Revealed: One in THREE young girls think they’re expected to get plastic surgery to stave off ageing

A third of young girls believe they are expected to get cosmetic work or plastic surgery to ward off ageing, a shock survey reveals. 

Nearly half think they will worry about their appearance as they age.

The Dove survey, involving almost 10,000 girls aged 10 to 17, revealed some pre-teens are already worrying about wrinkles.

Dermatologists warned the findings show how girls are under pressure ‘to look a certain way at a very young age’ through social media, which is creating a ‘toxic culture of unrealistic beauty standards and pressures’.

The poll comes after it was revealed earlier this year that kids as young as 10 are using anti-ageing products. 

Nearly half of young girls think they will worry about their appearance as they age, with many 10-year-olds worrying about wrinkles, according to a Dove survey of more than 9,400 girls aged 10 to 17. A third even think they should get plastic surgery when they are older

Pre-teens are begging parents for moisturisers costing around £50 per jar as they adopt complicated skincare regimes, according to experts.

Ingredients like retinol, which is a form of vitamin A, are popular.

While helpful for ageing skin, it can cause redness, flaking and rashes on children’s faces.

Other products can can block the pores of teenagers with more oily skin, making acne worse.

Dr Emma Wedgeworth, of the British Cosmetic Dermatology Group, said skincare routines adopted by young girls were ‘completely unnecessary’. 

Instead, children only need to wash their face with a gentle fragrance-free cleanser and use a light moisturiser and sunscreen in the summer, she said.

As well as being pointless and potentially harmful to younger skin, it can also have consequences on their mental health, argued Professor Phillippa Diedrichs, a psychologist and body image expert at the University of West England. 

‘If young girls feel pressure to use skincare products containing highly active anti-ageing ingredients, it could be damaging to their body confidence and self-esteem in the long term, not to mention their skin health,’ said Professor Diedrichs.

These pre-teen girls are adding products designed for adults to their wish lists and skincare regimens, said Professor Diedrichs. 

To protect young girls’ self-esteem skincare brand Dove is highlighting the ‘absurdity’ that young girls are worrying about wrinkles and giving parents and caregivers tips to stop them worrying about aging

She argues that this obsession with avoiding aging at such a young age ‘contributes to a toxic culture of unrealistic beauty standards and pressures’.  

As a consequence of societal pressures, young girls are glorifying the latest in anti-ageing skincare trends. Without guidance on what is age-appropriate for young skin, girls will continue to misuse and glorify adult targeted anti-ageing products before they’ve even grown up, Dove argues.  

To protect young girls’ self-esteem skincare brand Dove is highlighting the ‘absurdity’ that young girls are worrying about wrinkles and giving parents and caregivers tips to stop them worrying about aging. 

Dove, alongside Professor Diedrichs and dermatologist Dr Marisa Garshick have created ‘The Gen A Anti-Ageing Talk’ a free resource on how to talk to young people about anti-ageing and beauty anxiety.

‘The Gen A Anti-Ageing Talk’ will be pinned to Dove’s TikTok channel for all parents and caregivers.