What do teens all have in common? If you guessed bad skin, then you would be correct. When you become a teenager, you hit a very stressful stage in your life called puberty. Puberty can affect the way you act, feel, and may even change your appearance completely. However, one major thing that will change is your skin. You will no longer have that smooth baby soft skin that needs only lotion to be kept from getting dry. No, you will need an actual skin care routine. Whether that means simply washing your face with a bar of Dove soap, or applying a face scrub and pimple patches. Everyone has different skin types, and the products that they use on their skin should determine on just that, their skin. Just because a certain product is trending, doesn’t mean your skin wants it. Either way, taking care of your skin is very important but only when done correctly. So, is going through all this trouble really worth it?
Alex Knight, a freshman student at Greenwood High School, finds this “trouble” an important staple of her well-being. “I struggled with acne when I was younger. But once I started to actually take care of my skin, it took a turn for the better,” Knight exclaims. Products like a good moisturizer, lotions, and a healing ointment all contributed to why her skin looks the way it does… clear. However, she didn’t accomplish this on her own. According to Knight, “I take most of my skincare advice from my Dermatologist. I go to Graves Gilbert Dermatology.” This is where she was prescribed her acne treatment which she now views as her “skin’s life saver.”
As you can already tell, skin care can be very beneficial to the average teen. So why is it such a controversial topic for some? Thomas McGill, a freshman student at Greenwood High School finds skincare completely inconvenient. “I hate it, it’s too time consuming,” McGill exclaims. Which is very true. After a long day, the first thing people will want to do when they get home is sleep, not do a two hour skincare routine. It’s just human nature! Just because he “dislikes” skincare, doesn’t mean that he completely abandons his skin. No, he surprisingly uses a product called witch hazel. But he stopped using it for a while because when he was a kid, he heard that witch hazel could turn you into a frog. Every human ever has proven this to be false. According to McGill, “The skin care products that actually work (and don’t turn you into a frog) can be extremely expensive.” When you are a teenager, your budget is rather slim and you may not have a steady income. So why are you spending your own money on something that may or may not work for you? Some may say,“risk it for the biscuit.” Thomas McGill however thinks it is a total waste of your limited cash.
Yes, skin care can be considered “high maintenance.” However, everyone can agree that it is a necessity, especially for teens. As stated earlier, puberty and teens do not mix well. Pimples, acne, redness, and painful breakouts are all factors of what skin would look like for the average teen. On top of this, hormones are through the roof making teens fragile and insecure about their bodies. So why not apply some skin products that make your skin from dry and red, to clear and glossy. Everyone needs a confidence booster once in a while! So what do you think, is skin care really worth it?
