Teen Skincare 101: Keeping Your Glow Healthy and Protected

Teenage years are a time of many changes, and skin­care is no excep­tion. You might be deal­ing with break­outs, dry­ness, or a com­bi­na­tion of both. But don’t wor­ry, a sim­ple rou­tine can keep your skin healthy and glow­ing. Here’s what Gar­i­ann Roth, a licensed estheti­cian at QMG, rec­om­mends for your teen skin­care regimen:

The Basic Three

• Gen­tle Cleanser: Wash your face twice a day with a gen­tle cleanser to remove dirt, oil, and make­up with­out strip­ping your skin’s nat­ur­al moisture.
• Mois­tur­iz­er: Look for a mois­tur­iz­er that hydrates with­out clog­ging pores. Hyaluron­ic acid is a great ingre­di­ent to look for, as it plumps the skin and keeps it hydrated.
• Min­er­al Sun­screen (SPF 30 or high­er): This is the most cru­cial step in your rou­tine. Sun dam­age can lead to skin can­cer, pre­ma­ture aging, and dis­col­oration. Choose a broad-spec­trum sun­screen with SPF 30 or high­er to pro­tect your skin from UVA and UVB rays.

What to Avoid

• Anti-Aging Prod­ucts: While they may be tempt­ing, prod­ucts with ingre­di­ents like retinoids, high con­cen­tra­tions of actives, and pep­tides are gen­er­al­ly too harsh for young skin and can cause irritation.
• Harsh Acne Treat­ments (unless you have acne-prone skin): If you don’t have acne, skip harsh acne treat­ments that can dry out your skin.

Sun Pro­tec­tion is Key
Sun pro­tec­tion is essen­tial for every­one, but espe­cial­ly for teens. Here’s why SPF is so important:

• Pro­tects from Skin Can­cer: Sun dam­age is a lead­ing cause of skin can­cer. Using sun­screen helps reduce your risk.
• Pre­vents Pre­ma­ture Aging: Sun expo­sure can cause wrin­kles, fine lines, and loss of elas­tic­i­ty. Using sun­screen helps slow down these signs of aging.
• Reduces Dis­col­oration: Sun expo­sure can lead to dark spots and uneven skin tone. Sun­screen helps pre­vent this.

Sun­screen Must-Knows
When apply­ing sun­screen, don’t for­get these areas:

• Neck
• Chest
• Ears
• Back of the neck

Use about two fin­ger lengths of sun­screen for your face and neck. Reap­ply every two hours, espe­cial­ly if you’re outdoors.

Free Con­sul­ta­tions at QMG
If you have ques­tions about your teen’s spe­cif­ic skin needs, or would like help cre­at­ing a per­son­al­ized skin­care rou­tine, QMG offers free con­sul­ta­tions. With a lit­tle care, you can help your teen achieve healthy, glow­ing skin that will last a life­time. To learn more about our team and ser­vices, click here.