Teen Body Acne...

Have you tried Zap-It by Melaleuca? It is about $16.96 for all 4 products in the set. I would be happy to get you some to try.
S.

Phisoderm sells a body wash that works great for staff (bacterial) infections. If it doesn't clear up with good hygiene and an antibacterial soap then I would see a Dr. He needs to be confident and still do what he loves.

The big trigger was the self esteem comment, I would get him to a dr. I work at a school on a jr high level and there are so many kids whose parents are obviously not doing their part on the hygiene aspect, so if he is asking for the help I would go for it.

In the meantime, make sure he changes to a clean shirt after practice, shower after practice and make sure he does a good facial lotion after. When his whole back is red (not just the pimples) he is washing too hard, and just causing more swelling.

Dear H.,

I have heard some studies show that milk products make acne worse. Skim milk-the worst offender of all. You could try elimination of dairy products ...or at least cut down, to see if it helps.
I would distrust using too many over-the-counter products for a long time. (Stridex) They are so harsh and can cause some other problems in the long run. My dermatologist (I had as a teen) advocated tepid water and neutrogena soap...no harsh stuff.
Good luck!

Tea Tree oil works great. You can get it in lotion form with a Vitamin E combo, go to Sprouts and ask someone that works there. My son had acne on his back and shoulder from his backpack and it cleared it right up. Doesn't smell great, but do it before bed and it doesn't matter!

I'm sure there are alot of natural remedies out on the market or make at home. It probably would be worth researching it. But off hand, try a good body wash with salycilic acid in it. It's usually a low dose, but it can help control the breakouts. Another thought is wearing special shirts that wick the sweat away from the body. You can find those at places like Sports Authority.
I also think that eating alot of fresh greens and essential fatty acids (like salmon, tuna, walnuts, avacados) can help from the inside out. Trying to stay away from fried bad fat foods will help too. He is a growing boy with changing hormones PLUS being highly active and sweating alot, eating the right foods can help calm the breakouts....plus it's just healthier anyway;)

Good luck.

sounds like staph infection - he needs to wash thoroughly with anti-bacterial soap (Dial) daily or more often - if it is still a problem you may need a topical antibiotic cream

Whatever you do STOP putting toothpaste on his acne, it will only make the problem worse. I think it's the floride but all I know is I heard form the Doc's mouth! (NO TOOTHPASTE) I would try an antibacterial body wash or one made for body acne.

Hi H., Toothpaste works wonders in our house too. But, a few months ago my daughter started to breakout like crazy and I took her to the Dr. Our Dr. prescribed Clindamycin Phosphate Gel and it is amazing. The Dr. informed us we could use it as needed for breakouts and it has worked wonders. My children both have larger pores and it shows when they break out. Please invest the money and take him to the Dr. My mother now in her seventies has horrible acne scars from popping and doing the wrong thing for her skin. Please feel free to contact me.

Hey H.,

Arbonne makes a FANTASTIC Acne line called: Clear Advantage Clarifying Set, it includes: Clear Advantage Clarifying Wash, Clarifying Toner, Clarifying Lotion and Skin Support Dietary Supplement AND Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment Acne Medication. The Clarifying set works from the outside in AND from the inside out. I am going to paste some websites so you can look at the ingredients and uses for each product.
The Spot treatment:
http://www.arbonnemarketing.com/PK/dl/pk/4589_us_eng.pdf
The Clarifying Wash Acne Medication:
http://www.arbonnemarketing.com/PK/dl/pk/420_us_eng.pdf
The Clarifying Toner Acne Medication:
http://www.arbonnemarketing.com/PK/dl/pk/421_us_eng.pdf
The Clarifying Lotion Acne Medication:
http://www.arbonnemarketing.com/PK/dl/pk/422_us_eng.pdf

The set is moderately priced and is available at a discount, there has been clinical research done and 2 out of 3 people have seen results within 3 days.
I personally do not have acne but it worked for my brother, and my bother and sister (in laws) and for a few of my friends.
My brother saw results within the first 24 hrs, his face was so red and full of acne, when Arbonne reformulated the old stuff and came out with this, I had him try it and it didn't burn at all and the redness went away almost immediately and ALL his acne disappeared within 2 weeks!!
One of my friend's daughter had acne so bad they had to take her to SEVERAL dermatologists without any results, my friend purchased this set for her daughter and her daughter used the system but did not take the supplements and was still using makeup with animal ingredients, she had some results, someone made a comment to her and she started taking the supplements and stopped using makeup with harmful ingredients and viola it worked like magic!

I wish your son the best of luck!

I had acne as a teen and young adult and I am also a licensed aesthetician. I highly recommend getting your son ProActive...it worked wonders for my skin when I was younger. I would recommend bringing him to a dermatologist or aesthetician to educate your son on his skin. I always recommend using Cetaphil for washing and I would NEVER use toothpaste...it can actually burn/scar your skin and make the problem worse (although my husband has been doing it for years even though I yell at him for it). I love my Murad acne spot treatment (instead of toothpaste), it's a small tube that is about $15, but it lasts forever. Neutragena is also a good over-the-counter brand. My biggest advice is LESS IS MORE...I only wash my face at night and use a night lotion..then I use a tinted moisterizer/spf/lotion combo in the morning...spot treatment as needed...exfoliate once a week in the shower and clay mask every once in a while. Before I was educated in skin, I used to wash my face way too much and use so many products that my skin would just freak out. Good luck...as with anything...education is the best way to help your son!

this might require a financial investment, but you could try buying some Body Armour work out clothes for him to see if that helps. If he is just wearing tee-shirts to work out or under his uniforms maybe that is trapping the sweat. My husband loves the 2 Body Armour shirts he has for running outside.

Hi H.,
Since the stridex is working for him on his face you may want to look for the bigger pads that are sold. They are by stridex as well and made to be used on the chest and back. Good luck!
E.

Hi H.,
I too have 3 boys (17, 15, 14) and a girl (12), and we have lots had lots of acne problems as you can imagine! I have two athletes, both struggle with acne of one sort or the other but what we've found works, besides cleanliness is B-12 supplements are excellent for all kinds of skin conditions: rashes/acne/shingles/eczema etc. A sublingual b-12 supplement can be bought at any health food store and if taken faithfully really helps. To heal up spot acne use an over the counter antibiotic ointment. Also, tea tree oil is excellent for drying the surface of the pores. The only problem with this is it can over dry the skin so we mix it 50/50 with almond oil. Best wishes,
K.

Make sure he showers after he gets home from practice. Maybe check out the website www.webmd.com for suggestions. Otherwise you may want to consider a dermatologist.

If he is being cleaned, after every sweat session, then it is not for his lack of hygiene, and you may want to research a Low Glycemic diet.

I have struggled with acne now - in my 25th year, due to being diagnosed with Celiac's (wheat allergy), which means I was eating rice, corn, potato products... and those are Very high Glycemic, making my skin irritated and break out Everywhere. I've been on the Low Glycemic diet for 3 weeks now, and not only has my skin Improved - drastically, but I've lost 12 pounds, without trying to.

Google "Low Glycemic + Skin" and read what other family's with teen boys have said about it. There are also food charts on some websites, that give you the complete Glycemic properties of foods. Best of all, it's FREE, he just has to watch what he eats. Good Luck!!

Hi H.,
I was just reading about how true medical grade essential oils are great for a number of things, including acne. (The article was on MSNBC) It's tea tree that used for acne.
Also when I was in massage therapy school, there was a woman who said that when her teenagers broke out badly, she would take them to get colon hydotherapy and it would clear them up immediately as the colon health, shows in the skin.
Just a few thoughts that you can research more and see if they might work for you and your son.
Be well.

My first suggestion is to get him work out/atheletic attire that wicks away the sweat and allows the skin to breath.

My second comes from Dr. Oz (www.doctoroz.com). He says to use a loofa to help get rid of the overgrown skin that is trapping in the bacteria and clogging the poors.

My third, there are soaps to help with body acne, such as neutrogena's Body Clear Body Wash, and Body Clear Body Scrub. (http://www.neutrogena.com/econsumer/ntg/search.search?sea...)

Good luck.

H.:

I can sympathize with your son! You might want to look into getting a unique product from BioPro Technology located in Carlsbad, CA. Their iWater has worked miracles for similar problems in our family. I even use it to treat my little Scotch Terrier's skin rash - beats all the expensive prescriptions I've gotten from my vet.

Jackie S.

Look carefully at the products being used. What you put on your skin can either help it or cause problems, depending on what it contains, so it's important to look at the ingredients in ALL the products he's using on his face, body and hair.

Research is showing a buildup of chemicals on the skin can cause acne, dryness (which leads to prematurely aging skin and makes acne worse) and skin cancer. Skin with rosacea is even more sensitive to these toxins.

With so many manufacturers using chemicals in their products, almost any product - cleansers, moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, hair gels, sunscreens, etc. - can be causing breakouts on his face and body, or drying out his skin.

The ones advertised to clear acne can contain the most chemicals. Look up the ingredients in the products you use and see what they do. I think you'll be shocked.

For example, here are the ingredients in a Clearasil product (which contains ingredients similar to most other acne products) and what they can do to skin http://www.best-mens-skin-care.com/ingredients-in-a-clear...

To find chemical-free products, read labels and research ingredients - or start with certified organic products which don't contain harmful chemicals.

M.
http://www.best-mens-skin-care.com