Teen skin care went overboard – This is how retinol works on young skin

Younger and younger people – especially girls – are enthusiastic about skin care, even too much so. Even if they haven’t started their teenage years yet, young people want to go to the cosmetics store to buy special products that can, for example, slow down the aging changes in their own skin.

Beautician Simona Hintsanen The Simona’s salon reminds you right from the start that you can affect the rest of your life if you take care of your skin at a young age.

– If a 12-year-old asks a dermatologist about hyaluronic acid serum, skin care is focused on the unimportant, says the dermatologist at Muotasairala as well Ville Kiiski.

Too young follow too old on social media

Teenagers’ interest in skin care is based on following adult influencers. Beauty influencers present products after products on their social media accounts. You want to get a product that is glowing with your favorite type, even though there is no guarantee that it will suit your skin.

– Young adults also easily fall for products recommended on social media, Kiiski states.

Many mistakenly think that all products can be used side by side. Kiiski reminds us that constantly adding products does not always mean more good things for the skin. Although skin care is now trendy, too much is too much.

– The positive ingredients of cosmetics also have adverse effects, just like medicines, Kiiski reminds.

The Some phenomenon is also good

The good thing about the Some trend is that young people learn the basics of skin care early on. Nowadays, it is less necessary for a dermatologist to advise young people about the basics of skin care, such as cleaning and moisturizing, because almost everyone seems to already know it.

Hintsanen, who works as a cosmetologist, says that he now teaches the same things to many adults who, in their youth, washed their faces with hand soap or not at all. Many adults have extra wrinkles or other uneven texture in their skin, which could have been prevented by proper skin care started earlier. Using sunscreen is a basic thing for today’s youth.

Bad consequences even for the rest of your life

Unfortunately, the Some phenomenon also has a lot of bad things: if you start overtreating the skin too early, it can cause skin problems for a lifetime. In addition to acne, the skin can develop, for example, perioral dermatitis or rosacea.

– Skin care is not a hobby. Continuous lotioning and overly effective active ingredients can damage the skin, Hintsanen reminds.

Excessive skin care can also cause other problems for the skin, such as pimples, redness, irritation or itching. It is also sad that a young person believes in a product promise and buys a product they admire, the skin suffers and money is ultimately wasted.

There is a huge amount of information about skin care. Every consumer, young and old, balances between what information is right and what is wrong, and what is right for them. The market forces of cosmetics are targeting young consumers. Kiiski reminds that when it comes to young people and teenagers, we are talking about a group of people with a prevalence of about 90 percent of acne, if even mild acne, i.e. pimples, is counted.

A good basic routine is enough

Cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen. It has a standard skin care routine that is enough for almost every young person. In order for the skin to feel good, you don’t need hundreds of euros worth of shopping and a large army of jars.

Skin problems may appear when adolescence begins, i.e. hormonal activity starts. The skin starts to get greasy and pimples may appear on the skin. Skin care should be started in the teenage years.

– It is individual when someone’s adolescence begins. There is no need for extensive skin care in pre-teens, says Hintsanen.

– It is important to remember that pimples do not mean that someone is dirty. Pimples or other changes in the skin are natural. Skin problems should also not be underestimated if they have a negative effect on self-esteem, for example. Pimples are a normal challenge brought on by hormones. They can be controlled, but it is difficult to prevent them completely, says Hintsanen.

Although pimples do not indicate a lack of hygiene, hygiene must be taken care of, for example in the form of washing makeup tools.

– Dirty makeup sponges and brushes harbor bacteria that can make the situation worse, Hintsanen reminds.

According to Kiiski, you should wash your face at least once a day, at least in the evening, even though there is no research evidence on when to wash. In the morning, you may forget to wash your face due to the rush. Kiiski himself recommends a sulfate-free, gentle cleaning product for young people.

For moisturizing, young people should choose a light cream.

Young people don’t need anti-aging products

It’s stupid to talk about anti-age products for teenagers, because you don’t have to worry about skin lines when you’re young.

– If a young teenager asks about anti-aging products suitable for their skin, we are focusing on the wrong things, because young people don’t need them, Kiiski emphasizes.

The best anti-aging product for all ages is sunscreen, which many young people have learned to use. The situation was different 20 years ago, when people wanted to worship the sun and the most important goal of the summer was to get a tan. Many young people today know the importance of sun protection.

Hintsanen says that today he treats a lot of skin problems of adults and middle-aged people, which could have been avoided if sunscreen had already been used in youth.

– Babies are also always protected from the sun, so why not pre-teens and teenagers too, Hintsanen reminds.

According to Kiiski, young people should choose a sunscreen suitable for acne-prone skin, even if there is no actual acne. Then the skin doesn’t get blocked or greasy unnecessarily, because at a young age the skin gets greasy easily anyway.

The two faces of retinol

The skin regenerates effectively at a young age without the help of active ingredients. Kiiski reminds us that when young the skin’s own renewal potential is as good as it will ever be. It is not worth trying to speed it up with active substances, because there is simply no need for it.

Then the retinol. The wonder substance that smooths out skin lines has recently been marketed as an anti-aging ingredient, but Kiiski points out that retinol is also a good ingredient for acne treatment.

Retinol is a vitamin a derivative, and even severe acne is treated with vitamin a, for example. If the skin is healthy, pimple-free and wrinkle-free, as many pre-teens have, the retinol will still be wasted. Rather than healing, the skin may become irritated. Kiiski reminds that the active ingredients have not been shown to be effective on young, healthy skin.

– People have big ideas about the possibilities of skin care. Even many adults imagine that if you really take care of your skin, you won’t age. It is important to remember that a skin care product is just a skin care product – it does not change the skin, says Kiiski.

Hintsanen would not recommend retinol on the surface of young skin, even though it is found in acne medications.

– Retinol is a powerful ingredient and renews the skin strongly. Personally, I would take care of young people’s skin in other ways, because young people’s skin regenerates effectively even without retinol, says Hintsanen.

Over-treating the skin can damage the skin’s protective layer and at worst lead to acne. In acne, the protective layer of the skin, so called skin barrier, is already damaged. Washing the skin too much can also damage it.

– Being a skin influencer in Los Angeles is different than taking care of your skin in the dry, freezing air of Finland. The skin often feels better in humid air, says Kiiski.

Gentle mandelic acid can be good for oily, young skin. Hintsanen also advises to exfoliate oily skin so that the pores do not become blocked. Sebum production can be curbed with salicylic acid, which is found in several products aimed at acne skin.

– If the skin is fine and there are no major changes even at the age of 15-16, there is no need for strong ingredients. Cleansing, moisturizing and protection are always sufficient if everything is in order with the skin, emphasizes Hintsanen.

Parents’ responsibility

For some, each pimple leaves behind a reddish mark, while for others, the skin is clear a couple of days after the pimple. It is worth visiting a dermatologist if the skin problems are at a disturbing level or the pimples clearly leave scars.

It is important for parents to remember that young people will be young in 2024, when awareness and the demands created by the environment will be different than in their own youth.

– If the condition of the skin bothers the teenager himself, then it’s time to see a doctor. Also, if the teenager starts to show some kind of avoidance behavior, i.e. does not want to do something because of the condition of the skin, it is worth going to the doctor. It is better to go to the doctor a little too early rather than too late. It is also really important to respect the teenager’s own opinion, Kiiski reminds.

Young people are susceptible to advertisements and influences, and now skin care is trendy. However, skin care products are not free. In some videos, influencers buy jars from cosmetic stores for several hundreds. Inspired by that, a young person might send their mother shopping with an exact list and want jars they’ve seen on social media.

Hintsanen calls for parental responsibility, because the products are purchased with parents’ money.

– Disappoint your children. Not all products are suitable for everyone, and young people simply don’t need numerous skin care products, emphasizes Hintsanen.

Hintsanen reminds that parents do not need to know about retinols or skin care acids, for example, but rather teach their children about personal hygiene, from brushing their teeth to using deodorant and washing their faces. In case of skin problems, parents should refer their children to skin care professionals.

– Cosmetologists take care of the skin every day and know how to advise on the right skin care routine with products. A dermatologist prescribes medicine or medicated creams if necessary, says Hintsanen.

The smallest possible chemical load

Spending spa nights together has become fun for mothers and children in recent years. A sheet mask that looks like a dog’s face is applied to the face, then we have fun together and take pictures for friends and social media. Hintsanen urges to leave fabric masks worth a couple of euros in the store.

– Funny masks contain dyes that can irritate the skin. The reaction may not appear on the skin until several days later, even if the mask is on the face for only 10 minutes. A face mask that costs a euro cannot be of high quality, Hintsanen reminds.

On a spa night, instead, you should take a lovely foot bath, put cucumbers on your eyes and a thicker layer of familiar cream or something else very simple on your skin. The chemical load in the body of children, young people or teenagers should not be deliberately increased. Hintsanen also suggests a gel-like eye mask, which is stored in the refrigerator and kept on the face for a while, and it does not release chemicals into the skin.