Spots
Nail polish remover, TCP and Deep Heat are just some of the remedies desperate teens are using to get rid of spots.
Today’s teenagers are putting themselves at risk by using harmful products such as nail polish remover, TCP and even Deep Heat in an attempt to remedy troublesome spots and acne, new research shows.
The survey by Simple revealed that almost nine in ten teens (89%) will try anything in their quest for perfect skin.
Teenagers as young as 13 admit to using nail polish remover, TCP and other hard spirits like vodka on their face. Others are using a harsh cleanser before jumping on a sun-bed for an intense session, or use combinations of ice and muscle relief creams like Deep Heat – hoping the searing heat will clear their spots.
Yet many are unaware they could be causing irreparable, long-term damage to their skin – the body’s biggest organ - by applying such products, which are not designed for the face, straight onto raw, irritated and sometimes broken skin.
Nail polish remover for example can blind if it gets in your eye and can do serious damage to your internal organs if swallowed. While exposing raw flesh to sun-beds and sunlamps is one of the surest ways to increase the risk of skin cancer.
The results are extremely worrying, according to Simple’s Consultant Dermatologist, Dr Susie Morris, who says: “Young people need to be educated that these extreme measures will not only exacerbate their skin problems now, but in later life, when the damage to the skin, particularly from sun-beds becomes more evident and skin begins to age prematurely. This will result in age-spots and wrinkles etc. Also these very harsh treatments, particularly products such as TCP will actually irritate the skin so much that the skin will react by producing even more oil and the acne will get worse. Although the spot may improve initially the result is damage to the epidermis and worsening of acne.”
In a bid to educate teenagers on safe skincare methods, the UK’s youngest Board of Skincare Advisors, consisting of 12 young people aged between 12 and 16 years, has been set up with the aim of dispelling these dangerous skincare myths.