Acne - Charleston,WV

I would start a good cleaning regime, wash several times a day with soap that does not have a lot of oil in it. The cleaner she keeps her skin, the better it should be. It sounds as if she has very oily skin, and white heads start by oil clogging large pores in the skin. Good luck.

Hi T.,
I have had acne my whole life. I also have extremely sensitive skin, so most over the counter products just make my skin worse with all the chemicals. I just recently found a recipe for a natural facial scrub that has really helped me, and given the age of your granddaughter, it might work well for her.

1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbl honey
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
a few drops of tea tree oil

Mix all this together. Sometimes you will need to add a little more olive oil - You want a thick paste consistency. Keep in a plastic container near the sink or in the bathtub. Do not worry about refrigerating- it will not go bad if left at room temp as long as it is used regularly.
Use as a face scrub once a day. Make sure to scrub gently as the sugar works as an exfoliator. The tea tree oil will smell a little strong, but it works. A lot of people think the olive oil will aggravate or cause acne, but the opposite is true. After about two weeks, I noticed a marked improvement in my skin. AND it tastes good if a little accidentally gets in your mouth!

I've tried similar scrubs with the EVOO/sugar, but found it left me with oily skin... the one thing that helps me (I have sensitive skin, too) is first, I use hot water on a washcloth to open pores (I re-wet it about 10 times, and rub gently) then I use a witch hazel on a dry washcloth on my entire face at least twice, and last, I put Extra Virgin Olive Oil on a dry washcloth (the washcloth is key to not having greasy skin afterwards) and do a "once-over" with just a dab of the oil (like 3 drops on the cloth, it doesn't take much) and my skin is clean, breathes so well, toned (I get a lot of red blotches if I don't use this method) and even my husband rubs my face and says it's so clear and soft... good luck to you and your daughter/granddaughter.

Hi, T.!

I do not think it will hurt her at all since I am a redhead with sensitive skin. Apple cider vinegar. I love the other poster's idea for a facial scrub and will be trying it myself.
I have suffered with painful cystic acne for years now and for many of those years, have had to take tetracycline everyday TWICE a day to keep it under control BUT about two years ago, discovered that apple cider vinegar applied to acne (even CYSTIC acne) with a cotton ball works MIRACLES.
It costs about $1 a bottle, lasts FOREVER and will not hurt sensitive skin.
However, until it dries, it will of course smell like what it is.....vinegar. But it sure beats using any kind of chemical doesn't it?
I also HIGHLY recommend Black soap. You can get that for about a dollar a bar at Fred's
So, how I would work it is, Black soap everyday, Vinegar if there is an eruption and the scrub every other day
Good luck!

Hi T.,

I agree with Briana that it is probably diet related. Not just what she eats but how it's processed will also cause these problems. Most things are NOT genetic but behavior and diet and environment are usually similar to what a parent has experienced so we think "genetic."

A good absorbable vitamin will help balance diet and also eating organically will remove the synthetic chemicals from her diet. I can recommend one if your interested. Processing, pesticides, preservatives are all synthetic chemicals and contraindicate just like medications do. This sounds like a side effect to me.

Removing the other synthetic chemicals from her life is also important and I can help you there too if your interested. There may be some hormone imbalance as suggested also but that will level out if chemicals are removed and diet improves.

Hope I helped!

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

I would recommend taking her to a dermatologist.

I can't imagine having skin issues at the tender age of 6! Poor little thing! I recommend keeping her face washed with gentle face soap each morning and night. Make sure to use a warm wet washcloth. You can also use the warmest water you can to dampen the washcloth inbetween washings to place on her nose to open up the pores. If this doesn't work itself out in a week or so, talk to a doctor. It may be an allergy or something. Good luck to you all!

My doughter 9 and son who is 8 both have the same kind of bumps. My 5 year old dosent. I have not asked th doc about it but I use to let them bath there self. Now I suppervise the more out side the door and before there showers. I remind them to start with there face and go down an they have to use soap or get back in. I do see less bumps and they use ivery and my 5 year old uses cvs brand of dove for his dry skin.

Hi T....
How is your granddaughter's diet? does she eat processed foods? a lot of breads, pastas, milk, cheese, white flour, sugary things? if she is, i would first try to limit these items in her diet-as this is probably contributing to the acne on her nose. you might also want to try giving her probiotics, which are 'good' bacteria that help replenish the intestinal flora that tends to get over-run by yeast 'not good bacteria', on this kind of diet.

if it's not her diet-then what about the detergents that are used in the home? or if there are any air allergies in the home?

but the first thing i would suggest playing with is the diet...

good luck, if you have any questions-don't hesitate!

--
B. Sabaj, LAc, Dipl. OM LMBT (#8444)

Are you getting your necessary "ME" time?!
Come to Healing Point Acupuncture, where your "ME" time is 100% of the time.
www.HealingPointNC.com

H T.
6 is way too young to be having acne problems. The first thing that came to my mid is hormone imbalance. I saw anothe Mom mentioned getting her pituitary checked. Sounds like a good idea.

It very easily could be foods, toxins in the home, etc. so it may be wise to rupe thse out immediately by making some smart changes. However if you have made these changes and things dont improve quickly I would be getting her seen by an endocrinologist.

Also if youve mad the changes for her skin and toxins before you so the endocrinologist it will rule out the liklihood of them blowing you off and sending you home with the typical "she's fine" go change your laundry soap line.

The reason my thinking went to hormonal is that you mentioned that your daughter had acne at 11 yrs old. Hormone disruption is typically in families.

Good luck!
T.

T., I sell skin care products through my business with Arbonne International. We have a great acne line but I wouldn't want someone as young as 6 using the line...however, we do have a daily wash avail which is a great way to get her started with a good habit of washing daily! As a nurse, I would use caution with drying remedies as this usually causes the problem to increase....dry skin, the body reacts by increasing the sebum(sp) production which in turn causes more acne problems! Until the "normal" hydration balance is achieved, the problems will persist. Our products are all natural and botanical based so no worry about skin damaging chemicals. If you would like to try something from our line, I would be more than happy to give you my wholesale discount, and we have a 45 day money back guarantee, so really not a loss! If it doesn't work after 30 days, just send it back for a full refund! Our acne line has a supplement also, that works from the inside out, but I'm not sure she would be able or ready to swallow it! My 12 yr old takes it occasionally and it helps to keep her body acne under control. I use it as well for my "monthly" breakouts! Best of luck and let me know if you want to try something. www.arbonne.com ____@____.com Take care!

my stepdaughter is 9 and she had this problem around the top of her forhead and even some on the backs of her arms. as it turns out it was from her skin being to dry. all the extra carful washing to get rid of it only made it worse. have her try putting a fragrance and dye free lotion on her face each night before bed, and make sure she drinks more water than anything else

In addition to the wonderful advice on foods she eats, dermatology, etc, please be sure to get her evaluated by an endocrinologist specializing in PITUITARY function. And don't take "she's fine. She doesn't need tests" for an answer, which is what we got for years from SEVERAL different big university hospital endocrinologists.... took 15 years and going out of town to find our daughter's endocrine problems.

Hi T.,
I had bad acne as a young teen and I understand your daughters concern. My 10 year old is having some break out. I think it is due to the hormones put in our food and many other environmental issues. I have found a very safe skin care system that my 10 year old and my older kids are using and it is working great. I even use the creme on my face at night to help keep my skin cleared out and helps reduce the size of my pours. I would love to share more info with you about this. i don't think it would hurt the 6 year old. It is not drying at all. Maybe don't use it everyday on such young skin. It is very affordable also. Let me know if you have any interest. Blessings T.