DS15 face. So spotty and sore

[alwaystrainers]

I really feel for him. We've been using Tropic washing grains alternated with Liz Earle c and plus niacamine (?) serum and charcoal face masks but he's covered in yellow pimples today and so fed up.
So I try GP or any other tips for clearing it or should we leave it alone / pull back in treatments ? I do feel for him
A friend tried skin and me and said it was good but £££
I didn't suffer much - I used good old Aapri scrub and 10-0-6 acid lotion with a basic moisturiser so feel lost and there's so much out there to choose from. Any tips ?

Here's a brilliant video from Hyram, who advocates for no perfumes or things thst irritate the skin

OP a lot of the advice on here isn't going to help. Anything that advises to "clean" overtly will strip the skin of its natural barrier and cause, yes you guessed it, more breakouts.

First GP, then Protective products such as ceramides, niacinamide and centella asiatica. CerVE Aand The Ordinary, Inkey list. Also, buy him some hydrocolloid patches which will cover and clear spots in rapid quick time

This is what we did too And it worked. Stop the expensive treatments and get a prescription.

As above. DS was the same until his sister took him in hand.

A rinse of water in the shower then Bulldog sensitive moisturiser. It takes faith to stick to it at first but his skin is now lovely and clear.

Found the charcoal & scrub type cleansers were too harsh for my son's, we changed to simple range & much less aggravating to their skin. See GP asap, there are so many treatments for acne & much better to start early before any damage to skin, my s9ns both had zinc/erythromycin lotion which was enough but there are other options.

The GP will treat people under 16 for acne. They start with antibiotics but these take a while to work.
if he’s 15 he may also have facial hair that is aggravating the situation. Look at how he’s shaving.
I got a regime from the Ordinary, much cheaper and less perfumed than several of the options here and he gave up drinking milk.
Much improved.

When I was a teen my GP gave me something to clear my skin in a bottle with a dabber on the end it worked well. It was called Zineryt.

Poor boy. My dd 14 has been through this, GP were amazing they recognise this as it has an effect on MH.
My dd was prescribed a Dec wash and topical retinoid, didn't work so given lymecycline this didn't work so started on roaccutaine. It took a few months but her skin is amazing.

Honestly leave his diet at the moment unless it's processed for every meal. Stick with a simple cereve wash, and moisturizer. Ask the pharmacist what they recommend for OTC topical treatment. Good luck, there are some great accessable treatments.

Not Dec wash face wash!

Thanks so much. Just reading all the replies now. I've genuinely been trying to help but feel terrible now. Will get on to GP tomorrow

Liz Earle made me break out like nothing before or since (I've had acne since I was a teen, but the reaction to Liz Earle was quite dreadful).

I've had roaccutane which was brilliant. None of the topical stuff really helped much, & the antibiotics just made my IBS worse. Decent gentle skin care routine can help to keep the worst of the inflammation at bay, including using clean pillowcases & towels every couple of days, no sharing towels with anyone else in case it's bacterial or fungal acne. No physical exfoliants (a wet flannel or microfibre cloth gives enough exfoliation, again, get a clean one every day or so).

And had no clue you could get 10-0-6 still. Unless it's from the cleaning aisle. It was VICIOUS.
I've steered clear of too much harsh stuff too often. Liz E used to work for me but I'm not sure I like the new "recipe "
I've insisted on bland moisturiser too as I remember Clearasil etc that was like ...well...pure acid

😂😂😂

No no nooooo stop using all that skincare, it’s meant for adults not teenage sore skin it’s way to harsh. And for god’s sake don’t go putting egg white on his face as pp suggested! (If that worked there would be no skincare industry). Teenage acne is hormonal, he needs stuff from the GP.

Please don't put him on antibiotics. My DS was put on them and has ruined his gut health for months after coming off them 😔

Please be careful with the antibiotics...I was prescribed oxytetracycline when I was a teenager, think I was on them for about 18 months. I had never had issues with my stomach before that, but have been suffering somewhat since with IBS/ Gastritis /GERD. There are quite a few articles/studies out there with links to tetracyclines and gut health.

My son had really bad acne and eventually I took him to a dermatologist who put him on Roaccutane and it was brilliant- it made such a difference, and the spots haven't come back. We skipped the GP because I'd left it too late, and we wanted to get him sorted for university- I wish I'd gone to the GP, as we had to pay for the Roaccutane - ouch.

I'm pretty sure it was oxytetracycline I was prescribed as a teen too. Was on it for quite a while. I'd been having IBS symptoms since the start of puberty but only intermittently, it got much worse in my mid teens & TBH it continued to get worse (and never really got better until I did the FODMAP diet a couple of years ago & figured out what I'm intolerant to - so now my diet is quite tricky).

100% go to the GP!
The teen years are hard enough without spots to deal with. It is a skin condition that needs professional treatment.

Sources? 🙄

Just reporting back to say he got a gel treatment and we've gone back to gentle squalane cleanser and Simple moisturiser. He's much better and less sore. It's Duac gel. I'd recommend it and feel better it's not antibiotics just yet. Still gets little ones but the sore lumps / masses of yellow spots has stopped.

@alwaystrainers Duac gel does actually contain an antibiotic - Clindamycin!
That said I'm glad it's helping your Ds.

I think that has antibiotics in. I had to switch to differin gel as turns out I was allergic.

Ah right. Hopefully a non ingested one won't affect his tummy then. He seems ok !

GP probably prescribe antibiotics. My daughter use the ordinary niacinamide 10%+zinc 1%. It helps her a lot. I remember as a teenagers we use to use zinc creams.

Sorry, can’t agree with this advice at all. I suffered from acne from around age 12 and was prescribed roaccutane after all antibiotics had been exhausted. I had the most beautiful skin (for about 6 months) but I couldn’t show it off as I was in the grip of suicidal thoughts and a major depressive/psychotic episode for which I was hospitalised. I had no prior mental health issues - this was a major side effect of roaccutane. I don’t want to scare you, OP but I think this drug is absolutely the worst course of action. When I was better (and my skin had returned to its usual spotty self) I had nlite laser treatment which was absolutely incredible for my skin and I never looked back. Best wishes to your son - acne is absolutely rotten to go through and even worse if you can’t really cover it.