Dealing with Blemishes: Getting Your Teen Back to School Part II

Anxiety about new classes, new friends, sports try-outs and 'fitting in' can keep hormones , especially testosterone, pumping non-stop for teens. Combine that with sweet snacks, fast foods and soda and you've got the makings of a major breakout. When you or your teen is ready to seriously commit to clearing your skin, you've got to consider changing more than just your skin care products.


Millie with teen actor and dermHA user Kwame Boateng


1. Change your diet. Commit to eating healthy. Fatty foods, fried foods, cow's milk, soda, juice and sweets are all suspects when talking about acne. Make water your drink of choice, switch to almond or rice milk, and snack on fresh apples, oranges and bananas.

2. Check out your hair care products. If your hairstyle requires heavy oils, gels, sprays or other fixings, its probably sealing your pores as well as your hair cuticle. Wear your hair off your face with a style that is more skin friendly. Avoid hair or oil sprays to see if skin clears.

3. Consider what else you are putting on your skin that may aggravate it. Make-up is more popular than ever with teens. Unfortunately, covering up your blemises will cause big problems if bacteria, sweat and oils are sealed in already congested skin. Focus on clearing up and change to a light mineral powder. Never cover infected skin with make-up or cover-up.

4. Check medications that may stimulate acne such as steroids, oral contraceptives, phenobarbital and high levels of iodine.

5. Friction and sweating caused by tight collars, head/sweat bands, backpacks, bike or sports helmets should be monitored and avoided if possible. Keep clothing loose, secure backpacks so they don't rub and make sure helmets and cleaned and wiped down with alcohol regularly.

6. Don't pick! When you do have a blemish, picking or squeezing them can cause them to spread. After cleansing, use a drop of tea-tree oil on inflamed pustules or blemishes to kill the bad bacteria but not the good.


Remember, having acne doesn't mean that your skin is dirty. Overcleansing skin, washing your face more than twice a day, can actually make acne worse. Make sure that you are using a good cleanser that doesn't over dry sin. In addition to your cleanser and moisturizer, using a tonic with zinc and non-alcoholic witch hazel can fight bacteria while soothing irritation from blemished skin. Acne can be dealt with, don't give up. Taking care of your body holistically and knowing what triggers or exacerbates your acne will help you take better care of your skin.



Be Beautiful!
Millie

Countdown to School: TEEN SKIN

At the start of a new school year teens want to look their absolute best, but hair and clothes are not the only factors in helping your teen get ready to face a new year of learning and adventures, how their skin looks greatly impacts their self-esteem.

After a summer full of fun, sun and water sports, a teen's skin may need special care. Although most teens see an improvement in their skin during the beginning of the summer season, repeated sun exposure, sweat, accumulated oils and dirt can create a thin, hard shell over the surface of their skin. By summer's end, increased breakouts, peeling skin and irritation can occur. Adolescent hormones complicate the process by speeding up oil production and overloading already congested pores.

Daily cleansing, morning and night, plus a light, water based moisturizer helps to keep a teen's skin healthy. Although morning cleansings are important, washing your face at night-much like brushing and flossing your teeth-is crucial. However, washing your face more than twice a day can also cause problems, especially with acne skin. Don't be afraid of moisturizers because of oily or problem skin. A light, water based moisturizer actually helps suppress oil production and keeps skin soft and healthy looking.

Finding a regimen that is right for your teen during this transitional season and often nerve wracking start of school, is one of the best things you can do to keep you teen looking and feeling their best.

Go to http://www.dermha.com/ now to order our gentle face and body wash that can be used on people of all ages, and a soothing dermHA moisturizer to help your teen get ready to put their best face forward this school year!

More Healthy Behaviors

Moisturizing the skin helps keep it soft, smooth, relaxed and healthy. When skin is dry it is easily irritated and can feel tight and itchy. Dryness also aggravates skin diseases such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and acne.

Chose a moisturizer without major irritants like fragrances, alcohol, lanolin, dye or propylene glycol, so ski won't be aggravated. The skin is an organ of elimination. Healthy skin needs to breathe and pores need to eliminate sweat, toxins and oils in order for our body to stay healthy. Depending on your skin type, you should use a moisturizer that will hydrate your skin without sealing it and blocking pores. Hyaluronic Acid moisturizers keep it healthy while reducing dryness and offers an excellent environment for healing damaged skin.

Sun protection is another important element in keeping skin healthy. Everyone needs a daily dose of Vitamin D, but keep in mind that the sun is responsible for 80% of the effects of aging. Although darker skins have some built in protection, they will see an increase in skin tags, pigmentation and dehydration with continued unprotected sun exposure. Remember to wear an SPF sunscreen of 15 or more every day, all year round. When you're in hot climates or direct sun, wear sunglasses (sun can cause long term damage to eyes) and a hat with a brim that will shade the delicate skin on the ears.

Healthy Behaviors to Keep Skin Clear

Getting to know your skin is the ultimate goal. our skin is affected by the foods we eat, what we drink...whether we smoke, exercise or not, the climate we live in and whether we spend too much time inside or outside...our ethnicity and the traits we inherited. Keep in mind that a holistic approach to improving the condition of problem skin may include altering your lifestyle or habits along with proper skin care. Keeping a mental record of the circumstances surrounding a skin breakout, rash or sensitivity can help pin point its cause. Listen to messages your skin sends and change your skin care regimen, diet or others habits accordingly to insure a life of healthy skin.

1. Cleansing your skin morning and night is the most important step in a healthy skin care routine.

Cleansing removes dirt, debris, sweat and oil secretions, and tiny microorganisms that live on our body. Choose a cleanser that is gentle but also effective for your skin type. Feeling waxy, too tight, itchy or a burning sensation is not normal and you may need to change your cleanser.

The way you cleanse is also important. With clean, wet hands, apply cleanser to your fingertips and lightly massage it in small up and outward circular motions--not down and under. Make sure to include the corners of the nose, around the hairline as well as the neck. This will loosen dirt, and make up, stimulate circulation and help reduce facial puffiness. Rinse well with cool water and repeat if needed.

Stay tuned for more skin care healthy behaviors...

Knowledge is Power: Creating & Maintaining Healthy Skin

Stay tuned for our five part skin education series,

Creating and Maintaining Healthy Skin .

Learn tips for maintaining your skin when it is looking fabulous and tips for troubleshooting. Regardless of your age or gender, dermHA's founder and leader, Millie Bell, has information that will help you take better care of your skin.