To do Skin+me for 15 yo DDs acne, not go to the GP?

[Ladybugger]

Dd has pretty bad acne. We've never tried anything but cheapish stuff from the high street.
I've been looking at Skin+me and think we should give it a try, but it says Skin+me is for adult acne only and you have to be over 16. It says for acne under 16 they recommend the GP.
Getting a GP appointment around here is like getting blood out of a stone.
Would I be unreasonable to lie and say she is 16 and do Skin+me for her? I like the way it is just 1 thing to apply, they tailor it a bit and then change the cream based on how you are responding to it. If we went via the GP we might get the same stuff but if the dose isn't right etc we'd be in an endless waiting for appointments to talk to a GP who is unlikely to be a skin expert?

Acne doesn’t need a skin expert and if it’s bad she’ll be scarring which you won’t see the effects of until she hits her 40’s and her skins permanently textured.

Usually they start you on acnecide but if it’s gone past that they can go straight to lymecycline. Superdrug do an acne service too.

I've suffered with hormonal acne since my teens (I'm now early 40s). Skin & Me did nothing for my skin. I tried it for 5 months and then gave up as there was no difference at all. Speak to a pharmacist if you can't get a GP appointment.

Honestly, I would do both. Get a GP appointment and also start with skin and me. If your DDs acne is "really bad" don't wait for the quicker routes to be tried and possibly fail. Get on that journey now...if she ends up needing to see a dermatologist it could take 12 months to get an appointment.

If the other treatments work, great, you can cancel the GP referral at any time. My DD tried everything, including S&M, but it was the dermatologist that finally sorted it out.

Sometimes skin issues need to be treated from the inside out, no amount of topical treatments will fix it.

If she has bad acne she probably needs accutane and for that you need to go to the GP and try all the other steps first before they refer you.

Do you not watch the news?
Only a few days ago, there was a massive feature on the damage that the unguents and other snake oils which adults apply to their faces, do to younger skin. They are causing irrecvocable dermatological reactions and in some cases, actually burning skin.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-67993618

But yes, go ahead and go for a 'quick fix' - I mean, what the hell do qualified practitioners know, after all, they've only trained for about 10 years or so. And then they want you to wait a couple of weeks for an appointment when this is an issue NOW!

As a teenager sufferer of acne, please do you absolute best to get your daughter in to see the GP. If it's as bad as you describe she will need a referral to dermatology and oral treatment prescribed by a qualified doctor.

I tried several different drugs before escalating to roaccutane which was the one that finally did something. They will try other things first because obviously the stronger drugs can have more side effects (I had to have monthly blood tests to check it wasn't causing liver damage, for example).

If it's difficult to get in to see the GP that's more of a reason to get on it, not more of a reason to delay.

@AsTheLightFades but that's high street skincare being used by 8 year olds who don't need it
Skin and me isn't snake oil, it's a prescription with prescription level treatments

I have been a sufferer of severe acne. The kindest thing my mum did for me in my childhood was taking me to the GP to get it professionally treated. I'm so thankful she took my acne seriously. GPs are not dermatologists but acne is something they will see a lot and will have lots of experience of dealing with. By all means try something at home first, but acne is a medical issue and should be treated as such

The principle remains - it is utterly ridiculous to be using adult skin-care products on children

If the company is recommending a minimum age of 16, why the hell would you go against their (medically qualified) advice @Ladybugger ?
How bonkers is that? If anything goes wrong, you won't have a leg to stand on because you will be responsible.
What is the matter with people?

Thanks everyone, this has been really helpful, (although I don't think a 15 year old using treatments for 16 years and up is the same as 8 year olds using adult skincare).
But you've made me realise I should definitely take the GP route. I had presumed skin+me was a quicker and easier route to getting the same medications, but it sounds like that's not the case.
I've been very consciously not making a thing of her skin because I don't want her to get a complex about it and I don't want her thinking I think she is anything other than beautiful inside and out. Going to the GP feels like making a big deal of it - how do I approach that with her?

My mum never took my acne seriously, she used to just say it was because I touched my face too much. I never got anything other than over the counter treatments as a teen and they (obviously) didn't work. It had a massive effect on my self esteem. I wish she had "made a thing" of it and taken me to the GP. If you've already tried high street stuff then I assume you have talked about it? I would just approach it in a matter of fact way. Don't make a big deal out of it but equally don't try and act like it's not an issue. It is.

In terms of time for a GP, I actually got my teen in within days with the nurse practioner who could prescribe for acne, much faster than I could have seen a GP. Also, skin and me is paid for, it's around £25/month and a child can be treated on the NHS - I don't see why you wouldn't try the GP first!

My mum never tried to help me with my skin until we were at the GP for something else and he commented on it. My skin was really quite bad and I did get bullied a bit. My mum's attitude was "it's only on your face, you can't see it" which is a bit mental considering she was a secondary school teacher and knew what teenagers could be like to each other .

In this scenario a kind "we've tried a few things to help your skin now, but I think we would be best getting an appointment with GP / Nurse Practitioner to see what they recommend" would be all that is needed.

Thanks all, I really appreciate it. I agree that the matter of fact approach sounds best and I really value hearing about other people's experience.