If you had cystic acne as a teen and now have teenagers - what are they using on their faces and is it stopping cystic acne from developing?

[Ifonlyus]

My eldest DD appears to have inherited DH's skin. Prone to dryness but not prone to spots. DD2 has skin more like mine. She started her periods recently and straight away, has her first spots appearing.

I'd like to draw on the experience and wisdom of those who have been in the same position and get recommendations for tried and tested products. I realise skincare knowledge has moved on massively in 30 years. What does the science say? Are there over the counter products that can stop spots developing into acne?

Please, only recommendations from those who experienced or had children experience cystic acne or have some particular knowledge on this subject.

I think it’s dufficult to stop acne by over the counter products. Unfortunately it is caused from within. As far as I know! Obviously healthy eating helps and effective skin cleansing.

After going to school in South Africa where all girls had amazing skin (apparently) DD was prescribed Ruaccotane (hope spelling is accurate). It clears it up for nearly everyone but has side effects that need managing so it’s best taken in the summer holidays and definitely not at exam time!

Thanks. Maybe I'm just looking for fwomen who had bad acne to tell me their children didn't get it as bad as them. DD2 has inherited other less desirable physical traits of mine and DH and it saddens me she'll be lumbered with bad skin too.

Yes but in my teenage years we all just sat about with Clearasil and bullied each other Nobody thought it was a reason to go to your GP or actually have prescribed medicine except possibly antibiotics if you were really really lucky. Roaccutane, retinoids, spironolactone etc were unheard of.

If I had a child developing cystic acne I'd take them for proper medical help instead of mucking about with beauty counters and be done with it.

Well, I did end up at the GP and a dermatologist and got roaccutane which cleared mine up - but that was a two year process of going back to the GP and trying the more minor treatments before I got to that stage. In the meantime, much damage was done to my self esteem and my face was scarred.

I still got cystic acne each month until I saw a thread on here recommending Paula’s Choice. I use their BHA exfoliant everyday and haven’t had it for over a year. They have some advice on teenage skin here. It is quite pricey but worth every penny not to look like a teenager in my forties!

www.paulaschoice.com/expert-advice/skincare-advice/acne-and-breakouts/how-to-treat-teen-acne.html

Yes but it took 2 years to get to a dermatologist - it was so rare back then, no-one took it seriously, much faffing about was done.

You wouldn't tolerate that now from your GP - attitudes are completely different. We were just fobbed off with crap about it being expected and due to eating too much chocolate.

Paula's Choice is amazing

Dd started getting Acne quite late at the age of 16. Initially the gp prescribed Duac which had no effect, then Lymecycline with benzoyl peroxide cream. This worked well for maybe 2 years, then I became worried about the long term use of oral antibiotics and asked for her to be put on dianette. This meant the acne returned with big cystic spots over the next 4 months. I then paid for a private consultation with an absolutely lovely doctor. She doubled the antibiotic dose. Then prescribed Epiduo and if this didn’t work to add in Dianette with the other two products. She was willing to prescribe Roacutane if Dd wanted but she said no. The gps in our area are not allowed to prescribe Roacutane and will only refer if the acne is really bad. This means essentially you probably have pretty bad scarring already.
But really don’t worry about something that hasn’t happened yet as it may not. But if it does there are a series of steps you can take.

I had acne after pregnancy.... doc prescribed acnecide and it cleared up.

not what you want to hear but mine all had it worse than me

dd1 took roaccutane which was really good. She's now on the pill (yasmin) and her skin is beautiful
dd2 takes antibiotics which help a bit but nowhere as much as the accutane
dd3 has just started with a few small pimples. Both dd2 and 3 use sebamed face wash.

dd got accutane within a month. she has some almost invisible scarring but nothing noticeable.

I always post this when people ask about acne.
I have seen severe cystic acne clear totally in a few weeks after the boy was taken to a Chinese herbalist.

Well stop posting it. Chinese herbs don't work. Snake oil.

Thanks everyone. Is sebamed better than using a cleanser? I've seen cetaphyl raved about on here - is that recommended for teen skin as well as adults?

We all use Cetaphil in our family. Its gentle, mild and non-drying. No cleanser can stop Acne, as it’s pretty much hormonal. Saying that Dd found the Clinique anti-blemish range good for mild spots ( especially the clarifying lotion plus the cleanser and the spot cream ) and has passed it on to Ds ( 13) for his.
Actually Chinese herbs can work really well for all sorts of things ( having lived in Asia). But it’s difficult to find good Chinese doctors in the uk.

Ds tried cetaphil and Mario Badescu products but after 6 months the gp prescribed duac and antibiotics. Outbreaks are lessening but redness still noticeable.

I had cystic acne from about 12 until 22. DD started getting spots at 11 and it's quite bad now she is 13. She is apparently incapable of swallowing pills (we've tried every trick in the book!) so we are stuck with lotions and potions for now. Several irritated her skin. Currently using acnecide and that is working ok. I'm hoping DS (11) gets DH's skin not mine! I actually have really good skin now (I'm 39). Apparently people with oily skin often do after the acne subsides. I did use roaccutane too.

If you want somewhere to read up try Caroline Hilton's blog, she has teenage routines/acne sections etc.

I know benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid can be useful topical treatments for acne but I don't know if these are strong enough for cystic acne.

One tip I will say is keep getting her to put on a light moisturiser even if she is getting spots but to avoid anything with mineral oil/paraffinum liquidum. This will clog the pores.

There's a product called la roshe posay effaclar duo, bit pricey but does have some good testimonials. Didn't work for me though.

Most important thing is to tell your daughter that beauty is not skin deep and that acne passed ❤️

Hi, my poor dd inherited my terrible skin. I have been on Dianette for 25 years with a couple of years off for babies. DD got it even worse than I had it, in that she gets spots on her back and chest as well as her face. We tried all the antibiotics etc. All were a complete waste of time, but she couldn’t go on dianette until she started her periods.

She had terrible skin from 10 and started her periods at just 12. She went on dianette after 3 months (she also had terrible periods), and 5 months later, she is like a different girl. So happy in her skin now and she still has a few spots and scars which will hopefully go in time. She used to say she was the ugliest girl in school because of her skin, it was heartbreaking.

The doctors were going to send her to the hospital for roaccutane at 11 because her skin was so bad, but I didn’t want her to have such strong medicine at such a young age. Dianette or equivalent is really the way to go for young girls if it is suitable for them.

Also I have read up a lot about roaccutane and some people who dianette had worked for, had a few courses of roaccutane but the spots always came back.

My son on the other hand had acne and the doctor prescribed antibiotics for him and it cleared his skin, but I guess it was male hormones causing the spots, not female ones. I hope this helps.

I had cystic acne and now have a 10 year old DD who I think is going to develop it. Hopefully not but she already has a few blackheads. V strong family history. Nothing will stop it.
My plan is that I am going to bring her to a derm if/when she gets her first cystic spot. Yes, her very first cystic appt. It is an entirely miserable condition and cystic acne needs specialist attention, no less than a bad burn needs a plastic surgeon.

Cystic acne can cause lifelong facial scarring. How on earth people are so tolerant of that is beyond me. If you had a facial scar from a burn or any other injury, you would do anything in your power to prevent it worsening, and to treat it. No one would suggest dietary change, or try this that or the other cleanser or snake oil. It is a serious medical issue. Don’t minimize it.

So OP, to answer your question, cut to the chase and get a derm appt, esp with the family history - private if needs be. It will be cheap in the long run. The only treatment that will put acne into remission is Roaccutane. Take your derm’s advice.

Slight rant there. Can you tell I feel rather strongly about this!

So OP, to answer your question, cut to the chase and get a derm appt, esp with the family history - private if needs be. It will be cheap in the long run. The only treatment that will put acne into remission is Roaccutane. Take your derm’s advice

No dermatologist in the UK will prescribe accutane to an 11 year old.

And a private accutane prescription costs thousands.

I agree dianette is a good cure for some.

Dd took accutane and it worked well but the spots came back. She's now taking yasmin and her skin has been beautiful for a year.

I sympathise. Acne is absolutely miserable and debilitating, in that it can destroy a person's confidence.

We've suffered quite badly in my family. A couple of my nephews were told that their acne was linked to a dairy allergy. They gave up dairy and it made a huge difference.

My brother as a teenager had roaccutane. It totally cleared up his skin, but wasn't without side effects. Also there's a strong link to bad depression, with several suicides being linked to it it. Definitely do your research if you find your DD going down that route.

Mercison, not quite true. They will prescribe at age 12.

But I’m not suggesting it as first-line anyway. What I am suggesting is to involve an expert at the very start.

Dianette worked for me but I'm convinced that it triggered depression, which I still struggle with 20 years later.

I think that 5% benzoyl peroxide gel twice a day, plus gentle facewash and moisturiser, will help, but may not get rid of the spots entirely. Taking zinc and high omega 3 supplements is also worth a try.

Zinc supplements and over the counter acnecide cleared up my adult acne in a few weeks.