To take my 15 year old DD to the Drs

[Mum0fteens]

My DD is 15 and suffers terribly with acne on her forehead. It flares up depending on her cycle but it really gets her down. She has such a good skin care routine but the acne is still there throughout the month but about a week before her period is due they become really inflamed and sore. During this time she is extremely low in her mood and is often in tears. She becomes unsociable and appears to be in pain with them. Is this something I can only solve by visiting GP or is there something else I can try, vitamins that may help?
She doesnt wear make up (except eyebrows of course ) and eats a good healthy diet with lots of fruit and veg.
Advice appreciate

my dd had some cream on prescription, and ds had antibiotics

dd had Zineryt cream, it was marvellous

Definitely take her. I had acne from age 13 to age 35. It was hormonal rather than skincare routine or diet so only medication would have any affect.
It was miles better with Dianette which I started taking age 14. It finally cleared up when I was prescribed roaccutane at 35.

My mum took me a few times as a teen until we found the best solution so I’d say definitely take her.

My DS is in his thirties now but when he was 15 I took him to the GP on an unrelated matter and the GP said "and I'll give you something to help that acne too". I felt awful - I just thought it was a teenage thing he would grow out of, and he hadn't complained - but it did improve it. I just felt so bad I didn't take him sooner.

Lymecyline, it’s a bloody miracle
My dd had awful bumps all over her face and it cleared them up within a week
I didn’t think there was anything a GP could do and we had tried every lotion and potion available but the GP was great. I think that yiu need to stress how it’s affecting her confidence as our GP said that she was happy to prescribe it where appropriate if the acne was causing upset and confidence issues

Do take her. Acne can cause lifelong scarring if it isn’t treated properly.

Please take her - I still suffer from adult acne now and it really affects my confidence so I really feel for her, if you can get her help please do. There are tons of options from the pill, to antibiotics, to a topical bingo-dabber type thing... I use a gel called Duac which really helps! There's also Roaccutane which is a bigger commitment but can be effectively permanently - tons of options to help her feel better in her skin.

I took my nine year old to the GP about her acne as it was really getting her down, didn't think they'd do anything. GP was lovely and said it's far better to treat acne then to try to deal with scaring afterwards. Because of DDS age there's only one licenced cream. she's been using it two months and her skin is so much better, not perfect but better than it was and her confidence is soaring x

Echo what others are saying, I have come off the pill as it ruined my mental health for the last few years BUT I was taking it from the age of 14/15 and I was fine then and it helped with my heavy periods, Yasmin was the best one for my skin.

WRT to acne medication it does take a while to kick in which can feel a bit deflating but after a few weeks you’ll notice a big difference

Take her. Ask for Duac once a day. That stuff is better than any antibiotic I was given for my acne.

littlebook I used to have zineryt as a teenager, stuff of dreams (although my pharmacist Hated it)

Acne is a medical condition and there are lots of effective treatments for it. It’s a great pity that more people don’t go to the doctors about it as most skin care products are pretty useless for dealing with it. My daughter has just started getting a few spots so I bought her some acnecide cream for it today but that’s only available from being the counter at the chemist and most people wouldn’t know about it.

GP here - perfectly reasonable to come and see me for this.

If it's linked to her cycle as opposed to being bad all throughout the month, a hormonal contraceptive might actually be thing to get her skin under control.

Definitely worth discussing with a GP. Poor thing - acne is miserable when you're at that overly self-conscious age.

Definitely take her. My DB suffered terribly for years all over his face, back and shoulders. He was prescribed medication by his GP and after a few months the difference was incredible, really boosted his confidence too. He also swears by changing his pillow case before bed every night. He bought 7 cheap ones and washes them once a week. Apparently his doctor recommended this, and along with the tablets it has made such a difference for him

Absolutely take her, was just speaking to a chum about acne today and she had boils on her face for years and she was on so much stuff but her poor scarring is so bad. You really want to try and avoid that

definitely take her. Spots are such a drag me down. GP may be able to prescribe something to help or if not ask for referral to dermatologist. I once read about cream with silver in being miraculous for acne.

Of course take her, agree it’s a medical issue and the right solution could be found for her by your GP. While I’m sure a healthy diet and fresh air/good hygiene help, not all teens get acne so it could be caused by any number of things your GP can help with.

Are her friends supportive? Poor love, so difficult for her.

Thank you everyone, I've just shown her all your replies and it's gave us a plan of action so she's feeling happier that something can be done. Especially seeing GP's responding that it's worth seeing her GP has put my mind at ease as I hate wasting NHS time.
To answer a few questions she does have this throughout the month but they get at there worst just before she is due on which is when they are inflamed and extremely sore so hormonal makes sense. She doesn't have a fringe and is very clued up on skincare routine she's much better than me.
It is affecting her confidence to the point that today she was meant to be going shopping and lunch with her friends but instead she stayed home in her Pjs very upset she has an amazing best friend though who came round to spend the afternoon with her.
Will ring for appointment and start the process of getting my happy girl back.
Thanks again you are all amazing!

I still remember how painful it was when I had bad acne, I feel for her. It's so sore! Doctors were really understanding and tried various things. Nothing topical worked for me, or antibiotics, but dianette did. I'm still prone to it now, 25 years on, but much less so. I find La Roche Posay effaclar duo really good for day to day skincare.