Empowering the Next Generation with the Art of Self-Care: Unveiling Skincare and Confidence Building for Children

Discover the transformative power of self-care for children as I, Dr. Suleiman Ijani, host the remarkable Dr. Sheilagh Maguiness, a pediatric dermatologist who's breaking new ground with Strike Club. Together, we unravel the journey of self-care from the early days of infancy to the complex tween years, scrutinizing how this essential practice molds young minds and bodies. Dr. Maguiness imparts her wisdom on the nuances of nurturing boys to embrace self-care, dispelling the myths and stigmas that often hold them back. Our conversation ventures deep into the heart of parenting, offering a blueprint for empowering children with the confidence and independence that come from a solid self-care routine.

In a rapidly changing world, teenagers are facing unprecedented challenges in body image and mental health, and we tackle these issues head-on. You'll learn how simple skincare rituals can become moments of connection between fathers and sons, and how these acts of self-care can lay the foundation for life-long well-being. We address the critical role of professional medical guidance when acne and other skin concerns weigh heavily on young shoulders. With a keen emphasis on the diversity of skin tones and unique treatment needs, this episode is a call to action for parents to embrace a proactive stance on their children's dermatological health, ensuring they're equipped with both the knowledge and tools to care for their skin and self-esteem.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Welcome to Dad Puzzles Everything Dad. If you're questioning yourself about dad functions, duties and life in general, you've come to the right place. Parenthood can be tough. Learning to juggle caring for your baby with your career and also keeping things fresh with your partner can be a struggle, but we're here to make things easier with helpful tips for making the most of your situation. Being a dad may seem like a puzzle, but it's one you can definitely solve. Now here's your host, dr Suleiman Ejani.

Speaker 2: 0:42

Hello Dad Puzzles listeners, welcome back. Hello dad puzzles, listeners, welcome back. Uh, so have you ever felt like you're constantly juggling parenthood in a world that throws new challenges at you every day? So well, that's, you're definitely not alone, you know, because, uh, you know, that's why we have created dad puzzles, because these challenges happen to us all the time. Today, as a as a guest, I'm sure she will relate what we are going through because she's a miser herself. And so, please, you're the superhero for the parents. Can you please introduce yourself, dr McGinnis?

Speaker 3: 1:19

Thank you so much for having me. I am so happy to be on a podcast that's being hosted by a father himself. It's just. I think you might be in the minority. I certainly don't want to perpetuate any stereotypes, but, boy, as parents we need all the help and resources we can get. So I completely applaud you for the work that you're doing with this amazing podcast. I'm Dr Sheila McGinnis. I'm a board-certified pediatric dermatologist. I have an academic practice in Minneapolis and I'm also, as you mentioned, mom to two tween boys and I am co-founder of Strike Club, which is a skincare personal care brand aimed at boys, you know, to give them the tools they need to take care of their skin and start healthy hygiene habits early. So lots going on. Busy life, full life. So so happy to be here and talk through some really important issues with you.

Speaker 2: 2:18

Oh, fantastic, that is true, and thank you so much for really being here. So maybe we can start with just the issue of, you know, just normalizing self-care, because this is like almost a foreign thing nowadays, you know. So you know we need to bring that back. Can you talk a little bit how we as parents can do better and how we can introduce this into our lives as a normal thing?

Speaker 3: 2:40

Absolutely. I think as parents we look at our kids and there are so many different stages right and needs are changing throughout every age and it's in that mid-childhood age where our kids are starting to want to be more independent, want to do things for themselves, and their bodies are starting, you know, even as early as eight, sometimes, the changes that began with puberty. So I really like to kind of frame it. As you know, of course, before those ages we're helping them with, with, with their care, we're doing their baby bath or their toddler self care, et cetera. But in that middle school, you know school time, that childhood, you know school time, that childhood time of change. That's a great opportunity for us as parents to guide our kids, teach them how to take care of their bodies in a really healthy, positive way.

Speaker 3: 3:35

And as a mom of two boys, I kind of saw that that was a little bit missing and I also saw it in my own clinical practice. On the one hand, we've got girls who I think modeled by their mothers but also other influences that they might be exposed to on Instagram or social media in general. We've got girls kind of. We've got girls kind of really already ingrained and socialized to take good care of themselves, their skin. In fact, on the one hand, the girls might even be going too far. We've heard in the news lately this phenomenon of the Sephora baby, where girls are heading to Sephora, spending tons of money buying products they don't really need and even some that could be harmful to their skin barrier.

Speaker 3: 4:31

And yet on the other side, there seems to be still persisting a little bit of stigma surrounding self-care for boys, and as a mom and a doctor, that was really the area that I was like, you know. I think that we can do better here. We can start these conversations early. We can normalize Acne is normal. What your body is going through, these changes for puberty is normal. Let's talk about what we went through and then also give the boys, too, a voice and tools to engage in these practices and love themselves and take care of themselves, and take care of themselves in a healthy, positive way. And that's really where Strike Club was born, I guess out of this desire to do better for boys.

Speaker 2: 5:14

Oh, that's amazing, and you know so, this, you know, so you tailor that towards them and you know. And also with the different age groups, is there a way we can pay attention to the different age groups?

Speaker 3: 5:29

you know how we take care of them in terms, you know, like addressing the issue with self-care. I mean absolutely so. Taking care of your skin starts as a baby right, the moms and dads and caregivers are regularly bathing their children, applying maybe a bland hypoallergenic moisturizer to trap water in and keep that skin barrier really healthy, especially if babies, you know, are prone to dryness or eczema. That's really an important thing to do the bathing, the moisturizing. That's also, in the newborn and infant period, a really nice bonding time for parents, you know that skincare and the massage and the close time that you can get from doing that. And then, of course, we move into toddler years and we might start to get a little pushback on not wanting to do a bath but making it fun having the toys there again, providing them with gentle things.

Speaker 3: 6:18

I prefer, you know, really plain products and it for kids, like fragrance-free, hypoallergenic is what you're going to be recommended for me, because so much of what's out there, you know, marketed for babies and toddlers in terms of skincare products, are really harsh. They contain really harsh soaps, fragrances that may cause rashes or allergies and different ingredients like really intense botanical extracts. There's been this movement, I think, for natural products, but sometimes natural is not always better. So keeping things really plain in those early days is really important for healthy skin and keeping it free of rashes like eczema. And then, as we move into the school years you know middle, like childhood, school-age kids they're starting to want to do exactly what we talked about take autonomy and then showing them how to take a shower or how to bathe properly. What areas should we focus on with bathing and washing and really kind of setting the stage and asking the questions, because I think sometimes we send them off into the bathroom and, as parents like you, actually don't know what's going on in there.

Speaker 3: 7:30

You don't know what they might be using. You don't know what. You know how they're, how they're doing things and unless you ask and provide that guidance, you won't know. And you might be surprised to find out that your tween or teen boy is actually using shampoo, Pantene, head to toe to wash their body, which is probably not the best choice in terms of being gentle on skin, with all of the foaming and potential for reactions. So it's a great way to think about skincare for babies in stages and different ages and knowing that it's gonna change as they are getting older, want more autonomy, and then those teen, tween years when they're really starting to need to establish good habits for the rest of their lives and, as parents and doctors, caregivers, this is a great time to have those healthy conversations and we can talk about basic skincare, we can talk about sun protection, we can talk about all of those things as a way to lay down a great foundation.

Speaker 2: 8:36

Oh, that's amazing. That's amazing. And also I think my next question aligns up really well with your project, because you know, how does all these things fit into their you know their future mental health and their well-being as adults, relationships between any type of skin problem, inflammatory skin diseases, of which acne is one, and mental health struggles like depression and anxiety.

Speaker 3: 9:07

So there is a strong relationship. So the tools we give now in terms of self-care, positive body image, all of those things are really important to hold our teens in good stead and make sure that we're looking out for signs that they might be getting down. Or, you know, if, for example, your teenager is struggling with more severe acne and the tools you're finding over the counter aren't really helping, that's a time to say you know what, If you've got really significant acne with early scarring, it might be time to see our doctor and opening up that conversation by relating it to you. You know what I struggled as a teen.

Speaker 3: 9:48

Let's talk about what we can do together. You know that first step might be you go to the drugstore, you go to one of the retailers to look for some over-the-counter options some over-the-counter options. But if that's not cutting it, seeing a doctor, your pediatrician or a board-certified dermatologist or pediatric dermatologist can really help them get the care they need. Because we don't want to underestimate or minimize or stigmatize the idea that inflammatory skin problems affect mental health. They 100% do.

Speaker 2: 10:19

Fantastic and I guess through addressing that we can also fix the issue with the resilience maybe.

Speaker 3: 10:26

Oh yes, absolutely. That idea that we can empower our teens to take good care of themselves really establishes that basic. You know, resilience, I think and and I mean we've we've kind of as a society normalized that for girls and self-care, and so let's now do it for our boys thank you, thank you, you know, you know so.

Speaker 2: 10:54

So what insights you know from your practice? You know, you know about boys that make them resist this. You know, sometimes you know, you know like I guess it's peer pressure or stuff like that. So how do you address that?

Speaker 3: 11:07

I think this is a really important question because I do think that if I'm treating teens in my practice, the girls are more likely to follow every step and do all the things I'm asking and the boys are a little less likely to comply. And I think there are so many reasons for that from societal pressures or constructs, and then maybe just the information that they're getting at home, like if dad doesn't talk to them about these things, maybe they think, oh, I should be quiet about it and not really bring it up, or I should be embarrassed. But we want to break down those barriers. So a lot of times when I'm in my practice, I'm seeing these teen boys come in and they're not looking at me and they're wearing their hoodie and they're just, they're kind of it's not really denial, but just a sense of maybe powerlessness, that they can't do anything about it and they shouldn't care. But you know what? We know boys do care, they care a lot, and so it's up to us to draw them out to tell them this is totally normal. Here are the steps.

Speaker 3: 12:12

I think making it more simple, to start with at least, is good Cause, you know, unlike these Sephora baby girls who are going to do a 20 step regimen. I think two or three steps is really adequate in trying to tailor it to what you know you can achieve with your son or, in my case, my patients. But there's so much room in there to have such great conversations, healthy conversations, and really flip it to become a positive thing. Look at you. You got up, you washed your face, you did something good for yourself today. You did something healthy for your skin today. That must make you feel like really proud, like you're taking care of things good for you.

Speaker 2: 12:54

There you go, there you go. And also, like you mentioned, you know, dads, we need to be more aware, you know, and knowledgeable about the situation so we can be encouraging to our sons. You know to do, you know. I hope so.

Speaker 3: 13:06

That's one goal that I have, you know, especially with dads that are listening to your amazing podcast. You know, take a look, see if you know what your teen is doing in the bathroom.

Speaker 2: 13:24

See if you've got the tools that they need to take care of themselves, because it goes a long way. It really does. Oh, that's amazing. So is there any you know like routines that we can apply, you know, us and our sons together to make it, this process more fun? And you know like useful in our daily lives?

Speaker 3: 13:35

Yeah, I love the idea of like a dad taking their son to the store and being like, okay, we are here, we're going to establish all of these new practices, what looks good to you, like let let your kids kind of be the driver. What do you think? Like you could walk down, you know, just the general gentle skincare aisle and just get a basic, you know, I think, a daily cleanser, a moisturizer and a sunscreen. Boom, that's really basics, that's it Like really. It starts all with washing your face and if we can get sunscreen into their early, wonderful. But let them be the driver, see what looks good to them on the shelf and you guys can participate together and then watching you and your practices, and maybe there's like a first shaving experience or something else going on that you can kind of support and move together through. Those are great educational opportunities for dads and boys, I think.

Speaker 2: 14:27

Absolutely, thank you. Thank you, and you know, like you mentioned, you know, I think this is a good example because when we do that, then we can get to educate them what is good and what is bad, because sometimes they might be totally off or something like that. I agree.

Speaker 3: 14:40

And I have my opinions, you know. I think that Act Body Spray did a great job with their advertising campaign, but it's not my favorite because all of that fragrance and all that aerosolization of chemicals like I don't want our teens, you know, exposed to all of that.

Speaker 2: 14:57

Right, absolutely, thank you, thank you so much, and you know so so far. You know, exposed to all of that Right, absolutely, thank you, thank you so much. And you know so so far. These you know this whole issue with acne, you know this is a big rollercoaster for you know. So how do we? You know, how do we? You know, you know, as parents, you know what tips do you have for us so we can support our kids when they have these breakouts?

Speaker 3: 15:14

Yeah, I mean, we talked about just bringing it up and normalizing it. If you feel your child might be embarrassed, link it to something you've done in your past, say hey, you know, I have noticed maybe a little bit of a breakout. Let me tell you what I did when I was younger and boy, we've really come a long way. There's so many things that we can do and just kind of going through the same. You know basics that we talked about and that's a time to check in. Hey, are you washing your face? How often do you wash your face? What are you washing your face with?

Speaker 3: 15:50

You might be surprised to find out it's you know, something that you weren't expecting, but a good way to start the conversation. And then I'll just mention too. You know, acne looks different in different skin types, and so you want to be on the lookout to a different range of skin tones, like in skin of color. You may not see a lot of the redness, but more hyperpigmentation, and that can last for a long time. So making sure that we're addressing it and treating it appropriately is really important. No matter you know what skin tone, what age. All of that is important. And knowing that if things are looking more severe, seeing a dermatologist or your pediatrician to start with. They're really usually great at first line, but if something's severe or scarring, you want to see a board-certified dermatologist.

Speaker 2: 16:34

Fantastic. Well, thank you so much. And you know, you know I'm glad that we spoke about also like the issue with much. And you know I'm glad that we spoke about also like the issue with the sun protection. You know to like make sure we kind of pitch that in from the beginning. You know this is amazing. You know, is there anything else that we can, you know, pay attention? You know like going forward in terms of the sun, because you know many folks in the sunny states they go through this all the time.

Speaker 3: 16:59

Yeah, so sun protection is kind of like our non-negotiable. We need to be doing it. I would recommend that tweens and teens incorporate a SPF 30 or greater into their skincare every morning and then, if you're out for long periods and on a day where the UV index and you can look at the UV index on your phone on the weather app and if it's three or greater, you need full protection and that's a time that you will need to be reapplying. If you're outdoors for more than a couple hours, you need to reapply your sunscreen and that's another great healthy habit and self-care habit to get into really early and, trust me, your children will thank you 20 years from now if they start.

Speaker 3: 17:39

You know doing regular sun protection. You know in their tweens and teens, and I also love the way that sun protective clothing has really advanced over the past five years. You can get amazing rash guards, great hats they all look stylish and that's another way to really protect your skin well from the sun, especially if you're going to be out for a long time. A lot of teens and tweens, great hats, they all look stylish and that's another way to really protect your skin well from the sun, especially if you're going to be out for a long time. A lot of teens and tweens are super active. They want to be out there if they're on the lake or they want to be on a beach. So a rash guard is a great idea. Then you only need the sunscreen to apply on exposed areas.

Speaker 2: 18:15

Yep, amazing, amazing. So I know we have so many questions, but you know I don't want to keep you for a long time. Can you share a little bit about, you know, strike Club? You know because you know what's the mission and what's the philosophy behind it.

Speaker 3: 18:29

Thank you, yeah, so Strike Club is my company that I had mentioned earlier in our chat. It's a personal care and hygiene brand aimed for boys with an eye on acne, because certainly 90% of us get acne, and it's something that I think we haven't done well for our boys, and we founded it for moms back in 2020. And we had been looking for products for our own teens who were struggling, but when we came to the shelves at the drugstores and the big retailers, we were finding ourselves empty. All that we saw were pink, fruity, you know, products designed for sure, like with an eye on girls and marketed to girls, or the like old medicinal things from the 1980s and 90s that I used myself, like Pyracel and things like. They're still there.

Speaker 3: 19:20

There's really been a lack of innovation, and in my practice, I have had a lot of luck with one ingredient that's a little bit novel and innovative to use for acne.

Speaker 3: 19:30

It helps to reduce bacteria on the skin and it's, you know, helps with inflammation, but it's really gentle, so it won't, you know, strip or dry or bleach your towels, and so that's really our hero ingredient and we include it in most of our products. But we thoughtfully designed the line to fit easily into a busy teen life. Like one wash head to toe, you're done Wipes that you can throw in your backpack, that fight bacteria on the skin, that you can use, you know, to wipe your face and then maybe your sports equipment. So it's really just a lot of thought about how that product is going to be used, and we really that's the goal. We want them to use it, because nothing will work if it just sits on the counter for months at a time. So that's the Strike Club mission to take away the stigma surrounding self-care for boys and empower them with the tools they need to get great hygiene habits early.

Speaker 2: 20:23

Fantastic. Well, thank you so much. Do you have any questions for our future guests as dads? Just in general, from your experience, you would like for that question to be addressed by dads.

Speaker 3: 20:37

Oh my gosh, I am just so glad to even have the opportunity in your platform to be speaking directly to dads. I mean, this is just an amazing thing and I would say to all the dads out there don't be shy about this topic. Really dive in, ask your kids, go and do the things we talked about. If you're noticing any skin issues, bring them to the store. Use it as a time to like, bond and set a good example for your teens. And certainly, if dads have any questions or want to get in touch with me, I am on social media. I'm on Instagram and TikTok, really available. I just I think it's really important this relationship with dads and their sons, and I'm just really excited to have this opportunity to talk to you about it.

Speaker 2: 21:25

Fantastic. Well, thank you so much Really. You know our talk today has been really incredibly insightful and it's been fantastic. You know the conversation and I'm sure dads and moms definitely they'll they'll enjoy this and and have a fun raising healthy and confident kids. So thank you so much, you know, Dr McGinnis for for joining us today.

Speaker 3: 21:47

Oh, thank you so much, Suleiman.

Speaker 2: 21:48

Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 1: 21:53

Thanks for listening to Dad Puzzles. We hope you learned something from today's podcast. Please leave us a review and give us a thumbs up, and don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list and YouTube channel Plus follow and like our Instagram and Facebook pages or any social media of your choice. You can also visit DadPuzzlescom for more resources that will help ease you into your parenthood journey. Thanks again for listening to Dad Puzzles.