For most tweens and teens, acne is a rite of passage, as those surging hormones tell the skin to produce more oil. That oil mixes with sweat, makeup, or anything else on the skin, and—voila!—out comes a pimple (or two, or three, or a gazillion). To manage this, tweens should get into the habit of washing their face nightly with a gentle cleanser, says Nicole Kittler, a pediatric dermatologist with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. “It’s to get the grime of the day off your skin,” she says.
