Safe skin care routines for children and teens

ALL RIGHT. I’M GLAD SHE’S BUNDLED UP. IT’S ALWAYS SO COLD OUT THERE. FIVE ON YOUR HEALTH. ASKING FOR SKINCARE RELATED HOLIDAY GIFTS. HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH FOR TWEENS? THAT’S THE QUESTION. SO HERE WITH ADVICE IS DOCTOR ABBY WALDMAN TONIGHT A DERMATOLOGIST AT BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPITAL. GREAT TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. THANKS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. SO LET’S CHECK OUT SOME OF THE OPTIONS OUT THERE FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN. SO THERE IS A THING CALLED START YOUNG. IT’S A BUNDLE THAT’S ON SALE FOR $47. THE BARBIE KIDS HAPPY FACE DUO FOR 57 BUCKS. AND A TEN PIECE SKINCARE SET FROM MILK FOR $25. WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF KIDS THAT WANT THESE THINGS, BUT DOES IT ACTUALLY DOES THEIR SKIN? DO THEY ACTUALLY NEED IT? DOCTOR WALDMAN. SO THE GOOD THING IS THAT MOST TWEENS AND TEENAGERS HAVE EVERYTHING IN THEIR SKIN THAT THEY NEED TO KEEP IT HEALTHY, AND THEY DON’T ACTUALLY NEED SKIN CARE. NOW, I HAVE A FIVE YEAR OLD, NOT EVEN A TWEEN YET, WHO LOVES SKINCARE. SHE WANTS TO BE LIKE MOMMY. AND SO I DO UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF THE KIDS ARE GOING TO WANT TO USE SKINCARE, EVEN IF THEY DON’T NEED IT. WELL, AND THAT’S BECAUSE AND I DON’T KNOW. AND NICE TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. THEY SEE ALL OF THIS STUFF ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I REMEMBER BEING A KID OR A TEENAGER, AND I HAD BONNIE BELL LIP SMACKER, AND THAT WAS ALL THAT WAS AVAILABLE. AND THAT’S ALL. THAT’S ALL I HAD. I’M A LITTLE BIT OLDER THAN YOU, BUT YES. ARE THERE SPECIFIC PRODUCTS OR INGREDIENTS THAT THAT YOUNGER KIDS SHOULD GENUINELY AVOID? IN YOUR OPINION, ABSOLUTELY. SO PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING THAT’S LABELED FOR ANTI-AGING, OBVIOUSLY YOUNG TWEENS AND TEENS DO NOT NEED ANTI-AGING INGREDIENTS. THE MAIN ACTIVE INGREDIENT IN ANTI-AGING CREAMS TYPICALLY IS RETINOL. RETINOL, OR ADAPALENE. THESE ARE RETINOIDS THAT, AGAIN, ARE GENERALLY USED FOR AGING UNLESS YOUR DOCTOR HAS PRESCRIBED OR ADVISED USING THEM FOR ACNE. THE OTHER INGREDIENTS YOU’RE GOING TO LOOK FOR TO AVOID ARE CHEMICAL EXFOLIANTS. THESE ARE ACIDS THAT ARE USED TO EXFOLIATE THE SKIN AND MAKE IT MORE SMOOTH. BUT HIS ALREADY HAVE EVERYTHING IN THEIR SKIN THAT CAN EXFOLIATE ITSELF, SO THEY NEED TO AVOID GLYCOLIC ACID AND SALICYLIC ACID, PRIMARILY AND LESS. THEY’VE BEEN ADVISED TO USE SALICYLIC ACID FOR ACNE. SO. SO, DOCTOR, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT YOU HAVE A FIVE YEAR OLD. LET’S GO. JUST A LITTLE OLDER FOR A CHILD IN THAT 8 TO 12 YEAR OLD AGE GROUP. WHAT WOULD YOU AS A DERMATOLOGIST, AS A PROFESSIONAL, WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AS A GIFT? I THINK IT IS FINE TO GIFT SKINCARE IF THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE INTERESTED IN, IF THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE ASKING FOR, I THINK PICK WHATEVER BRAND THAT THEY’RE INTERESTED IN THAT THEIR FRIENDS ARE USING, BUT THEN JUST USE THE CLEANSER IN THAT BRAND. USUALLY A GENTLE CLEANSER. TRY TO AVOID FRAGRANCE IF YOU CAN, AND THEN THE MOISTURIZER. AGAIN, AVOID ANYTHING THAT SAYS ANTI-AGING ON IT, AND AN SPF. JUST A SUNSCREEN, AT LEAST 30 SPF AND JUST USE THAT. YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE TYPICALLY QUITE SAFE AND NOT GOING TO CAUSE ANY HARM, AND CAN BE HELPFUL TO GET KIDS IN THE PATTERN OF USING SKINCARE AND TAKING CARE OF THEIR SKIN. LAST TIME I ASKED YOU WHAT YOUR INSTAGRAM TAG WAS, DO YOU KNOW IT? NOW IT’S ABBY WALDMAN, MD AND IT’S A GREAT FOLLOW FOR ADULTS AND FOR TWEENS. DOCTOR WALDMAN, THANK