Skin Care Routine for 10 Year Olds

I'm a dermatologist in Miami and I treat many 10 year old girls and boys that need a good skin care routine. The advice on Tik Tok about skin care routines for young people is really bad and can actually hurt your skin. Taking care of skin is super important at every age. The sooner your child starts on the right skin care, the better your skin will be. The skin care routines do not need to be complicated or expensive.  There are many affordable options. Ten years old is not too early to begin a good daily regimen. Everyone’s skin is different, and knowing which of the 16 skin types your child is can help you motivate your kids to get good skin care habits early.. Here’s a simple guide to help ten year olds find their skin type and learn how to take care of skin properly. Chances are they are watching Tik Tok and getting all kids of uneducated advice. I hope this helps them resist crazy beauty trends.

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First things first: not everyone has the same kind of skin. Your skin can be oily, dry, or something else. To know what kind of skin you have, you can take our skin type quiz. It asks about your daily habits and helps us decide what kind of protective skin care you need. If you play outside sports, you may need some extra protection like antioxidants to protect your skin.

The best way to find your skin type is to take our quiz. Once you take the quiz you will get educational material in emails and you will be able to shop for skin care using your skin type octagon. So take the quiz for the best advice but here are some ways to know your skin type.

If you have oily skin, your biggest issue is clogged pores. These are signs that you have oily skin:

• Your face feels shiny and greasy all the time.
• You need to wash your face in the middle of the day because it feels dirty.
• Clogged pores (called comedones)
• Large pores on nose and in T-zone

Morning Routine:

• Cleanser : Use a gentle foaming cleanser to wash the face.
• Moisturizer : Choose a light, oil-free moisturizer or hydrating toner to keep skin hydrated without making it greasy.
• Sunscreen : Always apply sunscreen during the day to protect skin from the sun.

Evening Routine:

• Cleanser : Use a gentle foaming cleanser to wash your face to remove oil, sunscreen, and pollutants that can clog pores.
• Moisturizer : Choose a light, oil-free moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated without making it greasy.

There are 8 Baumann Skin Type with oily skin. Your child is most likely one of the following:

Baumann Skin Type 1: DSPT - dry skin, acne or facial redness and dark spots from pimples

Baumann Skin Type 2:DSNT- dry skin and acne or facial redness

Baumann Skin Type 14: DRNT- dryskin with no other problems

Dry skin types can get irritated and dry from detergents in foaming cleansers.  Creamy cleansers are better for young people with dry skin.  Dove soap is a good soap for dry skin types to use. 

Most moisturizers that are talked about on Tik Tok and social media  are hyaluronic acid serum and toners.  These are not hydrating enough for dry skin types.  Dry skin has an impaired skin barrier so it needs a barrier repair moisturizer like Zerafite Barrier Repair.

Morning Routine:

• Cleanser : Use a creamy or milk cleanser to wash your face. You ca skip washing your face in the am if it is clean from the  night before (or only has moisturizer on it). 
• Moisturizer : Choose a creamy barrier repair moisturizer moisturizer to  help repair the barrier.  This will prevent water from evaporating off the skin and will help prevent irritants and allergens from entering the skin.
• Sunscreen : Always apply sunscreen during the day to protect skin from the sun. I recommend a mineral sunscreen. You can choose tinted or untinted.

Evening Routine:

• Cleanser : Use a nonfoaming creamy  cleanser to wash the face every  night. This is important to remove pollution, sweat, sunscreen, and oils from the skin.
• Moisturizer : Choose a creamy barrier repair moisturizer. You can use the same one as the am.

Ten year olds are usually too young to be showing any type of hormonal acne. That usually begins around age 13.  So if you are seeing clogged pores on the face or hairline rule out these causes:

• Hormones in milk (choose organic instead)
• Comedogenic hair products (Wash face after rinsing hair or get products without comedogenic ingredients.
• Not washing face at night
• Using the wrong moisturizer
• Over exfoliating (10 year old do not need to exfoliate!)

Your 10 year old may be tempted to try toners, exfoliators, retinols and masks that they hear about on social media.  But at their age- less is more. Follow this guide for the right skin care for young girls and boys. The goal of skin care at this age is to wash the face every night and wear a SPF on the face every day. It does not need to be complicated or expensive. Thanks for reading this blog about skin care for 10 year olds! As a gift, please accept 20% off your next order with the discount code STSBlog20 at checkout

1. Baumann L. Cleansers in Ch. 40 of Baumann's Cosmetic Dermatology Ed 3. (McGraw Hill 2022)
2. Baumann L. Moisturizers in Ch. 43 of Baumann's Cosmetic Dermatology Ed 3. (McGraw Hill 2022)
3. Baumann, L. Ch. Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients (McGraw Hill 2015)