Dd's spots are getting worse

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

And duac gel seems not to be working any more

She's 13.5, no sign of periods yet and not particularly developed physically (no curves, has the torso of a 9/10 year old just with very long arms and legs...)

She's been using duac gel for the last 18 months or so and mostly it's kept her skin reasonably clear, but over the last couple of weeks her forehead has just erupted with angry-looking blemishes, they've also come up on her back and shoulders - she usually has her hair in a ponytail so that's not part of the problem and she doesn't wear makeup so it's not that either

I'm going to suggest going back to the GP but what might they offer her? I feel so bad for her as she's not having an easy ride as a teenager at the moment with various other issues going on

Ooh my daughter suffered with this as a teen. Diet helped a bit (cutting out crisps and chocolate) but eventually went to see gp who prescribed a long course of antibiotics and it completely cleared. I think it's just one of those things. Some of my teens friends were covered in spots and others had clear skin. Just the luck of the draw. I understand how upsetting this can be especially for a teen. I still get the occasional hormonal spot and I hate it. Good luck.

Thanks - she rarely eats chocolate or crisps and her diet is pretty good for a teenager

We will definitely go back to the GP as she could certainly do without spots on top of everything else

Yep go back to the doctor asap, teenage spots are almost never dietary or lifestyle related, they're hormonal . The GP may well put her on a long course of antibiotics which often helps , or I think girls are often put on a specific contraceptive pill . If those don't work then she will be referred to a dermatologist for more heavy duty stuff. Ds2 attends a dermatologist for his skin and he said that people put up with bad skin for too long thinking it's 'just a teenage thing' when in fact there's almost always a solution. Acne is a curse.

I had horrible skin as a teenager, tried various antibiotics but nothing worked for me until I started on dianette, a contraceptive pill used for treating acne, at 15. However, this gave me bloating and depression (in fact it's been banned in some European countries due to the risk of causing depression) so I wouldn't recommend it.

Has your daughter tried benzoyl peroxide cream? You can get it in in Boots; the 5% stuff is best as otherwise really dries the skin. Wash gently with a soap free face wash, thick layer of benzoyl peroxide before bed, then wash again in the morning and some moisturising lotion for sensitive skin. Start with the benzoyl peroxide every other night as skin gets used to the regime, then increase to every night. It really worked for me.

The duac gel contains benzoyl peroxide - it was working very well but it no longer appears to be effective

We will try to get a prescription for antibiotics

DD is nearly 14 and has been on antibiotics for her spots since Feb - she was on Duac a year ago which was ok but her spots are mainly on he back so it was difficult for her to apply. The lymecycline has really cleared them up - she has the odd few around her hairline and I look at her back from time to time as she can't see it well. Drs say 3-6 months to clear up to a large extent and she was well on the way in April. I feel it's important to nip acne in the bud as it can scar for life like my DH's back. She wouldn't have wanted to be left with that. It's hormonal at this age and I don't think diet has a massive effect, although less crap is going to help, it won't 'cure' acne.

Does she take vitamins? I suffer with acne and it started to improve when I took vit A, C, E, Zinc and Selenium supplements. Also try skin care with salicylic and glycolic acid. Vichy Normaderm is good in my experience

The pill blitzed my acne, and I would recommend it, but I was a little older than her - about 15.5 I think. Don't know if that makes a difference ie the fact that she hasn't yet gone through puberty.

The Dianette pill also completely cleared my back/chest spots in my late teens but again i wouldn't recommend it due to risk of depression. It proved they were hormonal though and diet/washing didn't make any difference.

I think you've all just convinced me how wrong I've been about my DS skin. He's almost 15 and his spots are getting worse. DH said I should take him to the doctor but I said he just needs to wash his face more regularly (with the clearasil)..DH had bad skin as a teenager so prob has more sympathy.
Do you think I should take him to the doctor?

beetrootface definitely bring him. The doc told us that teen spots are almost always hormonal, no amount of face washing or dietary changes will cure acne. There's lots of treatments available, your ds doesn't have to put up with the spots, good luck.

Yes you should take him - who wants spots?!?

beetroot I think that those face washes can make things worse. They're too harsh, and lots of washing will make things worse. GPs should take it seriously if he has tried to self-treat (which he has), and especially if the acne is severe enough to scar his skin.

OP it sounds to me like the acne bacteria on your DD's skin have become immune to the clindamycin in Duac. Is she on the 3% benzoyl peroxide, or the 5% benzoyl peroxide version? You could try benzoyl peroxide on its own in a stronger concentration (I wouldn't go higher than 5, it can be very harsh on the skin). I would go back to the GP though. They could try her on another topical treatment, like Zineryt (which is another antibiotic), or something like Epiduo (benzoyl peroxide and adapalene (this can again be very harsh and drying, but the skin tends to get used to it after a while. She could also try an oral antibiotic, or dianette.

My daughter suffered for years.
Started on duac, then had various antibiotics and contraceptive pills.
I spent a fortune on creams and face washes.
This time last year it was her prom. She had a beautiful dress, her hair and make up done but it broke my heart when she sat in front if the mirror sobbing because her skin was so bad.
In January we went to the dermatologist, she was prescribed roaccutane.
This weekend when she was out someone told her she had beautiful skin!
I don't know if your daughter is too young yet but roaccutane worked for her with very few side effects.

My DD tried lymocycline antibiotics and they didn't help! Tried many freederm products - we have found using Wrights coaltar soap has really helped alongside a dairy free diet (her choice!)

cassimin my ds2 is on Roaccutane at the moment and it's really helping. His skin was dreadful, he went from a few spots to full blown acne in just a few months and neither the cream nor the antibiotics helped much. Fingers crossed he will have beautiful skin too in a few months ; )

I agree most teenage acne is hormonal - DD has had some success with dianette pill after trying the long term anti biotics & prescribed creams which didn't really do much and LOADS of over the counter products. The things that have been useful for DD have been La Roche Posay effaclar duo, alpha H liquid gold, using a clarisonic.

DD decided against Roaccutane and I wasn't keen at all due to the depression links but it does seem to have a lot of success. I think that maybe if I was to go back in time we would have done Roaccutane.
If the acne does not clear don't leave it for ages to get a referral. Acne has been a source of misery for DD. Things are improving now but DD has got some acne scarring.

I have read that fish oil supplements can be useful.

+1 for the GP. Nothing helped DD (14) until she started a course of antibiotics a month or so ago. It's working well so far.

I'd go back to the doctors. Though I have no clue what would be done as mine haven't visited the doctor for treatment.

I did find that a lot of it is to do with keeping a structured routine etc. My 14 year old used to be pretty bad, due to personal choices we decided to try a more natural approach. We changed her diet to a vegan one, made bedtime regular, changed bed sheets every day, changed her facial cleaner to a more water based solution and stressed exercising everyday. Though I know these changes aren't always viable... It did work and she hasn't had so much as a few pimples for at least a year.

Good luck! x

Loads of water really does help, proof is in the pudding with my own ds. We notice a marked rise in spots when he doesn't drink as much.

OP - I would investigate PCOS, especially before going down the ruaccutane route. The lack of periods thing would certainly suggest it is a possibility. My dd's acne was heart-breakingly awful from about the age of 12, and all the creams and antibiotics (including tetracycline) did nothing. I convinced a sceptical GP to investigate for PCOS (blood-test and ultrasound) and low and behold that's what it was. The symptoms are not always text-book (and dd's weren't, hence my GP having doubts), but testosterone levels in the blood and the cysts on the ovaries (as revealed in a scan) are what give the diagnosis. It is what I always suspect when I hear of a teenage girl with acne that doesn't respond to basic treatment, and I hate to think of someone putting themselves through a course of roaccutane when Yazmin and an anti-androgyn like spironalactone does the trick. My dd now has stunning skin btw!

Thanks everyone

She's already on the 5% version of Duac so that's as strong as it gets

I suspect that she's too slim to have started periods yet - she doesn't look at all 'womanly' iyswim so I'm not worried about that yet (my boys were also pretty late going into puberty) but will bear that in mind in case they stay away for much longer

Dd's not keen on going to see the GP as she's very embarrassed and would rather pretend it's just not happening, poor lamb

My eldest DD and I both have PCOS and not one spot between us! Whereas my youngest DD who has regular as clockwork periods is covered! Also acne can be due to a bacterial infection hence gp using antibiotics. My daughter has been dairy free for 2-3 weeks and has noticed a BIG improvement in her skin (could be a link to the hormones in dairy products)