Will teenagers turn to Omega 5 oil for acne treatments in Spas?

The SF Chronicle reports that girls now approach spas for acne treatments

People often think of facials as something to do before a special occasion, like their wedding. Some may indulge occasionally, especially if they receive a gift certificate. Or never. Many remain facial virgins.

But a growing number of teenagers - both boys and girls - are getting facials as part of a healthy approach to skin care, or to address the kinds of skin problems teens used to entrust to dermatologists.

While only a small percentage of day spas offer teen facials, the ones we contacted that do say they make up 15 to 30 percent of their business, and the ratio of boys to girls who get them is 50-50. More teens in general are heading to spas than ever before, according to the International Spa Association, which estimates that nearly 4 million American teens went to a spa in 2006. And teen treatments aren't just good for taming hormonal skin issues. The association's Web site notes that they also cultivate long-term repeat business. Teens come in to deal with their acne but then are likely to go on to more expensive treatments.

"This generation of parents has found teen facials a great way to connect with their kids and help them cope with their skin issues," said Milan Knowles, vice president of day spa sales and marketing for SpaFinder Magazine. "If the problems are serious, they go to the dermatologist. But for skin maintenance, they can go to the spa for treatment."

Shonna Hall, the aesthetician at Majestic Day Spa in Oakland's quiet China Hill neighborhood near Lake Merritt, said her younger clients can be even more demanding than the adults.

"When adults come for a facial, they're mainly interested in a relaxing experience. When teens come, they want results," Hall said. "School picture day is coming up, or the prom, and they've got acne and want to get rid of it. Well, three days before the prom isn't going to help you much, but three months will."

A facial can't cure acne, but good skin care and a healthy diet and lifestyle can help control it, says Hall, who is also a professional model and takes exquisite care of her complexion. While her adult clients may just lie back and relax while being pampered, the younger ones will get a lesson in proper skin care. She teaches kids what their skin type is, what products are appropriate for that skin type and what substances and foods can trigger acne (some know that tortilla chips can, but many don't know that caffeine does, and they're gulping it down in soft drinks and at Starbucks every day). And she gives them a daily cleansing and moisturizing routine.

The mother of two teenage boys and an acne sufferer herself ("I never got it till I turned 30," she laments), Hall is intimately familiar with the frustration of blemishes popping up at just the wrong time on the face or back (what she calls "bacne"). And she knows the things in a teenager's life that can provoke breakouts: athletes' sweaty helmets and jerseys, grimy cell phones that cling to the side of the face, oily hair products that seep out to the face from the hairline, sharing makeup, using dirty makeup brushes. She has a warm and winning way with kids and is able to put them at ease while discussing an embarrassing fact of teen life.

Stacy Smith, an aesthetician at Sanctuary Spa at Bay Club Marin in Corte Madera, said she believes there is a link between increased awareness of skin cancer and the rise in teen facials. "As we all focus more on sun protection, and teens start to use the many good products there are on the market to protect their skin, facials are kind of the next step."

Yvonne Rehm, who has been doing teen facials at L Salon & Color Group in San Mateo for 3 1/2 years, said demand increases at certain times of the year, like the beginning of school and "when college gets out and my teenies come back to see me." And this year the trend is to use botanical skin care like Pomega5 and Tzerah. She says when teenagers have skin problems, they're more likely to come to a salon than the doctor.

"Adults run to dermatologists and buy tons of products. And they may have other factors affecting their skin, like stress, dehydration, aging, not sleeping enough," she said. "Teenagers may just be going through something with their hormones and need to learn how to keep their skin clean. They need to stop messing with their skin and just do what I tell them."

Joann Lim, manager of Yelena Day Refresh Spa on Geary Street above Union Square, estimates that 30 percent of Yelena's business is teen facials. Yelena concentrates on extraction and deep-pore cleansing and giving teens a daily regimen, and may see them once a month at first. "Then when their skin clears up, they may come less frequently," Lim says.

Gunilla Eisenberg at Gunilla Skin Butik on San Francisco's Union Street, who was voted "best facialist in town" by San Francisco magazine, does facials on kids as young as 11. She attributes the rise in teen facials to the fact that "people are becoming more holistic about skin care these days. I teach boys and girls about proper cleansing of the skin. They tend to use drying soap in hopes of having their skin clear up. I talk to them about how they need to keep their skin hydrated and balanced. It's a delicate age, and I can say things to them that their parents can't say."

Girls take what they've learned and do it at home on their own, says Hall of Oakland's Majestic Day Spa. "But boys are less likely to stick to a routine at home, so they ask their parents to bring them back. Once they see the results, they want to have it again."

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