Anonymous wrote:Oral meds for acne can have some pretty strong side effects.
My friend's son got ulcerative colitis from discontinuing oral acne meds. It has been a rough road. The parents were fixated on the fact that the son needed perfect skin.

I live in a college town. The wealthy kids all have perfect skin. The poorer kids have normal teen skin with some acne. I always feel like the poorer kids are lucky.

How do you know who is a wealthy kid in the town you live in?

Dermatologist can recommend products if current one isn't working. Acne not going away and or getting worse.
Prescription is last resort. And if you think she's not washing her face maybe hearing about the importance of it from the Dermatologist will help.

Pediatrician probably won't bring up Acne unless it looks bad or one of you bring it up first. Maybe message them if you're on a portal and ask what she things/get reccomdations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes!! Jesus, if it were any other health condition would you just not bother because the kid didn’t care?!

Yes, get your child’s skin condition treated.

“Typical teen acne” is not a health condition and the vast majority of teens with mild acne have to clear up on its own. This doesn’t need a dermatologist visit. It’s sounds mild and she isn’t bothered. I promise you a dermatologist will tell you to use Cetaphil or Cerave and bill you $180.

Exactly! Some of these people are Betty Draper over-the-top dramatic about their kids’ looks.

Anonymous wrote:Oral meds for acne can have some pretty strong side effects.
My friend's son got ulcerative colitis from discontinuing oral acne meds. It has been a rough road. The parents were fixated on the fact that the son needed perfect skin.

I live in a college town. The wealthy kids all have perfect skin. The poorer kids have normal teen skin with some acne. I always feel like the poorer kids are lucky.

Where were you a few days ago when everyone on an Accutane thread was saying someone was a bad mom for not wanting her kid on it? I would not either fwiw.

I don’t know I took my kid who didn’t care to the dermatologist and got an expensive bunch of products and they never used them. So if you have a kid who doesn’t care, it all ends up being a big waste of money. You can’t make a kid care just because you do.

Anonymous wrote:Yes!! Jesus, if it were any other health condition would you just not bother because the kid didn’t care?!

Yes, get your child’s skin condition treated.

“Typical teen acne” is not a health condition and the vast majority of teens with mild acne have to clear up on its own. This doesn’t need a dermatologist visit. It’s sounds mild and she isn’t bothered. I promise you a dermatologist will tell you to use Cetaphil or Cerave and bill you $180.

My friend recently told me her kid also doesn't really care about his acne, which I think is great. I had acne really bad as a kid and then into adulthood, and to say it bothered me is a huge understatement. Since it is a medical issue, if over-the-counter products aren't seeming to work, you might want to take them to the dermatologist just to keep it from getting worse. Your kid's future self might appreciate it.

I'm actually working on a book on the emotional side of acne, including what acne-sufferers go through and what parents go through. I'm trying to get lots of perspectives so if anyone's willing to share any experiences of what it's like (or was like if in the past) going through this as a parent of a kid with acne, please do. For example, it is interesting that for some kids, the parents seem to worry more than the kids, but for other families it might be different.

Any thoughts?

Anonymous wrote:There is a new topical cream called Winlevi that works wonders and has no side effects. Take him to the dermatologist

Have you or anyone you know had any personal experience with it? Or is this just what you are reading?

I have seen some real life reviews where people said it didn't do anything for them.

Curious because retin-a, sulfur wash and minocycline is doing nothing for my son at 2 months. He goes back to the derm at 3 months.

Anonymous wrote:There is a new topical cream called Winlevi that works wonders and has no side effects. Take him to the dermatologist

You can't say there are no side effects. There is always someone out there who will have an adverse reaction. The Winlevi website says this about the side effects:
https://www.winlevi.com/

What are the possible side effects of WINLEVI cream?

WINLEVI cream can cause serious side effects, including:

local skin reactions. WINLEVI cream may cause local skin irritation including itching, burning, skin redness or peeling
symptoms of a disorder where the adrenal gland does not make enough of certain hormones (adrenal insufficiency) during treatment with WINLEVI. Your healthcare provider may stop your treatment with WINLEVI if you develop any adrenal problems.
The most common side effects of WINLEVI cream include reddening, scaling or dryness, and itching of the skin being treated.

These are not all of the possible side effects of WINLEVI cream.

There is a new topical cream called Winlevi that works wonders and has no side effects. Take him to the dermatologist

I have a son who said he didn't care about his skin with cystic acne. But we could see into future even though he couldn't, and took him to the dermatologist. We basically forced him to wash his face with the prescription cleaners. By the time he got to Doxycycline, he was more compliant (age will do that) and by the time he was on Acutane, he was super compliant and really pleased with the results. His face looks amazing now and the scars are clearing up. I read all of the horror stories about Accutane and didn't take it lightly, but it has helped his self esteem.

This is anecdotal, but you could look into it if you’re interested as I think there may be studies about it. I have my son take a vitamin D gummy every day since I think low vitamin D levels may contribute to acne. Since he’s been taking it, I notice that he has fewer pimples. I’m not saying it’s a total cure, but it might help some.

I have boys and was VERY adamant about them seeing a derm for their acne.

I admit I would tread more lightly with a girl. Not sure what that says about me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regular pediatrician visit can handle this just fine.

OP here. We just went to the pediatrician for a regular check-up and she didn’t mention her skin at all. So I guess I’m wondering whether this really constitutes a medical condition.

For everyone saying “be the parent,” my concern is that it won’t be easily cleared up, but in the process of trying, she will internalize the idea that she’s not pretty enough or that something’s wrong with her. With all the talk about mental health, I feel uneasy about introducing yet another expectation of perfection, especially a purely aesthetic one.

But thanks to all for your input! I think I will offer her the opportunity to go for a consultation to make sure she’s using the right products, etc., and see how she feels about it.

My guess is the pediatrician didn’t want to bring it up and possibly make her self conscious. They may have been waiting for you to bring it up to address.
It’s really hard to know what to do. I really wish my parents would have taken me to a dermatologist immediately.

Most teen acne does not need prescription treatment from dermatologist. If it is bad take her in, if it is mild,otc stuff is fine