by Madison Evans
Many teenagers who suffer from acne and other skin conditions can become victims of inaccurate, expensive social-media ploys. Tweens and teens are led to believe perfect skin can easily be attained if they just follow “tips” given by the influencers on those sites.
Those “solutions” by people out to make a buck often involve multi-step routines combined with expensive products. Are those elaborate routines doing more harm than good?
The Newsleaders contacted board-certified CentraCare dermatologist Dr. Jessica Newman and American Academy of Dermatology Association representative Dr. Danilo Del Campo, who shared skin-care best practices.
Multi-step skin-care routines may only be hurting your wallet. CentraCare is now seeing an uptick in younger patients seeking help because they used a product that damaged their skin.
Del Campo is seeing only a slight increase in consultations from pre-teens and teenagers experiencing skin issues potentially linked to routines they’ve adopted from social media. Common issues include rashes (typically called contact dermatitis), acne from using the wrong products and dry or irritated skin from using an inappropriate product, such as teens using a product made for adults.
Both dermatologists suggested adopting a simple routine tailored to the individual’s needs. A basic facial cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher is best. Those products can be inexpensive and easy to find at local stores.
They also emphasized what works for one person may not work for another, contradicting popular influencer videos.
A trend today is for social-media celebrities to ask the viewer to get ready with them. Then, while seated at their vanity and looking directly into the camera, they apply a series of cleansers, acne fighters, oils, moisturizers, sunscreen and finally some make-up. They detail the products they are using along with the brand and cost, which can exceed $200. Influencers often don’t admit their routine is part of a paid sponsorship.
Also, some influencers recommend some wacky products that aren’t even designed for skin.
“During the pandemic, there was an increase of recommendations and ideas on social media for using things like household items, kitchen items and food,” Newman said. “I don’t think any of those are good to use on the skin. I understand there is a nasal tanning spray that’s being marketed out there for at-home use, and I think that is dangerous. Collagen products, both topical and oral, are not dangerous but also not effective and tend to be very costly.”
Newman suggested following social-media influencers who are also certified dermatologists. She recommended getting information from the AADA, which has an educational website, along with its engaging Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Unfortunately, the data is discouraging because many viewers are not turning to certified dermatologists. For context, the AADA has roughly 319,000 social-media followers whereas one popular and sometimes-controversial social-media influencer has 400 million followers on Instagram alone. Her YouTube video showing her daily skin-care routine has more than 11 million views. That woman is not a certified dermatologist, but clearly viewers are intrigued by her content.
According to the experts, questionable sources on social media are only part of the problem when it comes to skin care. Both dermatologists expressed concern about unhealthy expectations triggered by social media. Strategically lit videos coupled with glamor filters give the illusion of glowing, glossy skin – a far cry from reality. Freckles, birthmarks and moles are all normal but the prolific use of editing tools teach impressionable teens they are undesirable and should be hidden.
Teens, unrealistically, tend to expect fast results.
“Many young individuals come to dermatologists hoping for instant, perfect results, not realizing what they see online often doesn’t represent real, attainable skin conditions,” Del Campo said. “This can lead to frustration and, in some cases, more aggressive approaches to skin care that do more harm than good. Education on realistic skin-health goals and the limitations of cosmetic treatments is crucial to combat these misconceptions.”
Del Campo also said social media can convince people to think they need to do more and buy more than is really needed. But sometimes simple is best, especially for young skin. The dermatologists’ bottom-line message is this: Life is short, thus it is so important to enjoy the skin you have and the age you are.
Madison Evans of Sartell, the reporter of this skin-care story, researches websites about skin care on her laptop computer.
