Your Questions
Q: What's going on with my skin?
A: As you transition from child to teen to adult, puberty will trigger the movement of new chemicals in your body. Depending upon whether you're a guy or girl, these hormones will go to work on different parts of the body, and of course, impact your skin.
Sebaceous (oil) gland activity is stimulated by androgen hormones, these hormones act like a switch and increase oil production and hair growth, and are responsible for the triggers that lead to oily skin and breakouts. These so-called "male" hormones are present in both males and females.
Your pores (follicles) may become enlarged, your skin texture changes and may not feel as smooth, your skin looks and feels shiny, your cheeks may feel more sensitive and look pink, and your once flawless skin may now have evident pimples, blackheads and white-heads.
Your scalp and hair may also be oiler and you start to grow hair in new places! We haven’t even touched on your mood swings, ability to sleep all day and body changes, deeper voice if you are male and lovely new body odor!
This all sounds very frightening but the good news is that these androgens that tend to be present in relatively large amounts during adolescence become stabilized as you reach adulthood. Meaning the oily skin and breakouts will lessen and clear for most people.
Q: Am I too young for a skin care routine?
A: It's never too early (or too late!) to start a skin care routine. A good skin care regimen is as important as brushing your teeth, keeping up good hygiene, and maintaining a healthy diet!
While you may not be concerned about them now, skin issues like adult acne, age spots and fine lines caused by sun damage, and dry, dehydrated skin can start as early as your 20s. The more you take care of your skin now, the easier it will be to maintain healthy skin now and into your future.
Q: Why should I choose Clean Start?
A: You should choose Clean Start because you want your healthiest skin now, and in the future!
Too often, the product choices available to your generation aren’t the best choices, as they contain harsh, and inexpensive, ingredients that merely strip skin of oil.
Clean Start was created by the skin health experts at Dermalogica, meaning you can count on our products to give your skin the best ingredients while leaving out the bad stuff (such as artificial colors and fragrances, drying S.D. alcohol, and mineral oil).
Clean Start products are also non-comedogenic, meaning they won’t clog your pores. And, our products were developed in conjunction with a council of teens who told us what worked – and what didn’t – when it came to their needs.
The most important thing is Clean Start is your resource for learning about your skin – because understanding what’s happening to the skin is the most important step in solving the problem.
Q: Can exfoliation help control oiliness?
A: Exfoliation can be especially helpful to those with oily skin.
In addition to smoothing, improving skin tone and enhancing skin's receptiveness of oil-controlling ingredients, exfoliation helps rid oily skin of dulling and pore-blocking skin cells to help keep skin clear.
Q: Why do I need SPF?
A: Skin is the ultimate record keeper: every moment of sunlight exposure adds up like money in the bank! But the pay-off is less desirable...
Statistics show that one in six individuals will develop skin cancer, and 90% of these cancers are the direct results of UV light radiation from the sun. A severe sunburn before the age of 18 exponentially increases your skin cancer risk.
Q: What's my best skin regimen?
A: The Clean Start regimen has been broken down into three simple categories to help you get your best-looking skin now and in the future.
It all starts with getting skin clean. Skin must be properly cleansed for two reasons: it rids skin of dirt, oils and pollution that make skin look dull, and it helps prep skin, making it more receptive to treatment and moisturiser benefits.
When it’s time to take on issues like oily skin and breakouts a scrub/masque, spot treatment, and all-over overnight treatment will help you face every day with a clean slate.
The last step of your Clean Start regimen is to protect skin. Smooth, shield, and hydrate without a greasy after-feel or clogged pores.
This simple approach will help ensure your best-looking skin now… and in the future! Here’s another tip – stick with it for at least 4 weeks to start seeing results. Why? Because when something new is introduced to skin, skin must have time to adjust to the active ingredients. As skin adjusts, more breakouts may arise: this simply indicates the purging of toxins and represents the effectiveness of the ingredients.
