I know this is a common problem, but my 13 year old beautiful daughter had acne bad, She has it on her face, chest, shoulders and back. She is a clean person and washed daily and has been using Pro Active for the past year now with no real signs of it getting better. I don't really want to put her on harsh chemicals. Does anyone know of something natural that has worked or could this be an allergy? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
I would go to a dermatologist. There are many remedies besides the harsh ones and you will help prevent her from having serious scars on her face.
I had adult cystic acne (the kind that causes huge painful bumps, not just zits) and my doctor put me on tetracycline for 6 months orally and prescribed a Tretinoin cream topically. It cleared up my skin beautifully. Go see a professional.
If her acne is really bad then take her to a dermatologist. Discuss your fears with the doc about meds and what you consider harsh chemical. Sometime medication is the only known way to take care of it. You certainly do not want her to have scars that will last a life time.
I WISH my mom had taken me to a dermatologist. Water, sleep, a moisturizer with sunscreen, but do get some advise.
My daughter had horrible acne and had also used Pro Active. She finally quit and began to drink water, cut all processed sugar from her diet, and got plenty of sleep. Her's cleared right up.
Go to the dermatologist. They can try many different things, not all of them harsh. Sometimes none of it works. After two years of trying MANY things, I finally put my daughter on the pill. The dermatologist,her pediatrician and the nurse practitioner ALL recommended it. She's been on the pill for almost a year and her skin is gorgeous.
As an adult I finally realized that if I wasn't on the pill or taking antibiotics-my skin breaks out. And I'm 55! I'm still on low dose antibiotics daily. Not entirely hormonal since I haven't had a period in almost 5 years. I'm a healthy eater,avoid sugar, no soft drinks, drink tons of water-skin still breaks out. Sucks.
Get your daughter some help.
H., again, I recommend Arbonne's Clear Advantage. My 15 yr old has used it this year with the supplement and has cleared up tremendously! The supplement is the key, as well as washing daily....but really made the difference. She takes after her dad and has acne on her back and chest, no more now! I even take one a day to keep my "monthly" breakouts clear. Arbonne's products are all natural. Email if you want more info, ____@____.com
Good luck!
I would see a naturopathic doctor to see if he/she can determine the cause of the acne. It may be that the body is revolting against all the stuff she has been using, foods she is eating, etc. Her body may be full of stuff that hasn't been "washed out" properly with drinking enough water. I would not recommend any prescribed or over-the-counter drugs. A good (internal) body cleanse is a start.
Ask around for a good naturopathic or homeopathic doctor in your area. Beware - there are some weird ones out there.
Pro Active doesn't work for my acne, it never has, it makes my skin feel nice but I still get lots of acne. I use the Acne-free system, the severe orange bottles. You can get it at Meijer, Walmart or CVS etc. As far as allergies go, I am gluten-intolerant and anytime I eat gluten or wheat, my face, back, chest etc breaks out horribly bad the next day or a few days later. It takes at least 2 weeks or more to clear back up. I also like to use the St. Ives apricot face scrub in the shower in the mornings.
I don't know if dermatologists are covered by insurance, but your pediatrician is. S/he can prescribe some antibiotics + a topical like Benzaclin or similar to see if that helps. ProNexin is more natural than ProActiv and has gotten better reviews and customer satisfaction on the blogs I've seen.
Also what helped me was not washing my face with a washcloth - just apply a gentle cleaner and rub in with my hands, rinse and pat dry. I think that scrubbing motion can irritate already sensitive skin.
I agree with some of the other moms - I wish I had help when I was a teen!
Along with drinking lots of water, try Dr, Murad acne skin complex. or its called something like that. but its a whole system and really works. When I was pregnant with my oldest son (4yrs ago) i had horrrible acne on my forehead and back. I tried everything (including ProActive) and nothing worked. I finally tried Dr. Murad and its amazing. I still use it today (some of the Acne line and others of the other lines) Its worth a shot before you go to a dermatologist. (I didn't have much luck with one)
It could be she is washing too much and her body is producing extra oils in defense or she needs to be on antibiotics to help
I don't know of anything natural, but I can tell you that I have used something simple that has helped me tremendously. It is simply benzoyl peroxide - the same stuff that is in Clearasil, but it is formulated as a gel and you apply it very generously. You can find it on acne.org. I stumbled across it when looking for alternatives after the dermatologist recommended acutane for me. I have been using it for about 2 years now and my skin looks better than it has for ten years despite all the other drugs and topical prescriptions I was trying! When I follow the instructions my skin stays very clear. The only down side is that you have to be careful about clothes and sheets b/c it will bleach. You can find benzoyl peroxide washes for her back , chest, and shoulders too.
Good luck!
A similar post also suggested getting a new pillow and enough pillowcases for a fresh one each day to stop the spread of oil. Also a culprit may be the shampoo and conditioner she is using as well as her hair being on her face/body. I wish her luck.
My mother had perfect skin growing up in Lubbock, but all heck broke out when she moved to Houston when she married my dad...humidity plays havoc on skin aftter being exposed to a dry climate.
There are a lot of things the dermatologist can do that aren't too harsh. Also, the Dermalogica Medi-Bac line in amazing!!! Having acne facials can help tremendously as well. Good luck : )
Dermotologist will spend years and tons of your money. I gave up on that and took my daughter to the ob/gyn and got her on low dose birth control Ortho tri cyclen and it cleared up her face instantly, because it is hormonal. Both my daughters did this and were clear. Nothing topical will cure it because it is an internal problem.
I had horrible acne in my teens & 20s. Only one in my family to have this bad of an issue. Was on Tetracycline & RetinA during high school. Used Pro Active in my 20s & it helped a little bit. Found out in my 30s randomly that I am horribly allergic to DAIRY (cows milk). Cut that out & all of the sudden everyone noticed my skin totally cleared up as well. It's amazing - if I have a shake every now & then.........my family knows it b/c my skin breaks out for a few days. See about having her tested for food allergies.........b/c if Pro Active isn't working.........there's something else going on.
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