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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

DD16 face is going from clear to desperately bad acne in front of my eyes

43 replies

bellylaughs · 10/09/2018 19:09

I’m so frustrated! DD16 has had very few spots then suddenly 3 months ago acne started appearing and it seems there’s literally more every time I look at her. She’s desperately upset about it and is spending hours looking into her mirror etc. She hates wearing make up but now feels she has to and even then it’s very visible.
I took her to the GP and she recommended going on the pill so DD took Dianette for a month but it made it even worse so she has just changed to Loestrin. She also uses salicylic (?) acid based cream recommended by a beautician where I took her for a cleansing facial in desperation when she was really down.
It’s really affecting her mood, she’s miserable about the spots and I don’t blame her. The change has been dramatic and fast. She won’t even leave her room to eat with us sometimes :-(
She previously took Lymecyclene and it didn’t work (that was for a much milder outbreak an couple of years ago)
Does anyone have anything positive for me to say to her or do for her? I feel so sorry for her!

OP posts:

milienhaus · 10/09/2018 19:15

Poor girl, teenage acne is so annoying! One month on the pill isn’t enough for hormones to settle though, she should try staying on for a few months if possible. It worked for me in the end!

Branleuse · 10/09/2018 19:21

Agnus Castus is really good for regulating hormones and apparently can be effective for teenage acne.

Worth a try

Original poster

bellylaughs · 10/09/2018 19:23

Thanks Millenhaus that’s what I thought but the GP agreed to switch her as it was actually getting a lot worse. Do you mind me asking which pill worked for you?

OP posts:

Original poster

bellylaughs · 10/09/2018 19:24

Thanks Branleuse I’ll look into that.

OP posts:

doodlejump1980 · 10/09/2018 19:25

My teenage acne bizarrely cleared when I had antibiotics for a bad yeast infection.

Fireballfriends · 10/09/2018 19:27

You need to go back to the GP and ask for antibiotics. I would start there before changing the pill which can have all sorts of other side effects. Good luck.

Praisebe · 10/09/2018 19:30

Make sure she's changing her pillow case and flannels daily and don't let her pop them or rub her face as it'll spread all the bacteria and make more spots. I used a product called silver serum on my acne along with doing the above steps and it cleared away in a week

PaddysMarket · 10/09/2018 19:31

Push for the GP to refer her to the dermatologist sooner rather than later. My DD suffered from terrible acne, she spent about 2 years trying different things from the gp before she was referred. In the end the only thing that worked was roaccutane.

Now my DS (15) has started getting acne, the nurse has put him on antibiotics for 6 months and has said she'll refer him on as his sister suffered from acne.

Original poster

bellylaughs · 10/09/2018 19:36

Thanks everyone. I did wonder about roaccutane as DS1 went on it successfully but it such a serious drug I was trying to avoid it.
The pill worked for DD’s younger sister and cleared hers up really quickly so I was hoping it would happen again.

Never heard of silver serum, will look into it.

OP posts:

PaddysMarket · 10/09/2018 19:39

Yeah my DD wasn't keen on starting on Roaccutane either but she had tried every thing possible and nothing was working. When she came home for summer from Uni I suggested starting on it while she was at home.

I hope your DD finds something that works.

AmabelleOnabike · 10/09/2018 19:41

This happened to my DD15 a few months ago: from clear to acne in a matter of weeks. It was so sudden she thought it was a reaction to sun cream so we didn't do anything for a while. Anyway the first attack was Dianette and though it did seem to get worse she is now on week 5 and finally seeing an improvement. There have been side effects such as feeling really down and crying for no obvious reason but she was willing to be miserable to have clear skin. I read on here that it could take 4 to 6 weeks to see any improvement which has been about right.

It is such an awful affliction and at such a terrible age to be self conscious. I was on the pill and antibiotics when I was a teenager (a million years ago) and was told by one gp that a pregnancy would sort my skin out (which turned out to be about right But not great comfort for a 16 year old).

insertsomethingwitty · 10/09/2018 19:42

Ask to try antibiotics. I have acne and I take a low dose to clear my skin. Roaccutane also was like a miracle drug and my skin was clear for years after a few months on that.

carnitine · 10/09/2018 20:18

My DD took Vallette (contraceptive pill) apparently it is called the beauty pill, according to the gynae. At 3 months her skin was beyond perfect.

Some CP make it worse, although I don't know which ones.

Racecardriver · 10/09/2018 20:25

I suffered bad acne as a teenager. I would strongly reccomend a course of antibiotics to get the blemishes under control as well as an infection control program (boil wash all of her sheets/pillow cases daily, if she uses a make up sponge/brush get rid of it,boil wash face towels after each use etc) and then try to figure out what has caused it. Don't rule out the possibility that it may be a reaction. I recently had a break out due to expired foundation for example. Any new skin products should be scrutinised and any new foods. Be shampoos also. If you think the problem isn't twisted by anything in particular then a daily exercise regime with a good exfoliator (dermalogica daily microfoliant is best) and a light moisturiser (I reccomend jurlique daytimd lotion).

Original poster

bellylaughs · 10/09/2018 23:00

That’s really interesting, thanks everyone. I’ve ordered the silver serum as it sounds quite natural and hopefully won’t do any harm at least.

I think we’re also going to go down the dermatologist route if it doesn’t improve soon with the new pill.

I hadn’t realised the connection with pillows/towels etc so I will have to start boil washing them now!

OP posts:

MistressDeeCee · 10/09/2018 23:25

Same with DD. I tried every natural remedy under the sun. Then one day I looked at her, face full of pustules and felt so very sorry for her I could have crued. She was so low in confidence after years of it. I thought about how I'd feel if it were me
.
That was it for me, had a chat with her (not heavy handed didn't want to make her feel worse), and off we went to the GP. Low dose Antibiotics cleared her acne in less than 2 months. She continued with them for a few months.I made sure she took a good pro-biotic alongside.

This was when she was 19, she's 23 now no sign of acne returning. No harmful effects from having taken antibiotics. She maintains a good skincare routine, mostly Neutrogena products, which seem to agree with her skin

I was strongly against anti-biotics but they were a life changer for DD. Good luck whatever you decide OP

ashvivienne · 10/09/2018 23:40

DD1 had it now DD2 is suffering DD1 is almost 21 and still gets it. They use Purity from Philosophy then Clinique moisture surge it’s really helped them both. You can get testers from philosophy stands

Amaaboutthis · 10/09/2018 23:44

I agree with the recommendation to try lymecycline again. There’s also an excellent cream called epiduo which was the last suggestion for DS before Roaccutane and it worked a dream.

OuchLegoHurts · 10/09/2018 23:50

Antibiotics all the way. I took them for a year twice and the day after i started them my son cleared up like magic! They're mild ones, specially for hormonal acne. All the creams in the world won't do enough.

OuchLegoHurts · 10/09/2018 23:51

Sorry I meant normal spot creams, not the ones mentioned above!

GoodHeavensNoImAChicken · 10/09/2018 23:56

If she’s really suffering like you say she is, please get a dermatologist referral as soon as possible and if they recommend roaccutane, go for it. There’s strong evidence it works, hence why it’s availavle on the Nhs for these circumstances, unlike a lot of things recommended on here.

I had terrible acne and it made my teenage years miserable. Roaccutane doesn’t affect most people much at all and it made everything so much better for me

Movablefeast · 11/09/2018 04:56

I live in the US so I have taken both my girls to a dermatologist when they skin flared up. My eldest who is now 17 has had the most issues with her skin, not the most serious awful acne but bad enough she has needed antibiotics. I am very glad to say (for her sake) the result had been her acne has been under control through high school (since she was 14/15) and she has beautiful skin. So please don’t wait, if you can afford it get her to a dermatologist or ask your GP for a referral.

MeltingSnowflake · 11/09/2018 05:10

Antibiotics didn't do a thing for my teenage acne - dianette was my absolute saviour, although it does make it worse before it gets better. I also highly recommend a facewash or cream that contains sulfacetamide sodium and sulfur. In the US it's called Sulfacleanse 8/4, not sure what it's called in the UK.

MeltingSnowflake · 11/09/2018 05:13

Oh - and it's worth checking to see if she started taking a vitamin supplement around the time her skin got bad. Even as an adult, mine inexplicably flares up when I take multivitamins - I think it's the iron or B12.

HoppingPavlova · 11/09/2018 05:17

Medicated cream (prescription), antibiotics if that doesn’t work, course of roaccutane if they don’t work.

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