The times when at 14-15 years old one suffered from the first pimples seem very distant because today’s teenagers are much more worried about having and showing off perfect skin on social media and not so much because it is clean but rather young and radiant as it naturally is at their age. But this desire for perfection has become obsessive, so much so that they even look for and use anti-aging cosmetics as if worrying about wrinkles makes sense at their age.
For a change, the alarm comes from social media and in particular from Tik Tok where anti-wrinkle creams and serums are recommended. In the United Kingdom, dermatologists are concerned by the increase in the use of anti-aging cosmetics among children, especially girls, who ask their parents to buy them from the age of ten.
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And in Italy? Are our kids obsessed with aging too? And what are the risks of using products ‘stolen’ from parents?
If the wrinkle is scary already at 12 years old
In general, on a global level there is a growing attention for skincare by adolescents: taking care of one’s skin now seems to be a global trend that also involves the youngest, both males and females and which for some years has also been evident in Italy. Generation Z, or post-millennials, born between the end of the 90s and the end of the 2000s, is revolutionizing the world of beauty and beyond. “In recent years – he explains Elisabetta Fulgione, specialist in Dermatology and Venereology at the Dermatology Clinic of the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli – a real change in perspective has occurred and the very young, starting from 12 years of age, are less focused on imperfections and decidedly more interested to the care of their skin and the prevention of skin aging. In recent years in my clinic I find myself visiting, for example, girls with forms of acne or irritative dermatitis caused by the casual use of cosmetics with ingredients not suitable for the skin type and age chosen to combat skin aging”.
The bad example that comes from social media
The hashtag has been going crazy on Tik Tok and Instagram for months Sephora Kids with posts and videos showing girls aged 10 to 12 storming beauty shops and buying expensive products that are not suitable for their skin and shop assistants complaining about ruined cosmetic testers and other damage that younger girls do in their store. We’re even starting to talk about cosmeticoressia.
“In recent years – confirms the dermatologist – skin care trends have taken over the Internet: beauty influencers and makeup artists share their secrets on skin care routines and review the products that have most recently arrived on the market. Internet too often it guides the choices of young people from Generation Z who have become the most influential class of consumers in beauty, always looking for advice and solutions from the influencers of the moment”.
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The risks for the skin
Not only cosmetics enriched with vitamin A and C are recommended on social media, but above all serums and acids such asglycolic acid (Aha) el’salicylic acid (Bha). What risks do teenagers with young skin run when using this type of product?
“Using serums and cosmetics that contain these substances as well as preparing a mask at home, with substances with a pH that is too acidic or too basic can alter the skin’s defensive capacity”, replies Fulgione who adds: “It is also risky to incorrectly combine the active ingredients, such as exfoliating acids or antioxidants with the consequence of irritative reactions. In summer, dermatitis and photodermatitis caused by cross-reactions between extracts of plants considered natural, Aha-based cosmetics and ultraviolet rays can be very frequent and cause significant damage to the skin as is the case with blemishes and sunburns”.
Impure skin and comedones
Yet, from the age of 13 onwards adolescents would have much more to worry about because at their age small and large dermatological problems are the order of the day: “The skin becomes thickened due to the increase in sebaceous production linked to hormonal changes, often impure skin, comedones and various imperfections appear”, explains Fulgione.
These changes are even more frequent and evident in boys. “Although male adolescents of the latest generations are, unlike their fathers, more predisposed to following a skincare routine – continues the dermatologist – they are still less attentive to prevention than their female peers. This is why they should be referred to a specialist, after an adequate skin check-up, a dermocosmetics program suitable for different skin types is certainly the safest choice to keep the skin in good condition”.
The rules of ‘teen beauty’
There are, however, two key words at the basis of good skincare, regardless of gender and specific skin characteristics: cleansing and hydration. “Wash your face morning and evening with a delicate product that cleanses by affinity so as to allow you to eliminate both water-soluble and fat-soluble dirt is the first fundamental act to be taught in teen beauty”, explains Fulgione.
Hydration is also a fundamental phase for teenagers because although it may seem contradictory, the skin produces more sebum when it is not hydrated. “The skin – continues the dermatologist – needs to be hydrated and treated with suitable functional ingredients, in some cases even soothing. The formulas chosen must always be non-comedogenic; the main task must in fact be to stabilize the epidermal barrier while preserving the hydration”.
Protect yourself from the sun
Now that spring has arrived and the sun shines again for more hours a day, it is good to keep in mind that in reality the first anti-aging strategy to be implemented as soon as possible is protection from ultraviolet rays also to prevent skin tumors . “The protection must always be chosen based on the skin biotype and phototype, evaluating the characteristics of the skin and any blemishes it may suffer from: oil-free protections are the most suitable for seborrheic and acne-prone skin, fluids and light emulsions for those has more dehydrated or atopic-prone skin”, suggests Fulgione.