This story was originally written for the Pagosa Brat. We have updated the content and links, but the information is timely and worth repeating.
Skin Care in your teens—by Lynne Killey of Queen Bee Sauce
In my esthetics practices in Pagosa Springs and Denver I see a number of teens with skin related issues. I have found that the biggest contributing factors to teen breakouts are often stress and hormones, not lack of proper care. There are, however, lots of things you can do to help keep your skin clean and clear.
Mineral Makeups
Great! Right? Almost everyone loves these high sunscreen, light, powdery products (myself included). The bad news is that they tend to leave small particles on the skin that you can see with a magnifying lamp. They attach to little dead skin cells and need to be either chemically or physically exfoliated to be removed. You can our face paste as a way to physically slough off the mineral residue along with a little dead skin. You want to stick with products that are mild (chemically) and for sensitive skin. Another great tool is called a Clarisonic Mia. They make Clarisonic facial brushes in 5 different handles with different price points, but recently they released an acne brush head that can be used with any of them. It is designed for sensitive and acne prone skin. We recommend the Mia (the least expensive model) and this new brush head for a great start to healthy long term skin care.
Understanding Acne
It is created by an inflammatory response of the body in connection to Propionibacterium acnes. Commonly called P-Bacteria or P Acne. So you want to address both the irritation and the cooties. Not just one or the other for long term healthy skin. This can be done simply with a little wipe or spritz of either Lavender, Tea Tree or Thyme essential oil diluted with water. They are all excellent bacteria fighters.
Breakouts
No one likes them, and have you ever noticed that they come up right before you are scheduled to have your picture taken? It’s not a coincidence; they are often stressed induced. Instead of worrying about them, try a few tricks. Use warm compresses to get them to come to the surface more quickly. Then use a lancet (ask your esthetician for a few to keep in bathroom) to make a small slice that will allow the bacterial and white blood cells to flush out the debris. Again warm cotton compresses applied directly are the answer to help drain it.
Why not squeeze the little bugger? Well, it seems like an easy solution; however, the motion of squeezing the skin will often push the bacteria or debris farther down into layers of skin and force it to spread outward, making the pimple bigger and more inflamed. You will notice if you try this method, the pimple seems to be there for weeks. Can be painful and can leave scars. Using a quick, but well placed cut allows the bacteria an escape path and allows the skin to heal up in a day or two.
Topical solutions
Natural toothpaste is often made with baking soda, which works well to help dry out the blemish. To spot treat a breakout, you can just dab undiluted essential oil directly on a blemish. At Queen Bee, we found a naturally occuring nut oil called Tamanu Oil We use Tamanu in our esthetics practice to treat the swelling, redness and potential scarring from problematic acne. It is incredibly high in both anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. It can be used as a spot treatment when the blemish is in active stage (where you can see discoloration) and to heal and help prevent scarring. It can be used a soothing, cooling masque with aloe vera too. It takes the redness out of skin more quickly than any other product we have tried.
Heat versus Cool
To bring a blemish up to the surface you need heat. All other treatments for acne should be cooling, soothing. You should try to avoid stimulating circulation in an affected area. It will allow the P Acne to spread. So you want to just dab topical treatments in the area.
Exfoliation
Physical exfoliation is anything scratchy. You can use lots of gentle products on your face including brown sugar or cornmeal, and I like my Javanese face paste (rice bran). You want to use something very gentle and include your hairline, neck and shoulder areas with physical exfoliation. These are all great to help prevent the buildup of dead cells which can clog the pores and create problems.
Chemical exfoliation is simple too. All the products you see that claim to be anti-aging include these chemicals. They are either alpha or beta hydroxyl acids. For younger skin I prefer beta hydroxyl acid or salicylic acid. It is molecularly larger so it sits more on the top of the layers of skin. I have two forms. One is in my organic liquid face wash called Fig Face Wash. This can be used daily or alternated with a non-exfoliating product like my Organic Lavender Foaming Face Wash. Salicylic acid in powder form is not widely known, but I find it to be more gentle and effective. My product is called Boost and I add it to the Face Paste for a three-times-a-week extra treat. The strongest form Queen Bee sells is a mild glycolic tonic. It can be used with cotton to wipe across skin to kill bacteria and help quicken the skin sloughing process. We recommend glycolic for teens that are very active. The sweat glands are little hair follicles and when we exercise hard they can become trapped. The glycolic dives deep into the layers of skin and breaks up the bonds holding the dead skin to the surface.
Quick Recipes for Facial Treats
Cucumber Mask
Make a tea using cucumber as your tea bag. Cut 2 big round slices that you will use to cover your eyes. Just cut up about half the cucumber. Place in a container that is safe for high heat. Now pour boiling water over it. After the water is infused with a strong scent of cucumber, you can strain it. Refrigerate the cucumber infused water until very cool (an hour in fridge or 5-10 min. in freezer). Then just use a clean fresh wash cloth and soak it in the cold liquid. Place the cucumber rounds directly on your eyes. Lie in a cool place with the wash cloth covering your face for 5-10 minutes. This a really great as a stress reliever and summertime home spa treat.
Lavender Love
Add 4-6 drops of lavender essential oil in about 1 tablespoon of cold aloe vera gel. Apply to your skin with a brush and allow it to remain on the skin for 3-5 minutes.
About the Queen Bee
Lynne Killey has been formulating a successful line of fresh from the kitchen skin care since 2003 in Pagosa Springs and Denver. Her products are sold all over the world. She lectures on safe skin care products and how to avoid harsh chemicals. The website Queen Bee Pagosa has white papers on the two most hazardous ingredients in common skin care products (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, a known skin irritant also used as a car engine degreaser, and Parabens, which has been linked to breast cancer). She hopes that by learning about fresh products you will be inspired to read and understand the labels and make better skin care choices. She has been featured in the Denver Post and many skin care magazines. She attended high school here in Pagosa Springs, graduating in 1983. She has travelled extensively and teaches classes once a quarter at the community center. You can meet her at the 4th of July arts and crafts fair down in the park, or call for an appointment. For a shopping cart and more information about the whole line of skin care products formulated and made here in Pagosa go to www.QueenBeeSauce.com
Queen Bee Skin Care is an organic skin care company that formulates and manufactures products in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. They have been selling specialty skin care items online for years, some of which have been featured in the Denver Post and Dr Oz’s popular daytime TV Show. We specialize in botanicals packed with phyto-nutrients that nourish the skin and spirit! For more information on Queen Bee products go to: www.QueenBeeSkinSpa.com and sign up for our blog. You can find Queen Bee on facebook too! To purchase your favorite organic skin care items, you can shop online at www.QueenBeeSkin.com or give us a buzz at 970-316-buzz.
