teen's acne what to use?

[lfw1la]

I have a 13 year old who has been having bad break-outs lately. He used the Neutrogena acne soap and the stridex pads daily and they worked fine, but they aren't helping a whole lot lately. Any suggestions of which products to use? Are prescription products much more helpful that OTC stuff? Has anyone tried pro-active? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

[waferthinmint]

My 16 year old has been having bad acne. We tried pro-active, but it only seemed to make it a tiny bit better. I finally took him to a dermatologist and that seems to be clearing it up. Hope you find a solution!

[livandjulsmom]

I have had problems on and off with breakouts myself. I started using Continuously Clear from HSN and it has worked well for me. I tried Pro-Active a few years ago and it didn't work for me. Good luck!

[jeanmarie]

My son's had very good luck with the prescription Differin. He tried other prescriptions (benzaclin was one), and found differin works best for us.

[venus_de_milo]

Neither one of those products are really good for acne prone skin, even though they promote themselves as such. The ingredients that keep bar soap in a bar form tend to clog pores, and Stridex has way too much alcohol in it, it tends to make skin redder and more irritated.

For washing, Cetaphil liquid soap is probably the best OTC choice. He can also use a benzoyl peroxide product in small amounts over all the area on his face that he tends to get pimples (don't just use it as a spot treatment, as pimples are generally a month in the making). If that doesn't help after a month or so, then a dermatologist could give him some stronger stuff. :gvibes:

[Maprinces3]

We are having a real problem with our 15 year old son

Did the Proactiv (did not help)
went to Dr and tried Traz gel and cream (worked great until company stopped making)
Brevoxyl 8 Creamy Wash (worked only slightly)
now using Evoclin 1% foam and it is working the best of all so far (so worth the 50.00 co-payment IMHO)
FYI the actual cost at CVS is 154.44 a month for a bottle

This is a kid that would wash his face 200 times a day if I would let him... You can actually see the oil pooling on his face!

[fromtheheart66]

Proactiv did wonders for my DD. You just have to get them to use it which can be hard for teens to get into a routine of using the products.

[OKgirl]

I used ProActive when I was a teen and I liked it.

[Lisa4Christ]

My daughter uses a prescription for her acne, but I can't remember the name of it right now. It works great. Her skin is now beautifully smooth.

[melanie188]

I just got a prescription for triterium cream (spelling) , eryderm and benzoil peroxide 5% wash. The doctor said it could take 6-8 weeks to see an improvemnt, and it might get worse before it gets better, but I already see an improvement. You have to be very consistent, use twice a day, except the cream is just at night.

[Red Sox Girl]

Tea Tree Oil works well for lots of people.

Just put a drop or so on a q-tip. It has quite an odor but only until it dries.

You can order it online or at most stores. My local Walmart used to carry it, but I they don't sell it now for some reason.

:gvibes:

[tweety]

I know what worked for me as a teenager didn't work for my son. I think he didn't stick with it. I bought the strongest toner from Clinique and used their system. (They don't even make that strength for women anymore.) It worked great.

My MIL, a nurse, swears by this: dab the pimple with hydrogen peroxide, let it dry, and dab with liquid maalox. I think plain calamine lotion might work, also. (I see it as an ingredient in Mario Badescu products.)

Drink lots of water and stop the chips!

[Kayte71]

Agreed! But add lemon to the water--lots of fresh lemon juice,and get as much of the pulp of the lemon as you can. MB also makes a toner and buffering lotion that works wonders. They are wonderful about sending samples. I like the line because it is so gentle- if you strip the skn too much, then your skin starts pumping out even more oil. Garlic is also a wonderful natural antibiotic so you might try some tablets or roasted cloves. :)


I know what worked for me as a teenager didn't work for my son. I think he didn't stick with it. I bought the strongest toner from Clinique and used their system. (They don't even make that strength for women anymore.) It worked great.

My MIL, a nurse, swears by this: dab the pimple with hydrogen peroxide, let it dry, and dab with liquid maalox. I think plain calamine lotion might work, also. (I see it as an ingredient in Mario Badescu products.)

Drink lots of water and stop the chips!

[Light474]

My son's had very good luck with the prescription Differin. He tried other prescriptions (benzaclin was one), and found differin works best for us.

Ah you guys are lucky. The differin didn't work that well for me but it works differently on different people.

lfw1la, I hope that you are able to find something to help your son out. My friend uses Proactive and it really works for her. You may want to check that out or bring your son to a dermatologist to have them prescribe something for him.

[Goatdoc20]

I had a prescription, accutane. It worked wonders, but you have to stay out of the sun and use lots of moisturizer. I would highly recommend it. I shouldn't have waited until I was in college. This med gives permenant results.

[venus_de_milo]

I had a prescription, accutane. It worked wonders, but you have to stay out of the sun and use lots of moisturizer. I would highly recommend it. I shouldn't have waited until I was in college. This med gives permenant results.

OP, not to negate the effectiveness of Accutane, because it is probably the only close-to-permanent solution, but it can have some wicked side effects, and it's something you really want to investigate closely before you try it.

[Goatdoc20]

As the OP said it was a son then the whole birth defects thing isn't an issue (if a girl is taking it they require monthly preg tests). It does cause really dry and sometimes painful skin, and you must use sun block or stay out of the sun all-together. I'm sure there are other side effects, but it really was the only thing that ever worked for me and I'm glad I did it.

[KylesArmyWife]

On a clean face, Dab honey on the pimples.

[daisy3600]

Pro-active worked well for my daughter, but her acne is mild. We are lucky. Her father had some terrible acne.
When I was a teenager I used a chalky solution that I put on my face in the evenings. It worked well. Make sure you realize the risks before using Accutane. The side effects can be severe.
Good luck to you and your kiddo. The teen yeas are so hard all the way around.

[venus_de_milo]

I'm sure there are other side effects, but it really was the only thing that ever worked for me and I'm glad I did it.

There's a tentative link between Accutane usage and depression and suicide. That's the main one I was thinking of. Certainly it doesn't happen to everyone, but it's something to be aware of, particularly if there is a family history of depression.

[momof3sons]

My oldest DS used Proactiv. It worked well for him. It was hard to get the shipments to stop when he didn't need it anymore.

His brothers use Proactiv 'copies' like KlearAction, Acne Free, etc. that are available at drugstores and Wally World. They're not as 'anal' (for lack of a better word) about 'wash every night and every morning without fail' as their big bro was....he was obsessed with clearing up his skin and keeping it that way.

[cubanita]

OTC St ives medicated apricot scrub is really good, especially for back acne. it has salycilic acid. just rub it into the problem area each day. it's good at drying out pimples. I also like the avon acne pads, similar to the stridex pads you use.

you might want to try benzoyl peroxide(ingredient in Proactive) start out w/ a low concentration cream like 2.5 % of 5%. you can buy it anywhere . I also like that OTC Queen Helene mint julep mask.

If acne doesn't respond to any of these i would go to the doc and try to get maybe a retinoid product or cream like Differin, Retin-A,etc. if really really bad and leaving marks and nothing else works then i would consider accutane.

however it sounds like his acne is mild since it has responded to the neutrogena and pads which have salicylic acid.

[Babygirl2]

My 14 yr old DD tried proactive it didnt help much. They put her on Differin it helped a little. We are now on Duac and it helps off and on. I think Im gonna have to take her to the Dermatologist and get something else.

[buntygal]

My oldest son used Proactiv a few years ago and it worked great for him. Our dermatologist put him on Retin A originally, but it didnt help as much as the Proactiv. He did only have mild acne though. He was real good about sticking with the program, I'm sure that helped too. My sister's daughter uses it now too and they love it.
It's good that you are trying to find solutions for his problem. It's hard enough just to be a teenager today. Their self confidence and egos are so tender. Good luck! :)

[fiend]

Proactiv is my drug of choice :smile11:
I've been a junky for two years and it's been a god sent. My husband and I both think it saved my face. I had acne so bad my face was red and covered with bumps all over. It wasn't a pretty site. Yes, I still get little out breaks here and there.. BUT nothing like before. The other day I pulled out pictures and I forgot how bad it really was.

I tryed the walmart brand..thinking it would save me money and it didn't work well. The products were very different in my opnion.

In order for proactiv to work though..you must use twice a day. A lot of people want results but don't want to follow directions or allow time for the product to work.

I know proactiv is not for everyone but it is perfect for me :)

This thread was posted a few months ago..so do you have an update?