Tag: Safeguard

Teens can now face up to acne better with Safeguard’s Derma Sense

Posted on by jane

Many times we think of teen-aged angst over pimples and acne as superficial — that teens are just going through a phase where they are simply overly concerned about fashion and how they look. I come from a family with good skin genes. And my kids don’t seem to have that much of a problem as yet. But there is always that ‘wrong’ moment when you need to go somewhere and a zit (pimple) appears. For teen-agers, when that moment comes, it can be very distressing. The damaging effects of acne and pimples go beyond the skin.

As the Mom of 4 kids, I have had my share of “MOM!!!!! I HAVE A PIMPLE!” moments. No amount of reassurance would do when that ugly zit reared its head, many times at the wrong time – just before a school affair or a party. They stare at it forever, fuss over how ugly they are and have the most difficult time avoiding touching it every so often or worse, pricking it.
Worse than simple pimples is the condition acne vulgaris, simply known as acne. In a white paper released by the Skin Health Alliance, acne in adolescents aged 15-25 years old were documented to be as high as 91%. Skin Health Alliance is an independent not-for-profit organization working with international dermatologists, researchers, scientists and industry with the common interest of promoting healthy skin.

Acne vulgaris
(photo taken from a white paper by David Khoo of Skin Health Alliance,
“Acne Vulgaris: Causes, Consequences and Potential Treatment”


But as a mother who has had to pass through my kids’ teen-age phase four times, I can say that the greater concern for me is not just the external look of acne and pimples but its more damaging and permanent effect INSIDE — the self-esteem of teens.

To be permanently or temporarily scarred on the face is probably one of the worse things that could happen in a teen-ager’s life. I’ve seen teen-agers with really bad acne and I think of so many scenarios that can affect them. Bullies, for example, have been known to pick on looks as an excuse to bully. Height, weight or facial features — they could pick their victim based on any of these reasons. And in our society where great importance is put on looks, a teen or young adult whose face is scarred with acne can suffer from serious loss of confidence whether he is in an organization or in a job. Dr. Susan Estanislao, a Counseling Psychologist from the De La Salle University Manila says, “There is probably no single disease which causes more psychic trauma, more maladjustment between parents and children, more general insecurity and feeling of inferiority and greater sums of psychic suffering than does acne vulgaris.”

I agree with Dr. Estanislao. This is why I have always tried to remind my children of the importance of a daily skin regimen such as washing the face thoroughly and removing all makeup before sleeping. From my own experience, I also know that sleep deprivation and excessive stress cause pimples so the better the quality of sleep and the less stress, the better the skin. Of course, a diet full of fruits and vegetables give the skin a healthy glow as well.

Now that we’re on the topic of skin care regimen, I also want to share a recent discovery at a media event. Safeguard, the body soap that I’ve used since I was single up to this day, has just recently released a product called Derma Sense – an anti-microbial facial soap that helps reduce levels of skin bacteria and acts as a preventive measurement against pimples and uncontrolled acne. Finally!!!

Derma Sense comes in two forms: liquid Face and Body Wash and solid Face and Body Bar. For both forms, they have two variants as well – one for sensitive skin and another for acne-prone skin. It contains 20% less soap and no additives or dyes, making it very tolerable and suitable for the face.

The different Derma Sense variants

I was actually surprised by the prices because they were quite reasonable. The smallest bar goes for only PhP 55. The bigger bar retails at PhP 75. The 200 ml body wash is PhP 99. And a 2-pack version of the small bar costs PhP 100 (saving you PhP 10). I’m happy about this because skin care should not be a privilege only for those who can afford more expensive treatments or dermatological consultations. If acne and pimples can be prevented early on, at an affordable price, more teens are likely to have much better skin and therefore, a more confident life.

Derma Sense is available at Watson’s and leading supermarkets.