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Teen Skin Care is Health Care | The Positively Healthy Mom with Dr. Angela Sanfilippo Casey
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Your teen’s skin isn’t just about appearance — it’s a key part of their overall health. In this episode of The Positively Healthy Mom Podcast, host Laura Ollinger sits down with Dr. Angela Casey, a double board-certified dermatologist, surgeon, and founder of Bright Girl Skincare, to talk about why teaching teens to care for their skin is one of the best long-term health investments we can make.
Together, they explore:
-How early skincare habits shape lifelong skin health
-Why sunscreen and gentle routines matter more than complicated regimens
-How to talk to teens about self-care in a way they’ll actually listen
-The connection between skincare, confidence, and mental wellbeing
Dr. Casey also shares her journey as a mom of three daughters, her mission to prevent skin cancer through education, and how Bright Girl Skincare was created to make skin health simple, safe, and empowering for the next generation.
🎁 Special Gift for Listeners:
Use code POSITIVELY20 at brightgirl.com for 20% off your order.
Connect with Dr. Angela Casey:
🌐 brightgirl.com
📱 Instagram: @brightgirlbeauty | @angelacaseymd
About the Host:
Laura Ollinger is a Teen and Parent Wellbeing Coach and founder of Positively Healthy Coaching, where positive parenting meets holistic health.
🎙️ Tune in, learn how to make “self-care = healthcare,” and start helping your teens build healthy habits that last a lifetime.
#PositivelyHealthyMom #TeenSkinCare #BrightGirlSkincare #ParentingPodcast #Dermatology #SkinHealth #DrAngelaCasey #LauraOllinger #SelfCareIsHealthCare
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Transcript
Introduction to Podcast and Guest
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Positively Healthy Mom podcast, where positive parenting meets wellbeing.
00:00:08
Speaker
Hello and welcome to today's episode of the Positively Healthy Mom. I'm your host, Laura Olinger, teen and parent wellbeing coach and founder of Positively Healthy Coaching. And I'm very excited because this is a new type of episode. I've never done one like this before with Dr. Angela Casey. And so Angela, can we, could you introduce yourself and tell us about, you know, who you are where you come from and what you do?
00:00:32
Speaker
First of all, a big thank you for inviting me to be on your podcast and connect with your beautiful audience. I'm Dr. Angela Casey. I'm a double board certified dermatologist and micrographic dermatologic surgeon based in Columbus, Ohio. I'm also the mom of three teen and tween daughters.
00:00:50
Speaker
So i think a lot of common themes um among your audience and what you and I are going through ourselves. um But I'm very passionate about educating their generation and empowering them with the knowledge and the tools of how to achieve lifelong skin
Passion for Youth Skin Health
00:01:07
Speaker
health. In my practice, which focuses primarily on skin cancers, I see far too many patients that tell me, Dr. Casey, I wish I had known. I wish I could get a do-over on my skincare from my childhood and teenage years because I know that the skin cancer that I'm surgically removing today didn't start
00:01:28
Speaker
two years ago or five years ago, it dates back to 20, 30, 40 years ago when that damage started to occur. and when we can equip our young people with the knowledge and understanding of why it's so important to care for their skin and also guiding them with proper ingredients um to achieve that, that's a huge win. So that's my mission with a skincare line that I founded for young people.
00:01:54
Speaker
called Bright Girl Skin Care, and it's just B-R-I-G-H-T, girl, just like it sounds. um And we're really on a mission to change that trajectory of skin cancer incidence for our young people.
00:02:08
Speaker
I'm very committed to
Skincare Line and Community Education
00:02:10
Speaker
education. i am the head of dermatologic surgery for the Ohio Health Dermatology Residency Program. I do a lot of speaking across the country and through podcasts and other media platforms to educate the community at large about skin health prevention and awareness.
00:02:30
Speaker
So what you're doing, Laura, with wellness and empowering moms to share that messaging, to their young people is very near and dear to my heart. So i'm thrilled to be here.
00:02:42
Speaker
Awesome. Awesome. Yes. And just as you're speaking, I'm having like flashbacks of when I was a teenager, we used to go to the tanning beds to get tan for the prom or homecoming. And I'm just like cringing. And I know my parents didn't like it, but it was the trend and that's what we did. and I'm sure did major do get damage to our skin, but I have to let you know, I am a total zealot now with my sunscreen and my skincare because I realized I'm like, okay,
00:03:08
Speaker
You know, we got to keep things healthy while we can so it doesn't progress. And I live in Texas where the sun is really strong. So tell us more about like when you um come across moms and, you know, there's these conversations about how is it that we can Get teenagers to understand the long-term perspective and the long-term risk because so many teenager teenagers are all about, I want to look good now. i want to
Encouraging Skincare Compliance in Youth
00:03:35
Speaker
look good today. i don't care what happens about with my skin in the future. They'll probably have a cure by then, right? And so, like, how can you help um empower these young girls to understand that their skin is is such an important part of their body that they have to take care of?
00:03:50
Speaker
Well, you said it, they do not care at all about what's going to happen to them in 10 or 20 or 30 years. They think they are exempt from it and that they are invincible.
00:04:02
Speaker
What they really care about is the here and now. And that is really how we have to phrase our messaging. And we've done a lot of studies on this within not just dermatology literature, but health care in general.
00:04:16
Speaker
um How do we increase compliance among our young people? And more often than not in dermatology practice, when a treatment is failing, when I see a kiddo back who has acne and it's not getting better, it's not because the medications don't work. It's because they're not using them as prescribed.
00:04:36
Speaker
Yeah. So the key with our young people is a guiding them with appropriate product selection. So you have to help them find the products that they're going to be very successful with. So you don't want anything that's going to too harsh or irritating um or potentially damaging to their skin. And there are a lot of corrective products on the market that are marketed towards young people through social media and celebrities, et cetera, um that it can actually make their skin much worse. So it is our job as parents
00:05:08
Speaker
to put those guardrails on and guide them towards healthy selections. It's not unlike going to the grocery store and choosing what goes into our pantry and our fridge. Are we gonna pick junk food and processed food or gonna pick the healthy option?
00:05:23
Speaker
Skincare is the same. So that's part of it is is guiding them through proper
Effective Skincare Products for Teens
00:05:28
Speaker
selection. And then we know that there has to be that immediate positive feedback. Just like we brush our teeth and we have that nice minty clean feeling and our our mouth feels good afterwards.
00:05:40
Speaker
Skate care has to be like that. So that involves a positive feedback loop, including what's the texture of the product? How does it absorb? How does it perform? How does it smell? Smell is really, really key to Young people, it is the number one um most like specific characteristic that we get the most comments on regarding Bright Girl skincare and that we hear in dermatology. They don't like unscented products.
00:06:05
Speaker
So we have to have that immediate positive feedback. And then you have kind of that moderate term feedback that they start to see that improvement in the their skin in the here and now after using a consistent regimen for a week or two weeks or eight weeks.
00:06:21
Speaker
their skin's a little bit clearer, it's more even tone, the redness is fading, they're not getting as many breakouts. um And that is going to kind of drive that consistency.
00:06:34
Speaker
And that is where we need to focus. Again, they don't care about preventing the skin cancer that's going to happen 20 years down the road. um It is key. And for us as moms,
00:06:45
Speaker
you're probably on the same page as me. Sunscreen is the number one most important um product that they can use. We have to give them sunscreen that is so over the top, exceptional, like exceeds all their expectations that they're like, this is the greatest thing ever. And I can't live without it.
00:07:02
Speaker
Like that is where we need to be to meet them where they are. They're a very fickle crowd. They're very discerning. They're very educated and there are a million options out there for them. yeah,
00:07:15
Speaker
as we help work with them, but giving them agency over it to let them decide what they want to use and how they want to use it. But then kind of being that like, um,
00:07:27
Speaker
yeah that safety net of making sure they're on the right track.
Parental Influence on Skincare Habits
00:07:31
Speaker
It's also, i think, really key for us to model those behaviors in our own um in our own lives. So when we put on the sunscreen every day, when we're washing our face before we go to bed, even when we're tired and we don't feel like doing as moms, that always permeates to our children, right? So they may not acknowledge it, but they see us doing it and that's going to make them more likely to say that's normal. Just like if we were to go to tanning beds as moms, which hopefully none of us are doing. Yeah.
00:08:02
Speaker
Never mind that gives them permission. Like I can go to the tanning bed. My mom's doing that. My mom's getting a suntan. Like that's okay. So we really need to walk the walk too when it comes to those behaviors.
00:08:13
Speaker
Yes. Yes. I love that. I know there are times where I know there will be one step I might skip, which my dentist might not be happy about, but I never skipped the face. Well, you're better than a lot of people who just like, they're tired at the end of the day. So I also talk with my own children and my patients, like do your skincare regimen at the time that it feels right to you. That might be when you get home from school or from sports practice, like before you're too tired to do it. um It might be, you know, before, like when you take a shower, like go ahead and do your your skincare at that time, fit it into your day, like habits stack that however you need to, to to stay compliant with it, because it might get to be 10 or 1030 at night and you don't feel like doing it. You're too tired and you just want to go to bed.
00:09:05
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. I love it because a lot of the um words you're using are very much in line with, um you know, creation of habits. And that's a lot of what I do with my coaching. And so you're, and it's funny because I happen to know that background about when toothpaste was invented, they didn't actually need to create the ingredient that creates that little burn or sting or whatever, but they found that people liked that and they felt cleaner. And so that's why that ingredient is in there.
00:09:31
Speaker
So I love that you knew that. And um I just happen to randomly know that it's not like I try to find that information, but anyway, so that's cool because I love that you're having that awareness of like what, keep what feels good to people what you especially feels good to young people, teens and tweens and young adults.
00:09:46
Speaker
And so it's more likely to create that habit because they have that positive feedback loop. And it's, um and then again, choosing the time of day, like when is right for them. And so it's not when you're exhausted and flopping into bed at night, but maybe a little bit earlier in the day. So what are some other kind of conversation tips you might have for us as far as, you know, this is kind of what I do for a living is help create conversations, but um, not in this specific realm. And so I'm so excited to learn from you. And especially with, you know, your experience as a mom with three daughters, like what are some other tips that you might have as far as creating these good habits?
00:10:22
Speaker
So I think a key is that skincare doesn't have to be complicated, but it needs to be consistent. And I say that all the time. Um, we are really in society. Now we are marketed to,
00:10:35
Speaker
want to have these eight or 10 step regimens, especially our young people. They're seeing influencers that are doing these complicated nighttime routines. Um, morning shed routines are very big where influencers are taking off all sorts of, um, mouth tape and eye masks and the hair thing. And it's literally like 12 things that they've slept in apparently. And then they're shedding them in the morning.
00:11:02
Speaker
That's like one of the worst things we can do for our skin. We know that at the basic level, so skincare needs to be very supportive and it needs to be nourishing, but also streamlining
Self-Care and Confidence Boosting
00:11:15
Speaker
is key. And if you talk to, I would say 99% of dermatologists are going to side with me on this, that it really comes down to very simple things, a pH balanced gentle cleanser.
00:11:27
Speaker
that you will definitely use in the evening because you want to wash away all the pollutants and um sweat, dirt, oil that's accumulating your skin during the day. an effective moisturizer that has a good balance of humectants that draw water into your skin, emollients that are going to repair that skin barrier, and then the occlusives, which are going to help keep that hydration locked in And that's really all you need for your nighttime routine as a young person. Now, if you have acne, you might and add in like a retinoid or an acne medication topically to that.
00:12:01
Speaker
In the morning, it's gonna be similar, wash your face, moisturize, and then sunscreen. Mineral-based sunscreen are the premier sunscreens. And again, dermatologists are gonna agree on that across the board.
00:12:16
Speaker
um You want at least an s SPF 30 with your sunscreen. And there are so many formulations available now. We've got tinted, we've got sheer, we've got ones that can color correct, just a wide variety. And if you don't like mineral sunscreens, there are chemical sunscreens as well. We can talk a little bit more about that if you think that that's app pertinent to your audience.
00:12:39
Speaker
But my favorite sunscreen for a patient is the one that they're excited to use every day. um And really that is, and so it can be mineral or or chemical, but Those simple things, so keeping it simple is really key and I think that helps with compliance. You're not making it more complicated than it needs to be.
00:12:58
Speaker
um The other important concept that I talk to my patients a lot about, I talk about it a lot with Bright Girl Skin Care, self-care is health care. And this is going to relate to what you're coaching to your teens and to moms.
00:13:14
Speaker
Every day, when we do those things daily that check the box of I've done something nice for myself, the rest of your day can be hard and stressful. You might run into some obstacles, but like, at least you've done that thing that was positive, that made you feel a little bit better.
00:13:32
Speaker
And it's about um a of supporting your confidence and making you feel better as an individual. So those good habits and kind of um that self-care daily is is really important. And I think ah an important message for parents to really emphasize with their kids, like it's good to take care of yourself. Like that's healthy and it's, you know, it's positive and we encourage
Supporting Teenagers' Skincare Needs
00:14:00
Speaker
that for you.
00:14:02
Speaker
I love that because we do talk about self-care quite a bit, but I love, I'm having this like light bulb moment right now where I was actually guest on a podcast yesterday who happened to be my daughter. She has her own podcast through her high school and it was amazing. And one of the questions she had for me was asking about what kind of what's happening in the brain when we dress nicely for ourselves, we feel more confident. She gave a story about how you it's a long story but she had to get this nice outfit for this thing she was doing and she said she just noticed her confidence was better and i said absolutely like you're giving your brain those signals that you're taking care of yourself you take pride in yourself that you respect yourself and so it's like all those little things go together and i feel like this is that perfect like cherry on top to that conversation about how when you take you know because when you think of the opposite
00:14:56
Speaker
um We were talking about the polyvagal theory and how when you get out of fight or flight, you're into kind of freeze or shutdown phase. And that's those feelings of sadness, those feelings of depression. And the very first thing that happens when you get there is people stop taking care of themselves, themselves right? Like they are just not.
00:15:14
Speaker
um And I've had clients who unfortunately, they didn't have like some basic hygiene because they just were at that point. And so I love the idea that this is, it's not just even taking care of your skin, but it's also like from a mental health perspective, like giving yourself that almost and signal every day that I matter. I'm important. I'm important enough that I do these, this little regimen to take care of myself. And that's going to make me feel better and more confident but all like goes together. I think that's like such a, you know, great thought, like the way you're framing it.
00:15:49
Speaker
It's such a gift that we can give our children as parents. So when we support them in these things, or we buy them or um that nice outfit, or we buy them the proper skincare, we buy them, youre they they have their hair done.
00:16:03
Speaker
um it really does so much to build their confidence. and And just from us circling back to skin health, we know how much it can make or break a teen's day if they're broken out with acne or they've got eczema, inflammation in their skin.
00:16:18
Speaker
They feel like that is the only thing that everybody sees about them. And the truth is, of course, it's not. We see more than that. But to them, it is top of mind and it is so front and center with everything that it's going to affect them. So whatever we can do to support healthier, clearer skin, build that confidence, it's such a win for them.
00:16:38
Speaker
That's awesome. may Implement. Yes. Yes. I wish I had known you when I was a teen and I think it was seventh grade. I was broken out and I was using the, what's the old school, like Oxy.
00:16:52
Speaker
Oh, Oxy 10. Yeah. Oh yeah. And that's strong. And I put it all over my face. My face turned bright red. It looked like I was a lobster and I was begging my mom to let me stay home from the school.
00:17:04
Speaker
Of course she didn't I had to go and it was so embarrassing and I just I know that we've come a long way since then and I love how you've taken such care in like you know developing you know the things that you have for kids and skin and and that age so hopefully that doesn't happen to anybody that they're not going off going rogue and you know going to the drugstore and buying you know some of that stuff that's just too harsh.
00:17:27
Speaker
We have come a long way. So Seabreeze, astringent, and St. Ives apricot scrub or something I use. yeah And now in the dermatology world. So of course, that was huge when we were teens. In the dermatology world, we know that that is the absolute worst thing that you can do for your skin. So anything that breaks down your skin barrier like that, that's abrasive or harsh is like the absolute worst thing you can do. But I still think we are in a day and age where we as moms and even as teens, despite everything they're consuming on social media, it is super confusing when we walk into a Target or an Ulta or Sephora and we're looking at thousands of brands and our 15-year-old is standing next to us and is like, mom, like I want my skincare
Challenges and Motivation in Skincare Development
00:18:16
Speaker
regimen. Like,
00:18:17
Speaker
what do we choose as moms? It's very, very confusing. i ran it into it myself. um I was getting questions daily from friends, from patients, from family members, like what skincare should I get for my 16 year old? um And i knew all the right brands and I had access to everything in the world as a dermatologist. Like the companies would voice free samples on us, like full size samples.
00:18:43
Speaker
I bring them home to my girls and say like, this is what you need to wash your face and moisturize your skin. And they were like, ah no, no, I don't like that packaging. No, that it doesn't smell good.
00:18:56
Speaker
It's too white. Like, no, um I don't want that. So I thought there has to be like a brand out there that's like going to really resonate and connect with them. And I searched and searched and I never found the one that had that checked all the boxes with the ingredients.
00:19:12
Speaker
um clean ingredients, pH balance, et cetera, that were gonna meet my picky standards, knowing all that I know about dermatology and skincare ingredients. So that was really the inspiration for creating Bright Girl Skin Care.
00:19:27
Speaker
I wanted to take the guesswork out for moms. Let's give them the products that I formulated really for my own daughters um that are so amazing that I steal skincare from my daughters and instead of the other way around.
00:19:40
Speaker
um And that are going to be clean, you know, paraben, sulfate, phthalate free, no formaldehydes, all that long list of ingredients that we never want to touch or be anywhere near our skin.
00:19:52
Speaker
Nourishing botanicals like ashwagandha, turmeric, marshmallow root that are going to nourish and support young skin, soothe inflammation, help treat acne. mineral-based sunscreens that are so exceptional. Like I said, they crave using them every single day. And I get so many comments about our sunscreens. We have a tinted mineral sunscreen and a sheer one, but So many teenagers that are like, that is like my go-to every morning. Like I don't even wear foundation anymore. The sunscreen just gives skin this healthy glow and and it evens out my skin tone. And it's a win because they're getting in their s SPF.
00:20:29
Speaker
They're getting in a little hydration and, um and they're feeling good about it. So that was really the inspiration because I think it's so confusing. And I also know how much skin damage we can prevent by implementing those habits and ah habits are important to you, I know.
00:20:49
Speaker
um But when we get those consistent habits on board, the younger we get those on board, the better and the more damage we're gonna prevent. And our kids' generation will age very differently than we did because they're gonna have access to that education and knowledge from a young age.
Vision for Reducing Skin Cancer
00:21:05
Speaker
It's such an exciting time in terms of skin health, something I'm so passionate about. And I really believe we can change that trajectory of skin cancer incidence, which is the number one cancer worldwide, but also fortunately one of the most preventable.
00:21:21
Speaker
Wow. Wow. That's awesome. Yes. And I, I kind of knew that statistic in a vague sense, but it's just like, feel so um tangible, kind of no pun intended, but just like current now that we realize we have the easiest way to prevent like the, one of the most, and you know, scary things that can happen to somebody and and over the longterm. And it's just about those daily habits.
00:21:43
Speaker
So I appreciate that explanation. And so how can people find you and find your bright girl products?
Bright Girl Skin Care Products and Offers
00:21:51
Speaker
Yeah, so you can find me on Instagram. I'm most active on our bright girl beauty. it's just all one more B-R-I-G-H-T girl beauty on Instagram and TikTok. And you can find our products at just brightgirl.com again, spelled just like it sounds.
00:22:09
Speaker
And then I'm also at at Angela Casey MD on Instagram, just with general skin health advice, but the bright girl accounts are the most active. um And we have a special discount code for your audience. Yeah. i so Excited to share um positively 20. And that's all one word, no spaces, positively 20 for 20% off at checkout.
00:22:34
Speaker
So on your entire order. So it's a great time with holidays coming up, um or if you that special person in your life that is skincare obsessed and you're wondering what to buy them as a gift. It's it's a great, great brand and the brand chosen by thousands of dermatologists across the country.
00:22:55
Speaker
um so we're also sold in dermatology practices across the country as well as beauty space and Macy's. So you can find Bright Girl in any of those locations. Okay, good to know. Yes, I love the idea of gifts, because we're always having birthday parties, or the girls always need something and just it's such just a popular type of gift to give but to know that you're confidently giving like a good product and not just some random right like, you know, random brand or something like that. So I love it.
00:23:21
Speaker
It's amazing. And thank you for sharing that discount with the audience. i can't wait for people to start using that. um So thank you so much for this conversation. it was just ah made me happy, really, to be honest. It just made me feel good.
00:23:34
Speaker
And I can't wait to actually try those myself. I know I'm going to be sneaking them from my girls. And um yes, I'm excited try the scents and smell things. And so it's just fun for ah kind of girl moms. And I'm sure the boys, you know, might get try to steal them too.
00:23:49
Speaker
i Always. we We have a lot of teen boys that are big Bright Girl fans. Okay. Well, there we go. Awesome. Well, thank you again. i appreciate it so much and have a good day.
00:24:01
Speaker
Thank you so much, Laura. Thank you for the opportunity. It's great to connect with your community. Absolutely. All right.