Many consumers are now aware of how important a skin care routine is, and most have happily jumped on the bandwagon. It’s natural that young people, too, will become interested in starting their own skin care routine.
Plenty of questions arise when it comes to young people and skin care:
- Should they even have their own routine?
- What age is too young to start?
- What kind of factors do they have to consider when buying skin care-related products?
In relation to the 2021 back-to-school season, Retail Pharmacy Assistants magazine looks into the best tips to give young people when it comes to their first skin care routine.
“Starting a skin care regime can really happen as early as 10 years old,” said Retail Manager Emma Smallbone of Zammit Street Pharmacy in Queensland’s Deception Bay, who has a background in cosmetic.
“As we know, everyone ages and goes through changes at all different times, so it’s good to be observant of your teen’s skin.
“Typically, start when your teen wants to start looking after their skin, begins wearing products on their face or develops a bumpy complexion, blackheads or blemishes.”
Tips on what to avoid
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Ms Smallbone says that young people can overdo skin care by using too many of the ‘wrong’ types of products, “thus causing an imbalance”.
“Get your teen to think about how their skin feels every day,” she said.
“Is it dry everywhere, a mixture of dry and normal, normal everywhere, normal and oily, or very oily? Their skin will change with hormonal changes and environmental changes.
“Environmental changes could include if they swim in chlorinated water, sun exposure, pollution and stress.
“Basic skin care should include a broad-spectrum sunscreen, daily wash, a custom-fit exfoliant and a light moisturiser.”
Ms Smallbone adds that teens should avoid overusing products.
“A little goes a long way with so many washes, exfoliants and moisturisers,” she said. “Look for products with a pump, and use ‘one pump’ as a guide for how much to use.”
If it’s found that the consumer needs more than ‘one pump’ to cover the whole skin area, then it’s possible they need to review their choice of skin care product.
It starts in the pharmacy
Top questions to ask teens wanting to start their first skin care routine, according to Ms Smallbone – who recommends asking customers open-ended questions – include:
- What concerns do you have with your skin?
- How much time do you have to look after your skin?
- How much are you looking at spending on skin care?
“Try to keep products from the same company together, if possible,” she said.
“They’re often formulated to complement each other to achieve the best outcome.”
Ms Smallbone says the process of skin care can initially be overwhelming, especially for a young person’s first routine.
So, a great tip she suggests is to write out the steps for the consumer – as “they might be looking for that other item in a few weeks/months, once they’re on board with skin care”.
To learn more about the step-by-step process to help young people with their skin care, and to read the feature in full, as it appears in this month’s issue of Retail Pharmacy Assistants magazine, visit: rpassistants.com.au/magazines/retail-pharmacy-assistants-february-2020/
