The Whole View with Stacy Toth, Season 3, Episode 116: Introducing Clean Hygiene Habits to Teens w/ Dr. Sheilagh Maguiness

Posted on June 7, 2024

Pediatric Dermatologist Dr. Sheliah Maguiness joins Stacy to share tips on starting conversations about hygiene with teens and tweens. Dr. Maguiness strives to find ways that feel less embarrassing and more encouraging to help kids take on the personal self-care that will set them up for a lifetime of healthier skin.

Find Dr. Maguiness:

If you enjoy the show, please leave a review. Letting people know on iTunes or however you listen that it’s worth their time could change someone’s life!

Key Takeaways

Introductions

Dr. Sheilagh Maguiness is a mother of two tween boys and a licensed, practicing double board certified Pediatric Dermatologist. She serves as the Division Director for Pediatric Dermatology at the University of Minnesota.
Furthermore, is a national leader in Pediatric Dermatology, and currently serves as President of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology.
Additionally, she is also a Co-Founder of Stryke Club, a personal care line made just for teens and tweens.

Hygiene for Teens

Self-care really encompasses a wide range of things we do for ourselves every day to take care of ourselves. When our kids show up, wash their face, put on a sunscreen, we can then say, ‘hey, look at you, you’re doing such a great job taking care of yourself.’ – Dr. Maguiness

Where do we start?

Stacy notes that one of the first questions she hears from parents is, how to even start to have conversations about hygiene with kids in a way that isn’t cringe or embarrassing but helps as they need to take on more self care.
Dr. Maguiness believes that skincare with tweens and teens doesn’t need to be expensive or cumbersome. Make it fun! Start a conversation and include them in conversations. What can better than establishing good hygiene habits early on?
She says she is seeing extremes in personal care with tweens and teens. Many girls or feminine folks are having complicated routines not necessarily appropriate for their changing skin. On the other hand, boys are less likely to engage in even the basics of self-care.
Where can everyone start?
- Wash your face twice a day with a gentle cleanser, preferably fragrance-free and something non-irritating for changing skin
- Use a moisturizer at nighttime (skip if doesn’t seem appropriate for their type of skin)
- In the morning, apply a broad spectrum SPF sunscreen
Stacy notes that it was difficult to even get her tweens and teens to wash twice a day, so helped them with face wipes.

Product Ingredients

Stacy and Dr. Maguiness talk about mineral vs. chemical sunscreens. While ingredients in suncreen have come under scrutiny, any sunscreen is better than nothing when it comes to the damaging effects of UV.
However, Dr. Maguiness generally recommends mineral sunscreen containing one or both active ingredients of zinc and titanium dioxide, at SPF 30 or greater. They are best for best for young and sensitive skin.
She notes that a broader conversation is about using protective clothing, like hats, sunglasses, rashguards, etc.
As Stacy often talks about, Dr. Maguiness also notes that a huge issue with the health, wellness, and beauty industry in general is that many of the ingredients are not regulated at all by the FDA.
What is clean, and what is not? Everything is chemicals. Not every chemical is bad, but some can be bad for you, and some are definitely bad for your skin.
The reality is that products can’t be tested on pregnant folks or children. If you see fragrance-free, hypoallergenic derm tested, at least you can be sure some testing was done and there were no skin reactions.