Starting your child on good skincare now.

Written By Lisa Giamarino

I spent a lot of my childhood playing on the beach, and spent much of my teenage years “laying out” with baby oil on my skin.  I could cringe at the times I would take my snow-white skin to the beach on spring break having left cold New York to bathe in the warm waters of the US Virgin Islands. My mom would yell at me for spending so much time in the sun.  If only I had listened and known then what I know now…that those years spent damaging my skin would lead to premature aging, dark sunspots that would plague me in my forties and my endless battle to stop the aging process.  I vowed to never let my kid damage her skin the way I did in my youth.

To this day, my 71-year-old mother is mistaken as my older sister.  My grandmother who grew up in central America would garden with opera length gloves and a huge wide brimmed hat all in fears of darkening her skin with the tropical sun.  That lady died at the age of 89 with barely a wrinkle and skin the color of snow.  Some of it, of course, it genetic, but they have both taken extremely good care of themselves and their skin.

One thing I really did listen to my mom about was skincare.  The moment I hit puberty, my mom went out and bought me a skincare regimen which included a cleanser, toner, moisturizer and eye cream.  I never skipped…EVER.  I know that I have warded off plenty of crows feet due to my use of eye cream since the age of 12.  My love of skincare started back then.  Even through my college years, my roommates would laugh at all the products I had stashed in my dorm room.  It didn’t matter if I came home from a night of intoxication – I would never go to bed without taking my makeup off, and properly cleansing my face.

Let me tell you…it is never too early to teach your kids proper skin protection and skincare.  It starts from a very young age.  I always tell my 7-year-old daughter how lucky she is to have an esthetician as her mother.  Since the very first moment she ever spent time in the sun, I have been slathering her milky spot-free skin with sunblock.  I realized early on, that there would never be a battle if I chose a product that would not make her feel sticky, or look pasty.  Even at the age of 2, she was very adamant about not feeling sticky.  So that began my hunt.  I tried sprays, lotions, potions…anything I could get my hands on that she would be ok with wearing.  It was a lesson – pick a product that your child feels comfortable with.

We are lucky in this day and age, that there are many choices out there when it comes to sun protection.  When I was a kid, there really wasn’t much, and what did exist was white and pasty. I would sweat and it would fall in my eyes almost blinding me.  Now we have options.  Try and figure out what textures and mediums your child prefers.  Do they like a spray vs. lotion?  Do they prefer a stick applicator?  Regardless of their choice, explain how important it is to always wear it. This goes for every color of skin under the sun.  The only difference between a fair person and a person of color (all shades) is the melanin in the skin.  A person with dark complexion can get skin cancer too, and the added detriment is that darker skin tones tend to hyper pigment more noticeably.

Recently, I have had a number of younger clients.  Both in skincare and makeup.  I am happy to see that moms really want their children to learn proper hygiene when it comes to skin.  At the first signs of puberty, moms have started to bring their children in for facials – before there is an opportunity to get stuck in bad habits (i.e. going to bed without washing their faces, and picking at their pimples).  It’s exciting for me to know that moms don’t have to battle with their kids to teach them properly – they’re leaving that to me.  I tell them about people who suffer tremendously from acne scars, and about the people I see regularly who have had chunks of skin removed from their faces due to skin cancer.  It’s a tactic that encourages them to be good to their skin early on.

When it comes to makeup, the teenage girls want to look like Instagram-worthy models.  Whether prom, dances, or weddings, I explain to them how the women on Instagram don’t really look that way and that when they get older, guys don’t want to make out with a girl sporting loads of makeup.  They laugh, but I know deep down I sparked something in them.  I teach them the proper way to remove makeup to prevent breakouts.  I teach them how to properly take care of their skin because no amount of makeup will hide major skin imperfections.  And I teach them that really – the most beautiful women in the world are even more beautiful without a ton of makeup.

I’m always surprised at how much information these kids are getting online about makeup and skin.  I have a fourteen-year-old client who already has a favorite makeup line.  It cracks me up.  Unfortunately, though, there is a lot of misinformation out there and they are just not equipped to sort through the truths, misconceptions, and improper advice. That is why moms and dads are paying me to do that with their kids.  I want to arm them with the proper information.

In conclusion, I say, start them early.  First start with you.  If they see you applying sunblock at an early age…and REAPPLYING, they will follow suit. Teach them that washing their faces properly day and night is a must, and finally, when they hit puberty, take them in to see a professional.  We will teach them the proper routine using the proper products.  And simplicity is key.  A teenager’s cleansing routine should be simple because they are more likely to stick with it.

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