Teen acne: what are next steps after Tretinoin and Aczone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Accutane

+1. This is the only permanent solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accutane

+1. This is the only permanent solution.

unfortunately.

DS tried other rx drugs. it worked while they were on it, but after stopping the drug for a few weeks, it came back with a vengeance. They are now on accutane.

PSA: I didn't know this, but apparently, there is about a 2 month period after starting accutane where the acne really flares up. They call it "the purge" period. That's what DS is experiencing now. One more month to go.

I had a friend who took accutane back in the 90s, and she said that it cleared up most of her acne. She still got acne after, but not nearly as bad.

[Anonymous]

Accutane is the answer.

My DD did not have a purge as she started on a fairly low dose. Her skin started clearing within 2 weeks of starting. I think it took 7 months? maybe longer, it was a slog bc you have to reach a total milligram dosage no matter how long you are on it. It truly is a miracle drug. She states her long hair was never better than when she was on it!

You don't HAVE to go on the pill, but you do have to commit to two forms of birth control. The doctor encouraged the pill since it does help acne so we did it. My daughter is not sexually active but you have to do a monthly survey about what you use for BC and it has to match what the doctor put in their survey. You could probably just say condom and spermicide and be done with it. The whole survey thing is another way to control women as advanced by the anti abortion lobby (just my side opinion).

[Anonymous]

Stop dairy.
Try no fat diet.
Wash pillowcase daily, anything that touches face daily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop dairy.
Try no fat diet.
Wash pillowcase daily, anything that touches face daily.

My kid tried all of that and more, but nothing helped. In my kid's case, it was purely hormonal so nothing but rx drugs were going to help.

But, yea, you could try all that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop dairy.
Try no fat diet.
Wash pillowcase daily, anything that touches face daily.

Waste of time. When has this ever cured acne?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accutane

+1. This is the only permanent solution.

Not permanent for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accutane

+1. This is the only permanent solution.

Not permanent for me.

Guess you're one of the few. But for most it is. Go ahead and cut all the food out of your life if that's what works for you.

[Anonymous]

Reading with interest as I have a 17 yo also using tret and dapsone. She is also using a sulpher wash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 17yo daughter has been on Tretinoin and Aczone for about three years and they seemed to work for a while but things have gotten worse in about the past year. She is very embarrassed about it but seems (to me) to do nothing about it. ?

I booked her for an appt at the dermatologist but we cannot get in until late Jan. But am just wondering: what would the next steps be, medically? I mentioned birth control to her but she was horrified and said she would rather just have the acne on her face than have her hormones controlled. I just do not know what to do.

As an aside, if this contributes, she, while also fit and an athlete, also eats junk food constantly at her part-time job and then squirrels it away to eat at school or at home, and feigns ignorance when I tell her that diet is probably contributing to the acne. Is this actually true, or is this outdated advice?

Thank you.

You raised an idiot.

BC? What did you do??Make her afraid of sex?

You sound nice. Smart too.

Recently there was a thread on how there is a campaign to scare young girls out of using birth control. There was a lot of skepticism but I have a teen and see it. My guess is OP’s teen gets exposed to the same stuff.

[Anonymous]

Isotretinoin

[Anonymous]

She has options

Spiro
Winlevi
Arazalo
Accutane

[Anonymous]

Spiro if it’s hormonal. I’ve been in it for decades and it solved all my acne issues (including on chest and back).

[Anonymous]

Accutane. I did 2 rounds as teenager. Thank goodness the drug exists.

[Anonymous]

Diet, doxycycline, topicals - all the thing suggested just don’t work for some people. Without Accutane I’m not sure my skin ever would have cleared up. After 2 rounds I’ve had no issues - so since I was 20. I’m 47. It just improved my life sooo much.