The Ultimate Guide to Teen Skincare: Expert tips for Healthy, Confident Skin

The obsession with skincare amongst teens definitely signifies a shift where self-care and appearance are being valued higher than ever before. Social media platforms have a lot to play in this with influencers constantly promoting skincare making it seem more and more accessible.
There is both a positive and negative impact of this trend, the increased awareness about skincare is great, as getting into good habits early will really future-proof the skin. However, there seems to be a pressure to have the ‘perfect’ skin, and thus teen are adopting complex skincare regimes with a view to achieve the unachievable, and very often damaging their skin in the process.

What a Teens skincare routine should look like
A teens skincare routine should be simple yet effective, there are many teenagers now being led by social media and introducing multiple unnecessary products into their regime.

The focus should be skin health maintenance, and preventing issues like acne without overloading or striping the skin.

Generally a teens skincare regime should consist of a gentle cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen. All formulated for their specific skin type and condition. If they are dealing with a skin condition such as acne then a specific treatment product may be introduced, but always get advice. It’s when the teens start guessing or following TikTok trends that things can get messy.

A skincare routine should be followed both morning and night, to both remove any impurities, pollution, and makeup from the day, and to remove sweat and waste products that are secreted from the skin at night.

Managing Oily or Acne-prone skin
Oily and acne skins need to firstly ascertain their skin type, acne can affect dry skins also, so using products that are designed for an acne skin can very often dry the skin out, exacerbating the condition.
If the skin is oily then look for a gentle salicylic cleanser that can be alternated with a normal cleanser so not to over treat the skin. Non-comedogenic products will help reduce the potential of breakouts from a certain product. Clay masks are also great for absorbing excess oil and purifying the skin.

What Products Should Teenagers Avoid
Products teenagers should avoid are the high-concentration retinoids, especially the prescription strength as these can be far too harsh for their skins. Physical exfoliants are also a no-no, these are very often used too aggressively and can really damage the skin causing micro-tears in the epidermis. A mild chemical exfoliant, like lactic acid and salicylic are better.
Alcohol based toners, can give that squeaky clean feel to the skin I know many teens are looking for, however this is just an indication that the skin has been stripped of its natural oils, and this can lead to further breakouts.

Must-Have School Skincare Staples
Some school staples in terms of skincare are, a good compact SPF to reapply throughout those bright sunny days, even in winter. Blotting papers are great for absorbing excess oils and taking the shine away, as well as a spot treatment that can be applied to any blemishes whilst at school. If a teen is dealing with dry skin, then a moisturising or hydrating mist to give a little relief through the day is also beneficial.

What Should Parents do if Their Teen Has Severe Acne
For any parents dealing with a teenager with severe acne it’s imperative to seek professional advice. Severe acne not only a medical condition, but can very often be treated differently on different people. In many cases it’s a case of management rather than clearing it up altogether.
Taking a proactive but supportive approach to help their teen manage the condition, can improve both their skin and emotional well-being.

Here at re/skin we see many Teens, we focus on educating them on why their skin is behaving this way, put them on a simple but effective skincare regime and if necessary see them regularly for treatments to further manage their skin.

If you have or are a Teen looking for help with your skin, our Teen facials are for you. Your first treatment will last around 1.5 hour and you will receive a full size cleanser to take away with you to get you on the road to healthier skin. You can book your appointment here or drop us an email with any questions you may have, we are dedicated to ‘changing lives one skin at a time’ and would love to help you with yours!

To squeeze or not to squeeze, what do we do about spots being squeezed?

Spots being squeezed

The subject on today’s agenda is acne and spots being squeezed. I get asked if they should be squeezed a lot, and since I’ve done several extractions this week I felt this is a perfect time to give you a little advice on this.

What do we commonly do with spots?

I realise the worst thing in the world is having to walk out the door with a great big whopping white head on your face. Not only does it look bad but it can affect your short term mental health, making it hard to enjoy your day.

So, what’s the alternative. Often it’s spending 10 minutes in front the mirror squeezing the hell out of said white head, removing all the pus with the hope of making it disappear. In truth, all you do is replace the spot with a massive, inflamed weeping crater that is equally as hard to cover up with makeup.

What causes a spot?

Spots are caused by several factors, including hormones, genetics and the environment. The most common cause is hormones and acne is often the result of too much sebum production in the skin. In simpler terms, acne is when the pores are clogged with oil and dead skin cells. These clogged pores are called blackheads or whiteheads. The bacteria in the skin then produce an inflammatory response which leads to redness, swelling and pus production.

In regards to spots being squeezed there’s no real medical benefit, but it’s just so hard to not want to squeeze the hell out of them.

What can we do?

So, what sort of spots can we get away with squeezing and which ones do we need to leave well alone?

If the spot is inflamed, red, painful, has no whitehead leave well alone. All you will do is make that area of your face sore and painful to touch. When I’ve squeezed these in the past, I find myself touching and poking it for hours afterwards to see if it’s weeping or still painful.
Small non-inflamed whiteheads are ok to have a quick squeeze. But make sure your going to go for it, get all the pus out. If it becomes inflamed leave it alone.

The Method

Ideally, we want to leave them all alone, but I realise this is near impossible for some, even me sometimes! So, here’s a few little tips to help you out if you’re an avid squeezer.

Wash your hands thoroughly before.
Cleanse the area.
Wrap tissue around the end of each finger that will be doing the squeezing or use the ends of cotton buds.
Place fingers either side of the spot, but not too close together. Almost like you are going to squeeze from underneath the spot.
Gently squeeze, not for too long, don’t cause too much trauma for the skin, DO NOT draw blood.
If anything comes out remove from the skin immediately.
If nothing comes out, walk away, it’s not ready and you will cause more issues trying.
Wipe over or hold a pad on the area with a tonic or product containing salicylic.
Do not apply makeup to the area for at least 4 hours.

Point 9 is very important. Most people try to cover up the area immediately with make up. But your adding dirt and grease back into the wound where the spot was, giving it all the ingredients it needs to regrow.

Blackheads

When it comes to blackheads, and I mean blackheads not sebaceous filaments (see the difference here) using the same methods, however, use your fingers to push down towards the skin rather than together. And again, if it doesn’t come out after a few attempts (a few not several) leave it to a professional.

Conclusion

If in doubt see a professional, I can guarantee with most, its our favourite part of our job! So, we welcome extractions a plenty. Thank you for reading, and as ever me or anyone at the clinic are here for any advice, just reply with any questions.

Are those black dots on your nose really blackheads???

The quick answer is probably not.

A couple of nights ago I posted a photo on my Instagram of a client’s sebaceous filaments on her nose before and after extractions and asked whether people knew that these weren’t blackheads. I got an astounding response asking to know why they weren’t blackheads. This is a familiar confusion I get on a regular basis with clients wanting to “get rid of the blackheads” on their nose.

So let me tell you a little something about those ‘blackheads’ on your nose…they are not blackheads, they are in fact sebaceous filaments.

And here’s the difference:

Sebaceous Filaments

The nose is one of the places on the face that usually produces the highest levels of oil (sebum). Over time these pores become more enlarged due to the constant production of the sebum and the slow degradation of the skin’s structure reducing the ability to keep them tight. For example, if you look at a child’s nose you won’t see a visible pore, this is because their adolescent hormones haven’t kicked in to start producing higher levels of oils and their collagen is probably the best its ever going to be keeping those pores so tight they are invisible!

Our pores produce sebum as part of the protective acid mantle and to help keep the microbiome healthy, this sebum flows out of the pore onto the skin’s surface. When the sebum reaches the opening of the pore it becomes oxidised and changes from creamy colour to dark grey-black. This is where the mistake in thinking they are blackheads happens.

Blackheads

The technical name for blackheads is open comedones. These can be found anywhere on the face but are usually spread out or maybe just a random one here or there. These are a blockage of the pore/follicle and are caused by a build-up of sebum and skin cells within it. The black colour of them again comes from the oxidisation. If you run your finger across a blackhead you can sometimes feel a slight lump under the skin and these are usually bigger than a sebaceous filament.

So that is the difference between the two, but I know what your next question will be…how do I get rid of them?

So blackheads we can extract and hope they don’t return, this will require actives within the skincare such as salicylic acid or mandelic (always seek advice). But sebaceous filaments, like I said are pores that have a constant flow of sebum from them, they are a natural part of a healthy skins functioning. Also, pores are not doors, so you cant open and close them. What can help improve their appearance is using actives to help control sebum production, such as Retinol, and trying to improve the structure of the skin to tighten them a little…but they will never disappear (this is a good thing).

If you need help with any issues regarding large pores, blackheads or any other concern please get in touch. Even if you are not local to me I can still help virtually. To contact me please either email me here or my book online to see me in clinic or a virtual consultation here.

Thanks for reading.

Rebecca x