Tweens & Healthy Skincare

Welcome to the "Derm-It Trotter! Don't Swear About Skincare" podcast. Host Dr.  Shannon C. Trotter welcomes Dr. Angela Casey, a double-board-certified dermatologist. In this episode, we explore the best ways to instill healthy skin habits in children and teenagers, making skincare fun and accessible. Dr. Casey offers practical advice on selecting high-quality products that children will enjoy using and placing them conveniently in their daily environments. Learn about the unique needs of young skin, including sun protection, moisturizing, and avoiding anti-aging products that aren't suitable for young users. We also tackle the influence of social media on skincare routines and emphasize the importance of educating young people on proper skincare practices for lifelong skin health. Don't miss this conversation that will help parents be Skin Smart with their children to help them achieve glowing, healthy skin.

Transcript

Skincare Tips for Younger Generations

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to Dermot Trotter don't swear about skincare where host Dr Shannon C Trotter, a board certified dermatologist, sits down with fellow dermatologists and skincare experts to separate fact from fiction and simplify skincare. Let's get started.

Speaker 2 0:21

Hi and welcome to the Dermatrotter podcast. I'm here today with a great friend and colleague, Dr Angela Casey, who is board certified in both dermatology as well as dermatologic surgery and she currently practices with the Center for Surgical Dermatology and Dermatology Associates in Westerville, Ohio. But she's here today to help us tackle a very important topic, which is skin health and skincare, with our younger generation. So we're really excited to have you here, Dr Casey.

Speaker 3 0:49

Thank you so much for inviting me, Dr Trotter. I'm thrilled to be here.

Speaker 2 0:53

Well, you know, both of us are parents. I know mine are trying a little bit behind where your girls are, so you're my sounding board to give me advice as to going through these different stages. So I know, as a parent, you're already tackling things that I am tackling, but probably in a different way. But skincare is something that you know we talk about with parents, even parents to be before their little one arrives and then, of course, kind of going along the lines as their little ones get older. You know, as a parent yourself, when do you recommend having that conversation and what are some tips that you recommend for parents to really talk with their kids about skin health?

Speaker 3 1:29

That's interesting because, the way I view it, we start that conversation with our children from the day they enter the world. So from the day that they're born and what I mean by that is when they are babies, little newborns we are still bathing and moisturizing their skin. We're making sure that they stay protected from the sun. So we're already starting that conversation and for many years of their lives, we as parents are doing that for them, because they're not independent and able to do it for themselves.

Speaker 3 2:02

And I really think it's when they get to age six or seven that they are becoming a little bit more empowered and independent and really wanting to take ownership of their own skincare. So you'll get that kind of like you don't need to put the sunscreen on, I've got it, mom, or like I'm fine and they can bathe themselves, and so it's really at that point. We're still guiding them, but also really making sure that we teach them the proper way to care for their skin, giving them the tools to do so and also starting to get into the why behind skincare. Why do we put on sunscreen? Why do we put lotion on after we bathe? Equally important as part of that conversation is to make sure that we as parents are modeling that behavior ourselves, because our little people are like sponges and they're taking in everything that we do, and often that's more impactful for them than even what we tell them.

Speaker 2 2:58

Yeah, I agree on that sponge part. I actually have my three-year-old with me at work. He was sick, clive, and I brought him in and I had to bring him in for a skin check with a patient and he looked down and he says mole. I said future dermatologist, right there.

Speaker 3 3:12

Because that osmosis coming straight from a woman.

Speaker 2 3:16

They're absorbing everything. But yeah, you talk about just kind of those sponges as they're kind of building that up. You know there's a lot of information out there that they can absorb. You know, looking at skin health versus skin beauty, can you talk a little bit about the differences maybe between the two or how they overlap, because I think some people think, you know, do you have to have one to have the other, or can you have actually both and really achieve both goals?

Speaker 3 3:40

Yeah, I really think that health and beauty go hand in hand, and a good example is if you think of situations where we might be sick with the flu or a bad virus and our skin looks ashen and dull and gray and we're dehydrated and we just don't look well because our body is not at its healthiest.

Speaker 3 4:02

And then when you look at the flip side of when we are eating the right food so eating really well, we're well rested, we're not stressed, we're exercising and the radiance and wellness that is the result of you know, all those good habits that we're practicing all the time. So we all know individuals that really live that healthy lifestyle and they do it consistently every day and sometimes it's hard to put a finger on it, but when you see those individuals they just radiate like goodness and positivity and there's really an inherent beauty in that. Um, and I really love shifting that conversation to focusing on skin health, because I think beauty is the natural result of that. But we as dermatologists are really focused on achieving skin health for our patients across all parameters, and beauty is secondary. Our goal, of course, is that our patients feel their best just in their natural state, so they don't feel like they need to put on foundation or powder or cover up to try to achieve a standard of beauty, but rather it's their natural baseline that they wake up with every day.

Speaker 2 5:22

So I heard you just mention that. So are you kind of the, a part of sort of the I'm going to say anti, but like kind of the natural state, the no foundation kind of movement? Is that kind of where you lie?

Speaker 3 5:33

That's always my goal because for my patients, for my own children, for myself, I want foundation and makeup to be optional. So I would never say that I'm anti makeup, because it's a personal choice and it's just like choosing fashion or how we do our hair. It's part of who we are and everybody's entitled to their own choices with that. But my goal is to make it an option so that it's never felt to be a mandatory part of somebody's routine because they need or really lean or rely on that makeup and foundation to achieve their goal of how they want their skin to look.

Speaker 2 6:16

I think that's a beautiful goal for our patients, because too many people have these expectations and kind of realistic sometimes unrealistic but to really just be comfortable in their own skin, I think is one of the best gifts you know we can give them as dermatologists. So I think that's so awesome. That's kind of the focus, especially with your education you do for your patients and your passion, you know, surrounding your product line, bright Girl, that we'll talk about here in a little bit. Now, when you kind of think about you know doing a skincare regimen, you know a lot of people get overwhelmed about what does that really look like? What does that entail? What do you think are the essentials of a good skincare regimen, especially for those that are younger and wanting to achieve that skin health?

Speaker 3 6:57

Well, I'm a big fan of keeping it simple and, um, young people or people of any age, when you give them a 10 step routine, it's often not sustainable, it becomes a chore and it takes up a lot of time.

Speaker 3 7:13

So anything that's becoming a time consuming chore is maybe going to be interesting for a few days to someone, and then they're going to lose interest in it. So let's whittle down skincare regimens to the real essentials moisturize, cleanse, moisturize, sunscreen in the morning and then cleanse and moisturize at night. And I think when you really simplify it in that manner, it's not so daunting to individuals and they're really they find that they can easily adapt that into, or easily adopt that into, their daily routines. So cleanse, moisturize in the evening, make sure we get away off all the makeup, pollutants, dirt, sweat, everything that our skin encounters during the course of the day, and likewise that we're providing that nutrition to our skin through our moisturizer so that it can rest and recover overnight. In the morning we're doing that same routine, but of course, adding the sunscreen for protection, and I prefer a mineral based sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher.

Creating Healthy Habits for Young Skin

Speaker 2 8:22

And so you mentioned that you know, with the routines that kind of negative connotation, that oh, it's one more thing you know mom and dad are making me do, or you know grandma said I had to put this on, or you know I've got to take care of my skin. What do you think are some of the components of kind of that healthy habit forming mindset that you can kind of encourage, you know parents to instill in their kids to help with their skin?

Speaker 3 8:47

Well, first of all, I think you've really got to make it fun and engaging for them. So give them products, and especially for teens and tweens. They're a really discerning and educated audience. They have consumed a lot of information from friends, from social media, from celebrities, so they know what they're looking for. If you give them substandard products, so they know what they're looking for If you give them substandard products, there is a no-go with them, it's a deal breaker and they're not going to use it.

Speaker 3 9:13

So I think that's, first and foremost, that you give them products that they love and they look forward to using. Secondly, you make it really accessible for them. So place those products where they live. Let the products go with them. So, whether that's in their backpack to school or in their bag that has a change of clothes before they go for sports, if it's next to their toothbrush, because they're brushing their teeth in the morning and you want them to remember to put on their sunscreen, or maybe it's in a basket by the door that they enter and exit through every day, so that on their way out the door, they remember to put on their sunscreen before they head outdoors. So I think those are the key components, like. Give them products that they love using and crave using every day, and also that ride right alongside with them in their day-to-day busy lives.

Speaker 2 10:10

So I know too, when we talk about kind of that tween population or sort of younger skin, what are some of the unique needs for younger skin that you really think that we should hone in on, when you know, as parents and you know even as dermatologists, we're trying to recommend this is really what's important. When our skin is younger we're more susceptible to sun damage. You know, the immune system's a little bit more immature. So the impact of what we do now, you know we could see years from now. What do you think?

Speaker 3 10:37

are those unique needs and how do you like to address those? Yeah, I mean those beginning years. So I really focus on those first two decades of life, which are the foundation of our skin health lifelong and those are also the decades where we tend to be outdoors a lot more because we're playing outside and we're involved in sports and maybe we're going on vacations with families. So those years are really critical because they're setting the stage for that lifelong skin health. As you mentioned, we also have to take into account that our skin young skin is constantly evolving, so it's interacting and communicating with the environment. As you mentioned, the immune system is developing so actively in those years and our skin is really the portal through which our internal selves are communicating with our external environment. So it's critically important to make sure that we're keeping our skin as strong and balanced and healthy as we possibly can.

Speaker 3 11:39

Young people can struggle with eczema, sensitive skin and then, of course, as they get into their tween and teen years, we're looking at a lot of acne and inflammation in the skin as hormones begin to change. So these are all really common conditions that we see as dermatologists and equipping young people with the understanding of how to address these issues and, more importantly, getting them into the habits of caring for their skin every day so that we do our best to stay ahead of damage and prevent all that inflammation and skin barrier breakdown that contributes to those common conditions like acne and eczema. And when they notice that their skin is performing in this moment, they're going to be more motivated to stick with those habits and routines.

Speaker 2 12:32

And you know, kind of looking at those routines and habits, I feel like a lot of people get them from social media. You know they go on to YouTube or TikTok or Instagram or Facebook and they're finding some way to do a new regimen or routine. And more recently, I think in the younger population, you know, unfortunately, young girls as young as seven, eight years of age becoming almost obsessed. You know sort of the comment or critique of anti-aging and skincare regimens. What are your thoughts on that trend and how can we work to kind of, you know, turn that around a little bit and return the focus to skin health, not necessarily anti-aging.

Speaker 3 13:05

Yeah, so young people. They're in such a hurry to grow up and they look up to these influencers and celebrities as real role models in their lives and they want to do everything they can to be like them. So they're consuming this information, they're watching Get Ready With Me videos and wanting to emulate that themselves themselves and in turn, bring in a lot of those products that influencers, who are often significantly older 20s or 30s are using to actually reverse skin damage. So ingredients like retinols and alpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids, peptides, strong antioxidants, growth factors young skin simply does not need those ingredients and they can actually cause more harm than good. They can tip the scales with that balance of the skin and create a lot of inflammation, barrier breakdown, which leads to rashes and skin sensitivity and worsening of acne, and young people don't always recognize that.

Speaker 3 14:10

So I think it's really incumbent upon us as dermatologists, on us as parents, that we change that narrative and focus on getting ahead of the damage so that we're equipping young people with the tools, so giving them the right products that they're excited to use, and also the tutelage, so that we're teaching them why this is why you should use this product and not that one.

Speaker 3 14:35

We're also the gatekeepers of what comes into our own homes. So if we're buying our kiddos those anti-aging products at the beauty retailer and it's coming into our home, we have to take responsibility for that as parents. And we're seeing so many dermatologists getting out there and sharing clinically backed, evidence-based information and that's really cool, and I think there are really a lot of good influencers out there that we can partner with to help relay those messages. So it's a really interesting time. We'll see how it continues to evolve, but I think that there's a real opening to change the habits and the narrative for the young generation so that we do so much better for them with the giving them the knowledge that we didn't have when we were their age.

Speaker 2 15:49

Well, and you're doing exactly that, you know you have your product line, bright Girl, you know, really designed to target that younger generation growing up in the age of new skincare. Can you briefly just give you know a little review of, like, what motivated you to create Bright Girl and sort of just a little overview of the product line?

Speaker 3 16:08

Sure. So Bright Girl was born from the intersection of two very important roles in my life. So first is being the mom to three teen and tween daughters and then being a double board certified dermatologist who primarily treats skin cancers and skin damage every day in my practice. So if you think of that Venn diagram, it's the overlap of those two worlds is where Bright Girl was born.

Speaker 3 16:32

When I was selecting products for my own daughters to care for their skin, I knew all the best ingredients. I had access to all the greatest products as a dermatologist, I knew the clinical studies and I brought those products home for my girls. Most of those products were unscented and they came in bland white packaging. Products were unscented and they came in bland white packaging, and my teen and tween girls were not interested at all. They wanted products that were colorful, maybe had some shimmer or shine to them and that smelled good. And there those products that were really colorful and heavily fragrance were not always the best thing for their skin and we've all seen that as dermatologists the sensitivities and reactions. So I thought there has to be a line out there that's good for their skin but also is going to be engaging and exciting for them to use, and I searched and searched and I never found it. So in 2019, I set out to create it.

Speaker 3 17:29

So three years of research and development, during which time we sent out hundreds of surveys, we conducted focus groups, we got feedback from parents, children, from other dermatologists, to really test and tweak and refine these formulations, because I knew, as a parent and any teen and tween parents out there will understand, or any teens and tweens are listening this is a very demanding population and they want the best of the best.

Speaker 3 17:57

They demand very elevated and cosmetically elegant skincare and if you don't give them that, they're not likely to stick with it.

Speaker 3 18:07

So I'm really proud of what we've created with Bright Girl and just in creating products that were benchmarked against the best of the best products that I've tried over nearly two decades in my dermatology career, and also formulating to meet standards of clean beauty. So we're free of phthalates, parabens, sulfates any of those potential irritants that parents likely want to avoid but likewise that we include clinically proven ingredients like aloe, chamomile, ashwagandha, marshmallow root, witch hazel, which is clinically proven to help balance oil production for acne prone skin, so that we're giving them products that perform, that provide immediate positive feedback in terms of the texture, the smell, the experience of using it. So it becomes part of their self-care ritual that they look forward to every day and that they really start to crave, because they see how well their skin feels immediately after using it. And then, when they're using the line consistently, they see that long-term benefit that occurs with clearer skin, decreased redness and inflammation and improved skin tone.

Speaker 2 19:22

Well, I think you know Bright Girl definitely has a bright future moving forward. I think it's inspirational what you're doing for the younger generation. It's exciting as a dermatologist, you know yourself, myself, the community, I think to just see this newer generation, the impact you're truly going to have on their skin going forward Because, like you've mentioned and talked about, they have the tools and the knowledge, but a lot of us didn't have maybe had a little bit of both, but it sounds like they have the motivation with the self-care aspect. So it'll be very interesting to see where this takes us into the future. And thank you for sharing your passion for education and developing your product line. I know it's going to be success and definitely make an impact on this generation. So I want to thank you so much for your time today, dr Casey.

Speaker 1 20:12

Thank you so much for inviting me, Dr Trotter. Thanks for listening to Dermot Trotter. For more about skincare, visit DermotTrottercom. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share this podcast with anyone who needs a little skincare sanity. Until next time, stay skin smart.