Teenage hormonal skin help !

[girlofthenorth]

Please hit me with your recommendations for teenage hormonal skin! My DD is 15 and suffering badly with acne and redness . Not as bad as it could be but enough to make her upset .
Normally she's very rigid and won't use anything but simple but now has decided she needs to try something else ... unless it's a trip to the GP ?
Thanks .

I would see the GP before it starts to scar to be honest. The only thing that actually worked for me was going on the pill (yasmin) but of course that is personal choice I wish I hadn't waited as long as I had to go on it, having acne really affected my self esteem and social life.

Things to try if she isn't wanting to see he gp - la Roche posay effaclar, a good non comodegenic moisturiser, introduce her to double cleansing if she wears make up to ensure her face is clean but not stripped of moisture and have a look at acne plasters. You can buy them on amazon and they're great to wear overnight for individual spots or if she is picking and making it worse.

I took my teen son to the gp and they prescribed a low does antibiotic for 8 weeks he is just over half way in and it does seem to be helping.

We tried quite a lot of stuff before that and found the biore charcoal face wash very good. And nip and fab salicylic helpful too.

I recommend going to the GP however, they will probably prescribe antibiotics which do work but (in most cases) they come back once you stop taking them, especially if it is hormonal acne. The best thing for a girl imo is the combined pill.

The over the counter treatments/cleansers etc tend to work initially then the skin gets used to it, plus you can end up spending a fortune.

Doctors every time. It’s very important to knock infections on the head before they scar. Mine became cystic at 40. I’ve got a red scar that’s fading slowly with treatment but it’s been there 3 years in May.

cks.nice.org.uk/acne-vulgaris#!scenarioRecommendation NICE clinical guidelines for acne.

It’s not just part of being a teenager.

my dd's tried just about everything as teens, went though all the regular over the counter stuff, then GP visit resulting in antibiotics, Differin, duac finally Derm referral for DD1 and she recommended la Roche posay effacer . DD's used the blemish kit, containing cleanser, toner and moisturiser. Amazing stuff, well worth a shot.

DS1 who is 14 has bad spots and so I took him to the GP. He was prescribed Acnecide which basically has peroxide in it. It's been great, his spots cleared up almost straightaway. I'm very glad I took him as I was worried they would scar

Acnecide is great but make sure they wash their hands well after using it. Ds has bleached all the towels with it.

Clean and Clear blue liquid. Been using for 11 years since I was a teen and cleared my spots up and I have lovely skin! Use with their oil free moisturiser x

My skin scarred horrifically as a teen due to acne! I eventually got rid of it with dermalogica products they do a teen brand but the special cleansing gel I found worked best. Wash her pillow every day or every other day wipe the phone with antibacterial wipes every day to keep the bacteria away from the face hope this helps x

If it's severe definitely go to the GP. As others have said, the options are pretty much various antibiotics, various contraceptive pills, various topical creams and (eventually, after a dermatologist referral) roaccutane. I've had all of these at various points to deal with acne that I've suffered with since my teens (now early 30s). Different things work for different people and side effects vary from person to person. It's trial and error to find what works best for you, in my experience anyway. Diannette is a really effective pill but can only be taken for a few years (at least when I had it). I've now settled on Millinette (pill) and Lymecycline (antibiotics), which I take long term. Not ideal but preferable to severe acne. As a teenager I found it very difficult when people would share there cure all solution to acne (soap and water, turmeric, drink water, cut dairy, etc). Most of these come from people who have never really suffered with their skin and suggestions are often unsolicited (e.g. strangers in the supermarket). I tried all these things but for severe acne what worked for me was medication. You may need to ask specifically for a dermatologist referral if you think your daughter needs one. This tends to happen after other options have been exhausted but doesn't seem to happen automatically. I think it can help to ask for it.

You can buy Acnecide over the counter (Boots pharmacy sell it for about a tenner). It's really effective for my 15 year old ds who has lots of spots - agree the towels can get really stained!

Thanks all for wonderful advice!
She is not scarring but we obviously don't want it to get to that.
She has agreed to try the Dermalogica products and if not helping we will go to GP. Dermatologist referral sounds good if it doesn't improve.
Meant to say she's already on the OCP - started for MH reasons but it's done little to help her skin.