12 Year Old Skin Care Advice

I think the most important thing is to establish a routine that she'll stick with. Don't make it complicated or she probably won't do it. I think those wipes would be good to keep in her sports bag, you just wet them and wipe and rinse. Good for on the go.

Here's a good medical link re acne causes and treatment. Sadly hormones are likely the culprit, and while it's good for her to keep her skin clean of course, over scrubbing may actually make it worse. Please read:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acne/basics...

Soap
Water
Wash cloth

We do mild soap (Dove) and water, and if they have blackheads forming, they just use a soft washcloth (we have some left over from when we had babies) that are really gentle, and they gently scrub their nose. They don't scrub with washcloth often. I was told if you over scrub or over irritate it worsens the problem. They wash twice a day - and if they shower after sports.

We have a product with minimal amount of salicylic acid in it if they get pimples. Tend to dry them up.

I always thought exfoliating was more for if you have dry skin - I do my feet, then moisturize them once I've removed the dead skin.

Skin issues can progress rather rapidly. I would get advice from a dermatologist. With the medications available today there is really no reason for anyone to suffer from acne.

My 12 yr old uses a clarisonic (she got it for Christmas). She uses Willa skincare, which is geared towards teens. I've really seen a difference in her skin. Willa has a 3 step acne system that is very gentle. Be careful about what cleanser or treatment you put on the skin, as it could dry her face out and then she will over produce oil. It's a vicious cycle.

When I was teenager I found that washing my face once wasn't enough,there was still oil on my face.I starting washing twice,then used Sea Breeze afterward. I used Camay soap at the time. My skin cleared up also. At 52,I still wash my face twice,otherwise I still have oil on my face.

You should really ask a doc to make sure "what" it is.

Our pediatrician looked at my girls skin and told us it was: keratosis pilaris

"Keratosis pilaris occurs when the human body produces excess amounts of the skin protein keratin, resulting in the formation of small, raised bumps in the skin often with surrounding redness. The excess keratin, which is the color of the person's natural skin tone, surrounds and entraps the hair follicles in the pore."

If you do research on this topic you will find that a good exfoliating soap will remove the excess keratin from the top of the skin and lots and lots and lots of moisturizers will keep the skin soft and supple around the pores where the keratin comes out. So it keeps it from crusting over and then piling up from the underneath side of the skin. That's what makes the red inflamed looking areas. The pores are clogged with the dried up humps on top of the pores.

I bought a Dial soap for bumpy skin. I love how it makes my facial skin feel so I got one for me too. I do NOT use it every day because I have typically dry skin. But now that I use the Dial soap a couple of times per week I feel like my face is nicer overall.

When my girl doesn't use it I can see a difference in her face. If she uses a facial moisturizer afterwards her skin will stay nice looking for a couple of days. She doesn't use the soap every day either. She cleans her face with the special Dial soap every other day, in the shower so it's rinsed really really well.

I bought a very very soft buff puff for her face too. The all white ones that are very scratchy will not be good for her face. It will scratch it all up and make it worse. The one I got has a light green/aqua layer on one side. It's very nice. That's what I bought for my face too. She rinses her's out and lays it on top of the soap dish with that Dial soap in it. That way it's not down in the tub or in the soap dish where it will get used for other stuff.

She hasn't had Backne yet but if she starts breaking out there too then I will help her wash her back.

There are many many different products on the market for "bumpy skin" and that's a lot to get through. I picked Dial because it has the same ingredient that I've seen in most of those others. Salicylic acid. Plus it's a name brand. I picked the bar soap so she's use it in the shower. The pump would be used by all the kids for hand washing if it had been on the sink.

http://www.dialsoap.com/line/dial-acne-control,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris

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I started using Noxema at that age - over 30 years later, I still use Noxema. I have had very little acne in my life and rarely have blackheads. I just use the "regular" Noxema.

One of my son's suffers from acne and I notice that if I have him drink plenty of water, it REALLY makes a difference - more so than soap, scrubbing, etc. At the first sign of a breakout, I am handing him lots of water!

Good luck!

I think the most important thing is establishing the facial cleansing routine morning and night (other times added if needed).

I took my daughter to the dermatologist as a proactive approach. My mom did the same with me. He/she can give good advice on products to use.

Well known products endorsed by Dr's are Purpose Soap, Cetaphil, Clinique to name a few.

I've used Clinique since I was about 12 along with other moisturizers as I age and I don't have any issues.

I got my daughter used to the routine as well and she has no issues.

Also, using sunscreen snd moidturizer daily along with drinking a lot of water helps. We just use a clean washcloth and no fancy gadgets. If the gadgets help her get the routine down and consistant, yes, I'd use it just to get that established.

Skin care now at 12 can effect how her skin looks at 50. Good luck

My son's ped said to use stridex pads, and they do work, when he remembers to use them. They are quick and simple to use and easy to toss in a gym bag.

I think the main thing is not to let everything dry out too much. Yes, kids at this age produce a lot of oil, and that can cause clogging. But excessive drying is bad as well, so be careful not to give her too many products or harsh soaps that strip the skin of moisture, and don't have her use super hot water.

Hydration is critical. That means tons of water and a limit to caffeine (e.g. cola, coffee, tea) which dehydrates. The best thing you can do is nourish the skin from within, and also to create a very manageable routine. I don't think she needs expensive products like those rotating skin brushes - I think kids can either use them too much and irritate the skin, or decide it's too much trouble and just do nothing. A simple wash cloth and a regimen that cleans the skin twice a day should be okay - the washcloth with lightly exfoliate the dead skin cells and remove them (no heavy scrubbing). She probably should use a light, non-oily moisturizer - I would talk to a dermatologist or a good esthetician who specializes in tweens and teens.

I think a kid can benefit from a simple facial 2-4 times a year too. It can be relaxing and sometimes the esthetician can safely clean out clogged pores or pimples by softening the skin and using a very light steam first.