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Teenage Skincare Routines From Social Media Offer Little Benefits And Could Actually Be Harmful

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New research has shown that skincare routines shared on social media by teenagers actually offer little to no benefit, and could instead increase the risk of skin irritations and the development of allergies in young people.

Dr. Molly Hales and her team conducted the research from Northwestern University. The group stated that there has been a rise in young girls specifically watching, sharing, and taking advice from complicated skin care routines that involve a multitude of unnecessary steps for their young and developing skin. 

Kids are using moisturizers, toners, acne treatments, and anti-aging products in routines that are expensive and potentially harmful. Through analyzing multiple videos on TikTok specifically, the team also found that a majority of these routines are complex and require a lot of time, with some videos showing girls waking up as early as 4:30 am to start getting ready.

“The risks associated with using these products, especially in young girls, far outweighs whatever marginal benefit you may get from using the active ingredients,” Dr. Hales told reporters.

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“The danger is when girls get the message that this is something that they have to do to take care of their skin and to protect their health. These products don’t increase the health of your skin and they probably worsen your skin integrity over time.”

Dr. Hales and her team conducted their research by creating two TikTok accounts that they designed to be like an average 13-year-old’s account. They adjusted their algorithms to gather a sample of 100 skincare routines that were filmed by younger people. 

Of 83 different creators, 82 were girls aged between seven to 18-years-old. “Almost all content creators had clear, light skin without visible blemishes. [The videos] made frequent reference to aspirational beauty ideals that may be tied to whiteness.”

On average, the skincare routines involved six products, were from the same brands, and had a cost of about $168, according to the study. On the more extreme end, some regimens involved more than a dozen products and totaled more than $500.

Dr. Hales stated that it’s recommended that younger people use a gentle cleanser once, maybe twice, a day and then use a sunscreen to protect their skin. 

One of the biggest issues with tweens and teens using excessive amounts of skincare products is that they’re putting active ingredients on their skin that’s not necessary and potentially harmful. The reason they’re using so many of them, however, is because they view the products as trendy and aesthetically pleasing. 

The way influencers are advertising these products emphasizes a message of anti-aging, and is causing teenagers to worry about aging when they’re not even fully developed themselves. 

The study showed that many products contain ingredients like citric acid, which carries a risk for irritation and increased sensitivity to the sun. A lot of the ingredients in skincare products are meant to combat specific skin issues in adults such as hyperpigmentation, acne scarring, sun spots/damage, and more.

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Sunscreen is one of the most important products that everyone can benefit from using. SPF products not only protect the skin from sun damage, but light damage in general, as well as a multitude of issues that people may experience either growing up, or in adulthood. 

However, the team found that only about 26% of the videos they reviewed discussed daytime skincare with the inclusion of sunscreen. 

The more products one uses in their skincare routine, regardless of age, the more likely it is that you’re adding products with the same active ingredients on top of each other, which increases the risk of skin irritation, sensitivity, and vulnerability. 

Among the top 25 videos reviewed in the study, 76% had at least one potential contact allergen, the most common being some sort of fragrance. 

Dr. Tess McPherson, who is a part of the British Association of Dermatologists, was not involved in the study but noted how important it was. She discussed how there has been an increase in young people going to dermatologists for skin irritation.  

“Younger and younger children are seeking skincare products when they don’t need them, they’re not helpful. This is a very concerning statement on society and how we view how skin should look.”

“We’re certainly seeing a huge increase in people wanting something they call perfect or flawless skin, which we know is unachievable [and] unhelpful – it doesn’t make people happy,” she said.

A spokesperson for TikTok told the Guardian: 

“This type of content is common across all media, and the authors admit they did not assess its impact on teen wellbeing. However, they did find actual benefits to teen self-expression, parent-teen bonding, and building a supportive community on TikTok.”

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Hard Water: What Is It, What Does It Do To Your Hair, And How Can You Fix It?

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In many parts of the world, hard water is what’s released through showers and sinks. Hard water refers to water that contains higher levels of minerals, metals, and other mainly harmless contaminants, which in turn can impact the hair and skin when one showers. 

Hard water could increase symptoms of pre-existing conditions like eczema, dandruff, and dermatitis, as hard water can make the hair and skin dryer, coarser, and duller. It’s also known for being especially harsh on textured hair, leading many individuals to use more shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash to reach the results they would have in a shower without hard water. 

Luckily, there are methods and products that exist that can filter out the extra minerals and metals, and help one’s hair and skin remain smooth, moisturized, and healthy. 

Many individuals have utilized plumbing technology such as domestic water softeners, however, these tend to be expensive, and sometimes aren’t usable with older plumbing systems. 

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One solution that many individuals have begun to implement are purifying shower heads, which are available online for less than $100. The shower head attachment screws onto most standard shower heads, making it so the water is filtered before it hits your skin and hair. Like water filters, these utilize replaceable filter cartridges, to ensure the head works continuously. 

It’s also recommended that for individuals with thicker, coarser, and/or textured hair, to utilize a clarifying shampoo every 7-14 days as opposed to their regular shampoo. Clarifying shampoo is formulated to remove excess buildup and residue from your hair and scalp, offering a much deeper clean than regular shampoo. 

It’s important to note that clarifying shampoo is not meant to be used on a regular basis due to how deeply it cleans the hair/scalp. If you were to use it every day, it would lead to much drier hair and skin. 

Finding a proper moisturizer and skin routine that works for your specific skin type, on your face and body, is important in general, but especially if you notice that your shower water is impacting your hair and skin. 

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New Study Shows UV Dryers For Gel Manicures May Damage The DNA In Your Hands

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A new study published in Nature Communications shows that getting frequent gel manicures using UV nail polish dryers can cause damage to the DNA in our hands, and potentially lead to skin cancer. 

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are known to cause skin cancer at high exposures, and there isn’t a lot of current research on the potential harms of UV nail polish dryers.  

The University of California San Diego recently released a press release that explained “that the common devices in nail salons generally use a particular spectrum of UV light (340-395nm) to cure the chemicals used in gel manicures. While tanning beds use a different spectrum of UV light (280-400nm) there have been studies that show tanning bed UV light is carcinogenic, or cancer-causing, however, the spectrum used for nail dryers has not been extensively studied.”

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“If you look at the way these devices are presented, they are marketed as safe, with nothing to be concerned about. But to the best of our knowledge, no one has actually studied these devices and how they affect human cells at the molecular and cellular levels until now,” said Ludmil Alexandrov, a professor of bioengineering and cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego, and corresponding author of the study. 

Researchers of the study found that using the device for one 20 minute session led to 20-30% cell death, where three consecutive 20 minute exposures caused between 65-70% of exposed cells to die. 

The UV light also caused mitochondrial and DNA damage to the skin cells, resulting in mutations with patterns that can also be seen in skin cancer in humans. 

“We saw multiple things: first, we saw that DNA gets damaged,” said Alexandrov in a press release. 

“We also saw that some of the DNA damage does not get repaired over time, and it does lead to mutations after every exposure with a UV-nail polish dryer. Lastly, we saw that exposure may cause mitochondrial dysfunction, which may also result in additional mutations. We looked at patients with skin cancers, and we see the exact same patterns of mutations in these patients that were seen in the irradiated cells.”

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation “90% of the visible signs of aging come from daily exposure to UV light. This means fine lines, wrinkling, saggy skin, sun spots, uneven skin tone,” says Mona Gohara, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine and Prevention Medical Review Board member. 

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“In addition, it can alter one’s DNA repair mechanisms, making skin cancer possible. In general, more people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the U.S. than all other cancers combined.”

UV-cured manicures are safest when one applies a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 around 30 minutes before the manicure, as well as when one wears fingerless gloves during the manicure. 

“UV light with manicures can always pose a risk. LED lights pose less of a risk, but could still pose some potential dangers. It’s kind of analogous to smoking a cigarette, the more you do it, the more at risk you are. If you want to be sure that no exposure is happening, use sunscreen, cover your hands with cotton gloves, or avoid manis that involve light devices,” says Dr. Gohara

“The knowledge that UV radiation exposure causes DNA mutation in the skin is not new. We know that UV radiation is a known and proven risk for skin cancer and this is why we wear sunscreen, sun protective clothing, hats, sit in the shade and ideally have regular skin checks with a board-certified dermatologist,” says Dr. Stern. 

“For anyone getting UV gel manicures, it is advisable to protect the skin with a UV protective barrier such as fingertip-less UV protective gloves as well as broad-spectrum sunscreen applied 30 minutes before the gel manicure. It is key that the sunscreen is broad-spectrum in order to protect against UVA rays,” advises Dr. Stern.

Staring at Computer

How To Protect Your Skin From Excessive Blue Light Screen Exposure

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Now that most of us are experiencing what it’s like to work from home for the first time, it’s important to understand the health effects that staring at a screen for a majority of the day can have. We’re all aware of the fact that staying on the internet for too long can have detrimental effects to your mental health, and how the blue light that’s emitted from our screens can cause us to lose sleep and stay engaged online for longer, however, did you also know that the same blue light can take a toll on your skin?

“Blue light, or high-energy visible (HEV) light, is primarily from the sun, but it’s also emitted by our phone, tablet, and computer screens. While blue light can at times be beneficial, like for killing bacteria and treating acne, being exposed to too much of it can also prompt the formation of free radicals, which break down collagen and cause inflammation, leading to redness, dark spots, and wrinkles. It can also darken hyper-pigmentation, especially in deeper skin tones, so it’s important to protect skin from its powers in the same way we do from the sun,” explains dermatologist Deanne Robinson, MD.

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One of the easiest solutions to combat the blue light that’s absorbed into our skin is making sure you’re ingesting enough antioxidants and, surprisingly, broad-spectrum sunscreen. No matter what you should always be putting on sunscreen/SPF every day especially in the morning. Even though you might not go outside throughout the day, especially during this pandemic, SPF’s help improve your skin’s hyper-pigmentation, prevents premature aging, and now, protects your skin barrier from blue light absorption. 

In terms of ingesting antioxidants, Dr. Robinson explains that “antioxidants do not physically block the light, rather they work to neutralize oxidative stress caused by the light.” Basically, your skin gets “stressed out” the longer you look at blue light, which leads to all of those detrimental effects, so antioxidants may not stop the blue light from absorbing into your skin, but it will stop your skin from reacting negatively to the light. 

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, “most of the blue light we’re exposed to comes from the sun, but as research continues to show, we are spending more than half of our waking hours interacting with devices and are therefore exposed to more blue light now than at any other point in history. Luckily, there are plenty of products that provide blue light protection and help shield skin from its harmful effects.”

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Some of these products that the AAO is referring to involve skin serums, sunscreens and moisturizers that are designed to combat negative effects caused by blue light exposure. Serums or other skin care products that have hyaluronic acid are extremely beneficial for this as well. Hyaluronic acid is an amazing way to hydrate your skin in general, and it should be a part of your skin care routine anyway, but one of the many benefits of it is that it hydrates your skin immensely. When your skin is properly hydrated, it’s less likely to “stress,” and remember, there’s no such thing as “over-hydrating” your skin, so be generous. 

When looking for a sunscreen you want to choose a formula that’s described as “broad-spectrum,” has minerals, and has an SPF of at least 30. Broad-spectrum means it protects your skin from multiple kinds of light (such as blue) and the minerals will give your skin a direct hit of antioxidants as well. 

Skin care may be the last thing on some of our minds, but just because we’re not out in public everyday doesn’t mean that our skin’s health needs to suffer too, so what are you waiting for? Stop reading this and go put on some sunscreen!