Take Care of Your Skin!

You are Never Too Young to Take Care of Your Skin!
One of the questions that I get asked most frequently is the question of “how young is too young to start a skin care regimen?”. The answer is not always exact and will vary from child to child and may be different for boys than for girls.

It used to be generally understood that the time in which a child experiences the first signs of puberty is the appropriate time to start a good skin care regimen. That was always very cut and dry because by the time the signs of puberty started for both boys and girls, it was somewhere around the age of 12 or 13 and the child was mature enough to be responsible with a daily skin care regimen. According to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the average age that a child hits puberty is dramatically younger than it was when we were kids and in some cases, can begin as early as 8 years old.

Even though the age that a child hits puberty has decreased, the basic rule still applies…when a child begins to show the first signs of puberty, some form of skin care should be started to help deal with the external symptoms of these hormonal fluctuations. Here is a good guideline for recommending product to children and teens:


From the ages of 8-10 years old, good cleansing and moisturizing habits can be established. I would recommend the Skinlogics Sensitive Cleanser and the Cell Block C AM to keep the skin cleansed, moisturized and protected. This age is too young for a complicated regimen and should not include more harsh products such as exfoliants, etc.
At the onset of puberty, both boys and girls may experience blackheads or moderate acne breakouts. At this time, I would recommend that you move them up to a more complete regimen that would include the Skinlogics Clear cleanser and scrub/mask to help with the blackheads and occasional breakouts, along with the Skinlogics 20s tonic (because it is more gentle than the Skinlogics Clear tonic) and the Cell Block C AM.
When the moderate and occasional breakouts develop into more severe and constant acne, I would recommend stepping up to the complete Skinlogics Clear line consisting of cleanser, tonic, moisturizer and scrub/mask. I would recommend the Cell Block C AM after the skin has adjusted to a basic regimen so as not to add too many products to the skin initially.
Not only do we want to teach our children how to properly cleanse and maintain their skin and start on effective skin care regimen, starting good skin care habits at an early age, we want to encourage good preventive habits for our children in the process. If each of us at 40+ would have known the necessity of good preventive skin care at a young age, we would be see completely different faces looking back at us in the mirror every morning. Sun protection should begin from infancy and continue through a person’s lifetime. Daily facial sun protection should be considered as basic as brushing one’s teeth and washing their face.

One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from Coco Chanel. She said, “Nature gives you the face you have at 20. Life shapes the face you have at 30. But at 50, you get the face you deserve."

It is our responsibility as parent and skin care professionals to help our children understand the importance of good skin care habits and to transition them out of the bar soap and bubble baths and into a healthy skin care regimen that will stay with them for life. Building clients for life, that is our mission!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!