Lemonade. Brains on Universe. You're listening to Brains On, where we're serious about being curious. I'm your host Molly Bloom, and my co-host today is Declan from Mill Valley, California. Hi, Declan. Hey, Molly. Today, we're sharing with you part of an episode from our new special series, Brains On Universe presents Puberty the Podcast. You can subscribe where we post our latest videos. This is an excerpt covering stuff that anyone of any age might be interested in. Last week, we answered, what's puberty anyway? Today, we're going to start talking about some physical things you might notice changing. Your skin, your sweat, and your body hair. Our listeners have a lot of questions about these topics. My question is, what's the most important thing that you can do to help you get to know your audience? Our listeners have a lot of questions about these topics. My question is, why do adults have hair where kids don't? My question is, why do armpits stink? How does acne work? What's the difference between a white head or a black head and a blemish? And why do you get more acne when you're a teenager? I want to know why when you pop pimples, white stuff comes out. We know this is a big topic for all of you, and thanks to those listeners for sending in those questions. And before we get to answering them, remember, Everyone will have a slightly different experience of puberty. There's a big range of what's normal. So don't worry if your journey isn't exactly what we described today. Now let's jump to it. Skin, sweat, and hair. Skin, sweat, hair. That's not the only time we're going to hear that in this episode, is it? Absolutely not. We can hear it again right now. Skin, sweat, hair. There's a stage that your body goes through sometime between ages 5 and 10. Typically a few years before puberty even starts, where you might start to see little changes occur. You might sweat more, you might stink more, you might have more hair pop up. The skin in your face might change too. It might get oilier, or you might see pimples, and you might notice that your hair is getting dirty faster than before. Think of these early changes like a preview for bigger changes to come. These signs on the outside of your body tell us that things are changing inside your body. These hair and skin changes start when a part of your body called the adrenal glands begins to make a new hormone. It's hormones. Like we mentioned last episode, your body has been making different hormones all your life. The adrenal glands are two small, triangle-shaped organs that sit right on top of your kidneys in your lower back. They're one of the places your body makes hormones. And hormones are just chemical messengers that help your body know what to do. Your adrenal glands make hormones that help you deal with stress and manage what's going on in your blood, among other things. So, when your skin and hair changes start, like me, that's because your adrenal glands have started making a type of hormone called an androgen. One androgen hormone you've probably heard of is testosterone. Everybody has testosterone, and it stimulates hair growth and skin changes in all kids. It also helps bodies grow bigger. A lot of the changes in skin and hair can be traced back to it. Let's dig a little deeper into what's going on with skin. Declan, have you had experience with skin issues? Yes. Freshman year of high school, my skin was completely clear. And then the second semester of my ninth grade year, I noticed that pimples started forming. And I started freaking out, but instead of going to a skin doctor, the dermatologist, I tried to treat it on my own. And I used too many skincare products that I bought online way too quickly. And I think that actually made my skin stuff worse. And it still hasn't fully gone away today, although I went to a dermatologist and they prescribed me medicine for it. But I wish I'd gone to my parents sooner because those pimples can lead scars if you don't talk to the doctor about it. Totally. And remember, whether you've experienced these changes or not, it's all normal. We chatted with some other teens about their experiences with pimples and acne. And here's what they said. When I was younger and I watched my sister get acne and stuff, I was kind of jealous of her. I really wanted a pimple because I felt that meant that I was a grown-up. And so I would get a scratch on my face or some sort of random bump. I'd be like, is this a pimple? Is this a pimple? Is this it? And then now that I'm older, I definitely struggle with acne and I wish I didn't have acne. It's fine to have acne. It's normal. It's part of being a teenager. I had acne 16 to 18, tons of people go on medications for it. Something I wish I'd known sooner was you don't need to be putting tons of stuff on your skin. It's more about dealing with it from within, drinking lots of water and eating healthy. Like our friends Declan, Leo, and Serena, you might have already experienced pimples or acne. Somewhere between 85 and 95% of all kids across the globe will have it at some point. I definitely did. One of the reasons it happens is because the skin on your face is producing more oil. If the gland is filled with too much oil, dead skin cells, or bacteria, that can cause swelling, a.k.a. a pimple or a zit. When your immune system notices that bacteria are stuck in your clogged pore, it sends in white blood cells to fight them. This causes inflammation, which is why pimples can sometimes turn red and feel sore. So what do we do about acne? I am so glad you asked. If you wash your face and your body with soap regularly, face should be twice a day. It'll kick off anything that'll plug the pore, so it'll prevent acne from forming that way. And it reduces the load of bacteria that live on the skin. That's Dr. Cara Natterson. You heard her in the first episode. She's a pediatrician who's written lots of books about puberty, including The Care and Keeping of You. She also makes a podcast about puberty for grown-ups called This is So Awkward. She says washing your face twice a day is the best first defense against zits. But if you over scrub and over irritate, then the immune system gets triggered, and it can actually make your acne worse. So gentle wash twice a day. And Cara has another piece of advice. So the best pimple advice I can give is do not pop pimples. Ooh, that advice is easy to give, but hard to follow. Pimple popping can be really tempting, but be strong. If you pop a zit, what you've done is you've created a bigger hole in the skin surface. There are these teeny tiny microscopic holes where the pores open up on the skin. But when you pop a pimple, there's a much bigger opening. That opening gives bacteria a bigger entry to get into the skin. And that can lead to an infection, which can lead to scarring. So that pimple that's going to be there for a couple of days could turn into a scar that's going to be there for your whole life. So try not to pick. That's why some people use pimple patches to cover the spot and stop them from picking at it. But what about other trendy skincare products? It feels like we get so many mixed messages on this. Yeah, like buy all these fancy face products. Wait, don't buy all these fancy face products. Here's cars take. Less is more, generally speaking. We know that gentle cleansers with no colors, no perfumes, very few additives, those are the best tolerated by the skin for everyone. We know that moisturizing the skin is really important, but a moisturizer that has less stuff in it is more likely to agree with your skin. Some kids might need special medicines or powerful creams to help control acne. That's cool. A doctor can help you find the right stuff. So don't be shy about asking them. And if you're feeling the pull from that fancy makeup store, that's probably because they are good at selling stuff. Do you really need a haul from Sephora? No. Do you really need what all of those products are promising? No. Do you even know what's inside those products? Frankly, no. Cosmetic products have a lot of additives that are not listed. It's confusing for kids. I think it's confusing for adults too. But in general, most physicians feel like less is more. So most people only really need a gentle face cleanser and a simple face moisturizer cream. That's it. Bonus, if that moisturizer has sunscreen in it too. Thanks for the tip, Cara. We have so much left to cover in this episode. But first, it's time for... Word of the Day. Today's Word of the Day is sebum. Sebum. Sebum. Sebum is the oily substance produced by the sebaceous glands in your skin. The good part about sebum is that it helps keep your skin moist, fights off infections, and can help cuts and scrapes heal faster. Sebum. Sebum. Sebum. Word of the Day. We're going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back to talk about sweat and hair. So stick around. Do you have more questions about puberty? Send them to us, because we're doing a bonus episode of this series to answer your most burning questions. Is there a topic you want to know more about? Advice for body stuff or friend stuff? Get in touch. Send your questions at BrainsOn.org. And you might hear an expert answer them. That's BrainsOn.org. Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! and I still get BO now, I still sweat a lot now, and that's why it's so important to use deodorant, shower and keep up with your hygiene. My mom always grew up with body odor and she said she was bullied for it, so she was always making sure I was in check as a kid. But also as a kid, I had way too much fun in the deodorant aisle because as a kid, I was too young for perfume, so I sort of treated that like my perfume. I like sniffed each scent, I was layering different flavors and everything, so I was having too much fun with it, but I guess it was good because no one was calling me smelly. As you start puberty, you'll probably notice that you sweat more than you did when you were a little kid. And that your sweat might smell stinkier than before. You can sweat for many reasons, like running around, being in a hot environment, or even big feelings like anger or nervousness. But you might be wondering why your sweat is suddenly so funky, and not in the musical way, but in a stinkical sense. Your sweat is actually changing. It's greasier and thicker. It has more proteins and fats in it than it used to, but the smell isn't from the sweat itself. Sweat is pretty odorless by itself, but natural bacteria living on your body eat that sweat, and that's where the stink begins. Here's Dr. Karen Adderson again. The bacteria actually eats the protein that's in the oil, and it metabolizes it, and then it farts it out. Like literally that is what happens when bacteria consume the sweat on your skin. And that is how we get body odor. Tiny bacteria farts, and it comes out of the armpits, it comes off the feet, it comes, frankly, in any part of the body that has a combination of greasy sweat and enclosure. Think of it like any place on your body that's usually covered up, like feet surrounded by socks, or an armpit surrounded on all sides by skin and clothes. These are places that trap humidity, trap moisture, and as a result, your smell increases because the bacteria just feast off of that moisture. So what do we do about sweat? I am so glad you asked three things. The first is, air everything out. With feet, you can take your shoes and socks off, but wait until you're home. It's not a do it on the bus or in class type of thing. Armpits are really hard to air out, right? Because they hang by our sides, and so it's not as easy to air them out all day. But airing out really makes big difference. So maybe wear a tank top after school or during sports. So that's the first body odor busting tip. Here's the next one. Wash with soap. Because soap physically kicks off the bacteria that are eating the oils and proteins in the sweat that are causing that smell. Now they come back every 24 hours or so. So wash every day if you can. But also know that some kid's skin can't tolerate a shower every day. That's okay, but those areas that are hot and sweaty and trap a lot of moisture, you should definitely wash those areas every 24 hours. And the third tip? Deodorant or antiperspirant. And these work differently. So antiperspirant is anti against perspiring, sweating. So basically antiperspirant makes us not sweat as much. So if you use antiperspirant, you'll sweat less, and there will be less oil for those bacteria to consume. And less oil for the bacteria means less smell for you. Deodorant just deodorizes. It just neutralizes the smell. Many people use stuff that's both an antiperspirant and a deodorant, and that can work really well for some. Keep in mind body odor is a sensitive thing for most people. And usually people don't tell other people they smell because they're afraid of being rude. But sometimes you can be doing someone a big favor by letting them know that they've got BO. Because most people don't wanna walk around smelling bad. You know, if your parent is telling you or someone is telling you, hey, go take a bath, go take a shower. I think of that as a kindness because they're telling you something that you can't really know yourself unless you're willing to go there. To learn more about what's happening to your skin during puberty, you can find more in our special series, Just Search for Brains on Universe Presents, Puberty, the podcast. And if you wanna learn more about the history of pimple patches and other skincare, head to Forever Ago. There's an awesome episode all about it called Bird Poop Facials and Toilet Masks, Skin Care of the Past. And if you have any questions or ideas to share with us, you can always do that at brainson.org slash contact. Now it's time for the brains on our roll. These are the incredible kids who keep the show going with their questions, ideas, mystery sounds, drawings, and high fives. Noble from Takorati Ghana. Edda from Coon Rapids, Minnesota. Alaina from Guilford, Connecticut. Gabriel and Henry from Denver, Colorado. Lea of Chalvi and Ytzi from Jerusalem. Amelia from Farmington, Minnesota. Nathaniel from Boston. Brooklyn and Landon from Ottawa. Oliver from Half Moon Bay, California. Gwen from Chicago. Avery from Gatton, O'Coback. Ava and Jonah from Woodbury, Minnesota. Logan from St. Albert, Alberta. Tessa from Oregon City. Brooks from Meekwon, Wisconsin. Connor from Fairhaven, New Jersey. Ava from Dallas, Texas. Leo from Lafayette, Colorado. Gweny and Judson from Los Angeles. Andrew from Fuqua, Vareen in North Carolina. Daniela from Stephenson Ranch, California. Anna from Baltimore. Adrian from San Francisco. Rudy from Brighton, United Kingdom. Tim from Georgetown, Ontario. Everly from Pasadena, California. Ivy from Orlando, Florida. Jacob from Warner, Robbins, Georgia. Tessa from Verona, Wisconsin. Ava from Melbourne, Australia. Maria and Sophia from Elkridge, Maryland. Harrison from Adelborough, Massachusetts. Amari and Desmond from Silver Spring, Maryland. Ren from Chicago. Grayson from Regina, Saskatchewan. Roslyn from Sandusky, Ohio. Hugo from Frankfurt, Germany. Raelyn and Jesse from Bloomington, Indiana. Alma and Camila from Boston. Henry and Sammy from Ladysmith, British Columbia. Darren from Rancho Santa, Margarita, California. Isaac from Victoria, British Columbia. Claire from Huntersville, North Carolina. Reina from New Delhi. Micah from Croton on Hudson, New York. Maggie from Chattanoon, New Jersey. Everett from Oak Ridge, New Jersey. Araya from Butner, North Carolina. Sophie from Hong Kong. Ada from Brooklyn, New York. Quinn from Vancouver, British Columbia. Lila and Horatio from Phuket, Thailand. Hudson from Durham, North Carolina. Atlas, Asa and Alexander from Dallas, Texas. Ava from Evanston, Illinois. And Owen from Anthem, Arizona. The Braves are all my thighs. Next week, we'll be back with an episode all about growing. Thanks for listening.
