Roaccutane or Yasmin

[flapperdapper]

DD, 16, has moderate to severe acne which has knocked her self confidence to the point that she finds it hard to go to school and has low mood. She has tried antibiotics and topical creams with no luck. She has been on Yasmin for 3 months and if anything her acne is worse. Should we continue with Yasmin for a while longer or push for Roaccutane? Or is there another option?

DD's low mood is so pronounced now that we are wondering if this could be depression and she has has a referral for CBT via CAMHS. I am concerned about her taking Roaccutane in these circumstances, but equally I believe the root of her problem (or at least a big part of it) is acne. I would love to hear about others' experiences.

DD 15 took her first accutane pill yesterday! GP prescribed her the combined pill starting with microgynon which made it worst so gave her marvelon instead but it trigered her migraines with aura and GP told her she shoulnt take cp for the rest of her life. DD has always had migraines with aura but GP never checked before prescribing the pill and we didnt know she werent suppose to take them.

DDs acne is mild to moderate on her face, sometimes she would have clear skin for a few weeks but her back is quite bad. The derm offered her accutane cream or to go straight on the tablet so maybe you could try the cream?

Also i didnt like the idea of her having to rely on the contraceptive pill for her skin as her acne will most probably come back as soon as she stopped taking it.

We are both very anxious with how she will tolerate accutane but, we are prepared, got all the creams and lotions ready for when it all kicks in!

I really, really wish I had been referred to a dermatologist for roaccutane in my teens, rather than my mother refusing consent & the doctors faffing around with various antibiotics, topical crap, etc, none of which worked. The roaccutane worked. I had depression too, & low self esteem, & the improvement in my skin would have helped my mental state enormously if I hadn't been forced to wait until I'd left home to sort it. My depression lifted & never returned. Not sure if it was leaving home or the improvement in my skin that did the trick there!

Yasmim completely cleared up DD’s skin at 15 (moderate - severe acne) - I suffered exactly the same but could not physically tolerate the pill at that age but a similar pill (Dianette - old skool) worked wonders in my 20s.

My son’s friend took Accutane - it cleared up his acne but negatively affected his moods.

Teen acne in girls is nearly always as a result of hormonal fluctuation and the pill can be a lifesaver for some - it can settle everything down.

Hi, I thought I’d post here rather than start another thread. DD is really suffering with her acne at the moment. She has been prescribed Duac and Differin and it has made not a blind bit of difference. She has tried some of the Nip/Fab salicylic acid range and she makes a little bit of headway with it until she gets her period and then she’s back to square one. It’s really starting to affect her mood now. She tries to put a brave face on it but I can see she’s struggling.

I have made a GP appointment for her through the LIVI app (all our surgery is offering at the moment). Should I push for the contraceptive pill? She hasn’t been prescribed oral antibiotics yet so will they want to try that first? I don’t know if her acne is severe enough for them to decide on Roaccutane. I have added some pics, what do people think?

This is an update. Dermatologist was reluctant to prescribe Roaccutane due to my DD’s low mood and anxiety. She wants DD to try spironolactone + Yasmin (her 4th month) first for 2 months.

Rollergirl, I feel it’s very much like jumping through hoops and you have to keep pressing ahead. I doubt they will prescribe Roaccutane before trying antibiotics or contraceptive pill. My GP wouldn’t prescribe the contraceptive pill until DD tried antibiotics first. I’d press for contraceptive pill though because antibiotics are not innocuous and my DD didn’t tolerate them well. DD has tried everything for 3-4 months each before moving on. Very frustrating.

@MadameTuffington How long did it take for Yasmin to clear the acne?