16 replies to this topic

[JR86]

she is young, but acne can strike at any age, it is good to try and get it under control as much as possible now, o think if she gets on a retinoid now it will help her skin. something like differin, which i know you've tried and it seemed like it made the acne worse, but it is important to keep using it consistently. the acne may get worse at first, as all the impacted pores are being dislodged, which can cause inflammation and an acne flare up. but after this initial stage (it usually lasts one to three months) the impactions should be gone and the acne should improve. you can use a topical antibiotic like cleocin as well during the initial stage to prevent an acne flare up.

[liveyourlife]

First off welcome to the .org!
It sounds like that in the beginning she only had clogged pores (comedones) and when they were attacked by chemicals it aggravated them and really did turn into full-blown acne

I think her derm. should be prescribing antibiotics by now, why he hasn't I don't know. You should look into Paula's Choice perhaps, http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Clearing-...ps-t130593.html and also look around the board for natural approaches (Apple Cider Vinager, Fish oil, Zinc, Vitamin E)

Hitting puberty at that age isn't too rare, puberty can start anywhere from age 9 to 16 it just sucks to be the first one in your class to go through it, it does make things tougher! Acne is usually hormonal, and rarely bacterial. If nothing works over the next few years, your derm can start prescribing hormonal treatments. Hope I helped a little..good luck to you and your daughter!

edit: just thought I'd add to what Jordan said, Differin does take it's sweet time to work, making you break out constantly for 3 months, then at the 5-6 month mark you start to see great results.

[cool as kim deal]

If she has responded at all to Proactiv and her acne is mostly inflammatory (think swollen red bumps rather than colorless small bumps), I think Dan's regimen would be worth a shot: http://www.acne.org/regimen.html. It's been the only thing to work on my skin. I started getting acne about a year after my period started and it hasn't let up (I'm 21 now), and I think it works very well on inflammatory acne that isn't particularly hormonal.

[Orgasmic Organic]

Get her on antibiotics. Starting at such a young age with such strength can lead to scarring and emotional damage. Goodluck.

[Siouxsie]

If she looks 12-13 & is getting acne than she is probably already starting puberty. I knew kids who started breaking out as young as 10 & they were early bloomers.
Definitely give DKR a chance, especially since you had some results with Pro-activ. I used Pro-activ with some results too, but DKR gave me much better & more consistent results. DKR uses similar active ingredients to Pro-activ's system, but is much more gentle & that actually makes a huge difference.
Cetaphil face wash is great, then add in a 2.5% BP & a non-comedogenic moisturizer. Read through the directions on acne.org & follow it carefully. You have to be patient with any topical treatment & give it 3 months to see results before giving up. Most people give up too soon.

[Wynne]

The other posters' suggestions are terrific. Give the Dan Kern Regimen a good long try (three months at least). Remember that it takes a while to see the true results. The skin takes a while to adapt to the treatment, and then it responds for so many people.

You could ask the doc for a topical antibiotic. As another poster above mentioned, Cleocin T (clindamycin topical) is one terrific one.

[acnethedevil]

I just want to add here that using harsh products like proactiv, etc may be damaging to a young skin. She's only 10 years old after all. I don't think proactiv was made with such young teenagers in mind either.

[Cyph31]

diet
exercise
sleep
stress
environment

?

stop jumping for the meds

[luppe]

diet
exercise
sleep
stress
environment

?

stop jumping for the meds

Don't give your daughter harsh chemicals to put on her face, it will only make it worse. Our skin wasn't design for that cr@p.

Fix her diet and make sure 80% of her meals are fresh, organic & home cooked meals. Make sure she isn't drinking coffee or any other strong caffinated drinks. She could have chocolate or ice cream or whatever, but make sure the good foods outnumber the bad foods. An extra supplement of Green Tea extracts and Zinc will help combat hormonal acne.

Give it to time for the body to repair itself.

[liveyourlife]

diet
exercise
sleep
stress
environment

?

stop jumping for the meds

Don't give your daughter harsh chemicals to put on her face, it will only make it worse. Our skin wasn't design for that cr@p.

Fix her diet and make sure 80% of her meals are fresh, organic & home cooked meals. Make sure she isn't drinking coffee or any other strong caffinated drinks. She could have chocolate or ice cream or whatever, but make sure the good foods outnumber the bad foods. An extra supplement of Green Tea extracts and Zinc will help combat hormonal acne.

Give it to time for the body to repair itself.

Yeah defiantly opt for other factors first considering her age. Try cutting out all dairy for a month and see if it makes a difference, for some people they just hit an age where they can't tolerate dairy anymore. Use alternatives like Rice Milk or Almond Milk, but don't go soy on everything, soy should be used sparsely.

[pandas don't have acne]

Your daughter is actually really lucky!!! I started having acne problems when I was eight!! And yes i had acne before puberty. What worked for me was this Clnique acne treatment. Also, to spare your daughter some unwanted teasing get her some concealer and just put a little on. That really helped me feel less self conscience about my acne.

[j-boy]

..10 is a pretty early age, but at least your doing something about it already.. thats a good thing.. she's lucky to have a parent like you...

[acne_battle]

My daughter, who is 10 years old started having a few bumps on her forehead the summer she turned eight. They were not whiteheads, just bumps. I thought she was allergic to something, but the doctor said it was just hormonal. Now, at 10 she has been through Pro-Active, Differin and Benzaclean. None of them have completely gotten rid of her acne that has gotten worse. She NOW has white filled pimples, across her forehead, down her nose and cheekbones. None on her jawline or bottom portion of her face. The Differin made it worse, the ProActive helped, but didn't get rid of it and the Benzaclean did nothing. She washes her face gently using Cetaphil every night faithly. She has that pretty olive skin coloring and dark hair. I really am at a loss as to what to do anymore. She is a beautiful girl and does look more like 12-13, matured quickly. The doctor said it was hormonal though and not bacterial, but it looks more like it's bacterial to me and isn't 10 a little young to be having this problem?? Help!! and Thanks.

She might be allergic to cetaphil. I know I am. It makes my dad and I break out horribly. I will never use a cetaphil product ever again! You may want to have her try my regimen

[Siouxsie]

diet
exercise
sleep
stress
environment

?

stop jumping for the meds

You can only control those factors to a point (Environment?! Come on now...). She's young & I'm sure she wants to enjoy life & not be paranoid over every little thing. Being healthy is a great step, but that may not be enough.
I also hate the assumption by people that acne is caused by being unhealthy or not taking care of yourself. There are many of us who are healthy without being obsessive & we still get acne.

[lovepinkkx17]

i also started getting acne when i was 10 but it was really mild. it started out exactly as your daughter's did with little bumps on my forehead which was really oily. i used a gentle neutrogena product with 2% SA which deffinently cleared up my acne. (The trick is being gentle.)

But now being that your daughter's acne is more severe, i would try something more natural instead of using all of those chemicals which in the long run just aggrivates your acne and ruins your skin.
i haven't tried it yet, but Tea Tree Oil is supposed to be excellent for especially teenagers suffering from acne. Aloe Vera is also supposed to be good. Another alternative could be Apple Cider Vinegar which i am currently using. it's wonderful for clearing acne and evening out your skin tone. Check out the baby brush method too. I would suggest doing some research on product sites such as www.makeupalley.com to see which products are a success. I hope i helped! good luck to both of you!!

[poordaughterhasacne]

My daughter, who is 10 years old started having a few bumps on her forehead the summer she turned eight. They were not whiteheads, just bumps. I thought she was allergic to something, but the doctor said it was just hormonal. Now, at 10 she has been through Pro-Active, Differin and Benzaclean. None of them have completely gotten rid of her acne that has gotten worse. She NOW has white filled pimples, across her forehead, down her nose and cheekbones. None on her jawline or bottom portion of her face. The Differin made it worse, the ProActive helped, but didn't get rid of it and the Benzaclean did nothing. She washes her face gently using Cetaphil every night faithly. She has that pretty olive skin coloring and dark hair. I really am at a loss as to what to do anymore. She is a beautiful girl and does look more like 12-13, matured quickly. The doctor said it was hormonal though and not bacterial, but it looks more like it's bacterial to me and isn't 10 a little young to be having this problem?? Help!! and Thanks.

my daughter was about 10 or 11 when she started having acne on her forehead. Dr. gave her BP 5% and it went away. But now at 17 she has acne mildly to moderate around her mouth and chin that just won't go away.