There are millions of children all over the world that have perfect skin from age one — peaches and crème through ages 5-9 and suddenly beyond those age groups skin anomalies start to happen.
From age 12 on hormonal cascades kick into place and the hypothalamus gland, a bit like a radio antenna, starts relaying all the peer-group, hormonal and accelerated life-style stress that invades this young body—male as well as female. BOOM full-blown acne!
Which brings me to a question often asked me by parents over the last 5 decades “how soon should I put my children on skin care?”
Outside of treating things like baby rash or milia, I usually say a child at ages 4-6 should be made aware of sun damage and protection. We have kids in Australia where the solar rays are merciless that carry a bottle of Beta Gel and DMK Sunscreen in their lunch box or back packs.
Not only is a layer of Beta Gel under any of my sunscreens protective against DNA damage whereupon the insult is recorded permanently in the cells only to be played back negatively when they turn 40#, but it is like an Emergency Room in a bottle, great for scrapes, burns or other injuries that plaque kids on the play grounds or during sports activities!
Around age nine, little girls start to become young ladies! They are aware that Mom is a little paranoid of “looking too old” and observe the AM and PM rituals Mom goes through including the mysterious masque she puts on the day before she and the Father have a special occasion out or a house party!
Girls are much savvier and more sophisticated now days then when I was a boy in the 1950” s (everything was secret from kids then). It is not too far fetched to teach them the basic rules of how their skin works, how to support all its young, powerful defense mechanisms so that when they hit 30 they can literally deal with environmental and emotional stress and not really change appearance too much for the next 20-25 years (given genetic influence).
When I pose this possibility to young people they look at me in wonder, exclaiming “but is this possible?”
At this point I mention my age and the years and efforts I have put into “not changing too much” which often convinces them and their parents (who are footing the treatment bills) to start skin education early.
This also gives them a head start and control when they enter the acne phase that hits nearly everyone to some degree—those years of growth, social interaction and peer-groupism that can affect who and what they become later in life when they are ‘out of the nest” and on their own!
In a world orchestrated by the internet with often overwhelming information flooding the child’s brain and in the case of diversity in younger people and bullying early confidence training from outside in is now compulsory!
One of our top physicians, Dr. Andrey Sotnik of DMK Ukraine contends that acne has now become a pathology of children, not teenagers anymore!
Here we see his 9-year-old son Leo (aptly named because at nine he really is little Prince-like, one can imagine the King later) already getting black heads on his little nose and chin.
Dr. Sotnik regularly performs Enzyme One therapy on his boy followed by Herb and Mineral Mist, Beta Gel and solar damage Gel—not the full-blown DMK Acne treatment but more as a prophylactic against the disorder in advance.
The child is also an avid skier confronting extreme cold and direct sun glancing off the alpine slopes—so he protects his skin with Beta Gel, Transdermal sunscreen and Hydroloc in the morning before setting out on the snow.
I guarantee that Leo will not suffer acne vulgaris—even if he is in highly stressful situations as a teen, nor will his classically good skin texture change much until he is in his 50’s!
This control of a better life for the children is in the hands of parents everywhere now and DMK practitioner’s world wide are trained and happy to assist parents in implementing this globally.
This is nurturing WITH nature from an early age.