“Drink water!”

“Make sure to wash your face twice a day with this sponsored product!”

Everyone has read the Twitter threads that tell you how to take care of your skin, but what are some common mistakes that can leave your skin dry, oily and broken out?

One thing that can help your skin immensely is sunscreen protection. Wearing sunscreen protects you from harmful UV rays that the sun projects. It can also protect your skin from cancer and wrinkles. Teens don’t consider getting wrinkles when they’re in high school, but you’ll definitely thank yourself later. Overexposure to the can sun also cause acne.

Overexposure to the sun dries out your skin and increases sebum production, the oily stuff that mixes with white blood cells to form a pimple–which clogs your pores even more. Washing your face at night is important, though wearing sunscreen will have the opposite effect if you’re not washing the sunscreen off before bed.

“My family is New Jersey a lot and we’re outside all the time. I always make sure to wear sunscreen because I don’t want to break out and get cancer,” said sophomore Gabby Antonelli

While a long, hot shower after a long day may feel nice, it may be doing more harm than good when it comes to your skin. Hot water and steam remove oils from your skin and not replacing them can lead to acne. Taking the oils out may seem good if you have oily skin, but removing all of the oil from your skin can make you break out more than having it there in the first place. If you do take a long, hot shower, finish with cold or lukewarm water to close your pores and make sure to moisturize immediately after. The longer you wait, the more moisture escapes from your skin.

“It depends on the day, but I do take hot showers. I generally try to avoid my face if I’m using burning-hot water,” said senior Justice Wells

Stress is a large issue for teens today. In a study done by the American Psychology Association, 31% of teens said they were feeling overwhelmed and depressed. This can lead to acne, which only worsens student stress. Stress receptors in your cells lead to an influx of sebum.

Ice cubes made from green tea can reduce redness and swelling, and this also prevents sebum production. The obvious major way to stop stress acne is to stop stressing out. Taking 10 minutes out of your day to re-center and calm down can do wonders for your stress levels.

“I usually read to relieve my stress it helps me relax. I don’t think it helps my stress acne but it makes me feel better,” said sophomore Tessa Matousek.