what is good for teen acne?

**oct2667us** · 11-20-2008, 06:52 AM

My dh 14 has bad acne and I cant spent 20.00 for proactive( wich works on her face.)

**Squirt** · 11-20-2008, 06:57 AM

I don't know if there is anything that has a significant effect which would be less than $20. Perhaps you can figure out a way to save or budget for it.

For me, nothing worked until I took Accutane. MUCH more expensive, and hard on the body. About 10 years later I figure out that my face breaks out as a reaction to eating things with peanut in them. 3 or 4 days of peanut butter (or whatever) and I have acne again.

**joyofsix** · 11-20-2008, 07:02 AM

I took 14yo ds to the pediatrician. She prescribed some things and because they were through the MD our insurance picked up. Is that an option?

**nvmommyx6** · 11-20-2008, 07:46 AM

My 13 and 14 year old sons have horrible acne, I got them witch hazel (you can get it next to the peroxide) and they clean with that daily, once a week they clean their faces with peroxide as well and they stopped eating so much foods that give them acne, fried foods, greasy foods, and candy, chocolate ect.....their acne is nearly gone now and we started this about 3 weeks ago now!
Good luck!
Mommy

**SandNOceanGirl** · 11-20-2008, 07:56 AM

I don't have any solutions for you oct2667us. But my DD has bad acne as well and we have tried the Proactive and the Skin ID which neither one of them seems to help. My biggest problem is everything really dries out my DD skin.

Question for nvmommy: Does the witch hazel dry out their skin?

**oct2667us** · 11-20-2008, 08:10 AM

My mom used which hazel long ago . I am going to have to try that ty...

**Momto2Boyz** · 11-20-2008, 08:17 AM

Witch hazel will completely dry out your skin.

Teenage acne is normally caused by unbalanced skin. Too oily (most of the time), well the problem with most teen cleansers (Oxy, clearacil) is that they dry out the face, which then causes dry skin which causes your skin to kick into overdrive and produce more oil.

You need to find something that works for them. It can be something as simple as a moisturizing soap and a non-oil based lotion.

I went to a dermatologist for my acne when I was about 15. This is the advice he gave me. So, since then I have used biore face wash (it's a bit expensive -but way cheaper than $20/mo., and the bottle lasts quite a while) and a non-oil based lotion. I had to experiment to find the right combo, but once I found the right combo, it worked and I haven't had acne since!

The other key (which is sometimes hard for a busy teen to remember) is that you need to take care of your skin morning and night! I find I still have trouble remembering to wash my face before bed...but it does help to get the oil off your face twice a day!

**pip** · 11-20-2008, 09:04 AM

I've always told my kids to wash their face a couple of times a day. They dab rubbing alcohol and clearasil on individual pimple/blackheads. I think it's a good idea to change their pillowcase a couple of times a week, too. My oldest ds we took to the dermatologist and he was on antibiotics for a while, not much change. They talked about putting him on accutane, but then it was summer and being in the sun seemed to clear things up. Maybe my kids have been lucky in that their acne hasn't been so severe.

**nvmommyx6** · 11-20-2008, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by SandNOceanGirl

Question for nvmommy: Does the witch hazel dry out their skin?

Nope, not at all, that is the beauty of it, it cleans and does not dry out the skin!!! At least it has not dried ours!! I found a moisturizer calle glycerine!! It is by the peroxide, alcohol and witch hazel too....we use a bit of that for our faces as well.....I have never had a problem with the witch hazel dryin out the skin at all.....Another thing, We wash our faces with pure lye soap, no chemicals no fragrances either.

**YarnTotingMama** · 11-20-2008, 10:02 AM

I had acne as a teen and ever since have had an awful complexion - oily and dry, enlarged pores, uneven skin tone and texture. I can't count how much money has gone towards various solutions, including prescriptions, that have, for various reasons, never completely satisfied. I was also put on a yeast and sugar free diet for a time which did help clear up the largest pimples but didn't solve my overall skin problem. It just kills me now to think about it because since I started using Clearly Natural Glycerin Soap (any castile soap [soap made with vegetable oils]) might do but this is all I've used so far) on my face my skin has been smooth, the color has evened out, my pores have shrunk and my skin is no longer oily or dry.

Everybody's skin is different though but it's something you could always try at least. The soap I use can be bought online for $1.44 per bar.

I hope you find a safe and healthy solution that works for your child.

**Contrary Housewife** · 11-20-2008, 11:31 AM

As someone who has been there and suffered through all that...

You need to find out what causes it first. If she is 14 it could be hormones and nothing will stop that but birth control, which is probably not a good idea at her age. Teenage stress can be a contributing factor which you have little control over.

Like Squirt said, peanuts can cause it, as can dairy. That's easy enough to test, just cut that out of her diet for two weeks and see if it clears up. "Greasy" food like chips and chocolate are often not the cause of acne. Teenagers get an oily face because their hormones are changing and their glands are overactive. Eating a balanced diet can help. It might also help to start her on a daily multivitamin to make sure she is getting what she needs nutritionally.

Keeping the face clean, with any product or just soap and water will help some by limiting the surface bacteria. She does not need to "scrub", that will just make her skin more inflamed.

I have found that "Clean & Clear" in small amounts is good on developing inflammation, but be careful as it will bleach out any fabric (towels, clothing) it gets on.

**zakity** · 11-20-2008, 12:29 PM

Good thread... My 12 year old is starting to break out. I have witch hazel, but he can't remember to use it. Blasted kid... If you don't use it, we can't see if it will work or not.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-20-2008, 12:44 PM

I had really bad acne as a teen. This is what I did:

Changed my pillow case every other night.

Drank lots of water (the skin hydrates and pushes the oil out of the pores).

Was very physically active (I ran track from 8th grade to my senior year).

Get lots of sun (it dries the oil out that's in the skin's pores).

Watched my diet (yes, greasy food will contribute to acne production no matter what they tell you).

Washed my face with a foaming cleanser that dried it out, then put on some oil-free moisturizer on it and used that very sparingly (I do this now). I use St Ives Swiss Formula's Foaming Cleanser (Apricot) and then Garnier Fresh 24hr Hydrating Day Cream on it afterwards. I was using Neutrogena but I found it was more expensive. The bottle of foaming cleanser lasts me about two months with daily use and the tube of day cream lasts three months or more.

Wash your face every day and keep the hair off of your face because it'll contribute to oil production also.

I still get breakouts when my hormones are changing, but they aren't as bad as they used to be.

**Squirt** · 11-20-2008, 01:00 PM

I also use Witch Hazel to clean my face 2x a day. It does not dry my skin, or make it extra-oily. I find that it does a great job getting any leftover makeup off after a shower, and it doesn't sting like alcohol.

**tbs727** · 11-20-2008, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by Momto2Boyz

I went to a dermatologist for my acne when I was about 15. This is the advice he gave me. So, since then I have used biore face wash (it's a bit expensive -but way cheaper than $20/mo., and the bottle lasts quite a while) and a non-oil based lotion. I had to experiment to find the right combo, but once I found the right combo, it worked and I haven't had acne since!

I do exactly the same thing and rarely have any problem. I would try using dove or Ivory soap and a good, oil free moisturizer. Read the ingredients, just because it says oil free, doesn't mean it is. Look for either Mineral Oil or Propylene Glycol in the ingredients, these are both cheap oil that coats the skin rather than moisturizes it. You'll want to find something that has Glycerin as the main moisturizer. Biore is one of those products and so is Eucerine, and (I think) Garnier fructice. Most of these products will be between $12 and $20, but they will last for months. (Can you tell I spent 20 minutes at Walgreens in the face care aisle yesterday? lol)