Well, the forum is called "Free for all", and I am inclined to be literal, so here is my question: my son suffers from some adolescent acne. His problem is not the worst, but enough to make him feel self-conscious. We gave up on the drugstore remedies and so far we have tried two topical prescription medications. The first made no difference. I am about to give up hope on the second, Stievamycin. I am reluctant to ask for the doctor to prescribe oral medications for fear of the side effects (liver damage, depression etc...). Any pharmacists, pharmacologists or experienced parents with any suggestions?
Comment Guidelines
We welcome your feedback on Houseandhome.com. H&H reserves the right to remove any unsuitable personal remarks made about the bloggers, hosts, homeowners and/or guests we feature. Please keep your comments focused on decorating, design, cooking and other lifestyle topics. Adopt a tone you would be willing to use in person and do not make slanderous remarks or use denigrating language. If you see a comment that you believe violates any of the guidelines outlined above, please click “Alert a Moderator.” Thank you.
for jenjen.....................
i have 2 daughters that get clusters of little pimples each time of the month, you know what i mean...and its devastating for them, the one has dry and somewhat sensitive skin...would differen be okay for them and where do you buy it and do you just use it on the pimples or on the face daily and what would be a good moisuturizer at almost 13 and 14 years old....thank you
janet c
Hello,
I am had acne and I would like to suggest a topical medication that is perscribed called Benzamicen (not the correct spelling) but it is kept in a fridge and contains bleach and antibiotics...Sometimes with acne you have to tell the doctor what you want...
Unfortunatly for girls a great option is birth control...
My daughter also has been using the Differin gel for over a year and the acne is gone. As soon as she forgets to put it on, it comes back. This has been magic for her. Good luck
LL
Ottawa
My daughter also suffered with acne. We tried the 3 step proactive solution and it cleared up in less than a month, and she uses it daily to keep her skin clear. Try this one, it does work! But all three solutions must be used together. Look at www.proactiv.net
Good luck
is cheapest at costco as far as i can tell . my derm also used to recommend this to me. you can also get a light oil free moisturuzer called lubriderm good
Cetaphil was highly recommended by the dermatologist...I think we had the liquid soap in the pump bottle. They make a light moisturizing lotion as well...has a more clinical or should I say manly look to it. My young basketball player teen admitted he took it in the shower with him 'cause he had "Back-nee"! I think boys can be more self conscious than girls.
My neices was told to use SpectoGel to wash their faces
Cetaphil is another one
Here is alink to Paula Begoun's website. I have used her ideas and I thik that my skin looks healthier for it. She recommend household (everyday) products instead of buying ones that are just hyped up marketting ploys. For example Milk of Magnisium as a mask for oily skin. Believe it or not this really work. Baking Soda as an exfoliant I use this two - three times a week
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/article.asp?PAGETYPE=ART&REFER=SKIN&ID=6
Just wanted to add a facial soap I bought my son when he was a teen, it's Cetaphil (Shopper Drug Mart has it) and he still uses it daily. He had mild acne and I don't remember what we used but it's important to keep the face clean every day and not using strong irrating soaps to wash the face.
BC
or melaleuca oil which is the real name is the best i have ever used.look for organic . super cheap also as alittle goes a long way.put it on a spot and it will dry it up and flake off in a couple hours. if you continually apply it to the most affected areas even when not inflamed it will help as it penetrates deep down so as not to let the next inflamationhappen. make sure they still use a light moisturizer as too much oil will dry out the skin. this is also the best thing to rub under the jawline for swollen glans and under the nose for stuffiness . it penetrates through your skin very fast. rub it on your cheek, close your mouth and you will taste it in under a minute.also good on cuts since it is a penetrating antiseptic/ antifungal.
Having gone thru this with my own 2 boys and daughter (who also has excema), I can only sympathize with the frustration it causes and pass on some simple things that worked for them in some cases. Drink lots of water, take zinc (lozenges may also have extra Vitamin C - a good thing) Vitamin D taken with Calcium. A 10-15 minute tan once a week will speed up healing and reduce the redness...and Tea Tree oil (100%maximum strength) is a natural antiseptic...very effective when used 3 times a day. You can get that in a little wand type of applicator, so he can keep it in his pocket..goes on invisible. Hope some of these things will help. A dermatologist told us that many acne products (drug store type) actually irritate skin and suggested Aveeno facial cloths for cleaning 2 times a day.
DH had terrible acne as a teen and Proactiv has helped him a lot as an adult.
I know many who have used it and it has worked every time. The infomercials are true.
I did recognize the active ingredient as an antibiotic, but this is a gel preparation combined with vitamin A acid, for use to treat acne. The doctor does not have my complete confidence, but I did get a print out from the pharmacist that confirmed the prescription was appropriate. In any case, it does not seem to have made a bit of difference.
The eurythro cream is an antibiotic ointment mainly for infection. Vit. D helps and you can get that from a tanning session as well as oral vit. pills. I wonder if you can still buy sun lamp bulbs. As I kid I had to use one for 10-15 min. each day.....do NOT look at the light bulb as it is very damaging.
I will look for that. My son is just old enough that he has started to take his personal grooming seriously. I think he would use a cleanser, and that might help the gel work. If I can talk him into eating some spinach and more broccoli, so much the better!
No...I don't believe she ever followed for very long to see results.
She uses prescription meds but she says that doesn't work well either. Now she tans all the time at a tanning salon and she says that really works but I think that over-tanned look isn't appealing. I think over using tanning salons has a whole other bunch over concerns too. She isn't a person to take health very seriously though.
One more thing...I love Eucerin cleansing gel myself and think it is an excellent product. Maybe try that if you haven't. I think it is $14 for 200ml at Shoppers or London drugs and they often have it on sale in the flyers if you watch for it.
Mambo, I looked up Differin and it is composed differently than the other gels he has tried. The generic name of the current one is Erythromycin, by the way. Perhaps we will give Differin a try. F-lo, that list of foods is interesting. We certainly eat from both lists, but I wonder if I can persuade the kids to eat more of the acne reducing list - a plea to vanity to help get them to eat their greens. (That would probably go over much better than my current approach, which is to tell them to eat veggies for the sake of their colons.) Has your sister tried this approach to see if it affects her complexion?
Hi Dreamer! My older sister who is over 40 suffers from quite bad acne all her life. I saw a doctor on a talk show about a year ago and (since then I have learned that this Doc and his product line is very popular especially with celebs). Here is some of the info I copied but you can see his website too. hope this helps. The show was focusing on aldult acne I think but the info seems fairly reasonable for teens too. He said adult acne is all related to adult blood sugar levels..I think that is what he said but check his website address below. (NOTE:This sounded true for my family since there is a history of diabetes in my family and my sister who suffers the most with acne has a sweet tooth for sure. I also found it interesting since my mom never liked sweets at all and she never had any acne in her life but the rest of our family had varying degrees through teen and adult years and we all like sweets.)
Here is the copied text part..."Dr. Nicholas Perricone told us how certain foods can erase acne for good! Dr. Perricone has a three step approach to treating adult acne which includes diet, vitamins and topical solutions. Below you will find a guideline for treating your skin, from the inside out. For more information please visit nvperriconemd.com or refer to Dr. Perricone's book The Acne Prescription which is available in bookstores now.
STEP 1 — Acne Curing Foods
Fruits & Vegetables
Apples
Cantaloupe
Honeydew
Berries
Artichokes
Asparagus
Broccoli
Dark leafy lettuce
Nuts
Almonds
Pecans
Hazelnuts
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Proteins
Salmon
Regular yogurt
Turkey
Oysters
*************
*************
Acne Causing Fruits & Vegetables
Mango
Papaya
Banana
Peas
Carrots
Acne Causing Foods
Bagels
Pita
Rice cakes
Rice
Potatoes
**************
**************
STEP 2 — Nutritional Supplements that Help Treat Acne
B Complex
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Fish oil
Perricone vitamins
*****************
*****************
STEP 3 — TOPICALl Anti-inflammatories:
Cetaphil
Aveeno
Biore
Clean & Clear
Perricone products
It might have been Differin Gel.. I just saw the picture online and it looks very similar.. I remembered the tube had light blue on it..
I've never had really bad acne, just a few breakouts here and there. But my family doctor had given me this gel to put on my face twice a day, and I used it everytime I had a breakout. I used it at night, and the next morning it was really reduced, by that night usually gone. It helped to clear up redness too.
I'm trying my hardest to remember the name of this gel.. As soon as I figure it out I'll let you know.
My friends with worse acne used to come over to use it, and it really helped them too.