Beauty Clinic: Help for back-to-school teen skin
Q My 13-year old daughter is suffering from spots, blackheads, a few little raised white bumps and rough skin and is worried about going back to school because she has got teased. I would like to find a range of gentle products that would help her. Also, are there any nutritional tips you can give?
A Oh dear! We’re so sorry to hear she is getting teased but please do tell we that it affects so many young people and, nowadays, a lot of adults too.
Former beauty editor Charlotte-Anne Fidler knows the situation very well from her own daughters’ experience, which led to her founding a skincare range especially for this age groups called Spots & Stripes. ‘I couldn't find the right skin, hair and bath products for my eldest daughter Anouk, who was then just 12. She’d grown out of her natural baby/young child products (and was pretty outraged if I asked her to use them!) but there was almost nothing to bridge the gap between those gentle early years products and the teen-acne and adult products that were way too harsh for a still delicate skin.’
Charlotte-Anne hears concerns like yours often. ‘When we hear of the combination of spots/blackheads and rough or dry skin, it's often a sign that the youngster is using a cleanser that’s too harsh which leads to the rough patches and dryness. And because the skin is irritated, existing spots and blackheads aren't going away or are actually getting worse.’
A simple but thorough, daily skincare regime using a gentle cleanser will make an enormous difference, in Charlotte-Anne’s experience. ‘The important word here is gentle,’ she says. ‘A 13-year old might be spotty, but their skin is still so delicate and child-like that you can't start hitting it with the big guns, even if it is misbehaving. That rules out anything that foams and leaves the skin tight and the acid mantle unbalanced. It also rules out cleansers with too many active ingredients; even salicylic acid will irritate 13-year old skins.’
Spots & Stripes Skin Goals Gentle Cleansing Lotion /£13.00 for 150ml, is based on virgin coconut oil, which cleanses extremely gently and also soothes and adds moisture. ‘It's also super-effective on spotty, congested skin because it contains some serious bacteria-bashing ingredients like essential oils of kanuka, a potent antibacterial, and lavender, which also helps to prevent and heal break outs, unclog pores and reduce inflammation,’ Charlotte-Anne explains. Laboratory studies have shown that coconut oil can be more effective at killing the bacteria that cause acne than benzoyl peroxide, a commonly used synthetic chemical, which many skin experts feel is too harsh a stripping agent and causes the skin to overreact and produce more sebum. Charlotte-Anne says that, used morning and evening, Gentle Cleansing Lotion should make a difference within a couple of weeks.
With this cleanser, a toner isn’t necessary and neither is a moisturiser. ‘Applying heavy moisturisers after using a harsh drying cleanser is another common reason for spots,’ Charlotte explains. ‘With most young teens, the more simple the routine, the more likely they'll do it; so our Gentle Cleansing Lotion would be enough on its own. Parents find this hard to believe, but it's true.’
If your daughter likes the idea of another step, Charlotte suggests using Spots & Stripes new Hydrating Face Mists /£18.00 for 125ml. ‘They're a teen twist on a super-light moisturiser in a spray that won't clog pores and also contains anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredients like witch hazel water and Siberian pine extract. And for the odd rogue hormonal spot, she could use our Super Balm Spot Zapper /£14.00, which heals spots without drying out the surrounding skin, which makes it more likely to get another spot.’
Regarding nutritional tips, Charlotte says there is a definite link between the skin and the bacteria in the gut. ‘If a teen has persistently spotty skin, I’d suggest having a good look at their diet. Reduce or cut out sugary and dense carb foods that can increase inflammation and increase probiotic foods like kefir and live natural yoghurt to rebalance the gut microbiome. A healthy gut leads to healthy skin.’
