Sönd & Teenage Skin

It’s fair to say that we all have our own unique set of skincare concerns. At each stage of our lives, different things happen, mostly due to our hormones, that mean different things for our skin, too.

Starting our periods, perhaps starting on the contraceptive pill, becoming pregnant, breastfeeding and the menopause all have an impact on our skin. Our diet does too, and so do lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking alcohol and exposing our skin to the sun.

In this article:

Teenagehood and Puberty - What’s it All About?!
Why Does Becoming a Teenager Change Our Skin?
What is Testosterone and Why Does it Affect Our Skin?
What’s the Best Skincare Routine for Teenage Skin?
How Can Sönd Skincare Help?

For many of us, simply being a teenager, with all the hormonal, physical and emotional changes that brings, can be enough to send our skin into a spin.

We often get asked whether or not our range of Sönd skincare products is ok for using on teenage skin. And the answer is a resounding YES.

There are a unique set of challenges for teenage skin, so if you’re a teenager with skin that’s stressing you out, or you’re researching skincare for your teenager, here’s how Sönd can help.

Teenagehood and Puberty - What’s it All About?!

If you know a teenager who’s so far got away with clear, blemish free, not overly oily, well behaved skin, then they’re in a minority. Despite how annoyed you might feel by their seemingly flawless skin, it’s very unusual for those of us in our teenage years to escape all the changes, skin wise.

Really, what we mean by our teenage years actually extends beyond the ages of 13 to 19. What we actually mean is puberty, which for females generally starts around 11 years old and for males, around age 12. The whole process takes around four years.

That said, puberty can begin anywhere between 8 and 14 years old, so don’t worry if you’re “ahead” or “behind”, everyone experiences puberty at some point and by the time we’re in our late teens, we’ve normally all levelled out.

Puberty is defined by the NHS as being the time when a “child’s body begins to develop and change as they become an adult”. This means that young female bodies will start having periods and begin to develop breasts, and young male bodies will notice new facial hair and a deeper voice. Among lots of other things.

Both male and female bodies will begin to grow bodily hair under their arms and in their genital region, they may sweat more and they’ll grow taller and develop more body fat and muscle.

And the one thing that tops off all of this change (much of it unannounced and alarming) is the change in skin that we all experience.

Our skin becomes oilier and prone to spots and acne breakouts and suddenly we find ourselves staring in the mirror wondering what on earth happened.

Why Does Becoming a Teenager Change Our Skin?

When we begin to go through puberty, part of the brain called the hypothalamus kickstarts a hormonal cascade by triggering hormones in the ovaries and testes to start making the changes that turn us from children into young adults.

These hormones are responsible for all the physical changes we notice, such as changes in our body shape and hair in places we’ve never seen it before. They’re also responsible for emotional changes such as heightened or changing thoughts and feelings.

But they’re also responsible for the skin changes that most of us experience too - and it’s mainly down to one hormone - testosterone.

What is Testosterone and Why Does it Affect Our Skin?

You’d be quite right if you thought that testosterone is a male hormone. Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, and it’s give males typically “male” characteristics such as facial hair, increased muscle mass, competitiveness and aggression (in some).

However, testosterone is also present in female bodies, just to a lesser extent. In female bodies, testosterone is needed for good muscle and bone strength.

Either way, when a young male or a young female goes through puberty, the levels of testosterone in their body rises.

For the skin, this rise in testosterone means an increase in the size of the sebaceous glands. The sebaceous glands produce sebum, the oily, wax like substance that keeps the skin lubricated and acts as a protective barrier. Without sebum, we’d have very dry, cracked, vulnerable skin.

But a surge in testosterone means larger sebaceous glands and therefore, more sebum. This makes the skin feel oiler and greasier, and can lead to acne spots.

Sebum can also block the pores, trapping dirt, bacteria, pollution, stale makeup and dead skin cells, leading to the typical signs of acne - whiteheads, blackheads and angry red, pus filled spots called pustules.

What’s the Best Skincare Routine for Teenage Skin?

Having teenage acne can be upsetting and embarrassing, especially so at an age where physical and emotional changes can make us feel awkward and uncomfortable.

So adopting a good skincare regime is helpful for managing oily, acne prone skin:

• Use a gentle cleanser twice a day - at night to remove makeup and the dirt, grime, sweat and pollution that builds up on the skin during the day and in the morning to remove sweat and dirt that’s accumulated overnight.
• Always moisturise, even if your skin is oily. Going without moisturiser to replenish lost moisture from cleansing will make the skin overcompensate and produce even more sebum. And we all know what that means - greasy, shiny skin. Use a gentle, oil free moisturiser during the day and a slightly heavier one to nourish the skin at night.
• Exfoliate once a week to give the pores an extra deep clean to keep them free from debris that can cause spots. Products containing salicylic acid, a type of alpha hydroxy acid, or AHA, are a good bet since they gently remove the upper layers of the skin leaving the face feeling fresh and smooth. Salicylic acid also helps to keep excess sebum at bay.
• Use a pore clearing, clay based face mask once or twice a week to draw impurities from deep within the skin. A skincare specialist once told me that next week's spots can be caused (in part) by last week's deeply ingrained pore grime, so give your skin a fighting chance by keeping the pores as clear as possible.

Other tips for keeping your skin clear include:

• Always remove makeup before bed
• Never share makeup, makeup brushes and sponges or skincare - you quite literally don;t know where it’s been
• Keep all makeup applicators clean by washing them in a gentle shampoo every two weeks
• Avoid touching your face often, as this transfers dirt which can block the pores
• If you use hand cream, try not to touch your face or rest your chin on your hands, as your hand cream probably isn’t oil free
• Be mindful of the haircare products you use too, as these can transfer to your face
• If you have greasy hair or a fringe, try to keep your hair tied or clipped back as much as possible to avoid transferring oil to your skin
• Keep your skin protected from the sun, be that with an SPF or by wearing sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat

If your teenage acne is really getting you down, then you don’t have to suffer. Check out our resources on taking a holistic approach to skincare here.

How Can Sönd Skincare Help?

We’re super proud of our innovative skincare range, based on alkaline technology. It penetrates deep into the layers of the skin, hydrating, promoting healthy cellular turnover and nourishing the skin cells.

Developed to suit all skin types and ages, it significantly benefits acne prone, oily, stressed out, non conformist skin. And that includes teenage skin.

From our gentle cream cleanser to our deeply nourishing moisturisers and impurity cleansing clay mask, it’ll transform the way your skin behaves.

Leaving you to get on with all the things your teenage mind and body want you to be getting on with. So give us a try and go out there and live your best life. You’re only a teenager once, and we’re envious of you - enjoy!