Everything I Learned About Skincare Before I Was 10

Alexis Battle grew up in and around Cultura Dermatology, the Washington, DC practice founded by her father, Dr. Eliot Battle. A version of this essay first appeared on Medium.

Most kids grew up around bedtime stories and toys… I grew up around lasers, Vitamin C, chemical peels, and before-and-after photos. While other kids played doctor, I was actually watching one. I even had a tiny lab coat with my name on it and would run around the practice like it was my playground. Clearly, I took “bring your kid to work day” a little too seriously. My dad, a dermatologist, built his practice in Washington, D.C., and I spent much of my childhood and adult life there, watching him transform the way people saw themselves. I can still picture the soft hum of laser machines, the smell of sunscreen in the air, and the way patients’ eyes lit up when he walked into the room.

I vividly remember, word for word, how he started every consultation. He’d pull out a blank sheet of paper and sketch the layers of the skin, the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue (hypodermis), explaining how each one worked together like parts of a system. Then he’d describe his signature “top-down, bottom-up” approach: medical-grade products, prescriptions, and peels targeting the epidermis from above, lasers working from below to treat the dermis. Even as a kid, I understood that great skin wasn’t about one product or one treatment, it was about treating the skin as a whole, from every layer.

At the time, I didn’t realize how much I was learning. But looking back, those sketches and explanations were my first lessons in skin science, and they shaped everything I understand about skincare today.

Growing up in my dad’s dermatology practice showed me that skincare is as much about emotion as it is about science. How we feel shows up on our skin, and sometimes our skin can shape how we feel. That’s why the most effective routines are simple and personal, rooted in understanding yourself (and the science behind it, of course). Those lessons have shaped how I see both skin and self-confidence today.

Lesson One: Simplicity Always Wins

One of the first lessons I picked up was that skincare works best when it’s simple. I’d watch patients arrive with bags full of products, convinced they needed a complex routine to fix their skin, many of which were ineffective, completely wrong for their skin type, or filled with unnecessary or conflicting ingredients that only made things worse. My dad would cross out half of what they were using and write down just three things: exfoliation, Vitamin C, Vitamin A. Good skin, he explained, comes from effective ingredients and consistency, not excess. I remember how relieved people looked when he simplified things. They’d walk out understanding that it wasn’t about owning more products, it was about using the right ones, in the right way. That lesson stuck with me.

Years later, when I launched my own acne-focused skincare brand, BattleZone, I found myself echoing his words, whether I was developing products to simplify complex routines, shaping my business model, or talking to customers who felt overwhelmed by the endless options and marketing noise within the beauty industry. The truth is, skincare isn’t supposed to be complicated. The skin already knows what to do, our job is just to support it.

Lesson Two: Skin is Emotional

As I got older, I realized that what happens on the surface of the skin often reflects what’s happening underneath, not just biologically, but emotionally. Growing up, I watched people walk into the clinic hiding behind their hair or makeup, speaking softly, avoiding mirrors. Then, months later, I’d see them return with clearer skin, smiling, standing taller, their energy completely different. It wasn’t vanity, it was relief. It was confidence coming back. Those moments stayed with me. They’re the reason I never saw skincare as something shallow or superficial. When your skin changes, your mindset changes too. You carry yourself differently.

That’s also why I wanted to start BattleZone in the first place. I experienced firsthand how much your skin can affect your self-confidence, both through my own breakouts and watching friends and classmates go through the same thing. I saw how something as common as acne could quietly change the way someone felt about themselves. I wanted to create products that didn’t just treat the skin, but helped people feel like themselves again. Through BattleZone, I saw that same transformation again and again. Clearer skin didn’t just mean fewer breakouts; it meant showing up to class without makeup, taking more photos, feeling more confident in your skin.

Lesson Three: Trust Science, Not Trends

Growing up around dermatology, I learned early that not everything labeled as “new” or “natural” actually works. I remember hearing patients talk excitedly about products they’d seen on TV or online, “miracle” creams that promised overnight results. My dad would explain that skincare isn’t about what sounds exciting, it’s about what’s proven, and that lesson stuck with me.

Now, years later, I see the same cycle happening on social media, some trends beneficial while others being potentially harmful. One day it’s slugging (coating your face in a layer of petroleum jelly or Aquaphor to lock in moisture), the next it’s chlorophyll water (drinking liquid chlorophyll for “clearer skin”), applying potato slices onto pimples, and pore vacuums. Trends spread quickly, but the science doesn’t change. Healthy skin still comes down to consistent routines, evidence-based ingredients, and understanding what your skin actually needs.

Lesson Four: Prevention is Everything

Another thing I learned early is that prevention is everything. In dermatology, I saw how much easier it was to protect healthy skin than to reverse damage later. I remember hearing my dad remind patients that sunscreen was the most powerful anti-aging product they could ever use, something simple, inexpensive, and backed by decades of research.

I remember being surprised by how few people wanted to hear that. They were usually more interested in lasers, peels, or injectables, things that could “fix” their skin fast. But I watched my dad explain that good skincare isn’t about quick fixes, it’s about, once again, foresight and consistency (you see the common theme here?). He’d talk about how sun damage accumulates slowly, how fine lines, dark spots, and uneven texture are often the result of years without protection.

That lesson has stayed with me. Today, I see the same mindset everywhere: people chasing the newest treatment or viral product, hoping for instant transformation. But real results come from patience and prevention. Skincare isn’t supposed to promise overnight change, it’s supposed to build resilience. You can’t undo years of neglect with a single serum. There is no “miracle cream”. The best thing you can do for your skin is to take care of it before it needs saving.

Lesson Five: There’s No One-Size-Fits-All

One of the most important lessons I learned from watching my dad treat patients is that no two people’s skin is the same. What works for one person might irritate another, even if their skin types look identical on paper. I’d watch him take his time with every consultation, asking about skin type, ethnicity, family history, lifestyle, stress, sleep, diet, even climate, because he knew that there are so many factors that can impact someone’s skin and skincare couldn’t be copied and pasted from one face to another.

That perspective completely changed how I viewed the beauty industry. So much of skincare marketing pushes the idea of universal solutions, that one “holy grail” product that everyone needs. I see that same misconception play out on social media every day. People say things like, “Don’t use this product, it broke me out,” or “This serum got rid of my dark spots, you need to use it.” I understand where those comments come from, people just want to help others by sharing their experiences, but it’s important to remember that skincare is never one-size-fits-all. Everyone’s skin reacts differently. What works (or doesn’t) for one person may not have the same results for someone else.

Skincare is about understanding yourself. Your habits, your hormones, your stress, your environment. That’s why I’ve always believed that the best skincare isn’t universal, it’s deeply personal. The goal isn’t to have “perfect skin” or someone else’s skin; it’s to understand and care for your own the best that you can.

What I Learned Beneath the Surface

Sometimes I think back to those early days in the clinic. The hum of the laser machines, the smell of sunscreen in the air, the quiet confidence that came over patients as they left. Growing up around dermatology taught me that skin tells a story, one that’s constantly changing and never identical to anyone else’s. It taught me patience, empathy, and the power of small, consistent care. Skincare isn’t just about appearance; it’s about the relationship you build with yourself through the process. And maybe that’s what I love most about it, the reminder that progress, in any form, is still progress.

About the author

Alexis Battle writes about skincare, culture, and confidence — exploring the science, trends, and stories that shape our relationship with skin. She is the founder of BattleZone, an acne-focused skincare brand, and the daughter of Cultura Dermatology founder Dr. Eliot Battle. This essay first appeared on her Medium page.