Do any of these thoughts and questions sound familiar?
“Why is my skin so shiny mum?”,
“I don’t want to go, not with my skin looking like this”,
This might help my spots..’click’, add to my basket online.
How it began….
This month we have launched our ‘Teenage Skin Campaign’ to help any teen, parent or individual struggling with their skin. When we use the term ‘struggling with their skin’ we mean someone who may be living with serious acne or can’t control their oily and irritated skin that may be suffering with break outs.
With acne classed as Grade 4 medication may sometimes be needed, but in all cases of skin trouble with a little bit of skin knowledge and guidance, it can usually make it more manageable if not correct it.
A report from ‘The Insights People’s, Kids Insights Global Health & Beauty’, has said that ‘10-18 year olds spend £709m on toiletries and cosmetics per year!’. This shows us that there must be a lot of young adults and even pre teens that are interested in looking after their skin and possibly needing guidance from the right place.
We often get asked questions from concerned parents about their teenagers skin. Usually it would be wondering what skincare is suitable or if there are any treatments available to them and when we say ‘teenager’ actually we sometimes mean children from around 12 who are starting to have struggles with their skin and would like some help up to pre 20.
Now we may be talking a few spots and breakouts, blackheads galore, shininess, redness or serious acne, when it comes to a teen struggling with their skin, but if they are guided correctly and are willing to get into good skincare habits then they are sure to see some improvement in their skin. We can help advise and educate parents on what’s happening with their teens skin so they in turn can help their teenager.
With the pandemic hitting and the restrictions still in place, we are all spending most of our time at home, and are hearing more and more of youngsters struggling with their skin and not knowing how to help it or where to turn, hence why the ‘Teenage Skin Campaign’ was born.
We want to be able to share our professional knowledge and opinions to help guide and advise young people to achieve their best skin.
In current times…
In times now where social media continues to grow and we find people comparing themselves to what they see online (no matter how old they are), and the rise in mental health issues continues to be a big topic, having ‘bad skin’ or what someone perceives to be ‘bad skin’ can have a physiological effect. Feeling a lack of confidence, anxiety, shame, embarrassment to name a few, not to mention some peoples social side takes a toll as people may hide away. Skin can be a real confidence and mood booster if we feel good, we look good.
There is no need to feel trapped by your skin or feel low, help is out there!
Skin in a nut shell…
Firstly acne and troubled skin can be genetic. If one parent or both parents struggled with their skin or were acne sufferers during their teen years then it can mean that their child may also experience this. Let’s now look into the inside of a teenager’s skin to get a bit of understanding and knowledge.
During puberty our hormone levels have a huge surge, from this the production of our androgen hormones (which contribute to growth and reproduction) increase which causes the oil glands in the skin to become overactive. This means they enlarge and produce too much sebum (oil).
Even though we do need some oil on the skin for protection, too much of this sticky substance, combined with dead skin cells and bacteria (which is increased from the extra oil that’s present) block the pores, or hair follicles, thus forming a ‘spot’, ‘whitehead’ to be technical. Blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, pustules, papules and cysts are all different forms of the common word ‘spot’ that we regularly hear.
Hormone changes related to birth control medication, menstrual periods and pregnancy can trigger acne flare ups. External factors such as heavy face creams and comedogenic makeup increase the blockage of pores. Clothing rubbing against the skin, heavy sweating, hot humid climates and stress can all trigger excess oil production. All this mixed together is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria which leads on to producing breakout after breakout.
And thats that…
Once you have a little bit of knowledge and understanding of the science that goes on under the skin, it will help you to figure out what you need to change in your current skin care routine or how to start one. Equally it may be some lifestyle habits that may need to alter slightly to help improve your skin.
In the coming weeks we will have new blogs exploring this topic in more depth, showing how to help prevent and protect the skin. Advice on products and treatments, exploring better lifestyle habits for your skin and much more. If you commit to a bit of time and effort each day on your skin, it will give you results in return and you will feel confident in your own skin!
