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Teen Skin Clinic
Discover how to help your teen keep their skin healthy
VOTARY Co-Founder Arabella and skin therapist Jeanie Scott discuss what your teen should be doing to keep their skin healthy.
Get your teen started with healthy skin habits to maintain a healthy skin barrier and prevent scarring caused by teen blemishes. Teens usually fall into two categories: those who aren’t wildly interested in skincare and those who love to follow TikTok trends and are experimenting with powerful ingredients.
It’s important for your teen to understand the skin they see on social media can be filtered or retouched, and that healthy skin isn’t always flawless skin. It’s normal for skin to have texture and pores.
Here’s our simple routine to keep teen skin healthy...
Step 1: Cleanse
Healthy skin begins with clean skin. Encourage your teen to cleanse at least once a day. If they have long hair or a fringe, make sure it’s tied back and away from their face so they can really get into the hair line where product build up can often happen. Cleansing in the evening is especially important if they’ve been wearing makeup or SPF. Leaving these on the skin overnight can cause and exacerbate blocked pores which lead to spots.VOTARY Oil Cleansers are brilliant at 'grabbing' onto grime, spf and excess sebum and effortlessly whisking it all away without stressing your skin - even oily skin. Each VOTARY Cleansing Oil comes with a soft, fluffy Face Cloth to lift away dirt.
For those who prefer a rinse-off cleanser, Super Sensitive Cleansing Cream is a gentle formula that melts away excess sebum, impurities and makeup. It’s perfect for the shower or shaving.
Step 2: Treat
Salicylic acid is the perfect pore-clearing active for your teen. Target blemishes or areas of congestion withBlemish Rescue Oil. With 2% salicylic acid to dissolve compacted skin cells and penetrate deep into the pores, and tamanu oil, a natural antiseptic to tackle redness and inflammation. Skin stays soft and supple which means it's quicker to heal and scarring is minimised.Step 3: Moisturiser
To keep it healthy, skin needs hydration. Normal and oily skin will benefit from a couple of drops of lightweight Clarifying Facial Oil or Nutrient Cream Light to lock in moisture and protect the skin barrier.Top tips for keeping blemishes under control
- Keep hands really clean and avoid touching your face
- Keep skin hydrated - follow a gentle and simple routine that won’t strip the skin of its natural oils
- Try not to squeeze spots - watch our live with Jeanie to discover how to squeeze spots if your teen can’t resist
- Keep skin clean
- If there is no improvement in your teen’s skin after 3 months consider visiting your GP or a dermatologist.
Your Questions Answered:
Q Should teens avoid using a foaming cleanser?
A When dealing with teen skin there are more effective and gentle alternatives to foaming cleansers. The most important thing is to get your teen to cleanse with a gentle cleanser each evening - even if it’s in the shower or bath - whatever helps them to actually do it.Top Tip: Heavy face paint / camo paint / halloween paint - a VOTARY cleansing oil will remove every trace of makeup and face paint without causing your child’s skin to become red or sore.
Q How can my teen avoid blemishes on chin and nose?
A Keep skin clean by cleansing skin every evening at the very least and follow our simple routine above.Encourage active teens to keep skin clean after sports and swimming. Sweat and heat encourage the bacteria on your skin to multiply which in turn can cause breakouts. If showers aren’t available Jeanie recommends trying this and giving skin a proper cleanse as soon as you can.
Q My teen is starting getting spots where his beard is growing. How can we stop this?
Top Tip - use Blemish Rescue Oil around the nose and chin as a mini mask.This often happens as the hair follicles begin to produce more oil and hair becomes thicker. Keeping skin clean is important. Additionally, when shaving make sure you go with the grain - this makes a difference. Try Super Sensitive Cleansing Cream as a shaving cream and use Blemish Rescue Oil on ingrown hairs - massage into the whole area to keep inflammation at bay. Steer clear of harsh scrubs, alcohol in skincare and foaming cleansers - teen skin is still sensitive and soft and needs treating with tlc.
Q My teen is getting spots and blackheads around their nose.
Blackheads and milia often develop around the nose as it’s where sebum production really starts to kick in. It’s a really good idea to go and see a skin therapist and resist the temptation to squeeze.
Try gentle Daily Apple Toner a couple of times a week in targeted areas, to gently encourage turnover of skin cells and reduce scarring.
Q What’s the best way to squeeze a spot?
If possible, encourage your teen to avoid picking and just treat the spot with a dab of Blemish Rescue Oil. Squeezing your own pimples can lead to deepening the wound and scarring. BUT if they are going to squeeze a spot, make sure to wait for a whitehead to be pronounced. After a bath or shower (or use a VOTARY Face Cloth to gently steam the skin for a few minutes to soften it), make sure that skin beautifully cleansed and they have scrupulously clean hands. Make tissue finger puppets around fingers and gently encourage the contents of the spot out by using an even pressure around the pimple. If it feels like nothing’s coming or there is blood, stop. Keep the area clean and use a dab of Blemish Rescue Oil applied with clean fingers.Q: Is eleven too young to start a skincare routine?
Today, teen skin can start as young as 9. Younger children may only need the encouragement of washing their skin with a Face Cloth at night. If you notice your child’s skin is becoming bumpier you may feel they would benefit from incorporating a gentle cleanser. Try to be subtle and don’t make a big deal of it - you don’t want to put them off keeping their skin clean and healthy. Do encourage all children to remove SPF daily when they’re wearing it.Q: My teen has a fringe and I think it’s exacerbating breakouts.
Make sure your teen is cleansing right to their hairline daily, especially when they’re using product in their hair. It’s good to use a headband, or pin back their fringe when they’re cleansing.Keep pillow cases clean and encourage regular washing of their hair, and don’t forget to encourage a lightweight oil or moisturiser over skin to keep it hydrated.
