parents of teens an acne question

[Lynn CC]

Do your teens find any product or combination that works?
DS has mild breakouts from time to time, it seems like no one product works for a long period of time.
He's seen dermatologist twice and both perscriptions worked for a while then it's back to square one.
I've bought a bunch of stuff so far, just wondering if I was missing something??

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

a man I know used to have terrible acne breakouts. he found that washing his face with Aveeno oatmeal soap helped prevent breakouts in the first place.

 

[Aurora63]

I had an acne issue as a teenager as well, and sadly, it still pops up from time to time. Anyway, I have found a lot of things that worked, and even more that don't.

What works:

Salicylic Acid - Very good for getting rid of ance...it actually exfoliates the skin, gets rid of the dead skin cells. The trick is to find a product without alcohol listed near the top of the ingredients list.

A good facial cleanser - Obviously. Used every morning, every night before bed, and maybe even once in the middle of the day. I like Olay Foaming Face Wash for sensitive skin.

Differin Gel - I used this when things got real ugly, and it worked wonders. It is not as harsh as Retin A, but can achieve the same results. It is a prescription.

Also, I'd check out a book called The Beauty Bible by Paula Begoun. It really helped me deal with the problem, and she has a lot of good advice on it. She actually has a web site, www.cosmeticscop.com where she sells her own line of products. I have never actually tried them, but they look fairly decent.

Good luck!

 

[Serena]

Acne is difficult at best.

One of the things to remember is not to over treat it. For example, using too hot water, using alcohol and other irritants. That makes the skin irritated and dry and then you need moisturizers to counteract it all. Then you have dry, irritated skin with pimples.

Use a gentle soap, like Cetaphil. Use an alcohol free toner if it makes you feel better.
I use hydrogen peroxide as a toner.
Then a BHA lotion or liquid if you have oily skin and cream in you have dry skin.
BHA's help to get rid of old skin and helps your pores clean themselves out.

Using a light moisturizer only if you have dry skin. Use a sunscreen daily.

Differin helps your skin act right to eliminate pimples and acne. Accutane helps get rid of cystic acne. Accutane has a lot of problems and warnings and sometimes doesn't work. But sometimes it does.

That's about everythingl I know about it.

 

[Serena]

Originally posted by Aurora63
Also, I'd check out a book called The Beauty Bible by Paula Begoun. It really helped me deal with the problem, and she has a lot of good advice on it. She actually has a web site, www.cosmeticscop.com where she sells her own line of products. I have never actually tried them, but they look fairly decent.

Good luck!

Aurora, I use her products and they work great, and aren't expensive. I have sensitive and easily irritated skin and I love that her products have no extra junk that I don't need. AND especially that what she says it does, it does and it's not just marketing.

I love her honest and educated viewpoint.

 

[Aurora63]

Originally posted by Serena
Aurora, I use her products and they work great, and aren't expensive. I have sensitive and easily irritated skin and I love that her products have no extra junk that I don't need. AND especially that what she says it does, it does and it's not just marketing.

I love her honest and educated viewpoint.

I agree...it's amazing how much junk I put on my face before I started reading her books. And that so much stuff that's out there doesn't come close to what it claims it will do. She's helped me save a ton of money!

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

I had severe cystic acne when I was a teenager, and still get breakouts often, and I'm 31! Anyway, the only thing that I have found that works for me is Proactiv. It's a 3 step process, not sure if a teen would take the time to do it or not, but it only takes a couple of minutes if you use the cleanser in the shower.

 

[rw2dodge]

My ds 12 has just started with acne. I took him to the Dermatologist and he prescribed Differin. What a miracle. It takes a little while but the results are WONDERful.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

I must echo the statements about Paula Begoun, her books, and her products. I use the extra strength BHA liquid, the benzoyl peroxide, her sunscreens, moisturizers for oily skin, lipsticks, lipliners, etc. and everything has been top quality. I have better results from these products than anything I have bought in a dept. store/ drug store. She cuts to the chase and tells you the truth which is essentially: cosmetics companies lie about everything! She has saved me a ton of money over the years. One of my favorite tips from her is the scrub. All those years of buying expensive scrubs and plain baking soda with Cetaphil or other mild cleanser is just as good!!

 

[Snowysmom]

My son began having really bad breakouts this past summer, just before gong to college. We took him to a dermatologist who prescribed a mild antibiotic, minocycline. If that didn't work, he would go up to a stronger antibiotic. What a difference that made! His face is much better. He also uses the Proactiv products and the doctor said that is fine to continue using it. It seems to be helping too.