Multi-step skincare routines. Expensive serums. Sephora hauls.
For tweens?
“Skin care is a hot topic,” says Jamie Cole, owner of Skin Deep Laser Spa in Strongsville. And social media has helped that interest grow among younger and younger ages.
Dr. Simee Malik, a pediatrician and a mother of three daughters, also has seen the growing popularity of skin care both in her Akron Children’s Mayfield Heights practice and at home.
To be clear, not every child is on board with the trend. Some still need encouragement to embrace the basics, but others have adopted 10-step routines that could be harmful.
Wherever a child lands on that scale, everyone should be washing their faces regularly and wearing sunscreen, Malik says. Tweens and teens who wear makeup and athletes, at least, need a gentle cleanser (if they’re young and not part of either of those groups, water alone may be fine, she said).
Malik cautions away from cleansers that focus on acne treatment or prevention for younger children. As children start entering puberty, those stronger cleansers may help. She suggests parents and children talk to a pediatrician before buying them or over-the-counter acne treatment products.
If a teen or tween’s sudden interest in skin care is coming from social media, parents should ask their children about what they’re watching and talk to them about the full picture behind those accounts: the prep, the bad days, the filters, the lighting. Parents don’t need to discount influencers their teens look up to, but they can give them context.
“Keep the conversation open,” Malik says.
Also, Malik wants teens to know that acne is normal, as their bodies go through the hormonal changes of puberty. She prefers the patches that have gained popularity as a way to cover and treat spots over harsh treatments like scrubs and some cleansers.
“Do not be mean to your skin is what I will tell kids,” she says. “Also, don’t scrub at it, don’t pick at it.”
The awareness of skin care at a young age is great, Cole says, but she is alarmed by the amount of misinformation out there. Some of these tweens and teens are buying products, like retinols, acids or peptides, which can hurt their skin, she says.
Cole is not a dermatologist, but she employs licensed estheticians at the spa who can support clients of all ages in finding the right products and approaches for them.
Seeing kids getting interested in skin care is a positive, Malik adds, because it encourages them to take care of their bodies. They often learn some cancer prevention at the same time. And it gives parents another way to talk to their kids about nutrition, and the importance of drinking water and getting the necessary nutrients.
“I would tell parents to look at skin care as more of a holistic response,” Malik says.
Cole sees it the same way. Getting kids into a regular skin care regime can set them up for success, and a focus on creating healthy skin could lead to other healthy habits, like making good nutrition choices, drinking plenty of water and getting enough sleep.
“You know, when you’re baking a cake, you need all of the ingredients, right, for it to rise and taste wonderful,” Cole says. “Well, the same holds true for beautiful skin. Yes, products matter. They’re important. But it’s also the other pieces of that equation.”
