Is 9 too young to have a skin care regime?

[DrMeredithGrey2023]

If not, any recommendations on where to start?

@Whatsthefrequencykenny apologies, examine her face.

This is quite a reach! A 9 year old wanting some face wash suddenly getting fillers and looking like a drag artist? I had a “routine” from about 8, I washed my face with soap and water and then used a body shop tidewater and vitamin E moisturiser. In my 40s now, no fillers, no Botox, sometimes wear a bit of make up and sometimes don’t. I may get tweakments, I might not but using a bit of moisturiser at 9 is not going to lead to her face collapsing. With someone who had skin cancer in the family I can’t bang the SPF drum loud enough. Mine use altruist, I use frezyderm, we all use it every single day. If you use suncream you need to take it off properly at night.

Careful with micellar. It's not a nice product and does block skin as it leaves a film on the skin. As long as they splash it off though afterwards it's fine.

I think skin needs to be cared for appropriately to the person and lifestyle. So yes, if I had a 9 year old who spent a lot of time in the sun or sea, I'd be encouraging them to protect their skin with suitable products. The same as if I had one who played a muddy sport I'd be encourage them to clean their skin properly. I think the issue is in labeling it 'a skincare routine' as that is firmly associated with beauty and anti aging, when a 9 year old just needs to focus on skin health and hygiene.

Because there are people who get taken in by the "natural" (as you know, cancer is "natural") blurb on products. Likewise, they think that because they don't buy Nivea that their skincare is "chemical free". Nothing on this planet is chemical free and the skincare and cosmetics industry goes through (generally) far more stringent safety protocols than the food industry ever has. Go figure. (Obviously as a scientist you'll know all this so apologies for teaching my grandmother to suck eggs but I'm sure you'll agree it's important to clarify misinformation)

It's innocent ignorance really, but can become insidious when posters who should know better continue spaffing it round.

Exactly.

So serum, moisturiser, sun cream and foundation? Does the sun cream not make your face greasy? I know some moisturisers have spf 15 in them but is that enough? What brands of sun cream should I be looking for to avoid melting?

Starting a skin care routine before puberty hits will definitely have an impact upon how much congestion they get. My daughter avoids break outs just by using a simple moisturiser.

Most Caucasian people have dry skin but the minute a teen with Caucasian skin starts getting spots, they sometimes assume they must have oily skin and start stripping their skin which makes it all worse. Cleansing is important & using a simple moisturiser.

If you're talking about adult skin with no obvious issues, then SPF should be at least 30, 50 is preferable and separate from anything else because we just don't put enough on. Dermatologists recommend two fingers length of SPF.
The newish SPFs especially for the face are different to the full body ones and don't leave any sheen or anything.
I use the Garnier for the face. Cheap as chips from Amazon, it's nice and hydrating so I often skip a morning moisturizer and I gave dry skin.
There are others which are more liquidy still. Biore watery essence is a watery lotion and very good. Frezyderm is a spf50 primer.

Complete rubbish. If you don't use SPF, UVA rays damage your skin all year around and make you age prematurely.

I look very young for my age. Some of it is down to genetics but I have taken care of my skin from a young age.

What about something like this? Simple Mini Regime Kind to Skin, 3-Piece Gift Set, Perfect Set of Gifts for Her https://amzn.eu/d/3lTd1QB

Dove is not a soap,it's a cleansing bar. Greasy skin,spots are not caused by dirt or cream,they are caused by hormones. A lot of dermatologists, say you do not need to slather moisturizer on your face,it actually makes things worse, like headaches caused by taking too many analgesic. Yes,9 is far too young, for anything other than soap water,sfp....we have big family history,both sides of skin cancer,DGKs, very pale, blue eyed blondes.

@MrsMikeDrop you have absolutely no idea what you're on about. Washing your face and using moisturiser does not give you pimples. At the age of 9 the only thing that is going to give you pimples is hormones.

I honestly wonder what some posters are doing on a skincare thread.

its inherent in the phrase "skin care regime". It where you said this was "important self care".

we have already established we are not talking about SPF - which is a scientifically tested medical product and not in any way related to the "beauty" industry.

"taking care" of your skin will not have had any affect on how you look now. The skin you "took care of" was dead at the time, and lost to you shortly after, and the skin you have now is unrelated

I agree, dove is not in any way a soap, it is a "beauty product". Don't buy it if you want soap.

This video is a few years old but might be worth a watch for some tips:

taking care" of your skin will not have had any affect on how you look now. The skin you "took care of" was dead at the time, and lost to you shortly after, and the skin you have now is unrelated

You are wrong. The environment speeds up ageing. Taking care of your skin helps to preserve what you would have had without those toxic things. The sun isn't the only thing.

I'm a skin therapist and have worked with clients who had prematurely aged skin due to smoking. There are some treatments which do help to reverse damage. I've seen it first hand. There is no magic wand but you can definitely do things to prevent premature aging.

Part of a good skincare routine is actually removing dead skin cells to enable cell renewal - which will make you look more glowing.

The reason it's not good to wash your face with soap is that it's too acidic for your skin.

My teenagers use clear start - the niacinamide does help to clear up their break outs.

"taking care" of your skin will not have had any affect on how you look now. The skin you "took care of" was dead at the time, and lost to you shortly after, and the skin you have now is unrelated"

Dermatologists agree that airborne pollution damages skin, leading to premature ageing, dark spot damage, pore congestion and barrier damage.

Do you have a link proving otherwise? I can't find anything.

@Nimbostratus100

My DD swears by Niacinamide. She says that after the SA it's the one thing she'll never be without.

its inherent in the phrase "skin care regime". It where you said this was "important self care".

You missed the bit where I said it's important self care 'to me'

And it is.

Maybe it won't be for her, who knows.

Skin care, TO ME, is part of my own personal hygiene standard. Without doing my skin care, I feel grotty and unwashed. Which will set my tone for the rest of the day.

Not everyone thinks like that, which is why I said 'to me'.

I haven't pushed this standard on to her. She's asked to have her own products. I wasn't sure if there would be any harm in doing so - so I have asked. I don't care if it would be beneficial to her or not, perfect skin isn't the end game here.

If she was to get her own products, I would not be in the bathroom every night pushing her to do it correctly. It's not something I would take seriously, like brushing teeth.

I am unsure why you felt the need to get involved in something that you show such high levels of disdain towards.

If a skincare thread asks ‘does my 9 year old need a skincare routine?’ I think it’s valid to come on and say that unless they have dry skin, eczema or something similar then no they don’t.

My personal opinion is that many (most?) adults don’t need any more than to wash their face in the shower and use sunscreen when appropriate. This is based on the fact that most men do just that and look fine. Yes there are exceptions but in general I think it disproves the idea that a skincare routine is an essential part of ‘self-care’ rather than something some people might need because they have problem skin or to remove makeup.

I am deeply sceptical about the idea that (other than SPF) products like cleanser and moisturiser provide significant protection against toxins in the environment which might permanently damage skin. Is there any scientific evidence for this?

it is no different to polishing your shoes, then changing your shoes - no beneficial long term affect at all

Of course the "beauty" industry are going to pretend otherwise