Stubborn teen acne? What's worked?

[Anonymous]

DS has tried everything from Proactiv to Paula's Choice. It's not working.

Benzyl Peroxide
AHA salycilic acid
Retinols

I don't want him to take accutane (my friend took it and the side effects sound horrible).

Poor kid has such bad acne and scars.

What's worked for you teen's stubborn acne that I haven't tried? TIA

[Anonymous]

I’d reconsider Accutane, especially if scars are involved! Four of my kids have taken it with minimal side effects and it was really the only thing that worked. What specifically are you worried about with regards to using accutane?

[Anonymous]

A dermatorolgist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d reconsider Accutane, especially if scars are involved! Four of my kids have taken it with minimal side effects and it was really the only thing that worked. What specifically are you worried about with regards to using accutane?

side effects listed.

Also, DS doesn't want to take oral drugs, but he's willing to try topical.

He can go see a derm for rx topicals, but I'm wondering what other otc that people have tried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d reconsider Accutane, especially if scars are involved! Four of my kids have taken it with minimal side effects and it was really the only thing that worked. What specifically are you worried about with regards to using accutane?

side effects listed.

Also, DS doesn't want to take oral drugs, but he's willing to try topical.

He can go see a derm for rx topicals, but I'm wondering what other otc that people have tried.

There are many many side effects listed. I don’t mean this but if you don’t know them, you haven’t given accutane the research you should. Your child will have to live with acne scars the rest of their life.
It’s dermatologist time. Not OTC.

[Anonymous]

Never let a towel touch the face, towel or washcloth. They just aren't clean enough. After washing his face, better grab a tissue from the tissue box. His pillowcase should be washed very frequently, like every other day and replaced with a new one, maybe every 6 months. Washing his hands very often since all of us touch our face more than we think we do.

I'm a big fan of the original ProActiv plan.

[Anonymous]

If it’s really serious acne, nothing but the prescription oral meds are going to touch it. The problem isn’t a pillow case or towel. It’s internal and it doesn’t matter how clean he keeps his face.

Accutane is a godsend for a lot of people. If he has side effects, he can stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never let a towel touch the face, towel or washcloth. They just aren't clean enough. After washing his face, better grab a tissue from the tissue box. His pillowcase should be washed very frequently, like every other day and replaced with a new one, maybe every 6 months. Washing his hands very often since all of us touch our face more than we think we do.

I'm a big fan of the original ProActiv plan.

Do you mean not even a fresh laundered towel from the linen closet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it’s really serious acne, nothing but the prescription oral meds are going to touch it. The problem isn’t a pillow case or towel. It’s internal and it doesn’t matter how clean he keeps his face.

Accutane is a godsend for a lot of people. If he has side effects, he can stop.

+1
Take this poor kid to the dermatologist.
Towels are not the fix. Someone will chime in to stop sugar and dairy…also not the fix. It’s a medical problem.

[Anonymous]

Six months of Accutane (low dose) and my son’s acne was gone.

[Anonymous]

I also recommend seeing a dermatologist. The right product(s) and using them consistently is what's going to work and a dermatologist will help you identify the right products. Otherwise, it's just a crapshoot because what works for others may not work for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Dermatologist. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Pure tea tree oil work for us, but always try at your DC’s arm first to see if it cause allergy first.

[Anonymous]

Differin (Adapalene) is an over the counter next step. Works better than benzoyl peroxide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Differin (Adapalene) is an over the counter next step. Works better than benzoyl peroxide.

Make sure you know the proper way to use it. It will likely get a little worse before it gets better.