10 Year Old with Acne

[MomLC]

Well I am hoping someone here might have some suggestions for one frustrated mom. My 10 year old daughter has had acne since she was 9 and it NEVER seems to go away. We have been to 2 different dermatologist and the meds they provide do nothing. We wash her face at least 3 times a day with special acne fighting soap and put the prescribed meds on daily but nothing seems to help. Is there anyone out there who can suggest anything to help her. Can you please share your success stories with either over the counter meds or prescribed meds that seem to help you. I just feel so bad for her but she just takes it in stride. Thank you

[amomma23]

I have no medical training, but have also had skin issuses since I was her age and I can share what I have learned. Washing her face more often than before bed and before school is probably causing irritation and making things worse. The same goes for applying medications. Once/day may be enough. Make sure she doesn't touch her face without clean hands. Even if she's not picking, just resting your chin on your palm can cause breakouts. Be very careful about choosing sunscreen or any other products for her face. Many hair care products can also clog pores and cause breakouts. If she uses hairspray or anything make sure she covers her face with a towel first. I have to rinse shampoo and conditioners out first, then wash my face to make sure all of the product is off of my skin. I also wear my hair back off of my face at night and wash my pillow case often. Getting enough sleep helps, too.
As far as products, I have had good luck with Neutrogena skinID and Proactive. It's tough to deal with and everyone is different. Hopefully you'll find some things that help, soon.

[Mrs. Ciz]

If topical prescriptions are not working, she may need an oral antibiotic. If you have tried one oral antibiotic and it is not working, try a different oral antibiotic. Some work better than others and you have to find which will work best for her. Sometimes kids need to use both oral and topical antibiotics to get it under control. You may also ask the derm to swab and culture her skin to see if a particular bacteria is causing the biggest problem. Keep trying Mom, you'll get her cleared up.

[Christine]

My son is older but we've been struggling for about 2 years.

He finally got luck with the dermatologist but we had to go to her many, many times until we found the right combination for him.

The first oral antibiotic he used was Solydyne which is one of the "cycline" medications. It didn't really work. He also tried a few different things which helped mildly. He has sebbhoreic dermatitis at the same time which adds the "scaliness" factor to his acne. This is a separate condition that requires a separate treatment so the treatment for that seemed to help a bit.

The second antibiotic he was put on was Bactrim. This seemed to work some miracles quickly but within 5 days, he had a allergic reaction. So I just kept him off of it and used the newer cream she provided which was Acanya Gel. This is a combination Benzyol Peroxide mixed with an antibiotic (clindamycin). He made some progress with that.

On our next visit, she prescribed some generic time released doxycycline that is only $10 along with continuing the Acanya gel. His face has never looked better and the small scars he had are finally resolving. I am so pleased. The other thing he did was get rid of his shaggy haircut (think Justin Beiber a few years ago). Having the hair off his face has made a huge difference.

I would encourage you to keep working with the dermatologist. We had to go every 6 weeks for about 6 months to find the right combination.

[melmar136]

DD gets it on her shoulders, back, chest. She uses Neutrogena in the shower then was prescribed Clindagel. When she uses both, they really work well for her. Good luck!

[MomLC]

Thank you everyone for your quick responses. We were at the mall today and decided to give Clinique 3 Step Acne treatment a try. If all else fails we will go back to the doctor.

[ilovediznee]

I am 44, yes 44, and still have very oily skin. Several years ago I used Proactive and it worked well. So did the system that Avon sell. Whenever I went to the dermatologist, all it did was cost me tons of money because of the all the creams. I have great PCP and she put me on an oral antibiotic and then I used Proactive at the same exact time. The antibiotic healed it from the inside out and the proactive from the outside in all at the same time. Once I was done with the antibiotic, the Proactive kept working.

Good luck!

[mrsklamc]

This is a long shot, but if there is a family history of diabetes or your DD eats lots of sugar, check into PCOS. I only mention it because I wish someone had told me about it when I was a teen. (I know 10 isn't a teen but it seems my friends' kids are experiencing puberty younger and younger.)

[sunshineNJ]

There are a couple products that helped my son ALOT. One is Dermatolgics acne cleanser and Philosophy Purity cleanser and Microdelivery scrub. These are amazing products. Good Luck!

[rosie2283]

I know this isn't the easiest for a 10 year old but can I suggest trying a gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, legume-free (including peanuts) diet for about a month. After the month, slowly add back in the above and see how her body reacts. These can be inflammatories in the body and she may have an intolerance that is showing by her breakouts. I have had acne issues for many years (I'm in my 30s) and due to some health issues decided to try this. On top of everything else that cleared up, my skin was beautiful. It sounds overwhelming but I spent a good week planning and finding recipes and it just fell into place. Another option is to take one of the inflammatories out at a time so it's not such a huge change. You do generally have to do it for s good 4 weeks to make sure everything is out of your body and it has had a chance to heal.

[MomLC]

Well I just wanted to thank everyone who gave me suggestions for my daughter. We finally decided to try Clinque Acne 3 Step process and it worked! It was a MIRACLE My daughter's skin has cleared up tremendously and I would recommend this to anyone. At first I was skeptical but after seeing 2 dermatologists and using prescription medication I figured it could not hurt. I am so happy with the results and it took less than 2 weeks to see a difference. Here's hoping for success with anyone who decides on this product..

[Christine]

Good news. I wish we could have found an OTC that works--we most of them, including the Clinique line. I have found that acne is very "personalized" and finding what works for any one person is very difficult.

[teacups]

Originally Posted by MomLC

Well I just wanted to thank everyone who gave me suggestions for my daughter. We finally decided to try Clinque Acne 3 Step process and it worked! It was a MIRACLE My daughter's skin has cleared up tremendously and I would recommend this to anyone. At first I was skeptical but after seeing 2 dermatologists and using prescription medication I figured it could not hurt. I am so happy with the results and it took less than 2 weeks to see a difference. Here's hoping for success with anyone who decides on this product..

Just hought Id see if you are still watching this thread and ask how's the Clinique working now?