Teen daughter acne

[M48294Y]

Hello, have name changed for this to protect dd's privacy.

She is 15 and has quite bad acne. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say she is about a 7. Her skin is bumpy and she has loads of whiteheads and blackheads, and a few big red spots. It gets worse when she is premenstrual but atm doesn't really clear up between periods either.

She washes her face twice a day with a witch hazel foaming wash, then uses a deep pore cleansing toner on cotton wool, and uses a scrub wash every couple of days. She uses a facepack once pw. We have tried steaming her face and a blackhead remover to extract the blackheads, but some of them are very deep!

What else could she do? I am loathe to take her to the GP for a prescription because a) she has to take quite a lot of medication for another chronic health condition and b) a teen I know fairly well has developed jaundice from her acne medication!

We are comfortably off and I would be happy to pay for deep cleansing facials for her, whilst at the same time not wanting to give the message that her skin is a problem that needs to be solved and that beauty is anything more than skin deep.

Sorry that was absolutely epic! Thanks for reading and wwyd?

Her skin is a problem and does need to be solved and can be solved.

I suffered from acne in my teens and changing my diet really helped. Also someone told me that harsh cleansers and toners like clearasil can make it worse as they strip all the natural oils.

I threw them all away and I bought sensitive/ gentlr everything and cut down on the amount of times I washed my face. It really helped

I know some GPS say that diet isn't linked to acne. But for me it is, even now if I eat alot of sweets / Crisps / takeaway, I'll wake up the next day with spots.

Ps, my face is clear 95% of the time now. Just abit of scarring from teenage years but yes what I eat affects my skin 🙊
Oh and water intake!

Another vote for getting rid of the harsh cleansers. Foaming cleansers ruined my skin for years, also alcohol based toners etc. I had constantly spotty, oily skin with dry patches all over (and I generally have dry skin and hair).

A really gentle cleanser (another vote for Una Brennan ones), a salicylic acid toner (the Olay anti ageing one is nice) and a really light moisturiser will be much better. Then a hot compress and topical treatment for any stubborn spots.

Try that for a while and then GP for treatment if it doesn't clear up. I've heard good things about light treatments too.

Both me and my daughters (now 21 and 19) have suffered and still suffer from acne. My 19-year-olds was the worst, because it reddened and scarred her face something dreadful. Completely ruined her self-esteem and I'm sure affected how she did at school and what she did socially. She went on Roaccutane (equivalent of) almost two years ago and it cleared all active outbreaks up. She still has residual scarring and PIH though. She ate antibiotics first (a requirement here before you get Roaccutane, because you have to try everything else before you get the strong stuff) and it did nothing. My eldest is on it now and it does nothing. She's hoping for Roaccutane later. Both girls also got body acne, something I've never had a problem with. This contributes to making Roaccutane a reasonable choice for them, I think.

My skin got horrendous about 4-5 years ago, with bad adult acne and cysts all along my jawline and down my neck. For various reasons I haven't gone down the medication route myself. Reddit has helped me enormously this past year with loads of scientifically based skincare information, but by now my daughters don't listen to me anymore. ;) Anyway, my tips would be

• low pH cleansing - protect the skin's moisture barrier at all costs! Cleansers can foam as long as they are low ph! But it's still highly individual what skin reacts to
• bensoyl peroxide WORKS but you have to hydrate hydrate hydrate your skin!
• do NOT try all the things at once! One thing at a time and assess

I've used Babor's oil cleanser and 2 in 1 tonic gel wash. They are pH 5,5 thereabouts and good, I'd recommend. For hydration maybe try sheet masks, but quality varies wildly here and different skin likes different things. My own rec's are Innisfree tea tree masks, they were soothing but hydrating. cosmetic-love.com/collections/sheet-mask/products/innisfree-its-real-squeeze-mask-1ea20ml?variant=10575054596

I think the reason they piss about keeping you on antibiotics before Roaccutane is the cost, seriously, I've had severe acne, was on antibiotics for years before Roaccutane, people suffering it's disgusting.

What are the side effects of Roaccutane?

I had dry skin, which could be counteracted with a moisturiser, vaseline on the inside lining of nose.

Side effects can be severe in terms of skin drying and cracking but also it can affect mental health and cause suicidal thoughts. It's not for everyone.

All medicines can have side effects but I think you have to weigh that up with the major negative effect acne may have on a person.

My dd had very bad acne at 15. She eventually took isotretinoin (accutane).

It was the best decision we've ever made and I don't say that lightly.

Her skin is now almost completely perfect. She has some tiny scars.

I would highly recommend it and I wouldn't think twice about taking dd2 to the dermatologist if her skin gets as bad.

Just to add she had tried everything available on line and over the counter. Please don't believe anyone who says it is dietary. This is what people kept saying to dd and she ended up not being able to eat in front of anyone as she felt so judged.

The dermatologist took great pains to say that nothing otc works for proper acne.

95% of people taking isotretinoin never have another spot.

Dds dermatologist said in 20 years of prescribing it she'd only had one patient who seemed to develop a mental health issue. That was a boy - she said girls don't tend to suffer mentally - in fact the opposite as they are so happy with their skin.

Side effects - skin got worse at first. Very sensitive and easily scratched. Not much dryness, she used vaseline on her lips from the day she started. A few aches. An annoying cough. All side effects disappeared by month 3 when suddenly all her spots went and never came back

I've just taken DS to the GP due to his acne. He was given a gel and antibiotic to kill the bacteria causing it. He also takes other medication for a condition. I wouldn't discount the GP route.

Roaccutane has also been linked with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease as well as birth defects and suicidal thoughts. It does work to clear acne but must be monitored carefully.

Roaccutane. Don't read stuff on the Internet, get her to a good NHS dermatologist. Yes it causes birth defects but dds dermatologist had never had a case of crohns or suicidal thoughts. It is a life changer.

If they have body acne (as my dd did) then all the products in the world are a complete waste of time and money. Dd now uses cheap micellar water and a good moisturiser with sunscreen and her skin is literally flawless. Accutane is a miracle cure.

Please take her to the gp. I was prescribed the pill at 15 and it sorted my acne out, and painful periods too.

By the way I was prescribed duac around 18 when my skin was much more hormonal. It worked so well the first few months, then my skin got used to it and I just reacted to it and my skin would go all red.

I agree on not using overly drying products - they just exasperate the production of oil.

I suffered terribly from acne from age 12 well into my twenties when roaccutane pretty much cleared me up except for little breakouts on my chin at the TOM.

In my opinion it's hormonal so trying something like the dianette contraceptive pill (is that still in use - I had it 20 years ago?) could be a good starting point.

Avoiding dairy isn't bad advice either.

Ditch all those harsh face products. If you're willing to pay see a dermatologist and take it from there, they'll suggest products.

Poor love, hope it gets sorted.

They won't suggest any products. Because products don't work. Expensive private derms who suggest expensive supplements and products that don't work are awful imo. Also, acne is not just hormonal, it can be down to the oil glands producing very sticky sebum. Roaccutane stops that happening.

I'm pretty sure Cetaphil is recommended by them as it's so bland ( personally I hate the stuff but loads doing its praises!)

Typos!!!

'Loads sing its praises'

Completely agree with avoiding someone who will insist she uses lots of expensive miracle potions.

i would consider medication because otherwise her skin could be damaged long term. Theres so many adults with permanently scarred faces out there. of course roaccutan or dianette etc isnt ideal, but severe acne can affect her for life

Zinc