Teens face covered with acne

[Anonymous]

Mine just rotated through the usual store-bought products. Some would work for awhile and she just switched when it stopped working. The thing that helped the most was time - she outgrew it. Some kids just have a period of acne. I didn't make a big deal out of it, so neither did she.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am taking my 13 yo to dermatologist on Monday for 1st visit. Acne has steadily worsened over last 6 months.

What treatment has worked for your teen?

My teen had cystic acne. Her dermatologist recommended Epiduo everyday (almost) and Ampilcilline (sp?) as required (during and before periods). It took around 3 months for it to work, and there was significant flareup after starting the treatment. Now, 6 months later, she has a flawless complexion and no marks at all.

[Anonymous]

Cut out sugar! Also take a wash cloth and run it under super hot water, as got as you can stand and wipe his face toe or 3 times a day. Trust me this helps.

[Anonymous]

My son also had cystic acne. Since starting Epiduo and Doxycycline his skin is much improved. We're told the discoloration from prior acne should fade in time, but I wish we'd taken him to the derm sooner.

[Anonymous]

If your child's acne is bad and stays bad, despite persistent efforts, then do your child a favor and get him or her on Accutane. As someone who spent most of high school and all of college with fairly bad acne, and lots of antibiotics and various ointments, I can tell you that bad acne is terrible for a young person's self-esteem. Accutane when i was 23 was a godsend, and made my quality of life and emotional well-being far better. Amazingly, that is almost 30 years ago. I'm still grateful for Accutane and the dermatologist who strongly recommended it.
For young people, bad acne is far more than just cosmetic--it really can take an emotional and social toll on your child.

[Anonymous]

Antibiotics are not a viable long term solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine just rotated through the usual store-bought products. Some would work for awhile and she just switched when it stopped working. The thing that helped the most was time - she outgrew it. Some kids just have a period of acne. I didn't make a big deal out of it, so neither did she.

Omg parent of the year!!! *slow clap*

Acne isn't just a "phase" for a lot of people.

[Anonymous]

My DD got Aczone and Epiduo from her dermatologist. I think it is working, but she had a bad habit of actually scratching her acne and made it much worse than it actually was. Anybody else sign this Aczone? We got a coupon for it, since it was pricey even with insurance covering part of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If high sugar diet, then cut it.

Completely false. Old Wives Tale

No, you are sadly misinformed, or you work for a drug company. Diet is very mportant in keeping skin clear.
Before antibiotics like tetracycline were available to dermatologists, they recommended dietary changes to clear up skin. But when antibiotics became available, dermatologists stopped recommending dietary changes, pushed by the pharmaceutical companies, of course, who wanted to sell more of their products. Diet takes a long time to work, whereas antibiotics work very quickly.
In my experience, antibiotics do not produce a lasting effect, so you have to go back on them again and again. What that does to your gut is not good, however.
Dietary changes, if your kid can stick with them, will end the acne permanently, they don't cost anything (other than buying and preparing better quality food). Pharmaceutical companies don't make any money off dietary changes.
Sugar is nasty overall. Everyone should eliminate sugar. It causes inflammation, which causes a host of other problems. Google sugar and health problems and you will find endless studies. Eliminate sugar (which is hidden in almost every processed food you buy) and you'll be a lot healthier. Your child will be a lot healthier. Inflammation is part of acne, so getting rid of sugar will help acne and other skin problems.

Do you think they're making tons of money on the cheap generic antibiotics that are prescribed for acne?

[Anonymous]

I would try diet and over the counter medication first. See if that helps. Next step is the dermatologist.

Ideally, you will treat this BEFORE permanent scars develop. If your kid has a face full of acne and the over the counter stuff isn't working I think that prescription treatments are a necessary evil. It's not healthy to have acne flare ups all over your face. It needs to be treated.

[Anonymous]

If diet is so important, why did our dermatologist just tell us that only dairy product have some impact on acne? She eats one yogurt per day and he told her that is fine, but not to overdo it. She asked about milk chocolate as well and he was ok with it, as long as it is moderate. His biggest issue was that she shouldn't wash her face more than twice per day, and not to scrub and use cleaning products sold for cleaning face.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best thing that helped my 15 y.o. Is a strict diet. No white bread, sugar, flour, no dairy. No processed food. It took about 4 weeks for improvements, but then her skin became gorgeous.

The only side effect was an eating disorder.

NP. How is eating whole foods an eating disorder? People who know what goes into their food and cook it themselves are usually healthier.

Good on ya PP! It's awesome when our DCs can see direct, short-term results from a good diet!

This is the route we're going. I had terrible diet as a tween and terrible skin. I am very strict with the processed foods and carbs for my DCs. The eldest is nearly 12 - the age i started breaking out terribly. So far so good! He is not inclined to over-soap, which is good, but spends a lot of time in the pool, which could kill a lot of healthy bacteria. If skin becomes an issue i will def. try the Mother Dirt product! Wow! either that or just go out into the garden and roll around.... he'd love that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If diet is so important, why did our dermatologist just tell us that only dairy product have some impact on acne? She eats one yogurt per day and he told her that is fine, but not to overdo it. She asked about milk chocolate as well and he was ok with it, as long as it is moderate. His biggest issue was that she shouldn't wash her face more than twice per day, and not to scrub and use cleaning products sold for cleaning face.

eh, it's also normal teenage hormones. Testosterone in boys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If diet is so important, why did our dermatologist just tell us that only dairy product have some impact on acne? She eats one yogurt per day and he told her that is fine, but not to overdo it. She asked about milk chocolate as well and he was ok with it, as long as it is moderate. His biggest issue was that she shouldn't wash her face more than twice per day, and not to scrub and use cleaning products sold for cleaning face.

eh, it's also normal teenage hormones. Testosterone in boys.

From the NIH study of studies, 2009:

The small studies that have been conducted to look at the effect of a low-glycemic diet on acne suggest that a low-glycemic diet may be helpful, but further research is needed to fully elucidate the role that diet may play in acne. The low-glycemic diet induces relatively low amounts of insulin to keep blood glucose levels within the normal range. In contrast, a high-glycemic diet requires more insulin to maintain glucose levels. This could lead to insulin resistance, which in turn can cause numerous health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2836431/

Anyone have anything more recent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best thing that helped my 15 y.o. Is a strict diet. No white bread, sugar, flour, no dairy. No processed food. It took about 4 weeks for improvements, but then her skin became gorgeous.

The only side effect was an eating disorder.

NP. How is eating whole foods an eating disorder? People who know what goes into their food and cook it themselves are usually healthier.

Good on ya PP! It's awesome when our DCs can see direct, short-term results from a good diet!

This is the route we're going. I had terrible diet as a tween and terrible skin. I am very strict with the processed foods and carbs for my DCs. The eldest is nearly 12 - the age i started breaking out terribly. So far so good! He is not inclined to over-soap, which is good, but spends a lot of time in the pool, which could kill a lot of healthy bacteria. If skin becomes an issue i will def. try the Mother Dirt product! Wow! either that or just go out into the garden and roll around.... he'd love that!

If being covered in dirt prevented acne my son would have flawless skin...and if diet alone caused break outs he would have had acne every time he ate pizza or a ate chocolate bar not just when he reached a "certain age" (teenage years). My son tried over the counter stuff, I was certain that he was washing his face and using the products consistently.

My advice: Drink lots of water, watch sun exposure, use sunscreen, use gentle over the counter products. If acne persists see a dermatologist, take any prescription meds as directed.