Caring for your teenage skin the right way is essential. Adopting a healthy diet and choosing the appropriate kid's face wash and moisturizing products is the perfect place to start. Let’s take a look at our favorite foods for healthy skin and top tips from dermatologists on caring for pre-teen and teenage skin properly.

According to dermatologists, there are many steps you can take to begin a skincare routine for your teenage skin. Caring for your skin at an early age is an excellent habit, including watching what you eat. Maintaining healthy eating habits plays a vital role in helping your skin stay clear and radiant. So, which foods should you be steering towards to keep that beautiful teenage skin glowing?

Let's look at some of our favorites and why they’re the top choices in keeping your skin looking its best.

 

Fill Up on Fruit for Healthy Skin

Fruits offer tremendous benefits for your teenage skin. Whether you mix up a breakfast bowl of yogurt, granola, and fruit, or keep them in your backpack for a school snack throughout the day, make sure you're getting in your daily servings of fruit. An excellent recommendation is one and a half to two cup servings for maximum benefits.

 

Berries Fighting Acne

Berries are an excellent choice, high in antioxidants, and full of nutrients. Goji berries, blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries offer anti-inflammatory benefits that come to the rescue when fighting off acne, as well as healing and protecting your skin against free-radical damage.

 

Red Grapes

Red grapes are excellent for pre-teen and teenage skin. These little guys contain resveratrol in their skin - a compound that helps your skin defend against bacteria and can offer brighter, smoother results while protecting against free-radicals. While it may help guard you against damaging effects from the sun, don’t forget to apply your sunscreen daily for optimal protection!

 

Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits, including lemons and grapefruit, are full of vitamin C. Ever wonder why so many people sip on fresh lemon water all day? Lemons help your body flush those pesky toxins and impurities right out of your system. If you make yourself a cup of hot lemon water every morning, you’ll cleanse your body and clear your skin. Lemons work hard to stimulate your liver and remove waste and toxins that wreak havoc on your teenage skin. While using a daily kid's face wash is a phenomenal habit, healing from the inside out will help further the impact of your teenage skincare routine. Besides, dropping a few slices of lemon in your water can help stimulate your body’s metabolism and reduce bloat. Not bad, right? So, add citrus fruits to your daily routine to:

• Improve the skin’s circulation
• Reduce oxidative stress
• Reap the rewards of radiant, even skin tone 

 

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are delicious with anything, so whip up a tomato and mozzarella snack or pile them high on a crisp salad. They will supply your teenage skin with a great source of vitamin C while also providing you with the major carotenoids, including:

• Lycopene for battling inflammation, which is fantastic news when you’re fighting acne woes. Lycopene’s antioxidants build up your teenage skin’s resilience and help protect it from harsh environmental stress.
• Lutein plays a role in protecting your skin from the dangers of ultraviolet light.
• Beta carotene helps guard your skin against sun damage while reducing your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. It’s also known for its powers of skin tone improvement.

 

Avocados

Always a favorite, avocados are high in healthy fats. Healthy fats benefit many functions throughout your body, but improving our skin's health has us topping everything with avocados!

Did you know that healthy fats from avocado will keep your skin flexible and full of moisture? That’s not to say you should forgo your daily moisturizer, but it's a massive benefit for all skin types.

Some studies are even finding preliminary evidence that shows avocados contain compounds that may protect your teenage skin from sun damage. Avocados are also a great source of vitamin E, an essential antioxidant that protects your skin from oxidative damage. When you add vitamin C to the mix, you’ll reap the benefits of healthy skin that can guard against dry, rough, scaly skin that may even tend to bruise easily. Adding avocadoes to your list of favorite foods will add protection from the effects of sunburns, sun sensitivity, and ray damage.

 

Eat Those Veggies for Your Skin

If you're a picky eater, now's the time to make some changes. Using a gentle kid’s face wash and skin type-specific moisturizer is a huge step, but learning to enjoy vegetables can be a game-changer for your teenage skin too.

 

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, and bok choy, provide your skin with extra antioxidants for healthy skin cells. Leafy greens contain:

• Vitamin A, which comes to the rescue of dry, flaky skin
• Vitamin C, which helps repair damaging sunray effects
• Vitamin E, which helps fight against inflammation due to acne flares, bacteria build-up, and additional irritations of the skin
• Folate, which offers a nutrient necessary for repairing DNA

Spinach is ideal for protecting your delicate teenage skin from free radical damage. Kale provides skin-boosting benefits through calcium, potassium, iron, and protein. The best part is, you can load up on leafy green all day because they are low in calories and rich in vitamins, including B6.

 

Broccoli

Whether it’s cooked or raw, what’s not to love? Broccoli is full of so many vitamins and minerals that are essential to your teenage skin’s health. Broccoli is full of zinc, lutein, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Broccoli florets also contain a special compound called sulforaphane, which protects against sun damage, neutralizes harmful free radicals, and protects from additional skin concerns down the road.

 

Sweet Potatoes

On top of their mouth-watering flavor, sweet potatoes offer excellent skin benefits, including additional protection from the sun. Like beta carotene, carotenoids help keep your skin healthy by acting as a natural sunblock and help prevent sunburn and the drying of your skin. And it’s not a myth - high amounts of beta carotene may also add an incredibly warm, orange color to your skin, giving you a sun-kissed glow and healthier appearance!

 

Omega-Rich Foods

While seafood may not be for everyone, hear me out before turning up your nose. Omega-rich foods provide incredible skin benefits. One of the most undeniable benefits you will see is relief from skin irritations. So, if this sounds like your skin, you may want to reconsider your aversion to fish.

 

Fatty Fish

Fatty fish, like salmon and mackerel, are incredible healthy skin boosters. Their rich source of omega-3 fatty acids helps restore and maintain the balance your skin needs. An omega-3 fatty acid deficiency can cause dry skin, leading to many of your skin irritation concerns. While fatty fish were high on the list of our favorite foods to begin with, learning of their transforming benefits was a gamer-changer.

The omega-3 fats in fish help drastically reduce inflammation, which is often the cause of skin's redness and acne. You may experience less sensitivity to the sun’s UV rays and additional benefits, including relief from:

• Acne breakouts
• Skin dehydration
• Itchy skin
• Redness splotchy skin
• Recurring rashes
• Eczema
• Psoriasis

 

Fatty fish also provide your skin with vitamin E and zinc — a mineral crucial in regulating:

• Inflammation
• Production of new skin cells
• Your overall skin health

 

Satisfying a Sweet Tooth

Let’s be honest – we all have a bit of a sweet tooth. Wanting beautiful, clear skin does not necessarily mean giving up everything. That’s why dark chocolate is also on our list.

 

Dark Chocolate

While you want to eat it in moderation, cocoa can have some pretty phenomenal beneficial effects on your skin. Cocoa powder happens to be high in antioxidants. In one study, participants saw increases in skin hydration after six to twelve weeks of high cocoa consumption. Their skin was less scaly, had less rough patches, less sensitivity to sunburn, and increases blood flow, bringing more nutrients to the skin.

Another study’s results show that eating roughly twenty grams of high-antioxidant dark chocolate a day could help your skin handle over twice as much UV radiation before burning. While dark chocolate isn’t a daily snack, it’s on my list as a favorite, occasional treat.

 

Dermatologist Tips for Selecting Healthy Foods

While our favorite foods may not be yours, it’s vital to maintain a healthy diet to keep your teenage skin looking and feeling its best. If you don’t see a handful of foods you would immediately add to your daily go-to’s, perhaps a few doctor tips and recommendations will catch your eye.

 

Choose Low Fats Foods

Vitamins are one of the most vital components for healthy skin at any age. But, adopting healthy habits for your pre-teen and teenage skin will only increase your skin’s vitality.

For healthy skin cells, it's best to consume low-fat foods high in vitamins, including dairy products rich in vitamin A. Low-fat options, like yogurt and fruit, helps keep your digestive tract healthy. Low-fat foods reduce inflammation that may otherwise spread through your body, causing skin irritations and acne flare-ups. While gentle kid's face wash products will help battle these issues, adding low-fat foods to your routine is a practical tip to try.

 

Opt for Healthy Oils

Healthy oil choices can help your skin retain its youthful look by locking in moisture.

Selecting extra virgin oils will bring smooth texture to your skin’s surface as well as whole-body health benefits. High-quality oils like olive oil and avocado oil provide nutrients, including essential fatty acids and vitamin E.

 

Choose Fresh Over Processed

One incredible change you can make for your skin, according to dermatologists, is selecting fresh foods over foods that are processed or preserved. Why? Simply put, foods lose their abundance of vitamins and minerals after processing and storing. Fresh foods hold most of their vitamins and minerals and are a vital tool for keeping your teenage skin healthy. While we know it's tough and not always possible, say no to processed foods when you can. Your skin will reward you for it.

 

Naturally Farmed Options

It’s worth having a family discussion about the incredible benefits of buying naturally farmed foods. Skin health shows tremendous improvement when roughly 90% of the foods you eat are naturally farmed. This includes organic products, but if you’re lucky enough to live near farmers, take a trip to your local farmer’s market this weekend and see if you can taste the difference. You'll undoubtedly see it in the mirror in no time. You'll find meat, eggs, and dairy products from animals on natural diets, eliminating antibiotics and hormones that can flare up your teenage skin.

 

The Next Step in Skin Care

While your daily diet is critical in your skin's health, so is an appropriate skincare regime. Caring for your teenage skin begins with a dedicated kid’s face wash, at least twice a day. Pre-teen and teenage skin items should be gentle yet effective. Following a skincare regime can be a simple three-step process – kids face wash, moisturizer, and sunscreen. But knowing your specific skin needs is essential in selecting the right kid's face wash and moisturizer.

Start by knowing your skin type. Are you prone to acne breakouts and blackheads? Do you notice sensitivities to products you try? Are you oily throughout the day or perhaps just through your t-zone? Or do you fight dry, dull skin that never seems to get enough moisture? These are all questions to ask yourself when evaluating your skin type. Doing so will help you select the kid's face wash and moisturizer pair to target your areas of concern while providing the benefits and protection your young teenage skin needs. 

Kids face wash targets the needs of young skin without the harsh chemicals and drying agents. Your young teenage skin requires delicate treatment only a kid’s face wash provides. When choosing the appropriate kid's face wash, select one which best suits your skin type and current skin concerns. A kid's face wash with tea tree oil targets oily skin and t-zone areas of combination skin by battling bacteria and inflammation. Yet, a creamy kid's face wash offers extra hydration and a calming effect on dry, sensitive skin types.

Following your skin-specific kid's face wash, choose a moisturizer to compliment it. Whether your skin needs relief from dry patches or a bit of help with sensitive areas, follow your kid's face wash routine immediately with your lotion to help lock in moisture.