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Original poster

To ask you to help with teenage acne woes.....

105 replies

Panicmode1 · 09/12/2019 16:42

I'm posting here for traffic really. My lovely 15 yo DS has really bad acne all over his face, and although he's using Clearasil stuff, it's not really helping, although it does get worse if the bottle runs out and he hasn't reminded me to get him some more!

Has anyone found anything which has really helped their teen's skin to improve - or should I give up with OTC stuff and take him to the GP? He rarely complains about anything, but this is getting him down.

OP posts:
SouthsideOwl · 19/12/2019 22:06

GP for antibiotics, probably tetra/lymecycline. Also look up The Ordinary for salicylic acid and niacinamide. Changed my life!

userxx · 19/12/2019 22:17

@DevastatedandDistraught So unbelievably sad.

Punxsutawney · 19/12/2019 22:48

Devastated 💐. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Ds has moderate acne. He's on long term oral antibiotics but they don't seem to working very well anymore. He also has quite bad eczema (has tried every topical cream for that). I have not been able to get any gp to do a dermatology referral for him even though his skin is really quite sore and painful, they just say it has to be dealt with in primary care. To further complicate matters Ds has quite significant mental health issues, so the last thing he really needs is bad skin.

SouthsideOwl · 19/12/2019 23:30

Has your DS tried Cerave cleanser/tub moisturizer for his eczema?

Punxsutawney · 20/12/2019 01:18

Not that one South. Have tried quite a few different emoliant creams though. Have also tried tacrolimus which they tend to give when other stuff hasn't worked. That only worked when we were applying it and then when we had to stop it just all flares up again.

Miljea · 20/12/2019 01:22

My DS, 18, has quite bad 'T' zone cystic acne. The main reason I haven't taken him straight to the GP is Roaccutane.

His MH is 'OK', not amazing. I just wouldn't chance it.

DramaAlpaca · 20/12/2019 01:25

I took my 14 year old DS to the GP about something unrelated to his acne, but I'd agreed in advance with DS that we'd mention it. The GP agreed it needed treatment and prescribed a long course of antibiotics plus benzoyl peroxide. DS's skin was totally clear within six months and the acne never returned.

Devastated I am so sorry for your loss Flowers

Honeybee85 · 20/12/2019 01:28

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3744282-Adult-acne-and-autumn?pg=2&order=

Op I recently opened this topic.
Many helpful Mumsnetters gave me advice here re my acne. Though it’s a thread about adult acne you might find valuable advice here for your poor DD.

One advice from me: keep telling her every day she’s beautiful. I was told as a teen so often that I was ugly because of my acne and it left a permanently has scarred my self esteem. Let her know she’s more then her acne.

Jsjeksmne · 20/12/2019 02:10

Have u tried epiduo? Ask the gp to prescribe it. Skin will be very dry and irritated at first but then you’ll see it work wonders. My sibling has been on roaccutane and he had severe acne. I wouldnt say I had severe acne but he wanted me to go on it. My parents refused. There has been many news articles on the side effects of roaccutane and I remember reading and watching tv documentaries on it. My sibling has a lot of health problems and thinks it’s possibly caused by roaccutane or exacerbated them. He’s also not mentally right at times but I don’t know if thats the cause. It’s also one of the reasons why my parents didn’t want me to go on it. I have read that you shouldn’t take it if you have existing mental health problems.
I’m so sorry for your loss @DevastatedandDistraught.

theoldtrout01876 · 20/12/2019 02:23

My Ds 2 had it bad, like really bad. He couldnt take accutane and all the antibiotics he was given for it, he reacted to ( he reacts to most medicine, hence not risking the accutane )
Over the counter creams and lotions seemed to make it worse.
The only thing that actually worked was a non medicine, home made thing and honestly it did work for him and made a huge difference.
Boil 4 or 5 teabags and a HUGE handful of dried basil for half an hour, I used to do it in a regular sized pot, nothing huge. Let cool and every night before bed soak a cotton ball with it and wipe over face. The difference was noticeable in a couple of days, the angry red look had gone. It eventually went away and he never had any scars.
Oh if you try this it needs to be kept in the fridge and new stuff made every 4 days or so.
I know it sounds kinda crackpot but it did work on my son when nothing else did.

PicsInRed · 20/12/2019 02:33

Low FODMAP diet unexpectedly improved my skin. Marked deterioration within days of breaking the diet. Teens consume a lot of high FODMAP foods (takeaways etc), so it's worth a shot.

NurseButtercup · 20/12/2019 03:05

This is a really helpful video from the dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting. I sent this to my niece who found it very very useful. If you read the description information you'll see a recommended product list and routine referring to products already mentioned by previous posters. I would definitely recommend trying this before going back to the GP for the "strong" stuff. Good luck.

GodolphianArabian · 20/12/2019 03:08

Look at The Ordinary skincare range. They have salicylic acid toners, niacinamide and zinc, also non-comodgenic moisturizer. There are other products that help too. He can take stuff too but a good skincare routine definitely helps and these products are proven to help. I also recommend cetaphil face wash. If he's a swimmer I can imagine his skin is actually quite dry because the water strips out moisture. To compensate his skin is probably producing extra sebum. So he needs to be moisturizing to keep his skin healthy but it needs to not block the pores. I use their squalene moisturizer at night which is very oily but very kind to your skin. If you look at using salicylic acid it helps prevent spots. Also good old sudacrem can help get rid of existing spots.

Laserbird16 · 20/12/2019 04:33

Someone mentioned acne.org up thread. I would recommend looking over the information on that site as there is good stuff on how to treat acne that goes beyond (and very into detail) topical treatments. Things like the method of washing acne prone skin which can be hypersensitive but gets a lot of harsh treatment. Also a lot of first hand experience of treating acne. A great resource

AnnaFiveTowns · 20/12/2019 06:07

My son uses Duac cream from the Drs. He's gone from spots all.over his face to the odd one now and then. It's amazing stuff. You can't get it over the counter though.

Countryescape · 20/12/2019 06:08

Roaccutane is the only way. Or possibly erythromycin (antibiotic) he’ll have to be very careful in the sun. But it cleared up both my brothers acne which was terrible and my Mum has tried everything.

orangeblosssom · 20/12/2019 06:36

Epiduo

Helps prevents new spots. Needs to be prescribed by a doctor.

Original poster
Panicmode1 · 20/12/2019 07:43

@DevastatedandDistraught I am so very, very sorry for your loss. How heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing; it must have been very painful for you to do so, but perhaps you will have helped others on this thread to do more research. I wouldn't put DS1 on it - I have heard and read lots of negatives about it - and as I've said, I know that it is a miracle cure for some, he himself has said he's not SO upset about it that he wants to take very powerful medication.

@Laserbird16 Thank you for the signpost - I'm a bit overwhelmed by everyone's (I'm sure) helpful suggestions so I will look at that site.

@ViaSacra Thank you for confirming what I thought; I didn't want to 'make a fuss' in front of DS who was already quite embarrassed to be there, but I will push for a GP appt.

Thank you everyone for all of your helpful advice - it's sad that there are so many of us who have to suffer with it, but at least DS has lots of ideas to help tackle the issue!

OP posts:
bearynice · 20/12/2019 08:10

This an excellent video with good advice about why clearasil etc do more harm than good, and has some great product recommendations (I use the cerave cleanser and it’s AMAZING)

bearynice · 20/12/2019 08:11

Forgot the link! Haha! Here:

Miljea · 27/12/2019 23:09

Thank you everyone!

WhenISnappedAndFarted · 27/12/2019 23:13

I suffered with bad acne throughout my teens and until I was 30. I tried everything the doctor gave me, everything in Boots and all the herbal remedies I could. Nothing worked.

Then I gave up coffee and never had an issue since.

It could just be hormonal acne, I would get him to the GP.

TooGlamToGiveADamnn · 27/12/2019 23:17

Try the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. Works a charm!

FruitcakeOfHate · 27/12/2019 23:18

Don't be fobbed off! He needs to see a GP. My teen's acne is quite mild. She uses Differin.

PeytonManning · 27/12/2019 23:25

Devastated, I’m so sorry for your loss but I was about to post a similar warning. Roccutane has HORRENDOUS side effects to a small amount of people. It’s banned in some countries. Stick with Cerave