During our teenage years, our skin can play up just as much as our mood can, with all the hormone changes and an increase in oil production is there any wonder? Our skin can sometimes be the bane of teenage life!
Not every teenager will suffer with skin problems such as acne, but everyone will have had the odd spot or two or the occasional pesky blackhead.
Now, there is often a connection between genetics and how our skin will treat us in the long run but we cant fight whats happening on the inside, that’s mother nature I’m afraid…and science.
A bit of Science to teenage skin.
The hormonal surges that happen during our teen years cause enlargement of the sebaceous glands (oil glands), they become over active which then causes the skin to become oily and it creates large pores. This can then lead to blackheads.
The testosterone levels rise which creates the excess sebum (oil) production. Now while sebum usually keeps the skin soft and supple, when there is too much production of it, it blocks the tiny holes on our skin.
Excess keratin and excess oil are a match made in heaven for blocking pores encouraging bacteria and spots to form. When these spots become inflamed, sensitive and angry looking they turn to acne!
The Do’s and Dont’s (with abit more science)Β
There are many tips, tricks and pieces of advice out there for teenagers having trouble with there skin, or for parents who are looking for answers for their teens, so we’ve put together a list of our top pieces of advice to help keep a clear, clean and young looking skin.
DO
- Cleanse daily, morning and night with a suitable cleanser. Usually a foam or gel cleanser works best for oily skins.
- Always wash makeup off at the end of the day. Never go to bed with makeup on.
- Exfoliate once a week. You don’t want to over exfoliate your skin as this can cause sensitivity and do not use a harsh scrub (even if it feels good to really ‘scrub’ your skin) this will just scratch the skin and not actually remove excess skin cells.
- Moisturise daily. Even oily skin needs to be moisturised, using the correct product for you.
- Drink lots of water! Keep the skin hydrated! A dehydrated skin will over produce oil to feed the skin when really it wants water…not more oil!
DONT’S
- Don’t use products that contain oil and mineral oils. These will block the pores and cause more shine and oiliness. Check the products ingredients or try looking for products that say ‘non- comedogenic’ meaning they have been formulated to avoid causing blocked pores and will be oil free.
- Avoid picking and squeezing your spots and pimples, no matter how tempting. This will cause damage to your skin and possibly scar the skin too.
- Β Try to not to keep touching your face throughout the day as this can put bacteria on the skin and keep your hands clean.
Hopefully this has helped answer a few questions and given you some extra skin knowledge. It could help ‘clear’ up your skin if your having any problems, but of course as always you are always welcome to come in and see us at the Boutique for a one to one full skin consultation, we are always here to help with any skin problems, questions or product advice.
We were all teenagers once and we have all battled with our skin at some stage!
Look after your skin, and your skin will look after to you!..
