Skincare recommendation for 8yo

[Newname211]

Not really AIBU but we are heading out soon so wanted quick replies.

My daughter is 8 and I’ve noticed she is getting slightly pimply around the nose/forehead. Nothing major, just small raised pimples with no head. I’ve got spot prone skin (not acne) and it’s the bane of my life and a constant battle to keep it under control.

I use la Roche posay on my own skin which works for me but I feel like she’s too young for a full routine - a face wash alone is enough of a battle.

She hasn’t started puberty yet and I think she’s still a fairly long way off (she’s newly 8, and is tiny for her age, wears 5-6 clothes)

Anyone with any experience or ideas? Ideally nothing too harsh.

Personally I’d keep her on soap/face wash but encourage the use of a flannel to exfoliate the skin.

My DD is 8. She doesn't have any pimples but for her birthday was adamant she wanted skincare and cosmetics for a skin routine! I got her a few items from the Simple range so they're less harsh on her skin and made sure they were a "for sensitive skin" type. There are some specific ranges I found made for pre teens but they are much more expensive.

Face wash with a flannel is what we have been doing. I don’t know if she needs something different than simple though. Or if I should add a toner or something for after?

I have a 15 year old and can recommend the Cerave range. This one is really gentle:
https://www.cerave.com/skincare/cleansers/hydrating-facial-cleanser
If a moisturizer is needed: https://www.cerave.com/skincare/moisturizers/daily-moisturizing-lotion

She seems so young for skin care ! Then I’d try the Simple range, you don’t want anything harsh.

Sounds like what we use - although admittedly she doesn’t have sensitive skin at all.

What products do you have? We just have the foaming face wash.

Why do 8 year old girls know about skin care routines? Would an 8 year old boy ask for help with a skin care routine?

I know. I started to have skin issues at around 10-11 but it was impossible to get control of by then as obviously I was hitting puberty. I reckon her skin is going to give her grief as she gets older, so want to get it under control if possible.

She has zero interest in skincare so it needs to be something quick. I’m not wanting a 5 step regime!

I forgot about cerave! I’ll have a look at those, thanks!

I still swear by tea tree oil. I have a moisturising with tea tree oil in it and it's done wonders for my skin compared to ordinary moisturisers.

I’d go for a foaming cleanser with tea tree oil in it 2 x a day. Bumps with no head are closed comedones and eventually come to a head. If she’s got them already her skin needs help shedding. Face cloths aren’t great for exfoliating.

All spots are acne. There’s no threshold. One spot is acne.

Where does it say she knows about skincare routines? Did you even read what I wrote? She uses a facewash when in the bath. That’s it.

I know it might be shocking, but my son also washes his face. And he isn’t even 8 yet.

Isn’t tea tree quite harsh? I used that when I was in my early teens and I remember it stinging a bit. I’m not sure she’d be okay with the strong scent - well, I guess if she likes the smell like I do she might! I might take her to the body shop to smell it and see how we get on.

She definitely has slightly oilier skin than I do.

Hers never actually have come to a head though - this has been going on for about 6 months, it started off with 1 or 2 and now she has maybe 4/5 at a time. They definitely move around so it’s not the same spots persisting.

My dermatologist told me I don’t have acne so I’m not sure that’s accurate.

A few drops of olive oil massaged in to her skin. Then a warm wet flannel facecloth to polish her skin. Only in the evening. This will help her skin regulate the sebum production.

This is great for clearing up skin problems...

https://www.lookfantastic.com/alpha-h-liquid-gold-30ml/12451407.html?affil=thggpsad&switchcurrency=GBP&shippingcountry=GB&thg_ppc_campaign=71700000088329924&adtype=&product_id=12451407&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4pyLjOaX_wIVROztCh0AeApxEAQYASABEgJq8_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I wouldn't use any cleanser which foams. Get something like the body shop camomile butter that you rub on and then wipe off with a flannel. And use a new flannel every day.

Then just an average moisturiser I would think, not a heavy one and not one that's insanely light.

You can't "get control" of teen acne by starting a skincare routine aged 8. It doesn't work like that. Teen acne is hormonal.

Is she bothered by these bumps? Or not really, and it's more you are? I'd leave them unless she's really upset tbh and focus on improving her self esteem and not getting stressed by a few bumps. I feel like you might be projecting.

However I will add - Alpha Liquid Gold is quite harsh and you absolutely must use spf50 all the time if you use an acid product like that or risk bad and unhealthy sun damage.

If you want to use an acid, I would instead recommend Cerave Salicylic Acid Wash. It's gentle and non drying but does help exfoliate without grains and reduce spots, and doesn't disrupt the skin barrier.

You still need to be using a good spf though with any acid product, every day. Make sure you choose a non comedogenic one.

Also what's her diet like?

I wonder if it's actually keratosis pilaris?

Are people seriously suggesting acids for an 8 year skin?!

I assume she's using clean water to rinse her skin? My son gets tiny red spots, and it's from shampoo or soap not being washed away properly and/or reacting to whichever brand I bought that week.

Also agree that you can't get ahead of teenage acne. Far more likely to be a reaction to products or foods (but fgs don't start cutting out food groups without professional advice).

She's eight!

What about a gentle cucumber face wash? I'm sure boots and Superdrug used to do a gentle range with cucumber or similar.

Warm water and a clean wash cloth paying particular attention to her bumpy areas.

This. I have a 10 year old who does no more than this, it seems early for using facial skincare products.

I didn’t mean to get control of it by preventing it by our actions now, I just meant to get her used to properly washing her face in the shower now so that it isn’t such an ordeal if it becomes a bigger issue as the teenage years approach. Just habit forming really.

She mentioned the bumps to me before I mentioned them to her, she thought they were freckles initially and it took me a while to realise what she actually
meant. They are getting more prominent and she has mentioned other people having them too, which is probably because they have been discussing them in class. She’s in a composite class, there are only a few children in her year in with a class of mostly older children, and she is one of the youngest in her school year anyway; so some of these kids are nearly two years older than her. She’s got pretty good self esteem tbh, she definitely holds her own!

I am absolutely not using an acid on her, we do use spf every day all summer and tbh I’m wondering if that is the issue now that I think about it!

Her diet is pretty good, she could eat some more veggies like most kids her age but eats plenty of fruit, protein, carbs and hasn’t got a massively sweet tooth, only drinks water.