A surge in children and teens following unnecessary, skin-stripping routines has experts worried.
Australian skin specialists are worried at the growing trend of children and young adolescents obsessing over skincare routines that include skin peels and potent formulas such as retinol and hyaluronic acid.
They have warned of a growing number of presentations of children and teenagers to specialists and skin clinics with serious skin issues including allergic reactions, acne and even hyperpigmentation.
Skincare content is unrestricted on social media, and many daily routine and so-called “Get Ready With Me” videos attract millions of views.
The global surge has been fuelled by so called social media “skinfluencers”, who encourage tweens to post their own skincare routines, and also by skincare manufacturers who were openly targeting them, said Skin Health Institute consultant dermatologist Dr Mei Tam.
She said young skin was sensitive and did not have a great barrier, so applying all these allergens and chemicals created the risk of irritation and sensitisation.
“It’s definitely a big problem – all this marketing to young girls age 14, even boys, to buy things to apply to their skin in the pursuit of skin perfection is just crazy,” she told The Medical Republic.
“They don’t have the protection of tough adult skin. They don’t need tough adult skin products. And these kids are putting it on gentle skin and they end up ruining it, and they can potentially sensitise to the allergens.
“In retinol and anti-aging things, the aim is to peel the skin to make it think it’s injured so it makes collagen. Then they layer on these products, 10 things at a time. It’s stripping the skin. It’s like washing your dishes with more than 10 detergents. It’s squeaky clean but you’re ruining the skin.”
Dr Tam said allergic contact dermatitis was also a risk from the fragrances, essential oils, preservatives, emulsifiers and other ingredients of skin products. Becoming sensitised to these ingredients can create long-term allergies and even hyperpigmentation, which can take many months to resolve.
The problem – which emerged in widespread mainstream media coverage earlier this year – has prompted the institute to dedicate an entire episode of its Spot Diagnosis Podcast series to Skincare Gone Crazy.
Other countries are also seeing the impact of trend. In March, major Swedish pharmacy chain Apotek Hjärtat moved to restrict people under 15 from buying advanced skin care with ingredients including AHA acid (glycolic, mandelic, lactic and citric acid), BHA acid (salicylic acid), vitamin A (retinol and retinyl esters), vitamin C, enzyme peeling, and mechanical peels with physical grains. Under the new rule, customers must be 15 years of age, have parental consent or have a skin condition that justifies the use of these products. It has been rolled out at the chain’s 390 stores across Sweden.
“We want to be ahead of the curve and take greater responsibility for not … pushing unhealthy behaviours and ideals that have grown up among many young people,” said Monika Magnusson, Apotek Hjärtat CEO and pharmacist.
Dr Tam said it wasn’t only skincare products that were a problem. Extensive use of makeup and hair dye had the potential to set children up for sensitivities and allergies. She cited the case of a seven-year-old who developed an allergy to hair dye after her parents took her to the hairdresser to have her hair dyed pink.
“I’m seeing more and more 18-year-olds, 15-year-olds, coming to the patch test clinic to have testing done to check whether it’s cosmetics or their skincare causing problems,” she said.
“And these kids can bring in 17 things that they use just for their eyes.”
Dr Tam is joined on the podcast by medical and cosmetic dermatologist Dr Katherine Armour, consultant psychiatrist Dr Siu-Ying Kwok and GP Dr Laxmi Iyengar.
Dr Armour said she had seen a significant increase in parents bringing their tweens to her clinic with skin issues from the use of potent skincare ingredients on young skin.
“I think the phenomenon has emerged because all of these ‘Get Ready With Me’ videos and the shelving and signage in Sephora and Mecca [cosmetic department stores] are very aspirational for young people,” she said.
“The real concern is that a lot of the products that tweens and teens are purchasing, particularly in the area of skincare, it is not designed for their skin.
“Every single time you apply a different product, it’s going to contain your active ingredients, it’s going to contain preservatives, and often, unfortunately, a whole ream of fragrances. All of those are potential causes of A) irritancy, and B) potential allergy.”
Dr Kwok said Generation Alpha’s quest for flawless skin was driven by a mix of factors including societal pressures and the influence of social media.
“We are aware that, obviously, early adolescence is just the beginning of developing a sense of self and identity. And this is the perfect age group where these influencers can have quite a detrimental impact on self-identity because the foundations are starting to be made at this point,” she said.
“[For parents] striking that balance between parenting and managing young people’s self-expression and experimenting with exploring their self-identity, it’s about using the right things and being exposed to the right things at the right time appropriate for the developmental stage.”
