Doctor for Acne

[Elliejane]

Hi
Just wondering about taking my son to see doctor for acne . He is 17 and it’s getting worse . We have tried pretty much everything you can buy yourself . It’s mostly on his cheeks and has horrible white heads also and red inflamed .

Have tried tea tree, Cerave wash (initially helped) ,dots for spots ,salicylic acid various brands , freedmen gel , usual acne products like clearsil etc .

I know nhs is busy but just not sure what else to try . I tried pharmacy and got a cream but told not to use in sunny days so was bit worried over that
any ideas ?

Could maybe book a private dermatologist also ?

He keeps his skin clean and never had issues until last few years but it getting worse .

Ellie

OP, I understand your concerns about side effects but please note, they don't affect everyone.
I'll be honest, my brother did feel roaccatine made him feel down. But its complicated. He was already depressed by acne! If it were my DC, and we were out of options, I'd be prepared to try it, and monitor for side effects.
Your DCs results are great and he's lucky to have you.
My parents were dismissive of my DBs problems and it made him very resentful.

My son had terrible acne. He tried lots of products, but eventually was persuaded to go to the GP. He was prescribed antibiotics and a cream which made his skin very dry (and bleached pillowcases, towels, etc). It took a while, but is now greatly improved. If your boy is 17, I would encourage him to get medical help now. My son's confidence and self esteem was really impacted by acne, especially when he went to university.

Get to the GP and start the process before they get worse and potentially scar.

They will likely start him on Antibs and either epiduo or duac which can work completely or significantly reduce.

If they don't work it will be a referral to dermatology (which could take a year!) and potentially roaccutane.

We went private when we got the referral after antibs and prescribed creams stopped working as it had spread to his neck, back and chest. The roaccutane did its job but 1 year on he still has scars. Wish we had started sooner.

OXY 10 saved me as a teenager. 10% benzoyl peroxide. Forehead acne gone in less than a week.
Literally life-changing.
I don’t know if you can still get 10% but 5% is definitely available.
It’s amazing stuff!

Have gp for 6th sept so will update once seen him . In past few weeks he tried a kit thing called Paula choice which has helped. At moment no horrible white heads etc .

I do notice it flared up at exam time and waiting for results as well even though he said he was not stressed

Hi. I've had it all my life and finally found something to keep under control. Mine is due to lack of protective barrier so over cleansing bad but also under cleansing bad!
I now have an LED light mask. Blue light to kill bacteria, red light to encourage cell regeneration and shrink pores. It's not cheap but it works after a few sessions. At night I put on a layer of nivea soft to sort of keep my face protected. I use antibacterial face wipes to cleanse my face at night first and only water in the morning. Try to minimise any face touching all day. Mask is by Iborria bought from amazon.

I will add, try everything before drugs with depression side effects on a teenage boy. Please. An acne solving version of the pill ruined my life for 10 years from age 15. It is now only prescribed for 1 year.

Skin accumax tablets and medical grade skincare (alumier) worked for my son

Hi
update on my son . I finally got a doctor appointment but typical at the time of appointment his skin was pretty good . So he said it’s mild try benzoyl and come back in 3 months if no change. We however ordered a skin product that was recommended called skin 47 which did help .

However in last few weeks it’s back to cystic white or red horrible spots mostly all on one cheek so away to try the benzoyl

Its says on the benzoyl package not to use on red inflamed spots only mild ones so now I am
confused ?

Also has anyone tried something called Norse organics seems to be trending online

Ellie

There are so many OTC products out there for acne with limited clinical evidence of the efficacy, you could spend a fortune on them. I would stick to what the Dr has recommends and use the benzoyl.

Ideally he should be using it regularly as a preventative measure before they get very bad (if not bad use every 2-3 days, then increase at the start of an outbreak). Then you can show the Dr if/when the benzoyl is not keeping them under control and he can move onto the next treatment step before they start scarring.

Try 47 skin serum. My DD has used it and it does work. There are face washes and body washes as well. It’s very gentle but does make a difference!

I would go take photos of it now to show the GP and then go back to GP for an antibiotic prescription . Topical products won’t do anything for cystic acne .

Use the benzoyl! Start with it every few days and build up to using daily at night. Skin will itch and may be red and flake, it also will bleach clothing and pillow case. If it gets to the point where none of the GP solutions work I would highly reccommend Roaccutane, it has been a miracle for me, clear skin for the first time in my life.

Also to add I have spent thousands on skincare through my life and nothing works on acne, don’t waste your money. Benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics, tretinoin or Roaccutane and a last resort is what he needs.

Thanks will have to try the benzoyl now and see what happens for next while . Just all seems so harsh .

It can be harsh but it’s worth it, he just needs to build up to what his skin can tolerate, I seem to remember the benzoyl was really itchy for the first few uses but after that my skin got used to it, it worked for me when I had milder acne but I got really bad hormonal acne in pregnancy which only the Roaccutane fixed. Roaccutane is quite hard going but I 100% wish I had taken it sooner as bad skin has really affected me throughout my life.

It’s only harsh if you put too much on and any flare ups go down quicker than usual. You only need a tiny amount on the skin with a bit of cetraben moisturiser on top.

My son has severe acne, same age as yours. He has tried literally everything apart from Roccutane which he doesn't want because of the side effects. We have tried a private dermatologist on Harley Street who gave him Lyymocycline which worked for a bit but now back under the NHS. All the insta acne treatments like 47 skin didn't help, although I am sure they do some people.

His skin is clearer at the moment (I would say mild acne rather than the usual severe) and he has totally changed his diet. I know evidence is not really conclusive but he eats lots of fruit, drinks only water, never has sugar, won't eat bread or drink skimmed milk and has gone onto Doxycycline after a break and started a dermologica cleanser. Tbh I think it's a combination of all that that has helped it but not cured it.

Acne is so horrible, my heart breaks for the teens suffering from it as when it is severe its not just a case of good skincare like some people think. It really affected his confidence and wellbeing and I hope your son gets an improvement soon.

Are you changing his pillowcase every few days? No good cleansing your face then laying on a pillowcase that’s not very clean. When my son had spots I changed the pillowcases every day , just bought a load of white cotton ones.

Thanks everyone . My eldest son was fine just off spots so feel for my youngest .

Will keep you posted on how it goes . Going to start tonight with small amount on one area to test for any reaction

Update and some questions .

So he has been using benzoyl peroxide 5% now for about 6-8 weeks . Started off gradual and added in the face wash this week .

To start we thought we saw improvement but last week it worse than ever . Is in both cheeks now was usually just one and on one side of chin and between his eyebrows (always been there)

I am going to book gp for Jan to see what they say

Was so hopeful this would help but not looking like it . Please don’t say Accutane as we are not willing to do at that with side effects .

Does benzoyl make it worse first ?

Also I my husband and I both speaking and when we were young we never used anything at all and never had this issues . Could it be he has been using so much chemical over the years and should just stop totally. I read about something called Norse organics online . Anyone tried it ?

His used to be spotty too but that looks ok now just odd one . And he uses nothing there. I am so confused over it all .

I feel so sad for him . He says he is not bothered as it only spots but he had such lovely skin before .

He does have a very sweet tooth . I guess that won’t help .

I have bought those special pillowcases and just today bought disposable towels things to try .

Told him only to use the benzoyl face wash and cream now and nothing else . Got sensitive shaving gel .

What razors are best ?

thanks everyone and have a lovely Xmas

Ellie

When we went to the private dermatologist, the Dr said this too, it normally not about diet and cleanliness it is hormonal so there is little you can do in those areas. There are so many OTC products to try but most won't work.

When you get to the GP they will try oral and/or topical antibiotics as the next stage. They worked for a good while for ds (until they took him off DUAC which was working really well) before we went down the Roaccutane route.

Keep an open mind, as once it gets to that stage you might change it when you see the impact it has on their confidence and socialising. If you do change your mind act quickly to prevent scarring - there are huge waiting lists on the NHS, it was 9 months by the time ds was contacted. We went private and even then there was a 6 week waiting list and the acne was so painfully out of control and getting worse each week I was phoning every day to check for cancellations.

ds(20), who is generally very open, always insisted it didn't bother him even when it got so bad his neck, chest and shoulders were covered in acne too, it was a form of self defense, he never admitted it until it was gone.

Accutane attracts a lot of negativity I took it and didn’t off myself. Organic anything isn’t going to help a bacterial infection.

if the face wash has benzoyl peroxide in it it’s too much and you need to choose face wash or cream, check the useage instructions.

You want to be thinking about the skins barrier as well OP. Benzoyl peroxide is pretty strong stuff. I would try a nice cream like La Roche Posay and a light weight spf for day time to give it hydration.
Your other option would be to look at a topical retinoid, it will require him wearing spf everyday (which we all should anyway) but it can be very effective. Boots have a service where they can prescribe it online but not sure if that would be the case for under 18’s.

5% Benzoyl peroxide in face wash and cream is very strong and could be irritating his skin. The pattern of seeming to help and then suddenly going worse is typical when the % is too strong or the skin is sensitive to any amount.

I would use one or the other.

Take photos of his skin when it is flaring up to show the GP.
Ask for a referral to dermatology while the GP prescribes something a bit gentler.