The Best Age To Start A Regular Skincare Routine

Start Young

Talk to the experts and they will tell you it is never too early to start following a routine that will ensure you have healthy skin well into your adult – and senior – years. Never think you are too young during your teens to start caring for your skin! Starting early lays the foundation for the years to come. Of course nobody is advocating the use of products with AHA and retinoids by young girls – there are other ways for young girls to get used to a proper regimen.

Skin care specialists such as dermatologists and beauticians all agree that the younger one starts, the better the chances are that you will stick to a routine to support great skin for life. Some say girls should start a basic routine even from age 12, while others feel a year or 2 later is fine.

Teens

It is, however, important to start in your teens: in your mid-20’s signs of aging will creep up on you as skin starts developing the first fine lines way before you’re 30 – if you do not take steps early on. This is even truer for the active young lady that spends quite a bit of time outdoors – in the sun, on the beach, playing sports. And while it is true that the teenager may not follow her mother’s routine, fact remains that being introduced to skin care at a young age will pay dividends into your 20’s, your 30’s, 40’s and later on.

A look at a few essential steps that you can recommend to your teenager to consider from early on will include the following in their day to day routine:

Keep it Clean from Early On!

Encourage the young ones to clean their skin both morning and night. Get your teenager a good cleanser from an early age. It will help cement good habits and it will certainly help to protect the skin against acne, for example, since the pores on a clean skin are less likely to collect excessive oil and clog them up. And acne can cause unsightly scarring. Start early on by using a gentle cleanser. At Skin Station we recommend, for example, one of the gentle cleansers by Obagi or SkinCeuticals that we stock.

Moisturise

This remains one of those very important steps in anyone’s beauty routine, no matter your age. All skin loses moisture during the day and therefore finding a good product early on that you can use mornings and before bed time will contribute to keeping your skin hydrated and full. It will keep early lines and wrinkles out and will ensure a hydrated skin that looks great. There are various good products out there. At Skin Station we offer some truly outstanding products. Try one of these: a choice of Dr Dennis Gross products or the Moisturising Complex from iS Clinical.

UV Protection

While we all need and love light and sunshine to feel good, it pays to remember that too much sun exposure is most likely the skin’s Enemy No 1. UV rays are damaging and will cause the skin to suffer from sun burn, dehydration, early wrinkling – and other serious conditions such as skin cancer or melanoma. And if you believe that sun screen is unnecessary on cloudy, cool days you are mistaken. The sun’s UV rays penetrate through the epidermis or top layers of the skin and will indeed cause damage. So: Never go without sun screen or sun block.

Prevention

Our skin – also young skin – is always exposed to the negative effects of toxins, sun damage and other free radicals in the atmosphere. There are various products on the market to help fight the effects of these influences. What is important is to understand your skin type before you buy certain products.

Also: It is best for a parent to have their teenage daughter talk to a dermatologist or other skin care professional before using any specific products. But there is nothing wrong with starting to use skin care products with say, Vitamin C and B which are known to be great at reducing the effects of impurities in the atmosphere - as well as sun damage - as a teenager.

Eye Creams, Serums

Teenagers will do well by starting with a gentle cleanser, moisturiser and sun shield and then introduce light hydrating eye creams and a serum from, say, 20 onwards. At around this age the skin starts to reduce the production of essential elastin and collagen. An eye cream and serum will help fight the effects of these natural ageing processes. Recommended from Skin Station is a Youth Eye Complex by iS Clinical.

Know your Skin

Starting young is essential for ongoing beautiful skin, and a mother will do her teenager a great favour by encouraging her to start well before the end of her teenage years. Find out what skin type your daughter has and talk to a professional about recommended products, especially those she should not use too early on. But, great skin care starts with a good cleanser, moisturiser and sun block. Nobody is ever too young for these.