Spotty Skin in Teenagers. Help Please.

[Mrs.Clooney]

My 12yr old daughter will be 13 in January but is already suffering the ravages of a very spotty skin. This has, of course, all reared it's ugly head with the onset of puberty but I am concerned that she will suffer from permanent scarring on her face.

Her dad had a very bad skin as a teenager which has left him with scars. My skin wasn't a problem but I have a sister and a brother who suffered somewhat, so it's in the genes I'm afraid.

She has some very big and noticeable blackheads and frequently breaks out in big white and inflamed spots. She is so concsious of this and it really bothers her. She has a good skin care routine and she cleanses and moisturizes twice daily but to no avail. She drinks loads of water and has a very balanced diet.

She has used various facial cleansers and zit zappers from the supermarkets and is currently using Virgin Vie cleansers and creams, but nothing really helps. I have told her that she must remember that her hormones are raging, but I do worry that she will be left with scars and she is so upset.

Should I settle for a dermatology referral or can any of the beauty geeks make a reliable product recommendation please? I am a Virgin Vie consultant but not a qualified beauty therapist so am now feeling a little out of my depth.

 

[bombini]

I would take her to the doctors. They will probably try her with a few different types of medication before referring her to a dermatoligist, this is what happened in my case.

I developed bad skin at 13 and doctors didn't refer me to a derm until i was 18 :grr: I tried loads of products on the market both cheap & expensive but if it worked then it was only short term ( 6 months tops).

My skins ok now but only becuase i was prescribed roaccutene

Some products that did help were; Matis Purifying Serum, Ketsugo gel & Elizabeth arden face wash. Can't remember anymore.

 

[helen holt]

Hi Juliette

Have a look at Environ skincare. It was created by a dermatologist/ plastic surgeon, to get skin in a premium condition prior to operations. The sebu range is fab for acne. It works and is natural. Contact 0208 450 7111 (landmark Distributors)Some of the range you can't use if you are on roaccutene,but there are alternatives in the range

 

[bombini]

Hi Juliette

Have a look at Environ skincare. It was created by a dermatologist/ plastic surgeon, to get skin in a premium condition prior to operations. The sebu range is fab for acne. It works and is natural. Contact 0208 450 7111 (landmark Distributors)Some of the range you can't use if you are on roaccutene,but there are alternatives in the range

Skins ok now it was 4 years ago i came off roaccutene thanx for thinking of me though :hug:

 

[weezie]

Hello,

Scarring usually occurs in acne that is in the dermal layers of the skin (deep down) this acne usually has spots that are red and inflamed but deep under the skin (cystic acne) it is the inflamation that causes the scars as collagen (plumping cells) are destroyed leaving a "pock mark", this loss of tissue however can also be caused by extermal trauma (picking constantly at one spot). This being said genetics, to some extent, also predict whether scarring is likely.

Your daughters acne sounds like it may not be so deep in the skin as you have mentioned only open comedones (black heads) and closed ones (white heads) I had this type of acne for many years on my face back and chest, I have not got one scar from it. You did say the skin was inflamed but is it just generally red or with specific inflamed lumps? I cannot diagnose the grade of acne without seeing her skin however, this is why you really need to stress your concerns to her doctor. Make your concerns very clear and fimly ask to see a dermatologist as the sooner this is treated the less chance she has of scarring.

Even if she does end up with some scarring (which hopefully will not be the case) the dermatologist that she is seeing will then be able to provide treatment for the scars.

The dermatologist will be able to prescribe a topical or internal medication for your daughter. For cleansing I would look towards a product the dermatologist recommends but if they don't advise you then I would research salons in your area and find one that specialises in treating problem skins. I could advises a number of things but I think your first stop should be the doctors

I feel however that Virgin Vie does not have specialised products for acne skins so it may not be helping her...

 

[huberella]

My daughter s 12 and recently started suffering from the same thing (both her dad and I had bad acne.. I still suffer from it). I started her on Dermalogica... She uses anti-bac skin wash, and oil control moisturizer and a medicated clearing gel. It's working beautifully!!! The key is not to pick or pop... this is what is going to lead to scarring.

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Hello,

The dermatologist will be able to prescribe a topical or internal medication for your daughter. For cleansing I would look towards a product the dermatologist recommends but if they don't advise you then I would research salons in your area and find one that specialises in treating problem skins. I could advises a number of things but I think your first stop should be the doctors

I feel however that Virgin Vie does not have specialised products for acne skins so it may not be helping her...

As much as I love the Virgin Vie products, they are not recommended for use on teenagers under 16yrs of age as they have not been tested for the lower age range. I agree that they are not designed for specific skin probs.

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

My daughter s 12 and recently started suffering from the same thing (both her dad and I had bad acne.. I still suffer from it). I started her on Dermalogica... She uses anti-bac skin wash, and oil control moisturizer and a medicated clearing gel. It's working beautifully!!! The key is not to pick or pop... this is what is going to lead to scarring.

Thank you for sharing this. Does your daughter suffer from blackheads and does the Dermalogica help with this?

 

[florence2004]

Tea tree oil can be really good to dap on those break out area as it helps take down the redness and dries them up.

 

[huberella]

Thank you for sharing this. Does your daughter suffer from blackheads and does the Dermalogica help with this?

Yes, she has a lot of blackheads on her forehead. If you take her into a salon that is Dermalogica certfied, they can assess her skin and figure out what products best suit her needs. I know that my daughter is extremely happy with how her skin is looking.

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

May I just ask another question at this point geeks?

Are children as young as 12 and 13 yrs supposed to exfoliate? I know that they must also shed dead skin cells, but it just seems so harsh to be exfoliating their young and sensitive skins.

 

[weezie]

The key is not to pick or pop... this is what is going to lead to scarring.

I picked and popped my skin for years and years and have no scars. A person with acne sometimes needs to be alowed this sin to cope with it!!!

As mentioned in my post it is constant trauma to the same area (picking or squeezing excessively-causing the spot to be pushed further into the skin or damaging the tissue around it), the depth of any acne (cysts) and genetics that lead to scarring.

Popping the odd whitehead so not to look so spotty (using light pressure pushing first outwards then up) with a clean tissue for each one. Or releasing large blackheads after softening the skin through steaming is not going to lead to scarring-honestly I've been there!

 

[weezie]

May I just ask another question at this point geeks?

Are children as young as 12 and 13 yrs supposed to exfoliate? I know that they must also shed dead skin cells, but it just seems so harsh to be exfoliating their young and sensitive skins.

The doctor/dermatologist will prescribe products that do just that. When we mention exfoliation everyone thinks of scrubbing at the skin. This is not good for any skin type. I do not use any scrubs/harsh exfoliants in my treatments as yes, this can cause trauma to the skin- both young and old.

Young acne skins have a higher skin cell turn over but the cells do not then exfoliate properly and become stuck on the surface of the skin and clog pores.

You are right to be concerned about treating young skins gently, however controlled exfoliation is the key, using a topical solution that dissolves rather than scrubs away at the dead cells that should not be there on a healthy skin.

Please talk to your doctor about seeing a dermatologist as they are skin specialists and will answer all your questions from a medical perspective as they have years of experience of similar cases.

 

[pazzy]

I have to second the ketsugo and australian body care skin wash, brilliant.

My neice had the worst acne and we got these products for her to use and it helped enormously...(it didnt completely dissapear but would say there was an 85% improvement - but she was covered)
shes 21 now and her skin is lovely...she has no scars considering how bad it was.

 

[huberella]

May I just ask another question at this point geeks?

Are children as young as 12 and 13 yrs supposed to exfoliate? I know that they must also shed dead skin cells, but it just seems so harsh to be exfoliating their young and sensitive skins.

It depends on what type of exfoliant you are using. When we have oily/acne skin, we produce more sebum, so we have a build up of dead skin and debrit on in and our pores... exfoliating is what helps with this. Too harsh of an exfoliator will just spread the bacteria around and irritate the skin. There are exfoliator's out there that don't do this (such as certain dermalogica products).

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Thank you all for your replies. These have been helpful. Much appreciated. xx

 

[izzidoll]

Also Nimue has a Youth Range of products......and has had fabulous results on Acne.You could ring Hyperion/Nimue for your nearest stockist.

 

[Good Skin Day]

She has some very big and noticeable blackheads and frequently breaks out in big white and inflamed spots. She is so concsious of this and it really bothers her. She has a good skin care routine and she cleanses and moisturizes twice daily but to no avail. She drinks loads of water and has a very balanced diet.

Hey hun :green:

Can you tell us a bit more about her diet, and what she currently uses to cleanse and moisturise?

 

[Hard-as-Nailz]

hiya, have u tried seeing your daughters gp? i know that there are creams and medications that are specially made for acne and bad cases of spots, and i know somebody who has used medication for acne and it worked for her. if you take your daughter to the doctor they should be able to perscribe something for her to try and u may as well give it a go! i hope her skin gets better soon! hth x :green:

 

[EllaX]

i've just had the worst break out ever - i do especially if i have a cold or aren't well. they are really lumpy - under the skin and they hurt if you touch them - any suggestions?? got them all over my forehead and on mt jawline - and around my glands (which swelled when i was ill) looks awful. they aren't red or anything just lumpy and my skin is really oily.

Gonna write down sum suggestions in this thread and go shopping.