Teenage Acne

[mrsboz]

I am writing this for a friend. She has a 10th grader whose acne is getting pretty bad. She is on the clindimycin and I'm not sure if she uses something else. She brought her to a dermatologist and she wanted to put her on Accutane and the pill. Her daughter is not sexually active but she said that if she got pregnant while on Accutane the child would be born with birth defects. She was very uncomfortable with the doctor in the first place. She doesn't like the side effects of the medecine at all and doesn't want to put her daughter on the pill either. She doesn't know what to do because she is in fear that her daughters face is scarring from the acne. Can anyone recommend anything that works. Does anyone use Accutane? Thanks for your help.

 

[DisneyPoly]

I'm curious also, as my 9th grader (DS) has an appt. tomorrow and his acne is getting worse and he is very self-conscious of it.

 

[Sethsmama]

I actually took acutane when I was younger (about 15 years ago) and it worked great for my teenage acne and really caused no side effects and my acne stayed away even after I stopped taking those powerful drugs. I know back then it was sort-of dangerous, more so than now. I was forced to go on the pill too and do monthly pregnancy checks cause it was so dangerous for a fetus.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

I am writing this for a friend. She has a 10th grader whose acne is getting pretty bad. She is on the clindimycin and I'm not sure if she uses something else. She brought her to a dermatologist and she wanted to put her on Accutane and the pill. Her daughter is not sexually active but she said that if she got pregnant while on Accutane the child would be born with birth defects. She was very uncomfortable with the doctor in the first place. She doesn't like the side effects of the medecine at all and doesn't want to put her daughter on the pill either. She doesn't know what to do because she is in fear that her daughters face is scarring from the acne. Can anyone recommend anything that works. Does anyone use Accutane? Thanks for your help.

Accutane can have some nasty side effects however it does work. I know from experience because I have taken it as an adult. It was the only thing that completely cleared my skin. I had very little side effects from accutane ( only dry skin and eyes) and I would take it again if I had to. I only wish I had taken it earlier in life to prevent some of my acne scarring. I never had any moods swings or depression problems because of accutane infact I would say that my mood improved as my skin improved. I think the acne caused more depression then anything. If her daughter's skin is scarring and she has tried other types of acne control and they have not worked accutane may be the way to go. And yes any female taking acctuane is required to be on birthcontrol. It is called the Ipledge program and it is very important to get monthly blood work done while on accutane. A great website and message board for those with acne is www.acne.org - there are many people who post about what they have tried and what has worked for them including accutane logs so you can read about their experiences while on accutane. You might want to have her look at that site and read about other peoples experiences with accutane and other acne meds.

 

[momof2inPA]

If she has bad acne, accutane is probably her final option, but her mom could always get a second opinion if she's uncomfortable with the doctor.

 

[DVC'96]

I looked into Accutane for my daughter but decided against it because of the side effects including depression, and the mandatory IPledge program. Any girl old enough to have her period must be on birth control and you have to have bloodwork which includes a pregnancy test every month before you get your next prescription. I understand it works very well if you can put up with all the side effects and we just aren't willing to at this time. There are many different kinds of medication to try. I wish them luck.

 

[Skatermom23]

Go to your local mall and get him/her some Proactive! Or order it from QVC or the infomercial site. I swear this stuff works! Accutane should be your last resort, due to all the side effects.

 

[Cyntillations]

Go to your local mall and get him/her some Proactive! Or order it from QVC or the infomercial site. I swear this stuff works! Accutane should be your last resort, due to all the side effects.

DITTO! Check into Proactive. I have a few friends who use it, and they swear by the stuff.

 

[Taylors6]

I posted here awhile ago about my DD acne. I took the suggestion of many here and took her to a derm doctor. He prescribed to her an oral antibiotic and then 2 different cremes one she uses at morning and one and night. There has been a HUGE difference - I can tell when she has forgotten to use them for a day or so as she starts to break out again. Best of all he spent awhile explaining to me the whole history of acne and that it is hormonal, etc. so I was glad to feel like we understood what we were battling.

She goes every other month now. It has done wonders for her self esteem (and her pictures too!).

I would go to another Dr.- don't put your child on anything prescribed by a Dr. your not comfortable with.

JMO though- good luck in whatever you decide.

Missy

 

[Soupermom]

Another vote for Pro-Active...the stuff works!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Seach the threads; there are some very good threads about this subject.

Lasers have been shown to be very safe and effective against acne, and they don't cook your liver, either. I posted at length about them earlier in the year.

 

[travlnman1]

My son has severe acne. He is very scarred from his acne.
He tried accutane but he stopped because it made him depresssed to the point of suicidal. It worked, but I'd rather have him scarred then not here at all!
Proactive helps him a bit. Not much.
I will never put my daugthter on accutane just seeing what it did to my son.
Powerful, powerful stuff.

 

[ceecee]

I wouldn't do the accutane either. If she hasn't tried ProActive it's got a money back guarantee. It didn't work for DD, she went to a dermatologist and he prescribed several creams. What works best for her is Duac for the day and Erytromycin cream at night (we tried about four different things). Your friend needs to go to a different Dr. There is no reason to go to a Dr. she isn't comfortable with. I would wonder why he/she wouldn't try other creams before resorting to accutane and the pill.

 

[MOM POPPINS]

My nephew was on accutane with new side effects. He was a sophomore at the time and is now a senior and his face looks great!

 

[Laxmom]

Oldest son was on Accutane with no side effects. The blood tests were the hardest part for him; he hates needles. Youngest son used a sulpher soap that helped emensely. Company discontinued it so we have now tried a soap with Tea Tree Oil. It soothes the skin. It has helped him quite a bit.

Neutrogena also makes a product like proactive. It claims to be more effective. We tried it since proactive did nothing for oldest. It did seem to help.

 

[englishteacha]

Our local pharmacy started carrying soaps from Vermont Soap Co. They have an organic soap that is designed for acne. It's not expensive, $3.25 a bar. I'm going to get some for my nephew to try as he too has bad acne. We're still trying OTC stuff for him, but my sister will take him to a dermatologist if something doesn't help soon. Some of my students swear by Proactive, others have had great luck with Neutragena. If the OP's friend isn't comfortable with the doctor, find another doctor!

 

[littleshamrock]

I had tried EVERYTHING, including prescriptions, Proavtiv, Creams, etc for acne (which I had from my early teens until adult years), and the only thing that has worked is Glycolic Acid. I buy AHA 12% Glycolic souffle from the drugstore, and it's a miracle for me. I also use the glycolic gel from the Serious Skincare line. My skin is now pretty clear (enough to receive compliments on it)...Give it a try. The AHA stuff is around $12.

 

[jls886]

I have been on Accutane twice. The first time I went on it it was as a LAST resort...I mean I tried everything! About a year after Accutane the first time I had to go on it again, and now I am finally almost clear. I was lucky in that I really experienced very minimal side effects. I was aware of the side effects, as were my parents and roommates and we all knew to pay more attention and make sure it wasn't causing me to change emotionally. Honestly, I would recommend it to anyone because I have struggled through acne. If you are at the point where that is all that works, I think you should give it a shot. However, I am also in favor of getting a second opinion. I actually had to see another dermotologist that mine recommended because I couldn't come home from college one day. He asked me why I wasn't already on it. So, that made me confident that it was the right thing to do. Accutane is not a light drug, its very very powerful, so you need to make sure that there is nothing else before you do Accutane.

 

[All4Nuthin]

I would personally advise against Accutane.

Even for those who do not experience side effects at the time, can actually unknowingly have serious consequences like loss of bone, muscles, ligaments and vision.

Bone loss is especially bad for girls as this is the age when bone density needs to be built up so that when they get older they do not have to deal with osteoarthritis or osteoporosis.

My son had a terrible time with acne. It was so bad... especially his forehead, but it was an all over problem. His forehead was so read and inflamed, there were acne lesions on top of acne lesions.

I will tell you what worked for him.

Firstly I went to http://wholehealthmd.com (my favorite place for alternative medicine!) and had him take Vitamin A, Zinc and flaxseed oil (Spectrum Essentials tastes best - even comes in cinnamon flavor and is sold for a great price at http://luckyvitamin.com ), in addition to his regular daily vitamin.

I also stayed away from benzoyle peroxide products as they can be very drying and cause additional skin issues.

I decided to go with Ice Elements products as nothing else topically seemed to be working for him and Ice Elements was working so well for me that I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a go.

The most beneficial products in the line for him seemed to be the 2 minute miracle exfoliation gel and the souffle. Exfoliation keeps the pores clear of clogging contaminants, which helps to prevent further breaking out... plus the aloe in the product will help with antibacterial properties and to reduce redness and inflammation. My son used the 2 minute miracle at least 3 times a week, it can be used up to twice daily, and it helped so much! The souffle helps to speed the skin cells turning over, which hastens the healing on the surface and may also hasten bringing out some acne lesions that are ready to surface... Since acne usually takes about 30 days to come up through the skin layers it does take a while to clear up the skin.

He used other products in the Ice Elements skin care line, but really the actual products needed will depend on individual skin type and reaction so I hesitate to mention his full regimen as it may not be appropriate for those reading. If interested in the line, you can have products chosen for you by Shelly, Brenda or Frankie by visiting the site message board or calling them. http://iceelements.com

For any product line that you choose, I would suggest looking for a gentle exfoliant. If you can get something with aloe vera and tea tree oil these may be helpful for both healing and antibacterial, which will help to keep the acne from spreading.

Also change pillowcases often. The bacteria from the acne lesions can spread.

Keeping the face clean of sweat - hair off of the face, no hats, etc. is helpful for clearing the skin as the oils and sweat held in place by hair and hats causes a breading ground for bacteria which is a feast for acne.

Lessening the amount of sugar consumed is also helpful as sugar feeds yeast and yeast can promote acne growth. Beer can have a similar effect, and spicy foods should be reduced as well. Drinking plenty of water or non sugary drinks, such as green tea will help to thin sebum. The thicker the sebum the more likely for clogged pores.

Watch out for anything that causes overdrying or flaking of the skin. Skin that is dry can appear falsely oily as the skin produces too much oil to overcompensate for the use of drying products.

Males should use regular razors on their face, as opposed to electric razors. Continual use of electric razors could cause more acne as the design of the blades, along with the length of time they are used before being replaced, is a breeding ground for bacteria and will just spread it around the face and keep reintroducing bacteria that you are trying to get rid of. Changing a blade once a week or once every other week really helps.

Anyone over 16 may also benefit from using an aspirin mask. Children under 16 should not use one due to the risk of Reyes Syndrome. It is a make at home mask that I would be happy to write the directions for if anyone is interested.

I have also heard people who have had great results with nanocyclic soap. I am not familiar with the product but mention it as I have heard a ton of positive results that have been too numerous to ignore. You could google it to learn more about it, if interested.

Good luck!

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

Just wanted to point out that you need to be very careful in taking high doses of vitamin A to treat acne. If too much is taken you will get the same side effects as accutane. Accutane is made from Vit A so a person will need to stop all Vit A suppliments if taking accutane.