Most common questions I get from moms’ are: “I had acne as a teenager, how can I help my pre-teen from suffering with bad acne?”
Kids are entering puberty earlier then ever and early on set of acne is also increasing. Kids younger then 10 are seeking medical attention for acne.
We are bombarded with DIY, social media, informercials, and quickie fixes. Parents can help their tweens by reminding them the dos and dont’s of tween skin care. This is new territory to tweens and they need your help.
Mild acne is manageable using gentle cleanser and oil-free moisturizer. I can’t stress enough to seek advice of an expert skin care therapist/esthetician.
Beware of over the counter acne products Benzoyl peroxide and commonly used salicylic acid on tweens as their skin is still soft and gentle. These items maybe too harsh for their sweet skin causing more harm then good, adding to skin irritation and potentially increasing skin sensitivity increasing acne and changing the pH of the skin.
If your tween has moderate to severe acne, dermatologist are quick to prescribe oral and/or topical antibiotics, side effects are stomach upset, dizziness and with girls, yeast infections. Some cases, birth control are prescribed (for girls) to address severe acne.
When all else fails doctors may prescribe Isotretinoin, brand names Roaccutane (formerly Accutane) and Claravis.
Some drugs may have temporary results, but down sides are are birth defects, inflammatory bowel disease, depression and suicidal thoughts. Once the patient is off prescription meds their acne returns.
Experts in the Western medical field say “acne is not caused by dirt, poor hygiene, certain foods, such as spicy & fatty foods, chocolate, dairy or sugar. With my experience, poor diet is key contributors to acne and when working with acne clients to have them cut back on these foods, their acne showed significant improvements. Here is a link of 9 foods that cause acne http://dailyhealthremedies.com/9-foods-that-cause-acne/9/
The next thing I do is educate tweens and parents on basic skin care and teach them what to look for in skin care products. Tweens’ skin is treated differently then teen or adult skin. Just as female skin is treated differently then male skin, also, different ethnicity skin has certain traits.
I love to be your skin care therapist/esthetician, serving the greater metropolitan area…Portland, Tigard, Beaverton, West Linn, Oregon City, Lake Oswego and beyond!
Tween Facial Special
Address specific skin care between ages 9-12, let’s start your tween on a life long journey to healthy skin together. Includes consultation with tween and parent, facial and closing consult to start the tween on a good regime for their age.
1.5 hours – $89
Debbie Fong Kho
Owner/Esthetician
SkinSense Spa, LLC
www.spalakeoswego.com
503-307-3833
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