blackheads - what can 10yo DD use to help pls?

[EcoLady]

My first foray into the pre-teens section...

DD is 10 1/2, starting to get boobs, has plenty of pubes, uses deoderant ... and has dreadful blackheads all around her nose and chin, plus tends to gets batches of spots on her forehead. Some of the blackheads can be real humdingers - they get bigger and bigger for weeks on end until they suddenly turn into enormous painful zits.

She washes daily with normal baby soap. What else can she use that will help to reduce these blackheads and minimise the spots?

thank you

Oh, your poor dd. It's calamitous at that age, isn't it? I used to tell dd that she'd have beautiful clear skin when she was 15 when it really mattered and all her friend's would be spotty - in a hopeless attempt to make her feel better. It was so unjust, to her, that she ate fruit and veg and had spots while her friends ate sweets and McDs and had lovely skin; so unfair. I combed Boots for stuff like Pure & Simple and Clearasil that would help her.

If your dd is having problems with her skin though, it's worth taking her to the GP as it may be acne - easily treatable using the right cream. DD was in despair until WellThisisJustGrape on here recommended a GP appt. The difference in her skin was remarkable in less than a week, and her confidence rocketed.

Her spots weren't even that bad, either, but everything's magnified at that age.

So my recommendation is GP first.

My dd uses a tea tree toner from Wilkos after washing her face. That helped. Don't use harsh stuff, just ensure she washes her face, particularly the T zone, regularly. Encourage her to not touch her face, don't pick at them. Use a gentle cleanser and make sure it's rinsed thoroughly.

Thank you both very much indeed. Poor little mite is filled with surging hormones and had a tearful day today.

We'll try Pure & Simple and some tea tree and see how it goes before trying GP.

poor thing! Witch foaming facewash (or the boots own version) is good. Make sure she uses (an oil free) moisturiser as well otherwise she'll just be stripping her skin of natural oil which will cause it to produce even more oil, thus making the problem worse. Also get some of those sticky pore strips (right next to the witch facewash in boots) to instantly and safely remove a load of blackheads. Hope this helps her.

My friend has started using Oil Cleansing Method for her 12 yr old, similar skin problems as your DD. I haven't seen her DD since she started but my friend says its been clearing up a treat. Hope you find a solution

Wisdom, I wanted to introduce the oil cleansing method for both dd and me, but I couldn't get any castor oil. Do you know where your friend got it, or what oil she uses instead?

Neutrogena grapefruit wash is brilliant. My 10y old DD uses it as do I and my skin has dramatically improved.

Jux I gave her the Castor Oil, I bought it online as can't get it anywhere on high street, the site I used was Aromantics.com but there are plenty sites that sell it just make sure you get "cold pressed" Castor Oil.

My friend is only using a tiny amount of Castor Oil in her mix for DD, about 5% as her skin is quite sensitive. She mixes it with Sweet Almond Oil and a drop of Tea Tree Oil,

Yes oil cleanse. I'll be starting dd on it as soon as she's 10.

dd uses Avene face wash with warm/hot water and clean flannel. If she does this twice a day her spots almost disappear. Use Oxy 10 on the really stubborn ones on the forehead it doesnt seem to irritate and really helps. Also change pillowcases and towels daily! (i know but really helps)

Wow! Thank you all

She's off camping this weekend (yes, really!) so I doubt she'll wash at all

Oh I hope she has a fab time. DD had the most fantastic time when she went with her school (done it twice now), and loves camping with us.

TheWisdomofSolomon (cool name), thanks. I've just ordered some from Amazon. Why didn't I think of that?

Oil cleansing method or Liz Earle?

Jux no problem, I hope it works for you. There was a thread on S&B a while ago about problems people were experiencing, like greasy skin and bad outbreaks. I have found that making sure I massage for AGES really helps, I also add an emulsifier to the oil mix (but try without first as not everyone needs this ) and I tend to use it more as a treatment 2-3 times a week rather than everyday (am very lazy!) and I often follow with a clay mask but that would probably be too much for your DD.

Re the OIl Cleansing Method, my experience is that it doesn't matter too much whether there is Castor Oil in the mix. It still works. I have got to the point of just using almond oil and nothing else, and my blackheads are still much better than before. I am 42 and have had spots and acne since i was 14.

I also use panoxyl at 5%, which I put on at night, after oil cleansing.

acne.org is a good website for ideas.

Iheart you make a good point about the castor oil, I started at the recommended 15% but now use only 5% as it was a bit drying. Also the Extra Virgin was too heavy, Walnut oil smelled yuk (to me anyway) and the Jojoba just didn't have any effect. But love the Sweet Almond Oil.

i use tesco mild and light olive oil that i also cook with! i only added castor oil to it for about the first month until my skin cleared.

We got a topical antibiotic for a spot on DD's nose that she has had for about 3 years (on off). Most of the otc anti-acne creams are for age 12+. :(

One more top tip, try smearing some honey on the affected area, leaving it for a couple of minutes to go tacky then putting your hands on and pulling them off quickly. It seems to pull the much out.

.... and my castor oil from Amazon arrived this morning!! I'd ordered it before I read all the posts saying we didn't need it , ain't that typical?

So we might as well use it and mix it with sweet almond oil as we have some of that already.

I still need it! Not everyone does but I definitely do.

I did my first OCM this morning. We had grape seed oil and sweet almond oil in the house anyway, so I used about equal parts of all three - about a quarter of a teaspoon of each in my palm. Then I realized that of course I should have fixed my fringe out of my face first .

Anyway, it was nice to do. Suspect I didn't massage my face long enough (hair issue!). My skin felt a bit tight immediately afterwards, but only for a very short while. I shall try it for a week or two before I broach it to dd. Can she use the cream the doc gave her for acne in conjunction with OCM?

(Sorry to hijack your thread, Ecolady.)