Top Dermatologist Sounds Alarm on Teenagers’ Skincare Habits; Says Obsession with Serums Could be Damaging

The amount of skincare done by Gen Z and Gen Alpha is staggering. A top dermatologist has sounded the alarm about teenagers’ skin care routines, saying that product-obsessed youngsters are causing permanent

damage to their health as they grow. “Kids and tweens are developing lifelong contact allergies to things like fragrances, which will impact their use of personal care products for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Sandy Skotnicki, US-based author of Beyond Soap and a podcaster, told The New York Post. According to Dr Skotnicki, teenagers using way too many ingredients overwhelm their sensitive skin, which includes regular use of exfoliants like AHA and retinol, compromising the skin barrier in the long run. “They are exposing this compromised skin barrier to another 10 products, each having 30+ ingredients,” she said. “The math? 300+ ingredients the skin must deal with over a compromised skin barrier,” Dr Skotnicki added. “I had a teen ask me during an acne consult if she could still use her niacinamide, retinol, eye bamboo masks, and skin primer under her foundation, she was 15,” Skotnicki added.

Skin ingredients cause various deadly issues

According to studies, teenagers and young men and women who get exposed to multiple ingredients from their skin care regimens are more likely to experience irritation and allergic contact dermatitis. The condition leads to skin inflammation, causing symptoms like itching, redness, and rashes. Common forms include atopic dermatitis or eczema, which is often even linked to asthma. While various companies advertise their products in a way that youngsters may feel they need to use them to stop their skin from ageing and its aftereffects, experts say that too many ingredients overwhelm the skin barrier for anyone. “The skin barrier has a job to do — keep moisture in and irritants out,” Dr Skotnicki said. “When you bombard it with too many ingredients, you break it down — and once it’s compromised, you open the door to redness, burning, itching, breakouts, even long-term sensitivity,” she added.

How does contact dermatitis affect your body?

According to doctors, contact dermatitis causes a severe rash to form on your skin, which can form anywhere on your body and is usually a patch of skin covered in bumps that are red, itchy, and sometimes painful. The rash lasts for a few days to a couple of weeks and generally goes away quickly if you identify what caused your reaction and stay away from that irritant or allergen. There is no cure for contact dermatitis. If your body has reacted to an allergen or irritant, you will likely continue to have a similar reaction every time you are exposed to it. Avoidance is the best prevention for contact dermatitis.

What to ensure when using skincare products?

According to experts, while it may be necessary to use a few skincare products like a moisturiser or a sunscreen, you can take the following steps to ensure that there are no side effects:

• Ensure products contain sunscreen or apply sunscreen separately
• Use only one active ingredient per skin regimen
• Use fragrance-free products
• Make sure to apply a few natural ingredients on your face, like curd, honey, gramflour, and milk cream – all of which do not have any side effects
• Always consult a dermatologist if you experience any skin issues.