DD and her acne

[pleasehelpmewithmydilemma]

Looking for advice on my DD and her terrible skin. She has come down this morning in tears again as she has woken up againwith another huge painful pus filled spot on her upper lip.
DD has been suffering with bad skin since just before her periods started 2 years ago (DD is nearly 15). She has seen the doctor and had antibiotics prescribed. She’s used all sorts of lotions and potions, including the ‘behind the counter’ benzyl peroxide.
Our GP has now prescribed her the contraceptive pill as DD also suffers with very heavy and painful periods.
I also suffered when I was her age. Trying to explain to DD that she will grow out of it is falling on deaf ears.
This issue is causing her to become very sad and tearful. Couple this with no school and lockdown and I am worried for her mental health.
DD is now saying she doesn’t want to leave the house to meet her friends as she looks so awful. Me telling her that her friends will not see her skin, only her, and love her anyway, isn’t being heard
Has anyone got any advice? Please?

Keep going back to the Gp and pushing for Roaccutane - or go privately if you can afford it (we initially went privately for dd aged 16 because the waiting list was so long, we paid £200 for an initial appointment and then it was £140 a month for each consultation which has to be monthly and £20 for the actual tablets). She’s now been able to swap to the nhs for it. It’s the only thing that has even remotely made any difference at all - she’s had all the things your dd has and more- and she hasn’t even had any of the horror side effects you read about in the media about Roaccutane. Like everything else I think you just hear the bad stuff. The only thing she has is dry lips! She loves it. She has another 2-3 months of treatment to go and they’ll review whether she needs to be on it longer.

Having acne - really bad acne at that - is absolutely soul destroying for teens. I don’t think GPS take it seriously enough.

How long has she been on the pill? DD had awful cystic acne and heavy painful periods. She went on Marvelon, which didn't seem to do anything, but she only waited a month! She then went straight on to Lucette and within the next month was completely clear.

She, like your DD, suffered mentally as well as physically, and still has some scarring, which is really sad. But compared to the bright red, scabbed, bleeding that she endured, she is now completely happy with her skin and looks.

Just as an aside, she also stopped using anything with alcohol, or anything with an "zoate", or anything claiming to help acne. She went to completely natural no added ingredients soaps, face wipes, creams, shampoo's and conditioners. Convinced that really helped too, as her skin was hyper sensitive to anything remotely harsh or chemical.

Another aside, my GP said try contraceptive before antibiotics, which we did, and we weren't keen on the Roaccutane route.

There is a thread of opinion that antibiotics only cure whilst you are on them. They then screw up your gut bacteria and cause more problems than they solve...... it's an alternative opinion. Wouldn't hurt for your DD to take gut bacteria too.

Your poor DD. It really is awful and I don't think it's taken as seriously as it should be.
Both of my SC had awful skin. DSS was prescribed roaccutane and it worked for him without side effects. DSD was prescribed the pill too, which took longer to have an effect and she still got the odd breakout but it was liveable and could be covered up with make up.
They're both in their 20's now and skin is much improved.

Please ask for roaccutane. Nothing else comes close to this. Push and don't take no for an answer.

Thanks all

I’m concerned that it’s too soon to go down the Roaccutane route. My niece has had the Roaccutane course of treatments twice and suffered greatly with side effects. The second attempt has worked. But she is 23. I’m concerned that nearly 15 is too young.

DD has only just started the contraceptive pill, so it’s early days. I’m hoping it will have an effect.

I’ve also heard nasty theories about antibiotics and gut reactions so I’ll try a gut bacteria.

I’ve also suggested cutting out dairy, to see if that helps.

@Baaaahhhhh Do you have any recommendations for natural skin products? Unfortunately my DD is of the mind that only acne related products will work. And she is very strong willed

my dd had roaccutane at 13. The effect of spots on her self confidence was soul destroying. I don't see the point of suffering longer than you have to

She's right-natural skin products do not work for true acne. I hope the pill works for her

I've heard good things about cleansing with apple cider vinegar...quite a few videos on YouTube. You are meant to clean your face with it and drink it to... If you can stomach it.
I had mild spots I tried it and found it quite effective, didn't drink it though. Its a bit smelly to use which is obviously a downside.

I'd definitely stamp on any suggestion that she will 'grow out of it' without proper treatment.
That's what I was told at 14, and here I am, in my 40s with grey hair and acne.
Thankfully it's not severe, I had a course of roaccutane after I left university (didn't do it during uni because of counter-indications with sunshine, contact sports and drinking) which was incredible, but i still have scar tissue.
But yes for me the only things that worked were the pill and roaccutane (which was harsh but totally worth it).

I also recommend roaccutane. Not everyone grows out of it - I'm nearly 40 & have strictly cut out dairy recently, in the hope that my skin will clear up. It's been a problem since I was about 11.

I know it's not what anyone wants to hear but a friend who had really awful cystic acne cleared it up completely by cutting out all refined sugar and white bread.

For myself, sugar definitely makes my skin worse and perversely, so does "caring" for it. The more lotions and potions I use the worse it gets, but I'm not a teenager.

I was prescribed dianette as a teenager which is also a contraceptive pill. Worked brilliantly for me.

The pill is likely to help, whilst she's waiting on that to kick in I would also recommend she starts using Salyclic Acid based skin care. Nip+Fab do a good, affordable range with decent concentrations www.nipandfab.com/skincare/range/teen-skin-fix-salicylic-acid?gclid=CjwKCAjwxqX4BRBhEiwAYtJX7ViOWEeujKT1Ge6STzkQ-9nasFQbwsmNqA_PYw3IqQ46MqL_8LGWyhoChmEQAvD_BwE

*salicylic acid

My daughter used Proactiv+ but it made no difference. She's using The Ordinary, Boots sell it, she seems to be happy with it so far.
She's had trouble with her skin from about 14, she's 19 now, I think a lot is to do with diet but she doesn't want to cut out the things she likes.
GP suggested the pill a few years ago after antibiotics but she doesn't want to take them.
It's tricky as myself and her Dad didn't suffer so don't know why it's so bad for her.

My son had acne and Duac cream from the drs cleared it completely. Other than that, the Dianette pill; Roaccutane as a last resort.

OP why wait looking into roaccutane? My dd was 14 when I took her to a private derm who didn't hesitate to prescribe it to her. She only suffered with dry lips and was amazed at the lack of greasy hair and clear skin within 4 months. She had it on her face, chest and back. It was the best money I've ever spent. Worth every penny to see her happy again!

We had tried 3 different antibiotics and every topical treatment imaginable. It was very disheartening to see fail after fail and her confidence was taking a hit. I didn't want to get to the stage where her skin scarred. Please don't wait! The effects of acne are awful.

It is a long wait on the NHS which is why I paid for a private derm. It cost £150 to see him and £120 for the tablets. He said his own children took it with great success, he had thankyou cards and photos all round the room!

Ds is on Roaccutane. He is 15. The effect on his skin is nothing short of miraculous.
I was very cautious due to the mental health side affects but we kept an eye on him and he has been fine.
He had some nosebleed and had to have his nose quarterised
He is also now very photo sensitive but sensibly using Daylong cream and hes fine.
It’s also possible to take it for longer at a lower dose.
Honestly it has changed his life for the better.

She's right-natural skin products do not work for true acne

You misunderstand. Natural products don't cure the acne, but they also don't aggravate it. DD found that anything with alcohol or acid made her acne worse, and more sensitive, and the skin inbetween dried out completely and came off in sheets.

pleasehelpmewithmydilemma I wish I could show you pictures on DD before and after.... it makes me cry to see how bad it was. She had it on her back too. She did a diary of worst to now. So she has settled on the BodyShop Aloe range for face creams and face and body wash. The only other thing she uses is Garnier Sensitive Micellar water to cleanse. She used BodyShop Ginger or Banana shampoo and conditioner. They contain no fragrance, colour, preservatives or alcohol. She started out with the tea tree range for a while, as that is recommended for bad skin, but as that has alcohol in it, found that too harsh too.

Just another note on alcohol, and obviously only relating to DD's very sensitive skin. She is unable to use alcohol hand cleanser, which has been a major issue recently. At the beginning of the Covid crises she had to use the school alcohol dispenser and her hands cracked and bled. The GP recommended pure Aloe for that as well, and it cleared it really quickly.

I think the reason why I am so hesitant about Roaccutane is that I saw the horrible side effects on my niece. And my DD is literally a clone of my niece.
We do have The Ordinary products and she does like them.
I’ve taken all your suggestions on board. We will give the pill a chance to work and then take it from there

Try dermatica - perfect for at the mo - online dermatologists. They have finally cleared up my awful skin and I wish I had been more proactive years ago. Mine has had good and bad phases depending on hormones, medication and topical stuff but now it’s stable.
You pay a monthly subscription and can change frequency of your deliveries / cancel whenever. I find my products last longer than the suggested month. They can prescribe so you aren’t limited in available treatments

Roaccutane. It’s the only thing that really worked... the pilll (Dianette) worked too but really changed my mood . Roaccutane was much quicker and for me the side effects were minimal (slightly dry eyes for a month, that was it).

Why hasn't she been referred to a dermatologist? I got mine under control with a combination of long term antibiotics and dianette pill but the next step is roaccutane. You have to keep pushing for her. Tell the gp you're concerned about her mental health and scarring