'Crisis point' in young girls over social media skincare trends, dermatologist warns

Dermatologists have warned that viral social media skincare trends are taking in young children who are now using products that may be causing life-long damage to their skin.

Thanks to influencers and social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, skincare trends can quickly go viral with people sharing which beauty products they use.

But, experts are warning that some of these trends aren’t suitable for young people, with some products containing strong acids and harsh ingredients that are not designed for them.

According to data seen bySky News, over two years there’s been a 21 per cent rise in 11 to 16-year-olds using anti-ageing moisturiser.

Another study by Kantar revealed young people are increasingly anxious about ageing, with a 23 per cent jump in the number of 11 to 16-year-old girls saying they think they have fine lines and wrinkles, in just one year.

Dr Tess McPherson from the British Association of Dermatologists suggests skincare crazes have reached “a kind of crisis point”. She believes that some young people now have an “addictive” obsession with expensive beauty products they’ve seen online that aren’t meant for them.

She explained that some anti-ageing creams and ingredients like retinol “can not just cause irritation, but can actually develop contact allergies which can be life-long”.

The dermatologist revealed she has treated some children as young as eight or nine “who have eczema-prone skin and developed facial eczema as a result” of using such products.

And, the impact is not only clinical. Dr McPherson warned it may also be impacting on young people’s mental health.

“We know it can lead to significant appearance-related concerns, and you might then be more likely to go for cosmetic surgery at a younger and younger age – spending money with risks to both your skin, your health, and your mental health,” Dr McPherson explained.

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