My 12 year old son is going through puberty and has just started to break out in acne. It's not terrible yet but I know he's Embarrassed about it. I had terrible acne as a kid and so if genetics play a role, then I'm assuming this may get much worse for him. He is currently washing twice a day with a gentle cleanser called cetaphil. This is starting to dry his skin a bit so I'm planning to buy the cetaphil daily moisturizer for him. I was wondering if there's a different product I should use? Would taking him to a dermatologist be of any benefit even though his acne is not terrible yet? Any advice or tips would be great- thank you in advance!
Why would you not take him to a dermatologist to get professional help with this issue that can be devastating to his self confidence?
Proper skin care routines are very important and even more so with someone who has an issue.
I think i read somewhere (not helpful, I know) that acne really is all about skin types, genetics, etc, and not at all about how often you wash your face or eating chocolate or any of the other things we were told growing up.
My point is just that I think asking your doctor and possibly taking him to a dermatologist is the best idea. There are just so many different skin types, and you want your son to be using the best products for his skin.
Definitely take him to a dermatologist. There is absolutely no reason to suffer with acne. Also, acne can go from "not too bad" to disfiguring practically over night. Also, I know when I took my daughter, we had to wait 12 weeks to get an appointment since she was a new patient so in the mean time I took her to her pediatrician who prescribed something. When I finally got into the dermatologist she told me to throw the prescription out, my daughter did not have the kind of acne that that particular drug was intended to treat which I knew since my daughter's skin continued to get worse. BTW...both my daughter's have beautiful, flawless skin thanks to their dermatologist)
since every ones skin is different and every product is different i would consult a derm and have them evaluate and help you choose the best route for combatting the acne.
My son had HORRIBLE acne. His skin is beautiful now. During much research I stumbled upon acne.org. They sell products there we bought. Only the cleanser and the high concentration hydrogen peroxide. It took a few months to clear it up and a few more to get rid of the horrible red marks but it works. Best of luck!!
Absolutely, taking him to a dermatologist would be of benefit. I did that with both of my boys.
Also in that practice was a licensed esthetician. She did microderm abrasion, which I believe was the key to my kids not ending up with really bad acne. It removes the dead skin and "sticky stuff" that holds in dirt and bacteria. (I never knew about the sticky stuff you can't see until I started taking my kids to the dermatologist.) The medicine and skin care products the dermatologist provides can work a lot better after the microderm abrasion. Also, when they had big blackheads, she used a currette after the microderm abrasion to open the blackheads up and expertly removed them. NO SCARS. One of my sons had big ones right there at the upper lip line. Hated them!!!
She also did microderm abrasion on their backs. That helped my younger son a lot. He doesn't have acne scars on his back, I believe, because of that.
My kids are no longer teens, and they don't have acne problems anymore. I know they wish they could still go visit her, but they don't live in the area anymore.
I highly recommend the microderm abrasion. Make sure she is licensed. One of the newer machines is best, by the way.
My son has eczema and oily skin. So it's a challenge. There are different variations of Cetaphil - we use one that does not dry out his skin, I think it's the purple pump bottle. They key for him is to use minimal squirt and to rinse his face super well. We use a spot treatment for problem areas such as his nose or if he has a pimple. It's just a clear gel and he uses it very sparingly.
Best to take him in and have them evaluate his skin and needs, and they will give you trials to try, so that you aren't buying a ton of products.
I know your son's struggle and I am sorry. Yes of course make an appointment with a dermatologist but in the mean time there are things you can try that hopefully will work. I didn't have acne as a teen but as an adult. It is embarrassing at any age. After going to the doctor and them prescribing antibiotics which worked the first time but with numerous yeast infection it came back with a vengeance. I then decided that I would have to try different things. I cut out any dairy and meat products to cut down on added hormones. I also used sulfur soap (extremely drying) but it helped. I also use/used aloe vera, 100% and glob it on to the zits, I found it worked for me for some reason. I would put it on at night and it would be a little smaller in the morning. I know have it under control so I have stopped the sulfur soap and now use dudu soap. It is works good for me and is full of natural ingredients. I hope some of what I tried is helpful for your son.
Cetaphil has sodium lauryl sulfate, which can be drying for some people. Try Vanicream bar or La Roche Posay's Toleriane cleanser. Both are sold at Target. Avoid all products that contain ingredients that sound similar to sodium lauryl sulfate. Finding the right products will be a trial and error process.
Avoid products intended for acne -- these products can be too drying for the skin, which will cause the skin to produce more oil, which will then cause acne -- they cause a cycle.
Back when I used to get a lot of pimples, I used Zirh Fix, a blemish control gel for spot treatment -- it worked within a day or two without drying out the skin too much.
