The Truth About Teen Skincare on TikTok and Instagram

The Truth About Teen Skincare on TikTok and Instagram

by Margaret Kontras Sutton, MD, Board-Certified Dermatologist

With the relentless access to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube our youth are seeking skin care advice from influencers who many times are nonmedical and may be promoting trendy and sometimes harmful products. These same influencers may be causing psychosocial stress in promoting that which is unachievable, that which is perfect, flawless skin.

We walk a tightrope when counseling these vulnerable youth. We want to validate and encourage their interest in skincare, however, we want to educate them in seeking skincare routines which are not harmful or excessive.  In the adolescent and teen years, simple is better, and excessive use of products may actually be harmful.

Excessive cleansing and exfoliation may be irritating to the skin and may disrupt the natural skin barrier.  We recommend cleansing twice a day and using a mild cleanser.  Many of our patients really like Obagi® Gentle Cleanser.  Acne prone individuals may consider Obagi® Foaming Gel.

Use of excessive numbers of products can expose patients to many fragrances which are a potential source of allergy. Fragrances appear in almost every type of skin care product.  Sometimes an “unscented” product may contain a fragrance to mask the odor of some of the other ingredients. Therefore the fewer the number of skincare products, the better.  Keep it simple.

Anti-aging products are now being marketed to children, adolescents, and teens. These age groups do not need anti-aging products, which may actually be too strong and irritating to their tender skin. What they do need is prevention, therefore a sunscreen should be a daily part of their skincare routine. We have been very happy with the ColoreScience® line of facial mineral sunscreens, such as Colorescience® No Show Mineral Sunscreen and the Colorescience® Sunforgettable Brush SPF 50.

Our advice to these young people is keep it simple with a gentle cleanser, a daily sunscreen, and a moisturizer if dryness is a problem. Patients with special needs such as acne, eczema, rashes should see one of our expert providers for a more customized approach.

Margaret Kontras Sutton, MD, is a contributing author to the Sutton Smart Skin Blog. Dr. Sutton is a board-certified dermatologist and the founder of Sutton Dermatology + Aesthetics, with a special interest in skin cancer prevention and treatment, as well as promoting healthy skin at every age.