When Can Kids Start Getting Acne?

Your baby-faced child might find that she's afflicted with acne around the time she makes the transition from kid to teen. That's because the teen years are usually when the first hints of acne start to show up, thanks to equal parts hormones, family history and bad habits. If your child has noticed changes in her skin, treatment methods can help keep her clear, even if her body seems intent on producing pimples.

  1. Age

    • All kids are different and so will their experiences be with acne. Most of the time, the start of acne accompanies the beginning of puberty. That's because the increase in hormones can ramp up oil production, which in turn clogs pores and causes acne, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Because kids begin puberty at different ages, there is no exact age for when acne will start, if and when it affects your child.

    Prevalence

    • If your teen is feeling embarrassed or ostracized because of some eruptions in her complexion, tell her to take heart -- acne affects around 85 percent of people, estimates the UC Davis Health System. In fact, acne is the most common skin issue and the majority of teens will deal with pimples at some point in their lives and more than 40 percent will have some type of acne or acne scarring that requires treatment from a dermatologist, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. For some, the symptoms go away as the teenage years give way to young adulthood, but others will deal with acne for the rest of their lives.

    Types

    • Different skin types and risk factors can yield different types of acne. Your teen might find that while she experiences one type of acne at the start of puberty, she deals with other types later on in the teenage years. Whiteheads and blackheads are visibly clogged pores that appear on the skin, while pimples are lesions that contain pus. Cystic acne, which causes painful, closed bumps on the skin, is a more serious form of acne.

    Risk Factors

    • Your child's risk for developing acne depends on a wide variety of variables. While oil production during puberty definitely increases this risk, your family history of acne can also be a factor -- if you had acne as a teen, there's a greater chance that your child will have similar results. Wearing too much makeup and picking or squeezing can also increase acne at any age, warns FamilyDoctor.org, so encourage your teen to practice good hygiene and keep her hands away from her face so as not to exacerbate the chance for acne.

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