10 hours ago
Skin Care Routines Can Cause Teens More Harm Than Good
Mary Margaret Gorman is no stranger to the skin care trends of teenagers.
As the mother of two adolescent daughters, she said she noticed face masks becoming popular birthday party favors and gifts among her daughters' friends a few years ago.
'They each have probably three times the skin care products that I have,' said Gorman, who lives in New Orleans.
Largely driven by viral videos on social media, elaborate skin care routines have become a craze among teenagers and even children. Social media videos walk people through 12-step routines that often include applying toners, cleansers, and moisturizers meant for adult skin. But dermatologists are warning these products offer little to no benefit for youth and can even be harmful.
Researchers from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, recently published findings from an analysis of 100 skincare videos from content creators between the ages of 7 and 18 years. Products often included ingredients like citric acid and glycolic acid, which can lead to sun sensitivity and irritation. Only one quarter of daytime routine videos included products with sunscreen.
One of the most common ingredients was hydroxy acid, which can treat acne. But for teens without the skin condition, the risk for allergic contact dermatitis outweighs potential benefits, the researchers reported in Pediatrics.
Deirdre Hooper, MD, dermatologist at Audubon Dermatology in New Orleans, said she has seen her preteen and teen patients, and her own daughter, adopt 'complex, multistep regimens that are being promoted by social media and not by board-certified dermatologists.'
At best, the products are usually a waste of money, Hooper said. (The average cost of skincare regime in the Northwestern study, for example, was $168, but one exceeded $600.)
'When you are young, you have such good natural protection and resilience to your skin, you don't need to buy a bunch of products,' Hooper said.
More Harm Than Good
Many products designed for adult skin are too potent for younger people.
Products that contain hydroxy acids, such as popular ingredients like glycolic or lactic acid, are chemical peels meant to strip older skin but are too harsh to be used on adolescent skin, Hooper said.
Most retinol is also not medically necessary or appropriate for people younger than age 20, since these products are meant to build collagen to reduce wrinkles, not a problem most teens have, said Amina Ahmed, MD, pediatrician at Stanford Children's Health South Bascom Pediatrics in Los Gatos, California.
While some products are too harsh for younger skin, others, including moisturizers meant for older skin, are too thick and can easily clog pores in adolescents who naturally produce more sebum as a result of hormonal changes, Ahmed said. Layering products can have the same effect.
Many of Ahmed's patients also have conditions such as perioral dermatitis, which appears as a red rash on the face and can be the result of a disrupted skin microbiome.
'Sometimes all these products upset the natural pH and microbe balance, which can make you more susceptible to things like dermatitis,' she said, noting that when patients stop using too many products, dermatitis usually goes away.
Personal care products containing fragrance or preservatives are also a source of allergic contact dermatitis, which can lead to the development of allergies to these ingredients. In the Northwestern study, half of products featured in videos contained added fragrance.
Another ingredient from one of the TikTok videos was a vitamin C serum, an antioxidant that can help protect the skin from pollution and sun damage, but is not necessary for young skin, Hooper said.
'If you try an antioxidant and it doesn't irritate your skin, it's OK with me as a morning routine. But the ones I know work are expensive, and I don't think I would recommend it to kids because they don't need them,' she said.
Which Skin Care Products Should Teens Use?
Both Ahmed and Hooper said that, like most things related to health, skin care is not one-size-fits all.
'A lot of patients think, if it works for my friend, it should work for me. But everyone's skin type is different; you may be using something that is causing more acne on your face,' Ahmed said.
But teens should follow some general guidelines. Ahmed said all young people should put on sunscreen in the morning and wear it throughout the day, especially if kids are playing sports outside.
'Most sun damage happens when you're young,' she said.
And teens can use a gentle cleanser — but just one.
Twelve-step routines 'usually have multiple cleansers. They don't need to do all of that, they just need a mild cleanser to remove the excess sebum and dirt from their faces,' Ahmed said.
Hooper said if the skin is dry, kids and teens can wash their face only at night and use a light moisturizer.
Ahmed said a parent could put a spin on their child's skin care routine from beauty-focused to that of being focused on health.
'It's not a bad thing to take care of your skin,' she said.
A previous version of this article ran on WebMD.
