For many teenagers, skin isn't just skin—it's confidence, identity, and how they believe the world sees them. In this insightful conversation, Sarah sits down with double board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon Dr. Angela Casey to explore the emotional impact of skin conditions during adolescence, the connection between skin health and overall wellness, and how parents can help young people build confidence while developing healthy self-care habits. Together they discuss acne, eczema, sunscreen, self-esteem, and why taking care of your skin is about far more than appearance.
"Our skin is really the billboard that announces what's going on inside of us."
"Self-care is healthcare."
"Skincare doesn't have to be complicated, but it does have to be consistent."
A dermatologist-developed skincare line specifically designed for teen and tween skin, focusing on gentle, effective ingredients and healthy self-care habits.
Website: BrightGirl.com
Sarah Jordan-Ross (00:01) Hey everyone, welcome back to Taboo Talk with Sarah, the podcast that breaks the silence, fosters hope, and talks about the tough stuff so you never have to feel alone. I'm your host, Sarah Jordan Ross. I am a wife, a mum of three amazing boys, massage therapist, wellness coach, and I've spent 25 years in the health and wellness space, holding space for people through life, from the cradle to the grave and every step in between. And today's conversation is one of those that I think
lot of people will really relate to even if they haven't always had the words for it. That experience of living in a body that doesn't feel easy and the impact that that has on your confidence, your identity, how you show up in the world especially during those teenage years when everything's already uncertain. Because for many of us skin isn't just skin, it's how we're seen,
and often how we see ourselves. Joining me for this conversation is Dr. Angela Casey. Angela is a double board certified dermatologist and dermatological surgeon, as well as the mother of teenagers. So she brings both clinical experience and personal insight into how we navigate skin confidence and self care. And what stood out to me most about Angela's work isn't the medical side.
Angela Casey MD (01:25)
you
Sarah Jordan-Ross (01:29)
It's the human side, what it means to really support young people through something that can feel so visible and also so isolating. Angela, welcome. I am really glad to have you here.
Angela Casey MD (01:45)
Sarah, it is such an honor to be invited to chat with you and connect with your amazing community. Thank you.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (01:55)
So when you think about all of the young people and the families that you've worked with, what's something about that experience of struggling with skin issues that people don't really see, but you really wish they understood?
Angela Casey MD (02:11)
We all went through it, but sometimes it's difficult for us as adults to go back and remember exactly how that felt when we were teens and tweens and how our appearance and in particular the appearance of our skin really was so front and center in our minds. We felt when we went out and if we had a pimple or a breakout or a flare of eczema,
we felt like that was the only thing that people around us saw or noticed or appreciated when in reality, we know there's so much more that they're taking in and no one really cares. But that's not to minimize how our young people feel when they're having a flare of ⁓ their skin, whether that is eczema or acne or suburetic dermatitis or...
skin sensitivities, there's a whole long list. So it's really important for us as parents, as adults to recognize that, to validate how our teens and tweens are feeling and when we can offer them guidance and solution.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (03:24)
I never thought I'd be, when I was younger, I would be grateful for the experience I had with problem skin, but now being the mum of teenagers, it's like, hey, I have a little bit of insight and I know how uncomfortable it can be and it really is that while nobody else is looking at that pimple and they really couldn't care,
when you're in it, that's all that you see. So what do you think's really going on underneath that surface and how do you help those kids that you work with to deal with not just what's going on on their skin but what's going on underneath that could possibly be making their skin issues a little bit worse too because it's all linked together.
Angela Casey MD (04:24)
Yes, it is. A wise psychologist who spoke at our daughter's school a number of years back described the journey of puberty and adolescence like a snow globe, where you shake it up and you've got all this snowflakes like go every which direction and no rhyme or reason, no pattern to it until
things get to the point where they finally settle down. So when I think about what's going on in my own teenage daughters, in teens across the country, around the world, I think of that, that they have these periods of time where everything is in turmoil and it's upside down and they can't find their direction or where to stand or what they stand for, who they are, and there's just so much confusion.
And then they get to periods of time where they do feel maybe a little bit more secure and more settled. And it's our job as adults to remain the rocks in their lives during this crazy tumultuous time so that we stay steady and grounded and they know they can come back to us and it's a safe space. But what other things can we do for them to help?
them find their way back to who they are. And those are simple things like having structure and setting expectations appropriately, communicating with them well. And as it relates to their skincare and skin health, I think there's a lot of benefit to those self-care routines that really allow teenagers that space.
and that sacred time to care for themselves, to do something nice for themselves, to take a few moments of affirmation. I love one of our taglines for Bright Girl is that self-care is healthcare. And I am a firm believer in that. And for so long, our society viewed self-care as indulgent and extra and not necessary. But I think we're finding more and more how
Sarah Jordan-Ross (06:28)
Thank
Angela Casey MD (06:39)
critical that self-care component is for our overall mental health, our physical health, our overall wellness, which I know really resonates with you, Sarah, and your community.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (06:53)
Yeah, it's huge and for so long we were taught that taking care of ourself was selfish, therefore wrong and women in particular would push their own needs to the bottom of the pile but and I've spent a lot of time with a lot of mums saying we need to flip that on its head because if you collapse in a screaming heat because you haven't been looking after yourself
what happens to your family? What happens to those people that you look after? Those people that depend on you? So which is the selfish thing? So taking care of yourself so you can take care of them or not taking care of yourself?
Angela Casey MD (07:29)
100 %
We really have to walk the walk as parents, as adults, as role models. We have to implement those behaviors, those habits, those routines and show our young people that it is okay. In doing that, we give them permission to exercise those same behaviors. And that is such a win, but you're right. And I think as moms, we're especially guilty of putting
everyone before us. Now, my family will tell you that I absolutely do not do that and maybe to the point of being viewed as selfish sometimes, but I'm very protective of my space, having time to exercise, to walk and meditate, having time to read at night, having time to reflect. And it's not a ton of time, even if I can only carve out 15 or 20 minutes, but it's so important. So we have
My husband and I have three teen and tween daughters. If I'm not doing that, but I'm telling them you need to make exercise and eating healthy a priority, but I'm not doing that myself, then it's gonna fall on deaf ears.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (08:55)
because it's very much they're always watching and it's rarely a case with teenagers of monkey say monkey do it's monkey see monkey do so they will they may not listen to what you say but they will notice what you do and if you're telling them they should do x y and z but they're seeing you doing a b and c but not
Angela Casey MD (09:08)
I love that. It's so true.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (09:25)
they're not going to do what you say, they're gonna do what you do. And sometimes it's hard to remember that.
Angela Casey MD (09:30)
They really do absorb that.
It is, it is, but then you get those opportunities, those glimpses as a parent where you see them doing something that you haven't necessarily specifically told them to do, but it is because they are modeling that behavior, that example that you set. And that's always such a win as a parent. It's one of those moments of pride that we can relish until the next challenge comes along.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (10:00)
And with kids, there's always another one coming.
Angela Casey MD (10:04)
Indeed.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (10:06)
⁓ I've noticed with one of my boys, he's starting to really listen to what his body's telling him and act on that. he'll choose, if he's not feeling great, he'll choose to eat something like a salad or fruit or he'll ask for like proper food, which means like...
Angela Casey MD (10:32)
you
Sarah Jordan-Ross (10:32)
Maybe he even did it the other day. It's like, nah, I don't want cereal, I want... It's like, yep, okay.
Angela Casey MD (10:38)
That's a tremendous win. is
when they can be in tune with their bodies like that and better understand what they're really craving instead of going for the sugary option or the junk food option. But it takes a while. And again, we have to make those items available to them. So that's our job as parents to do those behaviors ourselves, choose those healthy options ourselves, but also make sure that they have access
access to those things.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (11:10)
Yeah, because when they have access to those things they will most likely make good choices.
Angela Casey MD (11:16)
Yeah, you remove that friction point or the excuse from their mind because it's right there in the cabinet, right there on the shelf and they see it and it's easy.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (11:29)
Now getting back to skin stuff, because a lot of people might just see it as a cosmetic thing, but I'd say what you've seen through your career would tell a very different story. It's not just a surface level thing. And then I also want to ask you, as a mum, has how you approach it shifted now that you have teenage daughters to how you approached it clinically prior to that?
Angela Casey MD (12:00)
Yes, so to address your first question, it is more than skin deep, as I say, and that our skin plays such a critical role in our health and wellness as a whole. So first of all, our skin is our largest organ and it as such, plays this tremendous role in everything from temperature regulation to our immune system to allergies.
to circulation, all of these critical functions to our body. Our skin is what keeps the right amount of water in our body and water out of our body. So it's in constant communication with our external environment. When it's cold out, our skin is appropriately responding and protecting our ⁓ warmth inside. And likewise, when it's hot, our skin is sweating and dissipating heat. ⁓
About 20 % of our immune system actually resides in our skin. So everything that is floating around in our environment and in the atmosphere is coming in constant communication with our skin. And that's part of training our immune system, along with our gut. Our gut holds ⁓ the majority of immune cells, but our skin plays a really important role.
And then I think the final thing I wanna touch on in terms of the critical part that our skin plays in our overall health is relates to inflammation. And we know that inflammation is kind of the root of all evil in our body, right? It's responsible for so many diseases, for heart disease and can lead to cancer and to all sorts of diabetes, other diseases.
So when our skin is inflamed, whether that's through eczema or dry skin or psoriasis or acne, that inflammation is translating into internal inflammation on some level. So a pro-inflammatory state in our skin is going to affect our internal inflammation, which is why it's so important to
implement those simple behaviors and making sure you're applying your sunscreen, making sure you're moisturizing your skin so that it's not inflamed, making sure that you're using the right personal care products so that we're supporting our skin. So that's the first part of the question. The second part is how has being a mom ⁓ shaped my perspective? Well, tremendously, because until you're a mom, you can't actually really fully appreciate
the point of view that teens and tweens in today's society are going through. We can draw upon our own experiences of teens and tweens, of being a teen or a tween and what we went through. But the information, the accessibility of products, the ingredients have changed so dramatically that we really need to be informed about ingredients, about how they work on our skin.
understand the importance of replenishing and nourishing our skin barrier. And when there's questions, going to experts to seek those answers. And until we're moms ourselves, I don't think that we can fully embrace that until we've lived part of that journey.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (15:37)
We can know what we went through but we can't know what it's going to be for somebody else until we... I can't remember that. And I know... used to think my skin in a lot of ways was my early warning system. I knew if my skin flared up then internally I wasn't doing great so then I could actually go and say, alright what does... what's going on?
Where's this inflammation coming from? What's... I don't know. My skin disorder is genetic, so that adds a different layer of complexity there. But, there's something going on with my skin, there's something going on with the rest of me too, and I need to look at that. And then there's the making sure that you do take that time to listen and time to...
to connect with yourself as much as with other people too.
Angela Casey MD (16:40)
Yeah, you bring up such an important point, Sarah, in that our skin is really the billboard that announces what's going on inside of us. So we can't see inside our bodies necessarily. We can maybe be in tune with how we feel. Are we tired? Are we stressed? Are we irritable? Are we going through hormonal fluctuations? So we can possibly be in tune with that.
our skin will tell the absolute truth. And even when we are lying to ourselves and say, I'm fine, I'm fine, our skin will be sensitive. No, it'll be reactive. It's gonna be blotchy. It's gonna look dull. You're gonna see that show up. And I think it is so important to be respectful of that and be in tune of it and try to adjust accordingly when you can.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (17:15)
It doesn't let you live.
And the other thing you mentioned too is the huge array of options available to us for for skincare and personal care now compared to what there was once upon a time and also the importance of actually reading the ingredients that are in there because unfortunately some nasties occasionally sneak in. Now I know you have a line that you've
developed you want to tell us a little bit more about that and what led you to do that?
Angela Casey MD (18:09)
Yeah. So the line that I developed is called Bright Girl and it's spelled just like it sounds B R I G H T G I R L. ⁓ and you can find us at bright girl.com. It's easy, but where bright girl originated was the intersection of what I was seeing in my own household with raising three teen and tween daughters who
didn't always wanna apply sunscreen, didn't always wanna moisturize their skin, sometimes didn't wanna take a bath or shower as young kids don't. And then the intersection, ⁓ that's like 20 times worse. Like maybe you don't have to deal with all the hormonal fluctuations, but yeah, the boys are a whole different, that's a whole different ball game. But when I...
Sarah Jordan-Ross (18:46)
Try a house full of boys.
Angela Casey MD (19:00)
In my practice every day, so as you mentioned, I'm a double board certified dermatologist and micrographic dermatologic surgeon. And what that long title means is that each day, every day in my practice, I'm treating skin cancers and skin damage. And every day I'm hearing from my patients, Dr. Casey, I wish I had taken better care of my skin when I was young.
We just didn't know, we didn't have sunscreen. The sunscreen was an SPF two, yada, yada, yada, all the stories. So intersecting those two worlds of knowing what I know, what I see in my practice, and then the challenge of getting my own daughters super excited about their skincare. There was a mismatch because there are not a lot of brands that really speak to the teen and tween audience.
and that offer safe options. So my girls were going to social media and watching influencers and creators and entertaining videos and saying, mom, I want this brand and this one and this. And these were brands that were really geared towards more mature skin and had ingredients that I knew would be very irritating and inflammatory for skin at their age because teen and tween skin.
is going through unique hormonal changes throughout that decade. The skin barrier is still in development and in flux. And as a result, skin is often much more sensitive than it is in our adult years. So when you're choosing products for your children, you really have to cater to that specificity of teen and tween skin. And there are brands on the market that are great and safe for young kids.
And my girls didn't want to use those brands because they're bland. The packaging is kind of clinical, you know, it's white packaging and a white cream that doesn't have a scent to it. And so when it's boring and when teens find something boring, they're not going to use it and they're not going to connect with it. So you have to offer them products that are so supreme and exceed their expectations so significantly that they cannot wait to put that
Sarah Jordan-Ross (21:03)
It's boring.
Angela Casey MD (21:22)
product on every day. They can't wait to wash their face at night and put that sunscreen on in the morning and moisturize their skin. And the packaging has to be cute and it has to be pretty and it has to look good on social media. So that's what we did with Bright Girl. We made a really unique brand that was shaped by teenagers and college students getting lots of feedback and testing and tweaking depending on what they ⁓
their preferences were getting a lot of feedback from dermatologists across the country and really then creating and launching a brand that has its own niche and is so specialized for skin during those decades.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (22:10)
I you don't have anything for those of us that are a little bit older, because I'd love to try it too. Or a boy's range.
Angela Casey MD (22:16)
Sarah, you're never
too old to be a bright girl. I use the product daily and so does my husband and I can assure you neither of us are teenage girls. ⁓ it really is. It comes out, know, the formulations, they are free of all those irritating chemicals. So we're parabensulfate, phthalate free. We have a whole list of no thank you ingredients. Our sunscreens are purely mineral sunscreens, which you know being
Sarah Jordan-Ross (22:21)
No.
Yay!
Angela Casey MD (22:46)
down under ⁓ that mineral sunscreens are the gold standard when it comes to sunscreens. ⁓ But I think more than that, like having, ⁓ again, that messaging and the educational component that comes with our brand that young people really appreciate and they relate to. And I think that circles back to the wellness component because when you empower young people with the knowledge and understanding
and then you give them the tools to properly care for themselves, it's such a win because they understand the why behind it and they develop that confidence in making good sound choices that are healthy for them.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (23:30)
Yeah. And I know with my boys too, if I can explain to them why they should do something or why it's a good idea, they're so much more inclined to say, yeah, okay, because they actually understand it. It's not just, well, why would I do that? And if you can't tell them why, then they're not going to buy in.
Angela Casey MD (23:53)
Yeah, because
I said so is not a valid reason for them.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (24:02)
No,
that's just what we say when we're tired and frustrated and our words are not coming out the way we want.
Angela Casey MD (24:09)
Sometimes that's the only answer we have.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (24:12)
Yes.
So I'll have to get some of your sunscreen because yes, it's not just in Australia that we need to make sure that we use our sunscreen. Skin cancer is a very real problem throughout the world and thankfully they are preventable largely and if they're caught early you can, their recovery rates are amazing. I will say
You probably can't see it on camera, but I have a little scar here on my left cheek. I was one of the lucky ones. It was found very early. was a pigmentation spot I'd had my whole life. Never thought anything of it. Was that the dermatologist for my usual checkup because I have Daria's disease, which you will know all about. And for our audience,
Angela Casey MD (25:11)
Yes.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (25:13)
Yeah, it's a genetic skin thing that you don't, you probably won't ever come across it because only one in a hundred thousand people worldwide have it. but I was there and my dermatologist went, I don't like the look of that. It was a melanoma in situ and I was told later.
thankfully it wasn't at the time, they did that. I was incredibly lucky that they found it when they did because had it have spread because of its positioning would have been straight into my lymph nodes and I would have been in a slight spot of trouble. So use the sunscreen, take care of your skin and please, please regularly get them checked.
Angela Casey MD (26:00)
Yeah, we find ⁓ up to 90%, so nine zero percent of non-melanoma skin cancers in particular are directly linked to ultraviolet damage. With melanomas, there is the ultraviolet component from the sun. There's also a strong genetic component. So if you have a family history, that's very important and you should be checked regularly.
But it really, ⁓ thank you for sharing that story, Sarah. It really resonates and really underscores the importance of early detection and also the huge role that prevention plays. So that simple act that takes 30 seconds of putting on your sunscreen before you head out to the day can really prevent such a large majority of skin damage. But you have to, for our young people,
give them sunscreens that they can't wait to use every day. If you provide them with a pasty, thick, white sunscreen that doesn't absorb, it's game over and they're done and they're not going to use it. So, cosmetically elegant formulations, beautiful absorption, nice hydration, a lovely glow to the skin. And that's what we've done with the Bright Girl.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (27:07)
Yeah.
Angela Casey MD (27:20)
sunscreens going above and beyond just a functional product, but one that is really elegant and beautiful and that they can't wait to use every day.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (27:31)
Because products only work when you use them. It doesn't matter how great they are in the bottle if they never make it onto your skin. And... Rash fests are a big thing in my house only because, for the most part, my kids hate wearing sunscreen. I will admit it and yes, I am that mean mother that makes them because I don't care. That they don't like it. But if I could find something that...
Angela Casey MD (27:37)
It's so true.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (27:59)
they would love to put on. There'd be so many less fights in my house.
Angela Casey MD (28:05)
Right, we have to pick our battles, but the rash guards are a wonderful option, rash guards and a hat. Because it does, it takes out that pain point of having to reapply sunscreen when you're out at the pool or a day at the beach. And as a dermatologist, I don't ever recommend that my patients live their lives indoors. You should be out enjoying the sun and the outdoors.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (28:08)
Yeah.
Angela Casey MD (28:32)
And we know the wellness benefits that come from that with our metabolic health and circadian rhythm and even our immune function. Vitamin D, yes, but I'm a huge advocate of getting your vitamin D through supplementation and a pill because it's very difficult, if not impossible to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from sun exposure alone. And the amount of sun that you need, then you reach that tipping point of the risk.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (28:57)
Yeah.
Angela Casey MD (29:01)
kind of outweighing the benefit. But you should be able to enjoy that time outdoors. It's just about doing it smartly and having those tools in place with the rash guard, with the hat, with a place where you can seek shade during the day with the proper sunscreen. And then you're getting your cake and eating it too.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (29:26)
and that's a great way to do it.
because yes we need to to be outside and enjoying this and resetting out our circadian rhythms which a lot of us they're a bit out of whack because we spend significantly more time indoors now than we do out where 50 years ago it was the other way around and we're seeing problems with that and then as you said with vitamin D
I can't remember the percentage but here in Tasmania a huge percentage of people are vitamin D deficient and it's partly that there's not enough sun exposure like time where the sun is that we can get that that full exposure but also and this is coming from somebody who grew up on the Queensland New South Wales border so I know hot
Tazzy sun bites and it bites hard. So I got one of the worst sunburns I've ever had when I first came here and it was that I was out hanging washing on the line for like 10 minutes, 10-15 minutes and I didn't realize like in the heat of the day that... ⁓
Angela Casey MD (30:37)
And it's a one.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (30:50)
Or might have ended up being... That was plan was to be out there and then I was out there a bit longer and hadn't put sunscreen on where I normally would and went, yep, that's gonna hurt.
Angela Casey MD (31:03)
Yeah, that's all it takes. And the
sunburns are so damaging to the skin. So I am not an advocate of staying out of the sun, but I am a huge advocate of avoiding sunburn. So you have to implement those sun protective measures with wearing the sunscreen, the rash guards, et cetera. You're still going to get some color because you're still going to get some ultraviolet light penetration.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (31:10)
Yeah.
Angela Casey MD (31:28)
you want to avoid the burn because that is where the true skin damage, the inflammation, the damage at the cellular level and the level of the DNA is occurring is when those sunburns are.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (31:42)
it's not just the damage that's done on one it's that cumulative effect over a lifetime as well so get out in the sun but do it safely
Angela Casey MD (31:50)
Indeed.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (31:57)
then we'll shift tack a little bit. So you dealt with a lot of people with skin challenges. Have you seen that it changes how they see themselves and any kind of effect long term of that, of struggling with problem skin through those teen years and then it affecting their identity and how they move through the world.
Angela Casey MD (32:24)
Yeah, it's, as we know, the teen years are such a formative time in terms of building self-confidence, self-worth, figuring out who we are. And yes, an individual who is battling with common skin conditions like acne, which affects 85 % of teenagers, or eczema, or sensitive skin, or psoriasis, which is more severe and can be more
I think debilitating on a mental level to ⁓ teenagers. So they often do allow those skin conditions to define them because it's part of their appearance, it's part of their identity in their world. So even if their peers and others around them aren't necessarily pinpointing or associating them with those skin conditions, that individual is still feeling that.
It's important to respect that. And when we can offer them the tools, the medication, the support, the personal care products to help overcome that challenge. There's a lot of studies now in the dermatology literature that really highlight how a simple skincare regimen, so washing your face, putting on moisturizer, putting on sunscreen, just that in and of itself,
how impactful that is in treating acne and controlling acne. And then countless studies really highlighting how repairing the skin barrier, which comes from moisturizing your skin and avoiding products that are too harsh, too irritating. So that circles back to what we were talking about earlier when teens are getting skincare recommendations from social media and they're choosing these quote unquote
corrective skincare products with alpha hydroxy acids and strong antioxidants and retinols, and that's tearing down their skin barrier. And that leads to flares of sensitive skin, eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, ⁓ as opposed to gentler products, which are going to nourish and restore the skin barrier. we have, there's a big gap and a big opportunity to educate
teens and tweens about the importance of selecting the right products. And it's our role as parents, like we talked about earlier, giving them access to those products. So having that sunscreen sitting on their bathroom counter next to their toothbrush so they remember to use it every night, having that cleanser sitting in their shower so they remember to wash their face every time they take a shower or a bath, having that
moisturizer available in their bathroom. And when we do that, we see so much improvement at baseline. It's not going to cure everything, but it's going to really set a strong foundation. And then when prescription medications are needed from a dermatology expert, those medications are going to work so much better. And like you said earlier, consistency is key. If those medicines and those
personal care products are sitting in the bottle or jar, they're not gonna do any good. The teens, we have to kind of get them in those habits of using the products on a regular basis.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (35:59)
And even for ourselves, it works so much better if we can make it easy. as a whole, we get really easily distracted. Or there's so much coming on at us. Even mums with little kids. Guaranteed you gotta do something for yourself, even if it is just washing your face and putting your moisturizer on.
there's gonna be a, mom I need and you forget. So I'm one of those who, my cleanser lives in my shower. Hopefully my toner is generally a spritz spray or it's really quick and easy. And my moisturizer, yeah, it takes what, 10 seconds. And you can fit, if you make it simple, you can fit it into what else you're doing.
Yeah, those big fancy complicated routines aren't going to happen for most of us.
Angela Casey MD (36:56)
Yeah, I always say...
Yeah, I always say that skin care doesn't have to be complicated, but it does have to be consistent. And there is no proof, there's no study in the dermatology literature that demonstrates a superior benefit from a seven or a 10 step routine compared to a simpler regimen. In fact, it's quite the opposite. We see a lot of evidence that
layering on too many products and too many ingredients just increases the risk of getting an irritation or a sensitivity or an allergy to one of those ingredients. So keeping it simple is a win in so many ways. Like you said, it streamlines your routine. It minimizes the time that it takes to complete that routine. It allows you ⁓ better consistency with sticking with it and less irritation to your skin.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (37:55)
And those things are important. So for anyone listening, if they're a parent or they're still having skin issues or carrying the impact from those experiences, what's one thing you would want them to know?
Angela Casey MD (38:11)
I want them to take away the importance of a single product. If I had to pick just one, it would be using a mineral-based sunscreen every day. And the reason that I'm highlighting that and I'm going to really put a fine point on that is because sun exposure is such a...
preventable but causative factor in so many skin conditions. So sun exposure increases inflammation in our skin and that's going to do everything from impairing our skin barrier to worsening acne, to worsening eczema. So that one simple act, if you take nothing else away from this podcast, please, please put on your sunscreen and preferably a mineral-based one because the mineral sunscreens you're looking for zinc oxide,
or titanium dioxide as the active ingredients are much less irritating to the skin and offer the broadest spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (39:22)
It's important that you take care of your skin. Throwing a hat on wouldn't hurt either. I don't know if it's true in the States too but here in Australia we have in our summer months no hat no play. So trying to encourage our kids to.
Angela Casey MD (39:37)
⁓ I love that. Yeah.
We do not have that, but I think that sounds like a really good issue to lobby here in the States.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (39:47)
Yeah.
We also, years ago, had an ad campaign. Slip, slop, slap. So, prior to, I'm gonna say the 70s, well, no, prior to the 80s, very much that whole bronzed Aussie thing was huge. And if you didn't have a tan, you weren't healthy. And people would lather coconut oil or...
varying kinds of oils on their skin and literally bake themselves. I saw a lot of problems from that and then it swung the other way to the slip, slop, slap generation which is slip on a shirt, slap on a hat, slap on sunscreen and then you're good to go.
I was, thankfully I was in that. Yeah.
Angela Casey MD (40:43)
I love that. It's funny that
you mentioned that that was actually presented at one of our Mohs surgery conferences, probably 10 or 15 years back ⁓ as we were talking about raising public awareness and messaging. So the slip, slop, slap, because everybody remembers that it sticks with you, but it was, and we often, so the Mohs college conference, so Mohs is the, ⁓
Micrographic dermatologic surgery, so skin cancer surgery, specialty of physicians, and those annual conferences are usually held in the States, but we always have a huge contingent of attendees from Australia where ⁓ skin cancer has the highest incidence per capita. And a lot of our studies of what we know about skin cancer originated from studies done in Australia. ⁓
that campaign was definitely highlighted and I think really sends that message home in a very clear way.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (41:53)
Who would have thought that a funny little jingle could have such an impact? do those things that stick in your head.
Angela Casey MD (42:02)
Indeed, yes they do.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (42:05)
Now is there anything else that you would like to have people remember from today?
Angela Casey MD (42:12)
I think the biggest thing is for us as parents to model those behaviors for our children. So we should be making a point to put sunscreen on every day. We should be making a point to moisturize our skin after we bathe. And when those opportunities arise to talk with our children about it and why we're doing what we're doing. As we talked about earlier, children so often will tune out what we tell them to do.
but they're always watching us and they're like little sponges absorbing all of that and taking it in. And they may not do it overtly in front of you, but the next time they go to get ready for the day, they might think twice and put on that sunscreen or might think twice and put on that extra layer of lotion. So I think really being examples for them as parents is so important. And it's one of our ⁓ really
⁓ critical roles.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (43:16)
is to model for them what we would like them to do.
Angela Casey MD (43:20)
Yes.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (43:23)
And that brought to mind another question. The skincare question. Quite often kids with acne will say no they've got really oily skin and they might be a bit reluctant with the moisturiser because they think it's gonna, it might make it worse. Can you, from your point of view, because all of us mums can say no oily skin needs moisturiser.
just as much as dry skin does but can you explain why?
Angela Casey MD (43:57)
Yeah, so two big factors. First of all, when your skin gets too dry, you can get a compensatory reaction with oil production. your oil glands will actually try to produce more oil in response to that dryness of the skin because that is our skin is constantly trying to stay in balance ⁓ and
So it's going to try to self-moisturize if you're not moisturizing it. So it can actually tip the scales in the opposite direction of where our young people wanna go. And then the other important point comes back to that skin barrier that I talked about. And when we have a compromised skin barrier that's leaky and inflamed, that just adds fuel to the fire of conditions such as acne.
So a moisturized skin barrier, think of it like the leaf on a plant. If that leaf is dry and dehydrated, it's going to be brittle, it's going to crack, it's going to kind of fall apart. That's what our skin encounters when it's dehydrated and dry. And conversely, when that leaf is well watered and moisturized, it's nice and flexible and resilient.
and ⁓ it's strong. And that really sets the stage for success when it comes to acne. So there are so many options with moisturizers too. So for individuals that do have acne prone oily skin, there are plenty of lightweight moisturizers that can be used. There are many non comedogenic products, so non acne causing products on the market.
The Bright Girl products are excellent for that. They're gonna give the right balance with hydration and strength without occluding the pores. We've actually done IRB approved clinical trials proving that our moisturizer in our line actually helps acne. So I won't buy that argument of you don't need to moisturize oily or acne prone skin. It's simply not true. So there's some of the science and then some of the clinic.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (46:04)
Yay!
Angela Casey MD (46:14)
behind it for you.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (46:15)
Thank you. I can say it till I'm blue in the face but my kids will listen to it from you.
Angela Casey MD (46:24)
Well, vice versa. If you say anything, my girls are going to listen with open ears as opposed to my telling them anything. It's always the way it is. It's just how it is.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (46:29)
Yeah
That's just how it works.
Yeah.
Okay. And well, because we just talked about Bright Girl, where's the best place to get that?
Angela Casey MD (46:47)
You can find us on so many places. So you can always go to our website, which is just, as I mentioned earlier, bright girl.com and it's spelled just like it sounds B R I G H T G I R L.com. You can find us on Amazon, ⁓ in Macy's here in the U S and Nordstrom beauty space by space N K. ⁓ and Walmart.
here in the United States. So we're in retail locations, we're online, but we always love when you visit us on our website.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (47:23)
And the website will be in the show notes as well as Angela's contact information so you can reach out to her or if you feel more comfortable reach out to me and I will happily put you in touch with each other. And Angela I want to thank you so much for being here today. I've learned lots.
Angela Casey MD (47:53)
Well, that's always my goal. Knowledge is power. So hopefully I've imparted some knowledge for your community. And Sarah, congratulations on building a tremendously strong community. It really is a privilege to be here talking with you. Thank you.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (48:10)
Thank you. It's been wonderful to be here. And I love sharing stories with our community because I think sharing our stories, both of struggle but also of triumph is what helps all of us move forward because so many of us struggle with similar...
things and if we can point out that we're not alone it just makes the struggle a little bit easier. So thank you for being part of that.
Angela Casey MD (48:49)
Well, the pleasure is all mine and I couldn't agree with you more. Thank you, Sarah.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (48:54)
So thank you so much for being part of this conversation. I think it's one of those topics that goes far deeper than we give it credit for. It's definitely not just skin deep. It's about how...
not just how we look, how we feel, how we see ourselves and how we navigate in a world that can be really quick to judge. So if this conversation has resonated with you, or if it's brought up something in your own experience, take that as an invitation to approach it with a little more understanding and a little less criticism and a little more permission to take care of yourself.
If you'd like to connect more with Angela, can find all of her details in the show notes. And as always, if it feels more comfortable, reach out to me and I will happily connect you.
As always, thank you for listening, thank you for being here and being part of this space and sharing our stories. Until the next time, take care of yourselves, take care of each other and remember, your story matters, so share it because you never know when it's your story that might be the one that changes someone else's life.