Stuffing stockings with skincare? Here's what experts say kids should (and shouldn't) be using.
Skin care is all the rage for teens and tweens these days. But if you're hunting for last-minute skincare stocking stuffers, be aware that experts warn some products could cause more harm than good.
Dr. Sheilagh Maguiness, a dermatologist and president of Society for Pediatric Dermatology told CBS News earlier this year it's important to look for age-appropriate products for young skin.
"What's not good about caring for your skin, washing your face, wanting to establish good healthy skin care habits early? That's great," Maguiness said. "But what's not great is the fact that some of the products that are being marketed to tweens and teens are not necessarily good or appropriate for their skin."
So if you're deciding on skincare gifts, here's what's safe and what's best to skip.
Safe: Cleanser and sun protection
Using a gentle cleanser once or twice a day to wash your face is a great first step for those around age 11 or 12, Maguiness said.
"Even tweens could wash their face twice a day; as young as 8, that would be just fine," she said.
After washing your face in the morning, Maguiness suggests applying a sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater. Then in the evening, swap that out for a gentle moisturizer.
"The only preventative product that you need in an arsenal at any age is sunscreen," she said. "It is the No. 1 thing you can do to prevent your skin from aging and to prevent, even more importantly, the risk for skin cancer down the line."
Skip: Harsh ingredients
Some harsh ingredients for young people to avoid include alpha and beta hydroxy acids (AHA and BHA), alcohol, highly fragranced products, and retinols and retinoids, plastic surgeon Dr. Smita Ramanadham, told CBS New York earlier this year.
"The biggest category to really avoid are those anti-aging products," she said. "Young skin just does not need it. Young skin has collagen, elastin, it is hydrated, so we don't need to add these extra ingredients that are really going to irritate and cause inflammation."
Maguiness said she sees young girls come into her clinic with bags of unnecessary and potentially risky products.
"They're actually damaging their skin barrier. They're drying themselves out. They're getting irritant dermatitis," she said. "They're using products that really just aren't appropriate for the type of skin that they have."