Skincare regime for a penniless, spotty student!

[stinkingbishop]

DS is on antibiotics from the GP at the moment for long lasting acne on his chin/back and if that doesn't clear it will be referred to a dermatologist.

In the meantime though, he's after a regular skincare regime. His auntie, bless her, got him the complete works from Clinique. But a) it's far too expensive for him to maintain and b) I worry it's too much gunk to be putting on his face (she's given him cleanser/scrub/toner/moisturiser).

Can anyone recommend anything effective, gentle and cheap?? Cleanser, moisturiser..does he need anything else?

Thank you!

[minkah]

Stridex pads.

Order them from iHerb.

[BabyGoose]

Push for the dermatology appt. it will change his life.

[NK5BM3]

I'd suggest going onto the bravura website and getting a salicylic acid peel. Is quite mild but it works a treat. £10. And it doesn't really peel like you think (sheets of skin off).

I had v bad acne in my late teens early 20s and was finally put on roaccutane. Was the best thing ever that worked (no such thing as these peels then).

[iwantgin]

If it's that bad no face washes will do much.

The best thing IMO is to just keep clean - use something that doesn't strip the oils from the skin. A dermatologist recommended Cetaphil to me. I buy a twin pack of big bottles from Costco. It lasts ages.

If the antibiotics do work then good stuff. If not definitely push for a referral to dermatology.

[stinkingbishop]

Thanks for this. The acid peel/stridex sound quite harsh...will they really be ok?

What about just basic cleaning/moisturising - did anything work?

Yes, am going to shove myself into the next GP appointment and insist on the derm appointment as this is getting silly. Just looked at Roaccutane. It says you can't have it if you have contact lenses/history of depression - don't know why - and DS is positive to both. Will ask the doc.

[iwantgin]

I haven't had Roaccutane, but have read up on it a lot. I may end up taking it yet..

However - I think that contact lenses can be uncomfortable because of the drying effect of the drug. Some people manage fine.

Depression - Drs say it can cause or amplify depression. Other comments I have read say that they are far less depressed once the acne goes away - as having acne makes them unhappy.

check out //www.acne.org there is a forum on there which has a lot of experiences of various treatments for acne. A lot of the members are in USA so the advice needs to be tailored to UK treatments etc- but It makes for intrersting reading.

[NK5BM3]

The peel isn't harsh. Not those on that website, but they get rid of the top layers of skin that clog up the spots. There isn't any obvious peeling at all so looking at me now, no one would know that I do a peel every two days, but it's looking quite smooth (acne scars).

Roaccutane - yes lots of bad reviews, but lots of good ones too. My brother took it too, and it really worked. I only had to take two cycles and I never and big angry spots again. This was 20 years ago. Neither has my brother.

[stinkingbishop]

Thank you .

[VestaCurry]

There's an American product called Noxema which can be bought on Amazon. My brother has been using it for many years now, my Mum first bought it for him after it was recommended by a pharmacist to help reduce his acne. It worked really well and he still likes using it as a face wash because he says it's gentle but makes his face feel really clean.

[Kundry]

Dermatology would be the way forward. They will probably recommend Cetaphil as a cleanser as well. They make think ROaccutane is out because of the depression, but it isn't the only option.

Although 'acid peel' sounds harsh it isn't - your skin is actually acid as well, the acids in the pads chemically exfoliate in a gentle way and the pads are easy to use.

I'd start the Cetaphil and the pads now.

[Saurus72]

La Roche Posay Effaclar face wash and Effaclar Duo moisturuser. I am evangelical about it - it has totally and utterly transformed my stubbornly spotty (c.10 years +) and hormonal skin into lovely, clear, reliably unspotty skin. I used to spend a fortune on loads of different products, whereas now I just use those two and an eye cream, morning and evening. It is often on 3 for 2 at Boots, so I tend to stock up then. Also, it comes in unisex packaging, not sure if that's important.

It too about 4 weeks for my skin to clear using these products (I too had previously used antibiotics -great while I was taking them but spots slowly came back once I stopped.

FWIW, I found Clinique skin care ineffective at best, and harsh at worst.

[Shia]

When my skin was at it's worse I bought a Philips facial tanner. It cleared my skin overnight and prevented more spots forming.

However, that may not be for everyone.

Clinique will do nothing, it's far too harsh. If the skin is stripped of oil by harsh washes, cleansers and scrubs it will work doubly hard to produce more oil to lubricate pores and you end up with more congested skin and spots.

I'm having great success using ant bacterial hand wash, the type you use without water as a final wipe over after washing and cleansing. I use Dr Bronner liquid soap to wash with. The anti bac swiped over wih a cotton pad is very effective and hands should be scrupulously clean.

Then I moisturise. Moisturising the freshly clean skin stop the skin thinking it has to replace the oil that you've cleaned away.

Good Things would be a suitable skin care range for your son. It's sold in Sainsburys and is inexpensive.

[Shia]

This is the range

www.goodthingsbeauty.com

La Roche Posay effaclar does nothing for my skin but works for some. It's trial and error until you find what works.

Sunlight or artificial tanning in moderation works well but you need to weigh up sun damage against clear skin.

[NK5BM3]

And FYI I'm in work now, with no make up. No foundation or concealer or anything.

[stinkingbishop]

Thanks again. I will share all this with DS.

[BikeRunSki]

Sudocreme at night cleared up acne I've had since I was in my teens (I'm in my 40s now).

[MademoiselleG]

I second Sudocrem on the occasional (!) angry, red spot: the zinc dries them out overnight. Also worked for me recently on a very rapid eruption of dozens of tiny spots on my chest during pregnancy. More a quick fix than a treatment, but does the job.

I also totally second Effaclar by La Roche Posay. A similar brand, Avene, does a wonderful bar of soap which is mild enough to use on fragile skin (his skin will probably become very dry and sensitive from the treatment) yet clears skin and is under a fiver! Very neutral packaging too - in case that could be an issue- and lasts months.

Clinique products do tend to be incredibly harsh - I'm thinking of the toner here, which feels like pure alcohol when you put it on inflamed skin! The bar of soap isn't too bad.

I'd give Roacutane a shot for sure though - it's a crap few months to endure for a lifetime of good skin!

[chocolatespiders]

m.boots.com/mt/www.boots.com/en/Quinoderm-10-Cream-25g_846154/

When dd had spots we used any thing that contained benzoyl peroxide. Was often hard to find but this is one from boots. She also used Neutrogena face wash and moisturizer that contained salicylic acid

m.boots.com/mt/www.boots.com/en/Neutrogena-Visibly-Clear-Oil-Free-Moisturiser-50ml_11630/

Currently on 2 for £5.00 (sometimes the sign is not on the display but will go through the till at that price if offer is on.
I also use the peels just make sure instructions are followed

[stinkingbishop]

On a tangent, I seem to far too regularly get a spotty arse! TMI...prompted by this, I suddenly thought (doh!) what do I do with the toddlers when they have spotty botties? Yes, Sudocrem. So have applied that to myself. It worked! Who'd have thunk! .

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Cetaphil cleanser. Effaclar to clear blackheads. Long term Dalacin T lotion to clear infected spots.

[Gem124]

Sudocrem all the way and a gentle face wash like one from the Simple range.

[MrsFlorrick]

Differin gel is an option. It's a retin a based topical treatment. Quite effective. Esp in conjunction with oral ABs.

Or Finacea gel. Again with oral ABs.

Safer than roccutane if you're worried about depression. Also worth a go before roccutane as it's such a harsh treatment.