Teenage acne - antibiotics stopped working

[noitsnotteattimeyet]

Dd(14) has been suffering from outbreaks of acne since Y7. The GP prescribed Duac gel which worked for a while but then stopped. Since last October she's been taking Lymecycline (sp?) and applying acnecide cream. It worked brilliantly at first and her skin was completely clear for a few months.

Then just before her last period in April (she's only had 3 since she started, all several months apart), she started getting a few breakouts which have been getting worse and more frequent. For the last couple of weeks it's been awful and her face is covered with little red spots.

She's going back to the GP on Monday - does anyone know what they're likely to prescribe next?

She's scrupulous about cleaning off her makeup and eats pretty healthily for a teenage girl and she's spent most of her holiday so far at the stables so she's getting plenty of sunlight. I feel awful for her as she's not the most confident child anyway without having to deal with this too

Bump?

My son had terrible problems with acne and was really down He was eventually prescribed Roaccutane. I know it has side effects but it was a life saver for him.

Neutrogena face wash with the little bits in.

Works wonders. I was recommended to use it by the dermatologist after 15 years of persistent acne. Barely have a spot now. I use it twice a day and moisturise with an oil free moisturiser.

Will probably be a dermatology appointment for more specialist help.

Has she ever been prescribed the contraceptive pill? Hormones seem to be a factor here, so that could help regulate?

Probably a referral to a dermatologist and being put on roaccutane. It's a fairly harsh drug so last resort but works wonders. I had it when I was 16.

You need to ask for a referral to a specialist. Insist if necessary.

Take her to see a Chinese herbalist. They are in the phone book, doesn't cost a fortune. You have to brew up the tea, but I've seen a total face full of acne ( really, not a mm between spots)/clear up by 50% in a week, and then completely in 3 weeks.

Totally with the money

My DD tried everything and I mean everything. All worked short term but then stopped after about three months. She's almost 21 now and has finally got a referral to dermatology. I feel so sorry for her, she's suffered throughout her teenage years. DD2 is older than DD1 and hasn't developed spots as yet (fingers crossed) but I'll be pushing for a referral sooner rather than later if she does. I don't think anyone should have to suffer debilitating and mentally disabling acne.

Although we never thought of Chinese medicine, now its more mainstream is explore that too. It wasn't as accessible when dd1 was younger.

The antibiotic is known to only work for up to 6 months and can then make the acne worse than it was before.

The contraceptive pill is the only thing that ever worked for me in the long term, and eventually my skin/hormones worked itself out.

I highly advise staying away from those topical treatments too because they do nothing to address the source of the acne, which is likely hormonal considering her age.

Her irregularity of periods and acne could both be linked to hormonal imbalances. Finding the root cause of her acne is key, not just treating the symptoms.

Thanks everyone - do you reckon it's worth trying for a referral straight away then? She only started her periods last year but as she's not very physically developed I wasn't surprised she wasn't that early. She's very tall and slim and obviously still growing. I was also a relatively late starter and had very irregular periods so again that's not been a surprise, but I didn't have acne so having months in between periods was a bonus as far as I was concerned