There have been several articles in the New York Times like "It's Botox for You, Dear Bridesmaids," where the bride and bridesmaids spend a night out at a medical spa in Manhattan replete with mimosas and cupcakes. An aesthetician assesses each woman's face and devises a treatment plan — a quick chemical peel, say, or an injection of a wrinkle-filler. This of course is after saturating their bodies with sugar, which has increased insulin levels thereby increasing inflammation. This communication sends a distorted and confusing message. Or the article, "Attack of Bridezilla: Demanding Perfection Before 'I Do'." One of the women interviewed had been given a microdermabrasion. She says, "It felt great, but when I was done they had exfoliated my beautiful tan. So I sat out today and worked on getting it back."

This is where vanity can override common sense thus leading to real pathologies. Microdermabration removes the skin's protective layer leaving the skin in an inflammatory state. The first line of defense has become compromised and the skin is more vulnerable to sun damage. Sun should be avoided up to two weeks after a microdermabration and then extra protection and caution should be considered when out in the elements.

Physical Degeneration vs. Physical Perfection
More and more young girls are utilizing spa services and receiving skin treatments in order to perfect their physical appearance. As new modalities are introduced to our industry we have a responsibility to practice ethically and to consider the long-term effects of our treatments on these youths.

On a cellular level, young skin (ages 12 to 26) is at a developmental stage. Blood vessels are still forming, skin cells are bio-chemically defining themselves, and lymph and cellular tissue are not completely organized. No one person is the same, therefore you cannot homogenize treatments into a one-size-fits-all approach. Once you start degenerating tissue, especially while it is still trying to figure out its pathway, you begin to set it up for a series of growth disorders. These disorders occur at the cellular level and thus emphasize much of the subsequent course in cancer, in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth and division beyond the normal limits, invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood).

That is why there is concern for children receiving aggressive peels and microdermasion during a time of fragile development. As these youths are maturing, real pathologies will advance such as skin cancer, telangestasia, wounds that won't heal, actinic keratosis, and inflammatory conditions.

We live in a culture where the development of modern children is distorted. They have abandoned traditional diet for foodstuffs loaded with sugar, refined grains, canned foods, pasteurized milk, and devitalized fats and oils and where vending machines have become a fixture in our schools. Children suffer from frequent infections, allergies, anemia, asthma, poor vision, lack of coordination, fatigue, and behavioral problems.

The physical degeneration is evident in all of the above health conditions as well as in the skin. Paul Bergner, a Medical Herbalist and Clinical Nutritionist, has extensive research indicating that elevated levels of insulin alters the growth of the follicular canal to elongate, thereby interfering with the normal flow of sebum. Since the follicle has formed to this abnormal length, sebum takes longer to be transported to the surface, thereby pooling within the follicle tissue causing irritation and infection to spread. This is the latest research indicating that our youths diet is a direct influence on acne conditions.

Dr. Weston Price's research demonstrated that humans achieve perfect physical form and perfect health generation after generation only when they consume nutrient-dense whole foods and the vital fat-soluble activators found exclusively in animal fats. There is no reason for these abstract skin conditions that are truly reflective of the times in which we live. We as practitioners should be wise not to injure young tissue when the body is in this degenerative state.

What Harms Young Skin

• Certain foods like sugar! It's in everything. If you divide the number of grams of sugar by four, that is the number of teaspoons of sugar you have consumed. Sugar elevates insulin and is the leading cause for most degenerative conditions. Eating dinner at least five hours before you go to bed will also help decrease elevated insulin levels. Insulin levels influence hormone activity and hormones regulate sebum secretion equaling more bacteria.
• Lack of good sleep… Getting a full eight hours of sleep every night will reduce insulin levels.
• Chemical ingredients in skin care products such as mineral oil, paraffin, petroleum based products coat the skin like plastic, clog the pores, create a build up of toxins, and lead to various dermatological issues. Parabens are preservatives that mimic estrogen and disrupt the endocrine system. Sodium laurel, lauryl sulfate (SLS), and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) are substances that break down the skin's moisture barrier, allow other chemicals to easily penetrate the skin, and become a "nitrosamine," a potent cause of cancer.
• Using chemicals to exfoliate the skin between the ages of 12 to 26 is not recommended. These solutions are degenerative in nature and interfere with the natural development of cells, tissue, and can weaken blood and lymph vessels, which are still forming.
• Not managing stress! It's hard to be a kid today. Peer pressure is at its worse and the desire to sculpt one's self after celebrities and models leaves children focused on physical perfection. Teens can manage their stress by detaching from the hype and discovering their true voice through activities that encourage wellness and peace. Taking deep breaths helps release all the pent up anxiety. The art of nothingness is actually most needed during this fragile developmental stage of life.
• Sun exposure and pollution should be avoided at all cost. One should wear sun block, especially if living in climates where sun is a constant. Be sure to give your clients herbal solutions that have healthy antioxidant qualities. Protection is so essential at this age.
• Smoking cigarettes or doing drugs is taboo! Both are free radicals, causing irreversible harm to skin cells and is one of the leading causes of real pathologies.
• Negative emotions can cause expression folds and destroy the cell membrane. Finding ways to be joyful and peace-filled can give a lift to any face and allows it to regenerate faster.

What You can Bank
We are all witnessing more aggressive behavior by youths than any other period of time. The way they care for their skin is no different. Aggression means intent to harm. So why would we want to take an aggressive approach to teen skin problems? Their skin needs nourishment, protection, and good hygiene. To meet their needs with aggressive modalities is a negative approach and should be abandoned.

I am an advocate for safe treatments. I feel we should empower our youths to engage in a skin care regime that meets their current needs. Adolescents are active, highly stimulated, and do not respond favorably to vigorous ingredients or progressive treatments. We must consider the future health of their skin and prevent future pathologies.

Skin Care Tips for Teens:

1. Doctors and aestheticians say that skin picks up environmental debris during the day. Washing off dirt particles, along with makeup, every evening gives skin a rest from exposure to possible irritants. Good hygiene means washing your face twice a day using chemical free skin care products.
2. Protect your skin from burning in the sun. There is much research being done on the chemical constituents of certain plants that can filter out the sun. Blackberry, algae, broccoli and wild yam have all been proven to filter 40 to 80 percent of sun's harmful rays. If you know you are going to be out for an extend period of time, then zinc oxide is still a sure thing.
3. No picking or squeezing! You may think you are squeezing something bad out, but you are actually pushing bacteria deeper into the skin creating more breakouts. When the skin gets red it runs the risk of getting dark pigmentation or even scarring… No picking!
4. Use skin care products that do not have chemicals in them. Best to use simple earthly ingredients like fresh herbal products. Acne is still the most prevalent skin conditions among our youths. As I stated earlier, Paul Bergner's research shows that the increase in insulin levels is contributing to acne in teens. Diet should be the number one consideration along with hygiene. A strategy for dealing with acne begins with effective "bowel cleansing" and healthy bowel flora (the normal lacto-bacteria that live in our intestines). This has always been considered the cornerstone of every natural acne treatment. The best remedy for this is for teenagers to eat about one fourth to one half of fresh, unpasteurized sauerkraut (finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria) every day and then take bitters like a cup of Dandelion tea before bed. Bubbies are a healthy brand of sauerkraut found in the refrigerator section of a good health food store. There are also scores of other lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, and drinks that you can try, like miso soup for example. Sauerkraut, however, should be the cornerstone of treatment as the high sulphur content of the cabbage is especially valuable in skin cleansing. (Cabbage juice is valued in Irish folk medicine for giving a beautiful complexion.)
5. Finally, there should be some attention to sweating and the general cleansing of the skin. If a child is athletic, encourage him or her to exercise heavily, then brush their skin vigorously with a dry brush and then rinse off in cool-cold water. This is like a skin "exercise." If he or she is not athletic, one to three clay or salt baths weekly followed by a cool shower will aid detoxification.

Teenagers are faced with the most challenging times of their life. I encourage aestheticians to become familiar with the specific needs of this age group and design protocols that make sense.