Acne

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see what the issue is, acne is normal for teens. If she's 18-20 and still having issues, that's when I would consult a dermatologist. Until then, acne is part of life, and I wouldn't want to have her hormones screwed up.

You've obviously never experienced real, cystic acne, or had a child who has. I would never put a child through that experience just because it's "part of life" if there's a proven solution.

[Anonymous]

I've tried it all and Accutane was the only thing that worked for my cystic acne. But then, I got pregnant and my hormones went nuts all over again. I don't want to do Accutane again b/c it was a looooong few months. Don't believe a PP that this is just an issue for teens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see what the issue is, acne is normal for teens. If she's 18-20 and still having issues, that's when I would consult a dermatologist. Until then, acne is part of life, and I wouldn't want to have her hormones screwed up.

+1

Perhaps you don't know but screwed up hormones are way more often a cause of acne then a result of treatment. For girls, It is often too high testosterone. It's called PCOS and BCP and/or Spironalactone often work.

I really hope when you have a child you don't deny her acne treatment until she is 18--it can be emotionally devastating. Not to mention all the coverups for the acne can make your CVS bill way higher than you might have spent at the dermatologist.

I would wish, though, that hormones were tested earlier in the process. My DD had undx'ed PCOX and went through several Accutane failures before finding near complete success with Spironalactone when the hormonal problem was caught.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see what the issue is, acne is normal for teens. If she's 18-20 and still having issues, that's when I would consult a dermatologist. Until then, acne is part of life, and I wouldn't want to have her hormones screwed up.

+1

Perhaps you don't know but screwed up hormones are way more often a cause of acne then a result of treatment. For girls, It is often too high testosterone. It's called PCOS and BCP and/or Spironalactone often work.

I really hope when you have a child you don't deny her acne treatment until she is 18--it can be emotionally devastating. Not to mention all the coverups for the acne can make your CVS bill way higher than you might have spent at the dermatologist.

I would wish, though, that hormones were tested earlier in the process. My DD had undx'ed PCOX and went through several Accutane failures before finding near complete success with Spironalactone when the hormonal problem was caught.

+100

Accutane was a miracle for my boys' cystic acne, but with my own adult (hormonal) acne, Spironolactone did the trick beautifully. Highly recommend for girls/women!

[Anonymous]

Try the Rainbow Light Active Teen Multivitamin with DermaComplex. You can get it at Whole Foods, but MUCH cheaper on Amazon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try the Rainbow Light Active Teen Multivitamin with DermaComplex. You can get it at Whole Foods, but MUCH cheaper on Amazon.

No, OP, please don't. Just take her to the dermatologist already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try the Rainbow Light Active Teen Multivitamin with DermaComplex. You can get it at Whole Foods, but MUCH cheaper on Amazon.

No, OP, please don't. Just take her to the dermatologist already.

+1.

In much earlier times, taking a child to a dermatologist for acne was seen as a luxury item. But then so was therapy--engaged in only by the self-indulgent. We've come around on therapy--every government social assistance department offers it now, but still the stigma of indulgence seems to hang around teen dermatology. But in fact, the adverse emotional and psychologically impacts of really bad skin are very well known and they are very hard for therapy to address because at the end of the day you still have bad skin. One can avoid some of these ill effects by getting the acne treated properly by a qualified medical practitioner.

[Anonymous]

My derm recommended BCP to help clear up my hormonal cystic acne, as I was looking for reliable BC anyway, and it DEVASTATED my libido. I cannot overstate this--it's been really hard for my marriage. Please please be careful if this is suggested for DD.

I was intrigued by the Spironolactone suggestion but also read this (which was the culprit with my progesterone pills): "In addition, it increases the level of steroid hormone binding globulin (SHBG), thus providing a sink that reduces circulating free testosterone as more is bound by the increased quantity of SHBG."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My derm recommended BCP to help clear up my hormonal cystic acne, as I was looking for reliable BC anyway, and it DEVASTATED my libido. I cannot overstate this--it's been really hard for my marriage. Please please be careful if this is suggested for DD.

I was intrigued by the Spironolactone suggestion but also read this (which was the culprit with my progesterone pills): "In addition, it increases the level of steroid hormone binding globulin (SHBG), thus providing a sink that reduces circulating free testosterone as more is bound by the increased quantity of SHBG."

That's how Spironalactone works to reduce testosterone levels, which when elevated, can cause acne. I don't know whether Spiro would actually work for acne in someone with normal levels of testosterone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see what the issue is, acne is normal for teens. If she's 18-20 and still having issues, that's when I would consult a dermatologist. Until then, acne is part of life, and I wouldn't want to have her hormones screwed up.

You've obviously never experienced real, cystic acne, or had a child who has. I would never put a child through that experience just because it's "part of life" if there's a proven solution.

Actually, I did. And I'm perfectly fine, though I have a few blemishes I wish I didn't, it's part of life. I also know that hormones are so crazy during teen years that I would rather not mess with my child's body chemistry unless absolutely necessary, and acne treatment isn't necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see what the issue is, acne is normal for teens. If she's 18-20 and still having issues, that's when I would consult a dermatologist. Until then, acne is part of life, and I wouldn't want to have her hormones screwed up.

+1

Perhaps you don't know but screwed up hormones are way more often a cause of acne then a result of treatment. For girls, It is often too high testosterone. It's called PCOS and BCP and/or Spironalactone often work.

I really hope when you have a child you don't deny her acne treatment until she is 18--it can be emotionally devastating. Not to mention all the coverups for the acne can make your CVS bill way higher than you might have spent at the dermatologist.

I would wish, though, that hormones were tested earlier in the process. My DD had undx'ed PCOX and went through several Accutane failures before finding near complete success with Spironalactone when the hormonal problem was caught.

No makeup, we're all allergic, so no issues with the cost of cover up And the girls know my views on unnecessary treatment, and mostly agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see what the issue is, acne is normal for teens. If she's 18-20 and still having issues, that's when I would consult a dermatologist. Until then, acne is part of life, and I wouldn't want to have her hormones screwed up.

+1

Perhaps you don't know but screwed up hormones are way more often a cause of acne then a result of treatment. For girls, It is often too high testosterone. It's called PCOS and BCP and/or Spironalactone often work.

I really hope when you have a child you don't deny her acne treatment until she is 18--it can be emotionally devastating. Not to mention all the coverups for the acne can make your CVS bill way higher than you might have spent at the dermatologist.

I would wish, though, that hormones were tested earlier in the process. My DD had undx'ed PCOX and went through several Accutane failures before finding near complete success with Spironalactone when the hormonal problem was caught.

No makeup, we're all allergic, so no issues with the cost of cover up And the girls know my views on unnecessary treatment, and mostly agree.

I hope you know we are not talking about a blemish here and there. We are talking about a lot of acne of the scarring kind. I don't wear makeup, but my DD felt she couldn't go out with the acne and scars and it was a huge ritual every morning to get everything covered up.

She would tell me repeatedly she was the only one in her school who had to do this (probably not, but...) She would scrutinize every young face on subways and buses to see if any of them had acne as bad as she (she said she didn't). In all honesty, I did not know anyone as beset with this as she.

It caused massive anxiety. She could not accept any invitations for swimming parties and certainly no overnights as you couldn't be alone in the morning to do the coverup. i can't imagine the amount of emotional damage I would have done if, on top of all this, I denied her dermatological care on the grounds it just isn't necessary until you're 18.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see what the issue is, acne is normal for teens. If she's 18-20 and still having issues, that's when I would consult a dermatologist. Until then, acne is part of life, and I wouldn't want to have her hormones screwed up.

You've obviously never experienced real, cystic acne, or had a child who has. I would never put a child through that experience just because it's "part of life" if there's a proven solution.

Actually, I did. And I'm perfectly fine, though I have a few blemishes I wish I didn't, it's part of life. I also know that hormones are so crazy during teen years that I would rather not mess with my child's body chemistry unless absolutely necessary, and acne treatment isn't necessary.

This is so pathetic. Perhaps your acne wasn't disfiguring or so bad that other kids referred to you as "pizza face". But can't you allow for the fact that plenty of teens do in fact experience horrendous, cystic acne that requires Accutane? What if your teen develops this kind of acne? Are you just going to say, "Sorry, honey, but acne treatment just isn't necessary. You'll have to just tough it out like I did!" Ugh. Poor kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see what the issue is, acne is normal for teens. If she's 18-20 and still having issues, that's when I would consult a dermatologist. Until then, acne is part of life, and I wouldn't want to have her hormones screwed up.

+1

Perhaps you don't know but screwed up hormones are way more often a cause of acne then a result of treatment. For girls, It is often too high testosterone. It's called PCOS and BCP and/or Spironalactone often work.

I really hope when you have a child you don't deny her acne treatment until she is 18--it can be emotionally devastating. Not to mention all the coverups for the acne can make your CVS bill way higher than you might have spent at the dermatologist.

I would wish, though, that hormones were tested earlier in the process. My DD had undx'ed PCOX and went through several Accutane failures before finding near complete success with Spironalactone when the hormonal problem was caught.

No makeup, we're all allergic, so no issues with the cost of cover up And the girls know my views on unnecessary treatment, and mostly agree.

I hope you know we are not talking about a blemish here and there. We are talking about a lot of acne of the scarring kind. I don't wear makeup, but my DD felt she couldn't go out with the acne and scars and it was a huge ritual every morning to get everything covered up.

She would tell me repeatedly she was the only one in her school who had to do this (probably not, but...) She would scrutinize every young face on subways and buses to see if any of them had acne as bad as she (she said she didn't). In all honesty, I did not know anyone as beset with this as she.

It caused massive anxiety. She could not accept any invitations for swimming parties and certainly no overnights as you couldn't be alone in the morning to do the coverup. i can't imagine the amount of emotional damage I would have done if, on top of all this, I denied her dermatological care on the grounds it just isn't necessary until you're 18.

+1000
Good for you for being an empathetic parent who actually helped your child get through this horrible experience as quickly as possible and with a minimum of scarring. I'm sure your daughter will be eternally grateful for your help.

[Anonymous]

I have found Paula's Choice to have a good selection. Cheaper than Proactiv.