Teenage Acne ~ HELP

He sounds like he needs a dermatologist. My sister had really bad acne and the only thing that would clear it up was Accutane. She felt so much better about herself after...

Proactive!! You cannot get this over the counter it has to be ordered online or over the phone! www.proactive.com
I love it and wish I had started using it sooner!

Go on acne.org. The "Regimen" is so simple, but it worked great for me (I have adult acne, hormone related, and it was so bad the Dr. wanted me on acutane (sp?) - I said no way. ANyway - my skin is more clear now than it has been in probably 8 years. Good luck! But watch out - benzoyl peroxide will bleach like crazy - careful to let it dry before dressing, going to bed, etc.

Hi W.!
We're at the tail end of no more acne with my 16 y/o son. He started getting acne at 14. My husband had it as a teen and has the scars to prove it. It can be hereditary. I BEG you to get him to a dermotologist!! I'm an RN and I thought we could "fix it" ourselves too doing lots of "research" on the Internet. We did lemon juice, various face cleaners (keep doing the salicylic acid face wash...that is a must) and "zit creams". But he must get on an antibiotic. There are new ones out there that he only has to take once a day unlike the tetracyline (4 times a day) of years past. You will see a difference within a few days. We took pictures every week to chart the progress. My son picked too, although he'd deny it...he did, so he has a few very mild scars. Now he just used Retin A cream at night to improve his skin. Don't wait like we did. My son's confidence grew immensely after the acne was gone. He's not afraid of the camera any more either!!!
L. S

Proactiv has worked wonders for my brother and for me. It is the only that has worked for me and I've tried many, many things for the 18 years I've had it. You can get it online at www.proactiv.com. They also have kiosks at the mall, but those tend to be more expensive. The only thing is that it's benzoyl peroxide which tends to bleach clothing (a lower dose than what you find at the drugstore which is why it works better than other bp products). So, I keep a supply of white washcloths to wash my face with and wash my hands with soap and water after applying. Yes, that part is annoying, but I'll take that over acne any day of the week!

Poor thing, acne is so frustrating.
He really needs to break the habit of touching his face and of picking at it.

There is a great company out of New York. They are actually a pharmacy and have been in business over 100 years. It is called Kiehl's. The packaging is very and labels are very plain to help keep the price down. It can be purchased online or through a few local stores.

He will need a cleanser, and astringent, and some local ointment to begin with. I would also suggest a small bottle of the "Rare earth face masque". These products do not bubble up so he is going to be surprised that it is not like soap. He will also use very little of it at a time.

When he uses the astringent, the ointment and the mask, remind him to only use these products on the break outs. I use the mask and apply it with a Qtip when I even think I feel a blemish coming on. I even sleep in it so in the morning, sometimes the blemish is gone..

Here are the local stores that carry the products.
Blue Elephant in the Central Market center on North Lamar ###-###-####

Saks Fifth Avenus @ Great Hills ###-###-####

Nordstroms @Barton Creek Mall ###-###-####

You can also order it online and see the suggested retail prices..
http://www.kiehls.com/_us/_en/face/concern.aspx?tcode=Acn...

You can request samples..

W.,
The worse thing he can do is apply his (oily) hands to his face. That's half the issue. The other half can hopefully be remedied by using Mary Kay's Acne Treatment Gel. You can buy a tube of it for less than $10 and it last a good long time and works great for my blemishes. He just needs to dab a small amount on each one and they'll dry up in approx. 24 hours.
HTH,
Jen