You may have noticed a rise in the popularity of skin care among young teenagers—especially on social media. This is a good thing because it's a good idea to start taking care of your skin and establishing a routine at a young age. That said, you don't have to spend a fortune on a thousand and one products for your teenager to maintain a healthy skin.
Skin types and needs
To begin with, it's important to know your teen’s skin type and needs. A Familiprix cosmetician will be happy to advise you.
Normal skin
Normal skin is balanced, meaning it is neither too dry nor too oily. This type of skin is velvety, soft and even in appearance, with little or no redness or imperfections. To manage this skin type well, opt for a cream-textured moisturizer and a gel-textured cleanser.
Combination skin
This type of skin has a T-zone that is oilier than the rest of the face. The cheeks are normally a little drier. Combination skin is uniform in appearance but may still have a few imperfections and blackheads. We advise opting for a gel-based cream combined with a gentle gel cleanser to treat this type of skin. It's a happy medium in terms of texture and ingredients to manage combination skin.
Oily skin
Oily skin secretes more sebum all over the face. This type of skin is shinier in appearance, with more dilated pores and blackheads. We suggest a light gel-texture moisturizer accompanied by a foam or gel-texture cleanser to treat it. These generally contain ingredients, such as salicylic acid, to regulate sebum and fight imperfections.
Dry skin
Dry skin is dull and does not secrete much sebum. This type of skin is usually accompanied by tightness and redness in the cheeks. To treat it, we recommend a rich cream-textured moisturizer to soothe, hydrate and plump. Combine with a gentle, milky-textured cleanser.
Acne, blemishes and redness
It's important to know that all skin types can suffer from redness, acne and blemishes; all skin types can have them. These temporary or long-term skin difficulties need to be treated appropriately using key ingredients to address your teen’s skin issues. You can ask your cosmetician for information or do your own research to try and manage the situation. However, if your child is suffering from a more extreme skin issue, there's nothing like an appointment with a professional to really guide you.
The basics
As you may have noticed, 12-step skincare routines are all the rage these days, and getting lost in all the treatments is really easy. You must remember that, despite all the products you use, your skin will only absorb what it needs. So, products designed for mature skin used on teenage skin will be a waste of money because young skin doesn't need all the active ingredients found in the product. A teenager's routine should consist of 3 to 4 steps: cleansing, moisturizing, sun protection and, once the routine is down pat, an exfoliant that is used one to three times a week.
Cleansing
Morning and evening cleansing is an essential combination for oily skin. For normal to dry skin, morning cleansing could be very gentle, for example, just rinsing with lukewarm water or using micellar water to wipe down your teen’s face. The most important thing is really to cleanse in the evening to remove makeup and impurities accumulated during the day.
Moisturizer
Moisturizers should be used in the morning and evening to ensure that your teen’s skin always benefits from the right ingredients to keep it hydrated and supple.
Sun protection
Sunscreen should be applied EVERY day, all year round, regardless of the season or weather. Your teen should reapply their sunscreen every two hours. This is the ideal time to instill this practice in your kids to protect them from the harmful effects of the sun's rays. Look for a formula specially designed for the face, with a delicate, light texture to maximize comfort. To simplify your teen’s routine, some moisturizers with built-in protection are available. That said, it still needs to be reapplied throughout the day.
A skincare routine for teens should be simple, effective and, above all, no-frills. Remember the basics: cleanse, moisturize, protect and exfoliate (as needed)! Serums, essences, treatments and beauty tools should only come into play in their young adult lives, so why rush things? You can find these products just about anywhere and for different budgets. One thing's certain: plenty of drugstore options will do the trick without breaking the bank!
By Jean-François Casselman-Dupont in collaboration with Familiprix.
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