Hello! New here and question about acne
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Hello! New here and question about acne
| Tue, 05-15-2007 - 1:53pm |
Hi! I'm new to this board...so glad to have found this! I also have a question about teenage acne. My 13 yo dtr has battled acne for over a year...she's tried everything and her dermatologist hasn't help much. Any suggestions? Thanks!!

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What has the dermatologist prescribed for her? Is it mild, moderate or severe acne? Has there been any improvement?
My dd has battled it mild/moderate acne since she was 11... She has tried all sorts of things. Right now what is working for her (and her skin is crystal clear right now) is a combo of things - she uses cetaphil face wash and moisturizer, she uses differin gel nightly, she takes the antibiotic Doxycycline (she is supposed to take 100mg twice a day, she is very sporadic w/ this though) and she is on Yasmin birth control (this is good for hormonal acne).
Be careful with Doxycycline though - not only is it rough on the stomach, but dd recently tried to completely stop taking it (her face looks so good and she wanted to be able to be out in the sun this summer) and her face broke out the WORST it has ever been! She seriously looked like she stuck her face in a bee hive - it was horrid!! She normally had only forehead acne and when she stopped with the Doxy she had it EVERYWHERE!!
I'll share my story with you…..
I have chronic migraines and a friend recommended I try MonaVie, in which the star ingredient is the Acai berry. It's really worked well for me, plus I have more energy and feel better overall. Well, my teenage daughter has had chronic acne for over a year and nothing has helped. She's tried all the over-the-counter stuff and she's on round three of different meds prescribed by her Dermatologist. On a whim, I had her start taking 2 ounces each morning and in a little under 2 weeks her face is virtually clear! It's amazing and she's just thrilled!!
I'm the biggest skeptic, but now I'm telling all her friends' moms about it! Good luck!
Water! Water! and more water. I have two teenage girls and I can always tell when they have been drinking more soda, juices, etc than water. The intake of sugar is also an issue sometimes. It really does make a difference.
This is old fashion remedy but my grandmother had an aloe vera plant and she would have my brothers and I apply the gel straight from the plant.
Quick question for the mom that suggested MonaVie. Where do you purchase it?
You can buy MonaVie from a distributor of the company...I'm not sure if you can place an order on their web site or not...?
Here's the web-site of the friend I got mine from...they can help you out. Good Luck!
www.monavie.com/skaggs/
Hi. I'm sorry that your dd is going though this difficult time with her skin. My dd, who is now 16, started having the same problem after she started getting her period.
Amazingly, she started getting her period when she was 10 1/2 so the acne started about the time she was in 6th grade (maybe 12 years old). We went to a couple of dermatologists over the years and went through some very difficult and trying times with medications but I can tell you what worked and didn't work for my dd. The first thing that the MD's tried was topical medications...such as Retin A creams, etc. These worked a bit but not completely. My concern was always that so much of the problem is hormonally based and no matter how many topicals she used, it would never completely clear up. The first oral medication that she tried was Erythomycin (sp). Unfortunately, it made her stomach very upset so she had to stop it. Also, every med she tried had to be taken for a few months before finding out if it was working or not. Dealing with acne takes great patience. :-) After that, my dd was then put on Cephalexon (sp) which worked beautifully on her skin. I think it's also known as Keflex. Her skin was clear as a bell while she was on it. For my dd, the only problem was again her stomach and she had to go off it after 6 months. She had severe nausea and would throw up every few days while on it. But she has a very sensitive stomach and everyone may not react that way. But, if your dd can handle this medication...I would ask about it. My dd's skin looked absolutely beautiful while on it. She then went on minocycline (form of tetracycline) and had been on it for about 3 years. It has worked pretty well...flares up from time to time but not bad. She just recently switched to Doxycycline since you can't take minocycline for too long because it can affect your liver after several years. The doxycycline seems to be working fine. My dd has never taken Accutane and I'm a little skittish about it so I can't answer any questions about that med. My niece had problems too as a teen but the only thing that she could take was birth control to regulate her period and help the acne. She takes Yasmin and her skin looks clear as a baby's. I wouldn't hesitate to try it...after all it is a medication and it does regulate the hormones that cause such havoc on their complexsions, etc. If my dd skins starts having problems again, I will difficult consider it. Acne not only can cause physical scars but emotional ones as well.
What a wonderful, loving mom you are for looking out for your daughter and trying to help her with this difficult time in her life.
Best of luck and I hope I helped a little.
My DS17 told me he was sick a couple of weeks ago and wanted to stay home from school, and I let him. Later I found out it was cuz he had a big zit he'd been picking at. He doesn't have bad acne, but occasionally gets 4-5 big zits that he always picks at and, of course, they then become much more prominent.
I've read that antibiotics and Rx meds are no more effective than benzoyl peroxide--the cheap acne cream.
DS watched his diet carefully for the 1.5 weeks before prom, and his face did improve significantly. Even though many say diet has nothing to do with it, I have to disagree. Like OP said, water does help and so does avoiding sugar.
The MonaVie sounds interesting, and worth a try. But I'd really prefer that my DS get in the habit of eating healthfully, something that has benefits far beyond simply clearing up acne. Do ya think any doc would prescribe BCPs for a guy, lol?
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http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM
I do agree that eating well, drinking water, and living a healthy lifestyle is always a good thing to do but I'm really not sure if it's all you need to do to clear up acne. Maybe a couple of zits here and there can be helped by it but when you're dealing with bad or severe acne, which is really caused by the surge in hormones, especially during the teen years, I really do believe that topical and oral medications are about the only thing you can do to keep it under control. For example, cystic acne, the big cystic bumps which are the most severe form of acne and are the cause of pock marks can't be helped with topical creams and diet. They are caused by hormones and heredity. You have to take oral medications, sometimes even Accutane, to clear it up. Also, since acne is caused by hormones, that's why most girls get it the worst around their periods. I remember the dermatologist telling me that for most boys, acne will usually end by the end of their adolescence but for girls it can go on for the rest of their lives because of the surge in hormones that we gals are always dealing with. Well, just my opinion...
"since acne is caused by hormones"
That is true, but diet has been found to affect hormone levels. Low-fat diets reduce estrogen levels, and those of other sex hormones; and sugar intake affects insulin levels. Not sure if the latter is at all associated with acne, but those studies may be forthcoming.
I have a real problem with using antibiotics for acne, given all the resistant strains of bacteria that have been popping up owing to overuse. Even if my son had severe acne, I know that's the last thing we'd try. We'd have to try all homeopathic remedies before that...honey+cinnamon, tea tree oil, etc.
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http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM
I can't speak for everyone else, but for my dd diet and nutrition weren't enough. My dd drinks water constantly (by choice), she is athletic and she eats healthy. I on the other hand, eat/ate terribly and live off of Pepsi and maybe get 1 pimple a month. We tried everything we could think of and came across to treat her acne. What is weird with her is where typical acne sufferers have oily skin, my dd's skin is quite dry. What is so difficult with acne is that it is sooooo much trial and error and you have to give each effort months to see if it works. With each effort you have the chance of an "initial breakout" where the skin flushes everything out. At such a delicate time such as teenhood everyone wants a quick fix before they scar themselves and their self-esteem are negatively affected. Here is a short list (in no particular order) of everything we tried over the past four years for my dd and again she has mild/moderate acne.
EVERYTHING over the counter
PROactive
Clindamyacin cream
Benzoyl Peroxide
Allesse Birth Control
Aviane Birth Control
Omega 3
Tea Tree Oil
Vitamin E oil
Honey
Vinegar
Cucumber mask
Retin-A
Tanning
There are more, but I can't think off of the top of my head.
I resisted the antibiotics, but will say the combo is she is on now seems to be working great (differin cream, Yasmin and Doxycycline). She switched to the Yasmin birth control in hopes of getting her off of the antibiotics.
ETA: She has also switched her make up to the Bare Minerals. Before that we of course were buying all of the "dermatology tested, non-comegenic, etc" make ups....
Edited 5/16/2007 8:35 am ET by kel7col4
Wow...you did try a lot. Have to admit, that I, too, would give antibiotics a try if all those other measures failed.
After reading up more on the subject, I found out I really didn't know what I was talking about. It's testosterone that's the culprit, and not necessarily high levels, but simply the sebaceous glands' sensitivity to the hormone that causes acne. Stress, sweat and poor diet may only be aggravating factors.
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http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM
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