LISTEN: TikTok skincare craze putting SA teens at risk, expert warns
A skin expert has raised concerns about the growing number of South African teens taking unverified skin-care advice from TikTok and YouTube.
Doctor Judey Pretorius, a Biomedical Scientist and lecturer for Pharmaceutical Chemistry at North West University, has described the skin struggles of teenagers as the perfect storm of pressure.
She says teens’ focus on their skin is tied to confidence.
The doctor says while they are seeing a rise in teen skin issues, there's a growing trend of young people copying adult skin routines packed with ingredients that their skin isn’t ready to handle.
Pretorius says that on social media platforms, influencers with some barely older than their followers post product reviews of items they promote as must-haves.
" Now, why this is very serious to take note of is the first thing that people should know out there is that the cosmetic industry is one of the most unregulated industries on the planet.
"That's why literally every single person can come to the forefront and give some form of skin care advice."
Pretorius says teenagers are buying high-strength products intended for mature or damaged skin, which can cause irritation, disrupt skin barriers, and in some cases, lead to long-term sensitivity.
" We should be respectful to the fact that we do get information from social media and from the Internet. I mean, we should not be naive that this is our go-to route to gain information.
“I would say try to be more inquisitive and put on your investigation hat, if you will, and try to start to look for who the person is, so the manpower behind a particular brand, because you want to see qualification and experience."
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