Teenage Daughter Has Severe Acne

[TillyIon]

My teenage daughter has severe acne (also when I say severe, I mean severe, not just teenage acne, severe cystic acne) bless her, she uses such expensive skincare constantly, and she’s also on accutane and clairette. She does everything she possibly could to make her skin better and while it has gotten better, it still doesn’t look clear and I just know it kills her self esteem, she’s opened up to me a few times and ended up crying, I just feel awful for her. She wears makeup a lot, but still feels self conscious and I just have no idea what to do to make her feel better. She’s absolutely gorgeous, but nothing makes her feel better, any ideas??? (sorry for the long post)

Has she been to the GP? She may need some medication if that’s something she’s receptive to trying.

Really sorry to hear that Tilly

I know it must be very hard for her and you, but I’m sure having you to support her is valuable.

my db went through this and actually ultimately the medical advice he originally had from gp wasn’t good. But it sounds as though she’s seen a dermatologist?

Yes, she’s been to the GP several times and sees a dermatologist regularly now x

I would take a good look at her diet. She could have sensitivities that are causing the acne. I would also make sure her diet is low in sugars.

Is it Roaccutane she is on? I’m sure you are aware of the mental health risks so may be worth going back to gp/ derm if she seems really low?

I think laser treatment can help with acne, a friend of mine had quite good success when hers flared up again in her 20's. May be worth exploring with the Dermatologist?

Just an idea, probably stupid but maybe something like mediation, yoga, Pilates night give a good calming focus outside the skin issues.

Does she have any hobbies or interests she could focus on more?

If you or your daughter is on instagram katemciverskin is worth a look.

I suffered terrible painful spots throughout my teens and 20s, made incredibly worse by eating cheese and oranges / drinking orange juice. I avoided both for years. I’m 48 now and still can’t use any facial products containing orange extract. Also still suffer a break out if I overdo the cheese.
Might be worth keeping a food diary and see if flare ups are worse after certain foods?
Google for dietary links and see what other items may be triggers, it can be different for everybody,

she’s tried going vegan, gluten free, no added sugar, dairy free, and no wheat, but if there’s any other diets that can help please let me know! her mood isn’t generally too low, she has nice friends, goes out a lot and volunteers at an animal shelter three times a week (she’s very proud of this lol) she’s just so self conscious all the time, but now I’m wondering if this is just normal for a fifteen year old girl? x

Bless her I know how she feels. I didn't end up on roaccutane but I was close. I started using acids by the ordinary in conjunction with Duac acne cream (prescription only), and this worked for me.
I also identified that if I had too much sugar it would make my skin flare up

How long has she been on roaccutane? It can cause more breakouts in the first few months due to purging so if it's only been a little while she should stick with it.

I know how horrible severe acne is and also how much it can amplify teenage insecurity. For me the big thing that helped was just stopping wearing makeup and stopping looking in the mirror as much as possible so that I could try and just be neutral towards my skin rather than pressuring myself into thinking of myself as 'beautiful' when I didn't feel that way! Neutrality was way more attainable and helped me a lot on the way to now, a few years on, not being self-critical about my appearance anymore even though my skin definitely isn't perfect. I can't lie and say I'm 100% confident (I cried the other day when my mam pointed out how I still had some spots because I feel like it's always my dominant feature in her eyes) but I am way better now than in my teens with how I see myself.

In my opinion, it's best just to be there for her and not to offer 'helpful' suggestions. If you can afford to, maybe offer to help out with her skincare products if you don't already. Having acne can feel so all consuming with all the research that I did (and I'm sure she's done from the sounds of it), that suggestions of products etc can be upsetting firstly because it means you're thinking about her acne (and I hated the idea that anyone else ever thought about my skin), and secondly because it can feel really patronising. Also there's lots of #skinpositivity accounts on Instagram she could consider following as a bit of an antidote to the typical airbrushed influences. I like @ brielamour's account.

La Roche posay is often recommended on here for helping clear acne, has she tried this? Available in boots? Also I now use bare minerals makeup. The powder all in one foundation. Never believed the hype until I tried it myself, and it really gives great coverage, even on my 20+ yr scarred skin. I think it acts as skin care whilst on too, rather than clogging the skin.
I hope you find a solution that helps her. I think the problem with acne is its so individual as to what suits each individual. I suffered for years and would sometimes cancel get together as couldn’t face going out.

Contraceptive pull? Kept mine under control for years and noticeably reappeared as soon as I came off it to TTC! Maybe worth a shot?

I’ve had severe cystic acne since around 14 and now 30. Have been on every medicine invented for acne and accutane twice. Accutane initially worked well (was left with scars for a while though) but sadly both times the acne came back. I came off my pill 9 months ago to TTC and it is worse than ever, so I believe my pill made it better so may be worth a try. I also use face wash that contains salysilic acid (spelt wrong) which reduces the amount of sebum which is what accutane also does. Iv heard some good things about becoming vegan/reducing dairy but it’s a huge lifestyle change. Sorry I can’t help much. Even after 15 years I don’t have a miracle cure and it lowers my self esteem massively. So I understand how your daughter is feeling

Just realised she’ll likely be on the pill being on accutane. The accutane will work - no doubt about it she just needs to stick with it. I think I’m just one of the unlucky ones.

I suffered with acne from age 11 to late 20's. As a teen I was given antibiotics and topical lotion. After a couple of years a strong light therapy at the hospital twice a week, then a total of 5 seperate rounds of accutane through my 20s, it would work great but the acne would creep back 6 months after I finished. In between I also used a home skin light (blue and red). In my late 20s I had a TCA face peel. Also isotretinoin gel prescribed by dermatologist to work on scars. Just as I was outgrowing my acne, my teenage daughter started the struggle. She's 23 and has already had 3 seperate rounds of accutane. It's really really tough. I think the main things that helped my skin to look better afterwards were; healthy plant diet, generous supplementation Inc omega 3, msm, zinc etc, persistence with blue/red light, and isotretinoin gel. Keeping the acne at bay is paramount so that the skin can heal, my daughter has been having success with niacin, both topically and orally, which produces a niacin flush, beneficial in preventing breakouts.
Essentially I want to say that I suffered really bad acne, with deep painful cysts, all over my face and neck, and eventually I did get healthy looking, smooth skin even though it seemed impossible.

What are her periods like OP?. If they are irregular in nature this may all be connected.

I would go all out now to determine the root cause rather than just treat the symptoms. A condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) can cause acne to arise in some women.

What did GP prescribe?

My 17yo DD takes Lymecycline capsules and was also prescribed azelaic acid cream.

HTH

@bananacakerox she says in the OP that her daughter is currently on accutane. It’s a very strong, last resort acne medicine only prescribed by a hospital dermatologist due to its side effects.

My son had roaccutaneand his cleared up altogether,
My acne wasn’t as bad but limecycline worked brilliantly for me - unfortunately I didn’t discover it til I was 40.
Have you/she had a look at this site? www.acnesupport.org.uk/

I had horrendous skin as a teenager and it made me feel miserable. I was also referred to dermatologist who prescribed roaccutane and a steroidal skin treatment and it literally did nothing for me at all.. my skin might have even got worse!

I hated the roaccutane. I had to have regular blood tests to check my kidneys could cope and that I wasn't pregnant!!! It's also not a long term option either so if it's not working it feels even worse..!

Ultimately, only two things worked for me: short term: antibiotics. Long term: the pill.

I would occasionally come off it to test whether the acne would come back.. it did until I was probably around 26/27ish I'm afraid to say.

What I would say however is that, as tempting as it is for your daughter to try to hide the acne, a lot of these treatments will damage her skin in the long run and when her skin clears up she'll be left with issues as a result. My skin is 'crepey' in places, enlarged pores and wrinkles that I'm sure I shouldn't have quite yet!!!

I fully appreciate how painful it is (both physically and emotionally) to suffer from the acne but she may also find that the make up actually highlights the acne rather than conceals it (even those designed for acne skin) and she'd be better off without.. but without seeing her I couldn't say for certain. That was just my experience! I know it acts like a mask though and if it makes it more bearable then fair enough!

Also, hair shouldn't be used to cover the face as the natural oil in the hair can be too heavy for the face skin.

I also used sugar as a gentle face scrub and Clinique do a body scrub with menthol in it (can't quite remember the name but it's in a fairly large tub) which I also used.. I found that really helped. You'll be told that exfoliating too often is too harsh but I found it helped my skin to regenerate and genuinely felt it helped.

Something my mother now says to me that is she really felt for me but she also saw how my personality bloomed because I couldn't even try to rely on my looks... it really is a trial - and a cruel one for a teenager - but she will come through it and she will be stronger when she does. I know that doesn't help now but just remind her that it's not forever... and that this isn't a reflection on HER or her personal hygiene or whatever.. it's just an unfortunate (probably hormonal) imbalance which she'll get figured out soon!

If it helps, my skin is now really clear and has been for about ten/twelve years. It is very rare I even get a pimple let alone a 'proper' spot. I haven't had a big red angry boil like spot in what feels like forever!

(As an aside: more recently, I have become a vegetarian and for lunch every day I eat a plate full of raw veggies and salad - the more variety the better- and I've really noticed a further improvement in my skin. Could be worth a try?!)

Sorry.. didn't mean this to be so long!!!!

TL;DR- I feel her pain from 1st hand experience. It sucks. Try antibiotics to get it under control, then the pill if she hasn't already. Eat more veggies. Remind her it's not forever and this doesn't define her. X

Poor thing. Antibiotics currently working for my teenager but have seen at first hand how horrible it makes her feel.

Also how are her vit levels/iron etc? Would be worth getting a print out of blood tests as the levels are wide and being at the bottom of them not good for anyone.

Also if you haven’t already think about anything that she’s using on hair, body, washing powders etc.

As far as feeling better it’s a really tricky one. Anything else she can do to like herself? Physical or mental. Other skills or abilities? Might help balance the upset from the skin.

Zinc Vit D and A all very important.
Vit D along with antibiotics and topical cream has had a much bigger impact on my teens skin that just the antibiotics and cream.

If she's been jumping from diet to diet that won't have done her any favours. Just make sure she is getting balanced nutrients.

If she is on soya milk (fermented soy products ok I think) stop it immediately and avoid like the plague. It mimics oestrogen in the body and can have severe disruptive influence on her own hormones. Some people are more susceptible than others. I speak from experience.

Whatever other remedies you are trying you can also do red/blue light therapy in parallel. I got rid of cystic acne with my light. Mine was expensive but they are much more portable and affordable these days. 15mins everyday. I noticed a difference within a week.