Getting the opportunity to educate young clients about maintaining healthy skin practices is rewarding. Even a teenage eyebrow client is a great candidate with which to start a healthy skin conversation. These small opportunities to educate young clients are critical to getting teenagers to think about caring for their skin. Many teenagers have not yet been educated enough about the dangers of not practicing a safe sun routine. Furthermore, the media invades their mind with ideas of what fashion and beauty cultures deem cool. When an opportunity arises to help young clients with their beauty needs, it is prudent to inform and educate them about one of the most important aspects of skin care – protection. Young clients need to be aware of the dangers of tanning and informed of healthier alternatives and why taking care of their skin now will impact ow they feel about their skin later on in life. Talking to Teenage Clients Give them the facts. Look up some important facts regarding skin cancer. Pictures can also help to convey the dangers of sun damage. The goal here is not to scare them, but to educate and inform them. Show them how to protect their skin. Advise them to wear sunscreen every day, even when it is cloudy. Sunscreen should be reapplied regularly, at least every one and a half to two hours, and at a SPF of 15 or higher. For teenage clients that wear makeup, cosmetics with sun protection is essential. Although, sun protection in makeup should not be considered a sunscreen, it should be included in makeup that is applied over their regular sunscreen. Talk about photosensitive skin types, like acne-prone skin, that has sun exposure as a contraindication. In order to prevent skin discolorations and scarring from acne treatments such as topical and internal medications that are prescribed by doctors, as well as treatments associated with high-level acids and chemical acids, it is imperative for them to know what can cause their skin to be photosensitive. Teach them to protect their skin while they are trying to clear it. Invest in a Wood's lamp. This lamp highlights sun damage and can be a wakeup call. Show them what their skin really looks like. Define what being tan actually means. To teenage clients, being tan may be attractive. If so, give them a healthier alternative to indoor tanning; educate them about sunless tanning. There are several beautiful, healthy options from airbrush spray tanning to sunless tanning lotions and bronzers that they can choose from that are trauma-free and risk-free and can achieve a healthy, glowing tan. Skin cancer is an epidemic in the United States. There are more than 1 million new diagnosed cases of skin cancer each year, with the number of melanoma cases growing among people in their 20s. As skin care professionals, it is crucial to inform and educate clients about the hazards of the sun.Want to read more? Subscribe to one of our monthly plans to continue reading this article.