Encouraging compliance among teenage clients can be difficult, but especially when dealing with male-presenting teen clients. There can be several aspects at play that keep them a bit more distant and reserved, but there are different ways that allow for more ease of communication and better results. Firstly, communication is key with all clients, but especially when treating teen boys, it is important to convey expectations/routine/directions clearly and concisely and make a point to encourage questions and open communication, so as to make him feel like he is more in charge of his skin, and not just blindly following your advice.
Try and make his routine as streamlined and effective as possible, as long, overly complicated routines are easily dismissed and much less likely to be followed. It is important to remember that that when dealing with people one must work slowly to cultivate a relationship and earn your clients trust, especially with teen boys. Starting with a smaller routine and working up once they are starting to see results is one great example on how to do this.
Contribution by Stephanie Rae
Stephanie is, “just a small town girl, livin’ in a skin care world,” from Winona, MN. She has been an Aesthetician for ten years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience into her treatment room to obtain transformational skin care results on her clients. She looks beyond the physical appearance of the skin to treat her clients as a whole. Working with the client’s lifestyle, dietary choices, professional treatments and professional home care products help to gain the stunning transformations that have resulted in winning numerous International Awards including Aesthetitian of the year.
Stephanie owns Brilliant Bodywork Medspa in Onalaska, Wisconsin. Stephanie specializes in acne, anti aging, laser therapies, Reiki, oncology aesthetics and makeup artistry. In her free time, Stephanie is an avid volunteer with La Crosse, WI Oktoberfest and The Shriners Hospital for Children which has resulted in being awarded the presidential Point of Light Award and a Jefferson Award. She also enjoys traveling and nightly cuddles with her three dogs.
Another great way to help encourage compliance is to make sure to send a physical copy of his routine home and make it as fool-proof as possible and make it easy for him to answer his own questions. Teen boys tend not to want to ask questions and if they are unsure of their routine will likely just stop being compliant full stop before asking questions, so introducing a physical copy of his routine makes it easy for him to stay in charge.
Sports and extracurricular activities are other things to consider when dealing with teenage boys that come with a whole other set of conditions to consider. If he does sports either seasonally or year-round, it is important to take his time constraints into consideration, but also how his activities can impact his skin. Between an excess of sebum and sweat being produced, dirty equipment, and protein consumption, there can be many pitfalls that can shake up how compliant your client is. Firstly, adjusting his routine to something he can start immediately following his activity, even something as simple as toning his face, is immensely important and will help rid his skin of the sweat, oil, and dirt that accumulates during most sports and extracurricular activities. Another caveat is that doing it right away will help keep him from forgetting his routine once he settles for the evening.
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Secondly, considering the tools and equipment he might be coming into contact with is very important. Sports like wrestling and football that utilize helmets and other facial protective gear are easily forgotten when it comes to sanitizing, creating a breeding ground for bacteria that will set your client back and could cause him to be frustrated with a lack of progress. Even sports such as tennis or baseball, where one is holding their equipment, are easily forgotten, and after touching their bats or racquets and then touching his face will transfer oils and bacteria. Remind him to thoroughly clean all equipment and then sanitize with isopropyl alcohol before and after each use to limit the amount of bacteria coming into contact with his skin is absolutely essential and will help provide the best results.
As for protein consumption, it is important to remember with teen clients, and not just male-presenting ones, that many are consuming some sort of extra protein supplement for their sport or extracurricular. As seemingly innocent as this is, most protein powders are whey or peanut-based, both of which are huge acne triggers and can drastically set your client back, which in turn can cause them to lose faith in you as a professional through no fault of your own. Let him know that if he is consuming any protein supplements, whether it is shakes or bars that it is undoubtedly setting his progress back, and gently urge him to switch to a pea-based protein powder, which is just as effective as whey-based ones and will not trigger inflammation and congestion.
In conclusion, working with male teenage clients takes more patience and different tactics than you might usually use, however, with a bit of understanding and good communication, working with them is no more difficult than with any other client.
