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One concerning thing that we’re seeing more often these days is how younger and younger people are trying to alter their appearance, or trying to fit in with that they think society deems as beauty. This can range from plastic surgery all the way down to excessive skin care routines, and it might be doing more harm than good.

We’ve noticed a trend in society and on social media, where young people, particularly pre-teens and teenagers, doing things to their body that they think will help them stay young looking in the long run, but may actually harming them instead.

In the past we’ve talked about what age we believe to be too young to receive plastic surgery, specifically cosmetic plastic surgery, not surgery required to correct a physical ailment, but today we wanted to talk about something that a lot of people don’t consider to be dangerous… skin care.

Teenage Skin Care Routines

Social media, especially Tik Tok, is known for being a great place to seek out information, tips and tricks on almost anything, beauty secrets, new outfits and clothes trends, and of course the latest dances and music. However, not everyone knows the difference between right and wrong on these apps. They can’t tell what is misinformation, bad information, or just flat-out wrong information.

It’s for this very reason that we see many pre-teens and teens believing that they are doing something good for their long-term health, when they may be doing the exact opposite.

Too Young For Skin Care Treatment?

Many girls these days feel that if they take care of their skin starting at an early age, that it will help them as they grow older and begin to lose that youthful glow, but that’s not always the case.

Skin care treatments designed to help remove blemishes, reduce redness and puffiness, reduce fine lines, and things of that nature, are designed for people who are already experiencing these things in their lives, not as a way to prevent them from happening in the future.

TikTok and other social media trends are teaching these kids about using topical steroids, abrasives, and other chemical compounds to help rejuvenate their face and skin.

The fact is, these kids are still kids, and their skin is youthful and hasn’t begun to lose the elasticity that we notice as we get older. There is no reason for children to be using these harsh chemicals on their faces as a preventative solution.

Of course, if you suffer from a specific skin condition, and your dermatologist has prescribed one of these specific medications, like retinol, then it’s ok, but chemical peels, face masks, and things of that nature, aren’t going to help you as you get older, they can actually damage the skin when you’re too young.

What Skin Care Routine Should a Pre-Teen/Teen Follow?

We understand that everyone, no matter what age, wants to look their best whenever possible. Utilizing face masks and different facial chemicals and products like that aren’t the answer to smooth beautiful skin when you’re still young. Once you’re into your late 20’s and you start to notice more wrinkles and lines in your face, then you can start considering a more aggressive skin care regimen, but as a teenager there are only a couple things you should be doing to keep your skin healthy and youthful.

1. Wear Sunscreen

One of the worst things for your skin is the sun. The UV rays are detrimental to your skin if it’s not protected. Over exposure to the sun can cause things like skin cancer, dry skin, redness, and can cause your skin to age faster than it normally would.

The best thing you can do for your skin when you’re younger, and at any time in your life really, is to make sure you’re wearing at least SPF 30 sunscreen when you’re going to be exposed to the sun for longer periods of time, especially on your face.

There are many different moisturizers available that also have sunscreen in them. These are perfect for your daily facial skin regimen, even as a younger teen. Which leads us into our next point.

2. Moisturizer

In addition to wearing sunscreen and avoiding long exposure to the sun, a basic moisturizer will help with dry, flaky, itchy skin in the winter months, and won’t be detrimental to your skin over time.

As a pre-teen or teenager, these two products are the only thing you should need to help keep your skin healthy at that age, unless your dermatologist prescribes something else.

Other products like face masks, chemical peels, steroids, and topical vitamins could cause irritation and won’t provide you much benefit at that stage of your life. Your skin is still young and vibrant, while having not been exposed to the elements yet.

Protecting Your Skin as a Teenager

If you’re really interested in keeping your skin clean and healthy when you’re young, sunscreen and moisturizer is all you need. These products will help protect you from the damage the sun can cause, and the moisturizer will help keep your skin glowing and help prevent dryness.

So, unless you’ve visited a doctor and they have recommended that you try other products to help with specific skin ailments or conditions, there is no need for you to be using these harsh products at this age. The chemicals in these products can do more damage than help when you are young and are mostly unnecessary for healthy skin until you’ve reached your late 20’s, early 30’s, when you can really start to see the damage that time, and the sun, have done to your skin.