“What’s it all about??? Hormones, blackheads, whiteheads, androgens, acne….did I ask for all this?  I don’t want to be a spotty teenager!

 Zits are not nice things. One minute you’re looking cool and the next time you look in the mirror, your face is covered in zits and you feel like hiding away for a while”.

 Been there, done that – as we all have….

 And the good news is that there are ways to help teenage skin problems – considerably.

 But first, let’s take a look at what’s happening. Teenage skin has cells that are being produced at an optimum rate. As a consequence, the skin is plump, bright and well coloured.

The elastin and collagen are working well and the skin is, in many respects, in great shape.

 But…those (dreaded) hormones increase the production of oil from the sebaceous glands and it becomes more than a 50/50 bet that the oil ducts will get blocked, resulting in those annoying blackheads and whiteheads. Behind the blocked ducts, the acne bacteria grows quickly and the result is inflammation and possibly a shiny skin. Not nice, but manageable.

 Teenage hormonal changes cannot be avoided, but the effect they have on the skin can be minimised if action is taken.

 Firstly, cut the rubbish out of the diet. If you fill up on burgers, fries and alcopops, you’re fuelling the fire – those zits will love you!   Eat fruit – tons of it and drink gallons of water. Get a couple of litres of fresh water a day (minimum) into your body – and make this a habit for your lifetime.

 Secondly, here are some practical tips to help those breakouts.

Never squeeze zits and make sure you’ve washed your hands well before touching your skin.

Avoid lashings of “war paint” which will stop your skin breathing – let your natural beauty shine through!

Adopt a regular cleansing routine that removes grime but doesn’t strip the skin.

Use a cotton bud dipped in Milk of Magnesia to zap the spots.

Moisturisers – no need to go expensive here, just use one that has antioxidants and a sun protection factor of 15.

And finally, remember that these skin eruptions will most likely magically disappear in your late teens or early twenties.

What causes wrinkles? In a word; aging; but there are other factors that can accelerate the wrinkling process.
*Exposure to direct sunlight for extended periods of time without using a sufficient sun block is most definitely a wrinkle causing factor in today’s world.
Skin that is tanned to a dark golden hue is considered to be a sign of health and beauty in women and a sign of virility in men.
In years gone by, a pale skin that had never been exposed to the suns rays was considered to be a mark of beauty in women and a sign or wealth and power in men (only those who had to do manual labor were tanned).
*An unhealthy diet can accelerate the wrinkling process. A diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables will help to delay wrinkling.
*Lack of exercise is a wrinkle accelerator. Regular exercise keeps the blood circulating and waste being disposed of.
*Smoking cigarettes makes the skin wrinkle faster, yet another reason to quit…or never start. The same is true of cigars and snuff. Sudden extreme weight loss causes the skin to wrinkle….a blow to crash dieting!
*Harsh soap accelerates wrinkling. You should always use a soap that is ph balanced and not one that contains deodorizers or perfumes.
*Chlorine in swimming pools in very hard on the skin and increases the rate at which it wrinkles.
*Very hot baths and showers will accelerate skin wrinkling. A warm bath or a warm shower is better for the skin that very hot ones.
*A lack of the correct vitamins and minerals either in diet or in supplements will certainly cause the skin to age (wrinkle) much faster than it should. Antioxidants are vital to skin health.
WHAT ARE WRINKLES: The skin is made up of three
layers.
1. The epidermis or the outer layer.
2. The dermis or the middle layer
3. The subcutaneous or inner layer
Young skin isnt wrinkled because it holds moisture well and has a high level of elasticity; that is it stretches easily. The middle layer of the skin, the dermis, contains fibers called elastin and a protein called collagen.
As people age, their dermis loses both elastin and collagen. The skin gets thinner with this loss and becomes drier because it is harder for the dermis to get moisture. There is fat in the subcutaneous layer of the skin. As people age, they lose the fat in subcutaneous layer and this causes the skin to begin to sag.
People do not get wrinkles at a certain age. There are people in their 20s who have wrinkles around their eyes called crows feet because they squint their eyes a lot or because they smoke or because they spend too much time in the sun without using proper sun screen.
There are also people in their 50s and 60s that have very few wrinkles. Sometimes this is because they have an abundance of sebum in their skin. Sebum is natural skin oil that the body produces.
Heredity has an affect on how early in life wrinkles begin to appear. Members of some families will just wrinkle earlier than members of other families. Its all in the genes we inherit. There are several things that young people can do that will help to prevent or at least prolong wrinkling in their later years.
*Always use a sunscreen when being exposed to direct sunlight. This sunscreen needs to have an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at least 15.
*Dont go to tanning salons.
*Dont smoke
*Stay well hydrated
*Use skin moisturizing creams