rest of my face—so this cleanser ensures that my skin’s texture is even.
I finally top off my basic routine with Curel’s Sebum Control moisturizer gel, which has a weightless, refreshing formula. Both
Sebum Control products from Curel contain ceramides, which are natural lipids that make up 50% of the epidermis and help my skin retain moisture after a double-cleansing.
The importance of moisturizer is in the name: it ensures that your skin doesn’t dry out too much, especially after using
chemicals to scrub away the dead skin cells and dirt that gathers on your face throughout the day. Too much dryness can trigger an
overproduction of sebum, which isn’t good if you want to minimize acne and keep your skin from becoming too oily.
In the mornings, I use Beauty of Joseon’s Aqua Relief sunscreen. Another lightweight product, I can protect myself from UV rays
and the possibility of skin cancer. If you incorporate any physical or chemical exfoliators (like abrasive particles or beta-hydroxy acid, respectively) into your routine, it’s important to wear sunscreen as the outer layers of your skin have been removed, making the younger skin beneath more sensitive to UV.
Of course, these products are what works for me. One person’s skin can be totally different from another’s, and I will acknowledge
that oil cleansing, Curel or exfoliants aren’t the be-all-end-all cures for teen acne.
What I use might make the next person break out and vice versa. But in a time where hormones and diet are running amok as you try to pass your classes, it’s a wonderful feeling to slow down and make yourself sparkle.