Part two of the three part series on winter skin care for the family and this time the focus is on tweens and teens!
Older kiddos are probably able to get away without moisturizing the body throughout much of the year, unless prone to eczema. But winter might be a different story. The real struggle in this age group is getting them to moisturize at all!
Here are some helpful tips to help your tween or teen take care of their skin so it works optimally to protect, resist infections, and minimize breakouts:
- Bathing
It is not recommended to bathe more than once per day in winter. If playing sports, plan bathing ahead of time so it does not have to happen more than once a day. Use warm water, not hot. Showers should last 3-5 minutes. Use hydrating body washes during winter.
- Moisturizing
After bathing, pat skin dry and apply a cream type moisturizer. If cream is unacceptable to your child, use a lotion or gel-cream.
- Face care
This age group is often using acne treatment products and exfoliants which tend to be drying, as do prescription acne treatments. Frequency of use of acne treatments may need to be reduced during winter months. Of course, discuss any changes to prescription acne medications with your prescribing doctor first. For more information visit www.papsociety.org/accutane-isotretinoin/.
Also, this group often fears the use of moisturizer as a cause of acne. Encourage use of an oil-free, non-comedogenic moisturizer year round, but especially during winter. Discuss with your kiddo that moisturizing actually helps to balance oil production.
When the skin feels tight, dry, and “squeaky clean,” it will overcompensate by producing more oils which can fuel breakouts. A gel-cream texture is often more acceptable to this age group but go for a cream if the skin is more sensitive and already dry.
Your child may also need to switch from salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide containing facial cleansers to a hydrating cleanser during the colder months.
Lastly, I recommend fragrance free products year round but especially during the winter months when skin tends to be more sensitive.
- SPF
Sunscreen is important year round, especially living in Arizona. Sunburns negatively affect the skin’s ability to hold in moisture and dry skin means the skin barrier is not as effective at protecting the cells from sunlight that gets through.
- Lip Care
An ointment based product like Vaseline is best.
Dr. Brooke Jeffy is a board-certified dermatologist that has been practicing in North Scottsdale for nine years. She practices dermatology differently by combining medical dermatology, lifestyle approaches and skincare to create skin health for her patients. Her favorite condition to treat is acne and she loves teaching tweens and teens how to care for their skin. In addition to running her own private practice, Dr. Jeffy is the founder of btwn skincare, a product line and educational resource for tweens and teens to help them get started with healthy skin and wellness habits. To learn more or schedule an appointment, go to www.brookejeffymd.com. For tween/teen skincare tips IG @brookejeffymd
