Cystic Acne-Teen Boy

[Anonymous]

My son has been seeing a dermatologist for acne. He has been on a combination of antibiotics and Epi-Duo. No luck so far. It's been three months. Does anyone out there have a derm they would recommend That has been successful with clearing their teenager's acne up. I feel like our dermatologist has a one size fits all formula and he does not think outside the box at all. What approaches have you used that have been successful? I'm not sure how I feel about him being on antibiotics anyway. Has anyone's kid tried Accutane? What has that been like? How long did it take to work?

[Anonymous]

My DH suffered from cystic acne as a teenager. He saw Dr. Kaufman on Duke St. in Alexandria who ended up prescribing Accutane. Although DH felt 'zoned out' on the Accutane and had to use a steady supply of Chapstick, he said it was the only thing that cleared it up. DH is lucky that his parents took him early on. He's only got slight scarring just in front of his ears. I saw first hand how quickly those cysts develop and grow. We'd been dating for about 6 months and were vacationing in a developing country. Within a week, a cyst developed and had gotten so painful that we had to find a local doctor to open and drain it. DH was @28 at the time.

[Anonymous]

Is it a cyst or boil? Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference.

[Anonymous]

I took Accutane as an adult (after college) because of acne that wouldn't clear up. It was definitely not something done lightly (especially for women because it causes major birth defects if you get pregnant, so you have to fill out all these forms and take a "quiz" about how you have to use two types of birth control while on it, etc., etc., every month you get it).

I'm not sure I would rush to do Accutane as a teenager because I think it's a pretty intense drug. But I would certainly talk with a dermo about the possibility. I know that in many cases, it's the only thing that will do the trick. For me, I had tried many different things, and doctors seemed really hesitant to try Accutane. But I asked about it and then got the go-ahead. I think I took it for about 6 months.

I've been pretty acne-free since (about 15 years). I still have some acne flair-ups, but they are really, really minor and usually hormonal related (i.e. during pregnancy, my period, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure you'll need to try Accutane. My DS took it when he suddenly got bad acne as a junior. I think he took it somewhere between four and six months. Results started at perhaps six weeks. Not one trace of acne since.

DD took Accutane three times for about five or six months each time. Acne came back after six months or so. Then we found out she had PCOS. Spironalactone, a much midler drug than Accutane, has worked miracles.

We've done Accutane with both Dr. Susan Eliot and Dr. Howard Brooks in the District.

[Anonymous]

Accutane is kind of rough (dry skin, lips, etc.) but it's a miracle drug.

[Anonymous]

My mom has those, she swears by a combo of crushed aspirin and tea tree oil face wash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom has those, she swears by a combo of crushed aspirin and tea tree oil face wash.

Yes, aspirin is basically a salicylic acid, and tea tree oil is a disinfectant. I use tea tree oil on my regular acne.

[Anonymous]

P.S. I wouldn't write off your derm too fast. Epi-Duo + oral antibiotics is a very sound first approach, and three months is a reasonable period of time to try it. Acne isn't cured in weeks. Even Accutane will take a few months, and his skin might get worse before it gets better.

If the doctor doesn't recommend something else after three months or you are not comfortable with the doctor for other reasons, of course go for another opinion, but nothing here indicates a poor doctor.

[Anonymous]

If it's been three months with no improvement, it's time to move on to a new treatment, and possibly a new dermatologist as well. If your son's acne is severe, I would strongly consider Accutane. For the people I've known with serious cystic acne, that's the only thing that ever worked for them.

[Anonymous]

In the mean time, get him a Tanda zap or similar product. These are special light products that kill acne causing bacteria under the skin. If he uses it when he feels a large pimple starting to form, often it will kill it before it fully develops. I've found relief overnight using this. It isn't a long term solution, but until you get the acne under control this can help the worst from fully developing and forming scars.

[Anonymous]

Is he compliant? Taking the antibiotics everyday, once or twice a day? Epiduo once a day, everyday?

If so, it is time for Accutane. Despite the PPs warnings it really isn't that intense of a drug. It cures acne.

[Anonymous]

My son also took accutane and was completely cured. It did make him tired and he was very dry/had horrible chapped lips (for which only Dr. Dan's Cortibalm worked -- available on Amazon).

[Anonymous]

My son took Accutane also. It cured his acne. When his lips peeled, he used Carmex.

Our family doctor prescribed it and as luck would have it, insurance covered it. If yours doesn't, be ready for price shock. Depending on the strength, it's very expensive. It gave my kid a lot more confidence. It also cured the bumps he got on his head.

[Anonymous]

Accutane worked for my sister and I. Some dermatologists do medical facials. Mine does - The Dermatology Center in Bethesda. It's covered under insurance and has helped me.