Help! Presentation on acne coming up!!!

I have been offered a wonderful opportunity. The local high school has asked me to do a presentation on acne and skin health/care for their Health Ed classes. But it's a 90 minute class! I can't imagine, short of doing a song and dance, how I am going to keep 30 16-year-olds interested for that amount of time. I won't be doing a power-point, just talking and giving a variation on Face Reality's Facts You Need to Know to Stay Clear sheet as a hand-out. I'm permitted to spend a couple of minutes on self-promotion, but the rest of it's to be education.

Argggg!

Has anyone done something like this? Suggestions, please!

Thanks a million.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Deborah Kenney on October 4, 2012 at 1:24pm

How about doing 1 or 2 acne demo facials, maybe on teachers as I guess the kids would need perm. from a parent. A little history on skincare. Maybe have a question/answer session towards end. Have something made up to go by if they aren't talking, since they may be shy-especially the ones that are suffering. Even if they won't ask the questions they might want to hear them. Let them out early! I agree it's an awesome opportunity. I'm sure you'll get some really good suggestions. Best of luck.

Permalink Reply by Brenda Griffin on October 4, 2012 at 1:32pm

@Mary Lou, wow, how fortunate you are. I have tried to get into the school health classes here with no luck. YOU GOT THIS! You need to engage them. Have them be part of it by asking questions and starting a conversation. The time will fly by. They will start to share their stories and your answers will provide everything you want to share. Ask a question such as "has anyone ever had......." They might be a bit shy at first because no one wants to talk about their acne in front of everyone else. Also, I would provide basic skin care guidelines for anyone, proper care of your skin, sunscreen, etc. I would actually sart with this and get into the acne in the middle.

I prepared an outline for myself on this. First part was Healthy Skin, second part was Understanding Acne.

Let us all know how it goes.

Permalink Reply by Laura Cooksey on October 4, 2012 at 2:08pm

Hi Mary Lou,

I'm sending you the outline of a presentation I gave on Powerpoint:

You could easily turn this into 45 minutes.

Common Myths about Causes of Acne

It is not related to:

Eating too much chocolate or greasy foods

Cleanliness

Sex (or lack of it)

It is not just a teenage problem

What is Acne?

Other Causes of Acne

Drugs –

Lithium, Thyroid Medications, Corticosteroids, Anticonvulsants

Chemicals –

Agent Orange, Chlorinated Industrial Chemicals, Dioxin

Pregnancy

Exacerbating Variables

Diet –

Foods High in Iodides

Foods High in Androgen Hormone

Stress

Hormonal Fluctuations

Drugs, Medications

Cosmetics, Skin Care Products

Fabric Softeners

Swimming Pool Disinfectants

Common Treatments for Acne

Antibiotics

Retin A

Proactiv and it’s copycats

Accutane

Blue Light (Led) and Blue/Red Light (LED) Therapy

Photodynamic Therapy with Light

Laser – pulsed dye, diode, fractal

Inflamed Acne

What It Is and
How to Manage It

Example of Inflamed Acne

Traits of Inflamed Acne

Redness, blotchiness

Pimples, pustules, whiteheads, blackheads

Possibility of cysts

Hot to the touch

Excessive oil

Skin very sensitive

Skin very reactive to products

How to Manage Inflamed Acne

Non-inflamed Acne

What It Is and

How to Manage It

Example of Non-Inflamed Acne

Traits of Non-Inflamed Acne

Dull sluggish appearance

Bumps/whitehead/blackheads

“Pebbly” appearance to the skin

Some pimples

Excessive oil

Tissue congestion

Skin generally not sensitive

Skin generally not reactive to products

How to Manage Non-Inflamed Acne

Same as inflamed, but much stronger products and more focus on exfoliation

Use of a manual scrub for cleansing

Strong exfoliants such as glycolic acid, mandelic acid, vitamin A Proprionate

Use of benzoyl peroxide

Increased usage, frequency and/or potency as skin adapts to products

Keep skin hydrated and balanced

What Can Be Done in a Clinic

Exfoliation treatments to facilitate clearing of acne by use of enzymes and chemical peels

Extractions done correctly

Help to balance and hydrate the skin if dehydrated from using strong products

Help coach client in next steps in homecare

Things You Can Do Today to Keep Acne From Getting Worse

Avoid high intake of iodides and high androgen–containing foods (see handout)

Get enough sleep

Supplementing with anti-inflammatory Zinc Monomethionine-brand Optizinc.

Check all makeup, hair and skin care products for pore-clogging ingredients (see handout)

Stop using fabric softener in washer and dryer

For women – avoid low-estrogen birth control pills

Rub ice on acne lesions to lessen inflammation

Before and After Pictures
Non-Inflamed Acne with Hyperpigmentation

Before and After
Inflamed Acne

Before and After
Non-Inflamed Acne

Before and After
Inflamed Acne

Permalink Reply by Mary Lou Coleman on October 4, 2012 at 5:19pm

These are wonderful suggestions! Thanks so much. I love the idea of engaging them with questions so it's not all just me doing the talking, but they are very reluctant to chime in. I found this out last week - sorry, Brenda, to rub it in - when I was speaking to the Health Ed classes at a different high school. In that case, it was only 45 minutes, and I felt I kept the momentum going well enough. But 90 minutes? That intimidates me.

Thanks so much, Laura, for the outline...

Permalink Reply by Jacque O on December 14, 2012 at 3:32pm

Laura, this is a smooth flowing outline. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!