Acne NHS Support - 16 yo

[coolpattern]

Hi, I wasn’t keen to go the medicated route but he’s almost 16 now and has had acne for years.

Can anyone tell me if their teen was fine on Roaccutane (or similar) and how to actually get my GP to prescribe it for him?

thank you

You will have to go to the GP and try antibiotics first. The isotretinoin is a last resort.

Roaccutane is usually prescribed by dermatologists after other treatments have been tried. There will be no problem with your son getting treated by your GP and being referred on if necessary eg if other treatments not working or scarring getting worse as long as your son wishes it.
My 3 DC have all had quite severe acne and one did have roaccutane which worked like magic but made them depressed.
As a result DC2 wasn't keen and stuck with antibiotics and topical treatments which was their choice. DC3 has other medical problems which have meant that they can't have antibiotics and are wary of roaccutane but they are very good about using the topical treatments and they have worked surprisingly well. They have some scars but are happy to stick with te regime.
One thing is that the young person has to be invested and patient because any treatment

Pressed to soon, the treatments can take time to show improvement.

My dd went on roaccutane at 16 and it was the best thing she ever did (she’s now 19 and says this). She had minimal side effects and it completely cleared up her skin where everything else had failed - she went through just about every other prescription drug through the nhs first.

Roaccutane has to be prescribed via a dermatologist so your Gp will need to do a referral. The wait in our area was 1.5 years so we actually paid for dd to have it privately - it cost us £140 a month, that included blood tests every month as they have to check it’s not causing issues with the blood. Whilst she was on it privately we got an appointment for the nhs so she was transferred to them - she actually ended up seein the same consultant!

There are a lot of horror stories about suicide and depression and of course you need to be aware of this but acne in itself can cause serious depression and if someone is predisposed to it there is no way of knowing what’s caused what. You just need to be aware of it. My dd was seriously depressed with her acne and the treatment was life changing for her.

Meant to add - dd had a long course than they usually prescribe on the nhs done at a lower dose initially and then increased very gradually. We are convinced this is why she had little to no side effects. Other people who’ve had treatment on the nhs seem to start at a higher dose and this can cause issues so don’t be afraid to ask to start on a very low dose.

Thank you. My son is certainly invested, he’s so good with his regime.

strangely, over our hot summer holiday
abroad it cleared slightly but is now back to
angry zits.

My 15 yo was on it for 8 months, cleared her facial acne totally.
posters above are correct, your GP can’t prescribe this, it must be a dermatologist referral or private. And tried after all topical and antibiotics have been tried.
Just don’t Google it as there are horror stories about suicide online . But used by millions worldwide without problems. My daughter had no mental side effects but some physical mainly very dry lips, eyes and hair. But worth it for her.
She had monthly check up appointments.
Her dosage started low and built up gradually.
It was a difficult decision to go on it and one that only he can really make.
Be aware though, it interacts with alcohol so he wouldn’t be supposed to drink whilst on it.

My DD is 14 and has been on it for 4 months, low dose. Nothing seemed to happen for 3 1/2 months then suddenly everything pretty much cleared up.

We are in Australia so saw a dermatologist privately, (much less expensive than private in the UK as the government subsidises some of the cost), and she said her practice was for a longer course (12-18 months) of low dose as it’s better tolerated and less risk of an initial purge and so less risk of scarring. My DD had a year of acne prior and did try prescription topicals and antibiotic wash first which seemed to work but then didn’t.

I agonised over the more rare side effects as well but the dermatologist discussed them but said they were unlikely, but she would get dry lips and less oily hair. Nothing bad has happened, apart from the dry lips and she’s become very fussy about which lip balms she prefers😃.

Honestly, it’s been great. All of her spots have gone and she’s stopped hiding behind her hair. There’s some residual pigmentation (PIE) which her doctor said would fade and go away but nothing major and no scars. DD’s confidence was definitely dented by the acne and it’s great to see her feeling positive about how she looks.

My daughter had persistent acne since she was 10. Tried lots of different treatments via the gp and he referred her without question to a dermatologist. We had private health insurance so went the private route but the roaccutane worked wonders. Dry skin and eyes were her main side effects and she was initially lethargic but this passed. She started in October last year and was on for about 5 -6 months and her skin is lovely. Best thing we did for her in terms of confidence and self esteem.

Just
an update but the GP listened to me and we’re trialling Lymecycline for a month first.

Thats good
my teen has also started lymecycline we are on month 2
definitely an improvement
also uses Duac prescribed cream
and pimple patches overnight