FOR most teenage girls, looks are incredibly important.

With the constant bombardment of images of glamorous celebrities, it is easy for teenagers to become consumed by vanity.

So how do you ensure that young girls, and boys, are made aware of the importance of good skincare, without turning them into selfobsessed monsters?

The answer lies in one of the Government’s newest subject areas, personal, social and health education (PSHE). Now when I was at school, the only place to get information about make-up, skincare, relationships and sex was by picking up one of the numerous teen magazines stacked on newsagents’ shelves.

However, now all that information is available under one umbrella – PSHE – delivered in the classroom.

When the Government first introduced PSHE lessons, I thought, “good idea”. Teenagers need to learn about sex and relationships, drugs and alcohol, and citizenship.

I didn’t imagine that it would go so far as to cover skincare. But apparently it does, and so I caught up with a group of girls at St Mary’s Convent School in Worcester to find out what they had learnt and whether it had been valuable.

During the lesson the girls were given an expert insight into holistic therapies as well as advice on skincare and a demonstration in facial massage from Day Spa Droitwich.

Deputy headteacher Carole Howe, who is responsible for PSHE, said: “The Day Spa Droitwich’s programme was devised to deliver a thoroughly stimulating, enjoyable and meaningful learning activity, which not only engaged our students, but was highly scientific and informative.

“We view PSHE as a very important facet of the school’s curriculum and engaging with employers in our community and encouraging them to come into school and share knowledge with our students, help to contextualise business in the classroom in a far more meaningful way.”

During the session, spa therapist Victoria Warwick-Jones treated one of the girls to a facial and a massage, while explaining the complexities of the skin and the various ways to care for it.

“I didn’t realise it was so complex and scientific,” said one of the pupils, 16-year-old Sinead Halpin-Barnett.

“It was really useful to find out what we should be doing to care for our skin.”

The girls also took part in a skincare quiz to find out how much they had learnt.

Charlotte Pugh, aged 17, said: “I think it was really good to have someone come in and talk to us about this. It’s something you perhaps would generally just learn through magazines or the TV, but to have a professional come and explain everything is much better.”

Day-Spa Droitwich is hoping to roll out its educational skincare programme to other schools in the area. Owner and manager Veronica Parkes, said: “A balanced diet, hydration and a good skincare routine is also important for today’s young people who have so many pressures with exams and temptations to lead an unhealthy lifestyle.”

The session wasn’t just a chance for the girls to learn about skincare, it was also an opportunity to take a look further into a career they may not previously have considered.

“There are so many misconceptions about the health and beauty business and that it’s all about make-up and nail extensions,” said Ms Parkes.

“Real beauty comes from within.

The therapies on offer these days are so much more scientific and devised to help slow down the aging process.

“Highly sophisticated scanning technology, identifies areas of the skin that need special care and highlights the dangers of damaging and aging lifestyle habits to be avoided, such as smoking and unprotected exposure to the sun.

These are things that can cause permanent damage, particularly to a young skin.”

Although none of the girls I spoke to was specifically looking at beauty therapy as a career, they said the session had given them a real insight into the profession.

“There is a lot more to being a beauty therapist than I had realised,” said 17-year-old Louisa Sandy. “It certainly sounds like an interesting career.”

Catherine McPherson, 17, said: “I found it particularly useful as I want to be an actress, so it was good to learn about how to look after your skin properly.”

PSHE covers a range of topics, and although taking time out of the school day to learn about skincare might seem a little pointless to many parents, it does help to ensure young people are leaving school as wellrounded individuals with a knowledge of all aspects of life.