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The ‘Kylie’ effect seems to have worn off
And younger cancer patients can find doctors totally unsympathetic when dealing with the horrible side effects of cancer drugs on your skin.
These side effects make teens and twenties skin care even more of a problem. But don’t worry, a company called Elemis have come to the rescue.
No-one wishes cancer on anyone, but when Kylie Minogue was unlucky enough to develop breast cancer, inadvertently she did a lot to help other women in their twenties and thirties.
These are the women who belong to the “you’re too young” generation; with cancer left untended, often for years, before a doctor would take them seriously.
When Kylie got cancer, she says she suspected something was wrong, but doctors said she was too young; how wrong could they be.
Her case with its massive publicity formed a wake-up call to stick-in-the-mud medics, who go by the ‘age’ rule book. Thanks to her and publicity surrounding her case, young women found it easier to convince doctors they knew their own bodies.
And were given access to tests far earlier than had been the case before.
Now, some doctors are showing signs of having forgotten what happened,, and being dismissive when younger patients come with fears – but if this happens to you just stamp your platform shoes and INSIST on tests.
But – however young or old you are, you still get the side effects, and one of the most distressing is horrid skin – particularly when you are young and want to party.
For anyone who is undergoing hospital treatment, for cancer or any other condition, doctors are often dismissive of your skin problems. They will treat you for the condition, but haven’t a clue what to do when your skin looks years older – it goes grey and lifeless – and you feel everything’s against you.
Even if your health is good, you can still have problems when partying and having fun – so these tips might help.
Ultimate treat for young skin
Elemis have taken on board that young skins suffer – from cancer drugs or day-to-day living and trying to combine earning a living and partying.
They have come up with the Freshskin range: specially made for teens and twenties (and even thirties), it has everything you need to keep your skin soft, and help zap scratchy, itchy out-of-condition dry skin. And packaged the range up in a fun way.
Freshskin Party Princess collection of face masks and treats brings together small treats so you can get the girls round before a night out to indulge in masks and facials; including an exfoliating face wash and Softly Softly moisturiser for you, the package comes out a tiny £10.
But for the ultimate pampering collection (start thinking up hint hints), look for the polka dot vanity case containing everything a girl can need, from face wash to pampering body treats – all for £99.
Elemis are a British company (hurrah!) who spend time and money on research and developing skincare that is right for today. When they showed off Freshskin to a group of beauty writers, everyone was crowding round to try it out. 
But they are keen that we adopt sensible ‘beauty rules’, and here are some of their tips – with additions from me, who was never one to take the long way to skincare – if I could hurry things up!
Going out from the office
If you are going to have to dress in the back of a taxi (black cabs are the best for this), get down on the floor (sit on a newspaper), make sure you can’t make eye contact with the cabbie, and always take a fairly loose dress to change in to – skin tight dresses are no-no in this situation.
Try to time things so that you are in a jam when you start your strip-tease, otherwise you can be rolling around on the floor if your cabbie decides to sprint past a line of cars.
Just watch out for surrounding traffic – and remember lorry drivers and those on the top deck of double deckers can look down into the back of your cab: I once entertained 70 people on a double-decker bus when I chose to change in a traffic jam.
Just make sure your undies can go from day to night – changing bras is not a good idea in this situation.
Cheating
OK – yeah yeah – all sorts of things are bad for your skin, but we all do them, and survive. As long as you don’t make a habit of it.
If you have a good routine of cleanse-tone-moisturise (Elemis make teen-and-twenty friendly products in their Freshskin range), it won’t hurt to – carefully – put make-up on top of your day stuff.
Although I never managed to put false eyelashes on in a taxi – I used to make a dash for the Ladies when I arrived to put finishing touches.
Leaving make-up on after a party
Don’t you dare do this more than once a week – I MEAN IT.
Face wipes are not good for your skin, but if you use the Freshskin ones they are less harsh. Before you go out on the town, leave a pack by your bed, then when you arrive home at umph-o’clock, it’s easy to grab a wipe and give your face a quick wipe-over (saves the pillow).
Night time is when your skin has a chance to repair and regenerate and it can’t do that if your pores are blocked up by a nice mix of sweat, dirt and make-up. That said, don’t believe the urban myth that sleeping in make-up for a night will age your skin 7 days (or 7 years, in the exaggerated version). It’s just scare-mongering. As long as you don’t make a habit of it, your skin will survive.
Doing zero exercise
If you’re not managing to squeeze in much exercise, facial massage can help you fake a just-back-from-my-run glow. Instead of just slapping on your moisturiser, give yourself a circulation-boosting facial by massaging the cream firmly into your skin, making circular movements over your cheeks and forehead, and upward strokes from your jawline. This will bring fresh oxygenated blood to your skin to give it the same healthy glow as exercise does.
Sadly it won’t get rid of a muffin top though… but an energetic stint on the dance floor is good exercise, especially if you have lots of arm movement.
Skimping on sleep
If a few too many late nights have made your eyes puffy, don’t bother with the teabags and cucumber slices. (I mean, seriously, who wants to lie around with bits of vegetable on their face?) Just keep your eye cream in the fridge and you’ll get the same de-puffing benefits, without the mess.
Another trick that lots of models use is to sleep on an extra pillow so that your head is slightly raised – it allows any swelling to drain so prevents under-eye bags. And if you can afford it, silk pillows can avoid creases you get from ordinary pillows.
Getting stressed
Ever noticed that when you’ve got exams or a deadline, your skin goes completely haywire? Yep, you can thank stress for that spot on your forehead.
To minimise the impact of stress on your skin, set aside fifteen minutes a week to chill out with some tunes and a detoxifying face mask. It’s a double whammy – having a break for some pampering will help you unwind, and the mask will deep clean your pores to stop spots in their tracks. Even better if you can lie on the floor with your legs raised against the wall. Sorted.
For regular life-style tips, follow Elemis Freshskin on Facebook.com/elemisfreshskin and Twitter @elemisfreshskin.
After Cancer 