Hello! New here and question about acne

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-15-2007
Hello! New here and question about acne
26
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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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-09-2000
Fri, 08-03-2007 - 12:03pm

This is so hard for our kids. DD has been battling moderate acne since about 8th grade.

She has been through a series of different regiments...OTC and Proactive which had no affect. (I apologize in advance for the words that are about to be misspelled) Her first prescription was for Tetracycline which turned out to be problematic because she had a job detassling corn that summer. The exposure to the sun combined with this drug resulted in severe sunburn (I told her to wear a hat a and gloves...). She also took Minaclycine in combination with Retine-A. After a few months that didn't work and her dermitologist recommened Accutane. Since that was her only recommendation, we found a new dermitologist. I wasn't willing to risk the side affects for acne treatment. Her new (and I my add wonderful) dermitologist recommend her current combination of Differin and Benzycline. DD has been using these topicals for over a year and they have had a dramatic affect.

One thing we have noticed is that DD has her most serious outbreaks during the swimming season when she spends 3 hours a day in the pool. She adds a rehydrator to her regime which definately helps.

DD is very good about her hygene, she doesn't drink any soda, and tries very hard to eat a healthy diet. Even so she still gets outbreaks. There are so many factors that influence acne. You have to keep trying different things until you find the right solution. Don't be afraid to find a different doctor if your current doctor is out of ideas.

Good luck. As an acne survivor myself...I know how hard this is.

Julie

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-28-2007
Wed, 08-08-2007 - 11:17pm

Hi, I'm in the midst of moving so things have been upside down here. So, if I wrote and thanked you before for your post, then it just means I'm mixed up and better take my ginko.LOL

I appreciated your advice. I just went to the derm with my daughter--an 8 hour excursion to nyc--a facial, massage, dinner for her and a friend. But making it a fun day made it easier for her. We went to the Marriot Marquis with the revolving restaurant up top. So, if you ever go to the city you might enjoy it with your children.

It worked out better than I thought with the derm...she may not have to go the accutane route, which is the drug of last choice as it has so many serious side effects. Now, if she'll just stick with the routine the doc recommended maybe we'll have a shot. She shook hands with the derm. Progress. She just used to stare at the floor before. So, one giant side for this mom of a teen. Thanks again for your help.!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2003
Thu, 08-09-2007 - 9:27am

Hi sunnymom:

I'm so glad that everything went so well with the derm. That's wonderful news. Keep us posted on how it's on going for your daughter.

I actually live in CT so I have been to the Marriott Marquis in the past but just to the theatre for a couple of Broadway shows. The hotel is spectacular though, isn't it? We have not been to the restaurant...we'll have to go there sometime. Sounds like fun.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-28-2007
Thu, 08-09-2007 - 10:58pm

Hi,

Thanks for your note. Yes, I hope we're on the road to recovery. Acne for a teen I am finding out is a bummer. Also, she has a little weight to lose. But I'm grateful we don't have more serious problems. Also, the derm said she may be able to avoid using accutane, which has a lot of potential side effects.

The rotating restaurant --"The View"--is fun for kids and adults. They give you a map and the restaurant revolves so that you take a tour of the city skyline without walking. The food was good too. The girls want to go to Planet Hollywood next time.

We're moving. The van was here today so we'll be closer to the city. We're trying to stay real optimistic about it as we are all searching for pillows that went to the new place so we can sleep there--while we're still here. LOL Thanks again for writing. Let's stay in touch. Good Luck and sunny days!

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-28-2007
Thu, 08-09-2007 - 11:29pm

Hi,

You have company. My 14 year old inherited her acne from her Dad, who has scars on his back. The doctor just warned us that could be her face. It is not easy going. She has trouble coming to grips with sticking to the routine and knowing this is what will make it go away. You can't treat it like a medical problem completely--as she thinks it's an appearance problem and that you're being critical.

We have tried proactiv. It's worked for others, but not my two teens. She's been on bactrim and other antibiotics. They haven't really totally worked. We had a breakthrough this week in that she let the facialist in the derm 's office really give her face a deep cleansing. She wouldn't do that before. The derm said the realization they need to conquer this sometimes doesn't fully kick into until
they are 15. Some say birth control pills work. (My daughter said that will make her look slutty. I said who is to know. But the derm didn't recommend it any way.) I went to see a top laser specialist this week. We're trying another round of topical meds this time for a couple months--I'll look up the exact names. Also, he gave her another antibiotic. Another derm I consulted said it's really a matter of them being strict about the routine. I must admit she found a cleanser she liked at a makeup store in town--kiehl--and her face is improved. But two doctors thought I should go the accutane route. That is the drug of last choice as there are many potential side effects--including depression. I hate to say it but some kids have reportedly committed suicide on the drug. I'm sure that's a tiny minority and they may have been depressed before. I know a lot of people who have great luck with accutane and just dryness of the lips as a side effect. I'll let you know if the laser works. I hope both you and I are able to avoid accutane--or that luck is with us if we ever go that route. I get really frustrated with it. My cousin went through every antibiotic until she was 18 and then finally went on accutane and is beautiful now. I have all my fingers crossed. I think it really is rough on them--socially and emotiuonally. Well, good luck. I'll let you know if anyhting looks most promising.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-29-2004
Fri, 08-10-2007 - 2:36am

Just a quick note. My 15 year old son is on his last month of accutane treatment (4 months total). It went fine. We had tried a couple of different OTC programs along the lines of Proactive, and they helped a bit, but sticking to the routine was certainly a problem. Two rounds of different perscription antibiotics were no better. I have to say the accutane cleared things up in about 3 weeks.

The side effects he had were dry lips and a few bloody noses. No soreness or depression (he had no prior issues with depression). The dermatologist that we used though is confident about accutane for tougher acne cases. With a big suburban practice he said he has had to pull less than 5 kids off the drug in 10 years. The one pretty common side effect that my son did not have was soreness in his joints so we probably lucked out there.

It was certainly not a simple decision to make. There are more serious side effects with accutane. The dermatologist's opinion was that we should go with accutane, but we hedged by trying another round of antibiotics. Ultimately, though the point of all of it was to clear up his acne sooner rather than later, and we could beat around the bush for another year trying other approaches which, in the opinion of the dermatologist, likely would not work.

As a side note -- we switched insurance plans during the middle of this and ended up with a big deductible. Calling around to see who had the best price made a very big difference.

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