Your teenage years can create a host of hygiene and health problems that are largely related to entering puberty on the road to becoming an adult. With these changes come a need to take greater care of your body to help address problems such as body odor and acne. The habits that you begin as a teenager regarding other health-related areas of your life, such as exercise and nutrition, can also carry over into adulthood, helping put you on the right path to a long and healthy life.
Nutrition
Your teenage years are a time when your body is constantly growing and developing. This process requires the right vitamins and minerals, as well as good sources of macronutrients, including proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats, such as unsaturated fats. You can help keep your body healthy and growing correctly by avoiding calorie- and fat-laden junk foods such as candy, chips and soda, and instead opting for plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean or plant-based proteins, such as chicken, fish or soy.
Exercise
Living an active lifestyle and getting plenty of exercise as a teenager is an important part of keeping your weight under control, as well as growing muscle and bone strength. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that teenagers get at least 60 minutes of exercise every day. If a gym is not regularly available to you, get active by going for a run, playing a school sport, joining an intramural team or getting outside and playing basketball or other active activities with your friends.
Face and Body Wash for Acne
As you go through puberty, the production of sebum by your sebacious glands increases. Sebum is an oily substance that helps protect your skin, but in excess can cause serious problems with acne. Because oil is resistant to water, sometimes washing your face with water is not enough. Facial and body washes use substances called surfactants, which help remove oil from the skin. Regular washing of the skin can help oil from building up, assisting in acne prevention.
Hair Health
Your hair also needs to be washed on a regular basis. Like your face and other areas of your body, sebum can also build up on your scalp. The oiliness of sebum attracts and holds dirt and other substances to your hair, making it look and feel dirty. It can also irritate the scalp and contribute to the formation of seborrheic dermatitis, creating problems with dandruff, states the Mayo Clinic. Like facial and body washes, shampoos employ surfactant ingredients to help remove oil from your hair, keeping it clean and healthy.
Mouth Health
Developing good oral hygiene can benefit both your health and your beauty. At any time during the day or night, your mouth is teeming with good and bad bacteria. When you don't regularly brush and floss your teeth, food can get trapped between teeth and start to rot, and a thin film of bad bacteria can build up in your mouth creating bad breath, states the American Dental Association. These bacteria can also contribute to the formation of plaque, which can lead to serious dental diseases, such as gingivitis and periodontal disease.
General Hygiene
As a teen you should also develop other important hygiene habits, especially teen boys who are more prone to body odor. As you go through puberty your body starts activating sweat glands called apocrine glands. These glands produce a fatty sweat that bacteria feed on and release the smell associated with bad body odor. Developing hygiene habits such as using soap and deodorant can help reduce this body odor substantially.
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