Should Teens and Children Exfoliate Their Skin?

Exfoliation Exfoliating skin Myvenn American Academy of Dermatology Mechanical exfoliation chemical exfoliation

By Camille Hutchison , Parent Herald Nov 06, 10:23 am

Myvenn, a contributor to Discover Hub Pages, shared with the outlet that her 12-year-old daughter tends to develop dry skin from almost time to time most especially during the winter. Thus, she has a rough skin which the mother knows that exfoliating would help a lot in giving one's skin a healthy and youthful appearance. Hence, she wonders if exfoliating a child's skin is advisable.

When she went to a dermatologist, she was advised not to allow her child to undergo exfoliation. Adding that, although exfoliation is healthy and good for the skin of an adult, exfoliating the child's skin is not actually healthy for the child's skin. Moreover, excessive exfoliation or scrubbing too hard can terminate too much skin as well. It may also disrupt skin growth and has a minor effect on a child's face. She was also advised to keep exfoliating creams away from children.

When one exfoliates the skin, dead skin cells were instantly removed from the surface of the skin resulting in smoother and more beautiful skin. For adults, regular exfoliation or exfoliating once or twice a week is advised in order to keep the skin of an adult clearer, smoother, and healthier; Basically, kids don't need exfoliation since the natural process of old and dead skin cells being replaced regularly by fresh and new skin cells is always active.

Are teens allowed to exfoliate their skin?

Above all, a child's skin has not fully developed yet and is both still tender and growing. Thus, exfoliating agents particularly those harsh ones can easily impair the child's tender skin as well as harm the normal skin growth process and can eventually lead to skin issues such as blemishes, skin irritation, and unhealthy-looking skin.

Furthermore, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, there are two types of exfoliating. One is mechanical and one is chemical. Mechanical exfoliation uses a washcloth to exfoliate the skin, whereas, chemical exfoliation uses chemicals such as beta-hydroxy acids and alpha, to get rid of the dead skin cells.

Usually, the right age for exfoliation is as early as your teen years, from 14 onwards as this is the phase where the skin becomes imbalanced, making the skin a lot more oily than it was before. Such excess oil can eventually lead to skin problems such as spots, blackheads, and breakouts; By proper exfoliation, teens reveal a fresh and healthy layer of the skin. Exfoliation for teens can also help in getting rid of whiteheads and lessening the size of pores, per Ask Dr. Manny.

How often should teens exfoliate if they decide to?

The suggested exfoliation for teens is 2-3 days a week but no more than that due to the fact that excessively exfoliating can irritate and harm the skin regardless of what type of skin teens have. Exfoliating for teens does not only benefit the skin but also the face and different parts of the skin. Gentle body scrubs are the most recommendable scrub to use all over the body in order to terminate some of the dead skin that regular soap cannot remove.

However, teens especially those who have sensitive skin should bear in mind to first consider the ingredients used in a certain scrub if they will buy one. If they will only have mechanical exfoliation, avoid exfoliating too much to maintain beautiful skin.

ProCoal noted that for most, you can do exfoliation twice per week but is even further limited if you have sensitive skin.