Dermatologists are warning that the latest tween obsession with expensive anti-ageing skincare routines is doing our children more harm than good. Woman investigates
WORDS: SAMANTHA BRICK © DAILY MAIL. PHOTOS: LEZLI+ROSE/ DAILY MAIL/SOLO SYNDICATION
NEW TIKTOK CRAZE
When her alarm rings at 7am, Bella Bees springs out of bed. Before she even thinks of breakfast, she sits down at her vanity table to film herself getting ready for her TikTok followers. Hers is a five-step routine involving all the latest anti-ageing products, including retinol eye cream and hyaluronic acid serum. It might cost £200 a month – she includes glycolic acid at night (‘to help remove the top layers of dead skin’) – but Bella is adamant it’s worth the expense to hold back time.
‘It’s an investment in my future self,’ she says. ‘These products are important to my life because I want to prevent ageing. Who would want wrinkles if there is a way to stop them?’ Not that she’s in danger of seeing the signs of ageing any time soon; Bella is only 13 years old. An age when most of us were content with soap and a splash of water, a first foray into moisturiser, at most.
But not so today’s tweens. Dermatologists are warning that children as young as 10 are increasingly putting pressure on their parents to buy them anti-ageing skincare products – to the detriment of their young, sensitive skin.
Sk:n Clinics dermatologist Dr Aiza Jamil believes there is no need for it. She stresses that a skincare routine should only include cleansing, moisturising and a sunscreen – and cautions there are dangers when children use strong ingredients. ‘The important thing to remember is that it’s only after the age of 25 that you start to see a decline in collagen, which can trigger the signs of ageing,’ she explains. ‘Before that you’re still growing and producing lots of collagen — so you just don’t need anti-ageing products. You’re not losing anything you need to replace.’
Online influences
So how and why are children like Bella so interested in skincare they don’t need? ‘I believe my routine will pay off later on in life. As for now, I don’t suffer from breakouts. My skin is very perfect, actually,’ she says.
It’s an approach taken by the many child influencers detailing their routines on social media, such as 12-year-old Ruby Alexis, whose ‘get ready with me’ skincare routine videos have racked up more than 1.2 million likes.
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