On social media, I see girls with the clearest skin say they use a 10-step skincare routine, while others say one product basically changed their life. How do I know what will work for me?
If you feel like trying new products, don’t do 10 new ones at once, especially if you have sensitive skin. Try one, and give it a week. If you love it, great. Then you can add another one. If you’re really nervous, do a test spot. Pick somewhere on your face, like by your ear, or the side of your face, and use it for three days. If that area of your skin is fine, then you can use it on your whole face.
What is the best product for super-congested pimples?
Ninety-two percent of teenagers have acne of some sort—whiteheads, blackheads, and bumps. If it’s just congestion, the best over-the-counter product right now is called Differin. You could also try products with salicylic acid. Start out with two or three times a week, and then if your skin’s not dry, irritated, itchy, or red, you can add a night a week, working up to using it every night. However, cystic acne spots really don’t do well with over-the-counter products.
My skin is breaking out, but it’s from stress rather than products. Is there any way to get rid of it?
Breakouts are usually a combination of genetics, hormones, and stress. It’s been proven for decades that stress makes acne a lot worse. When people are stressed out, it often affects their sleep. We heal in our sleep. Our stress molecule, cortisol, is at its lowest during sleep, and all the healing molecules are at their highest. Teenagers need eight-and-a-half to nine hours of sleep a night. Naps can help. There are so many other ways to lower your stress level in addition to sleeping well: taking a walk, getting fresh air, seeing friends in person—not just texting—exercising, stretching, listening to music. If you’re having chronic stress, sometimes you really need to talk to somebody. The worst is to feel isolated and alone.
Is Accutane worth all the side effects?
The general answer is yes, but the way I prescribe Accutane is kind and gentle. We start with really low doses and go up slowly to avoid most of the side effects. Those annoying ones—dry lips, dry skin, and sensitivity to the sun—are pretty easy to treat and avoid with sunscreen, moisturizer, and a good lip balm. Accutane is my favorite acne medicine. If it’s the right thing for you, it has an 80 percent chance of curing acne for life.
Should all my skincare products be from the same brand?
What’s important is that they go well together. One thing you can usually be sure of if you’re sticking with the same brand is that the company tested all the products together. But feel free to mix and match. Just try one thing at a time. I’m not super into skincare, but I have bad acne.
Where’s a good place to start?
If you have bad acne, you need to see a professional. Try to find an expert in acne, because there are amazing treatments out there, but they’re usually prescription. If you’re not into skincare, that’s fine. Just make sure any product you use says the word “noncomedogenic”—that means the company has actually tested it to ensure it won’t make your acne worse. You can go to a drugstore. Drugstores have excellent skincare products.
Do face masks and eye patches do anything?
Face masks and eye patches can look super cute, but that doesn’t mean you should use them. If you’re at a sleepover and all of your friends are trying these things, but the last time you tried them you got a horrible rash, just say, “Hey, this isn’t right for me.” One of the great things masks and patches can do is lower your stress level, and stress causes acne. If you want to do a mask or put on eye patches, and it gets you off your phone for a few minutes, that’s probably a good idea.
I never take off my makeup before I go to bed, but my skin is still really clear. Is that okay?
If you’re sleeping in your makeup but your skin is still really clear, you’re just lucky. There may be one day when you wake up with pimples or a rash or eye irritation. It’s not a good idea. Try to take it off if you can.
On social media, I always see girls talking about their skin being “super dry” or “too oily.” How do I figure out my skin type?
A lot of companies will categorize skincare products as “for dry skin,” “for normal skin,” or “for oily skin,” but that doesn’t mean that’s what people’s skin is really like. Most of us are oily in our T-zone, where there’s the highest density of oil glands on the face. Skin can be drier on the sides of the face. That’s called combination skin, and most humans have that. It’s a little bit of trial and error to find out what products are good for you. Start with ones that don’t say “for” anything, and see how you do.
Is vaping as bad for your skin as smoking cigarettes?
We don’t know yet if it’s as bad for your skin as smoking an actual cigarette, but we do know it’s really bad. In addition to nicotine and its by-products, which cause horrible wrinkles and do so many bad things to the outside and inside of your body, vapes have extra chemicals that are relatively new. They’re being studied, but we know they’re not good.
Is it really as bad as everyone says to pop your pimples?
It’s pretty bad to pop your own pimples. First of all, if you’re going to do it, never use your fingers—even if you wrap them in tissues—or any metal tools. Most people do not stop until they get something out of a pimple, but often that something is blood. If you think a pimple is ready to be popped, wash your face, or do it in the shower. Take two Q-tips, use them as if they were your fingertips, and apply gentle, even pressure. Q-tips are soft—they really can’t hurt you. They’ll break if you push too hard. If that doesn’t work, the pimple’s not ready to be popped.
At what age should I start using retinols?
If you’re a teenager or are in your early 20s, you should not be using retinols. They were made to be antiaging. You can’t make more collagen than you’re making right now at your age. Retinols will only irritate your skin.
Is it safe to take peptides to make my skin better?
Taking peptides is different from using them in topical products. There are no FDA-approved oral your skin. I’m going to say absolutely no to them. You could use peptides in skincare products, but, again, they’re not studied. I don’t think peptides really do anything, so I’d rather you use a great gentle cleanser, a really good noncomedogenic moisturizer, and a great sunscreen.