I hope things are continuing to improve for your son. Hopefully, he can figure out what works and doesn't work for his acne at a young age. Or better yet, maybe he'll just grow out of it at some point. How has he been feeling about the whole thing? Does he see an improvement? Gotten positive feedback from peers? All the best to you both on this journey.
I hope things are continuing to improve for your son. Hopefully, he can figure out what works and doesn't work for his acne at a young age. Or better yet, maybe he'll just grow out of it at some point. How has he been feeling about the whole thing? Does he see an improvement? Gotten positive feedback from peers? All the best to you both on this journey.
Honestly I think he'll grow out of it, 100% clear at around 16. When I was 13 I didn't have acne at all, literally clear till I hit 16. My friends however, had acne when they were in 6th grade and I literally thought (wow im lucky I don't have it). When they grew out of it is when I got it. Haha
So just an update: we did the Regimen faithfully twice daily all week and...HIS ACNE IS ALMOST GONE!!! Unfortunately he returned to school today so we can no longer do the morning Regimen ): But...we'll be super diligent on weekends and other longer breaks from school, play catch-up the best we can. Doing the Regimen once daily does the job for the most part in terms of keeping his acne from flying out of control...but twice daily really does produce the best results. I took a few pics...will try and get them on here.
@Acnedrum, thanks for stopping by our progress log! 
TBH my son's acne probably bothers me more than it bothers him haha...his skin is doing the exact same thing mine did at this age, and if he follows suit, it will only get worse as he goes through puberty, so as a mom I do worry about it. My mom finally took me to see a derm when I was 15 and he prescribed Retin-A, which I hated and didn't help much. Wish the Acne.Org Regimen existed when I was in high school! Glad we're keeping his acne in control now rather than waiting for it to get bad enough to need derm intervention. His peers don't have acne yet, he's the only one in his class with the problem...just like mom haha! They don't say anything though, thank goodness. The kids in my class were merciless...always making remarks about my skin...it was mortifying. I suppose I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my son also has autism. He doesn't really get the importance of keeping his acne under control. I also apply the treatment every night for him, and on his back too. The Regimen steps are more challenging for him to deal with than the acne itself at this point. He'd just as soon we skip the whole thing haha. Wish he could do it himself. Glad my own skin problem resolved...I couldn't imagine doing this for myself and him, too!
@Anton, hey! I hope you're right...his father outgrew his by the time he was in his early 20s...hope he follows suit! Yeah sort of a cruel irony how that works out thinking you'd dodged the acne bullet only to get hit with it years later hahaha...glad to hear you're clearing up though...woohoo!! 
@DeLovely...You are a good mom,what else can I say ,you are doing what most moms who have suffered with the psychological effects from acne do ,plus more.
I also think that his acne must be hormonal related, but I have to admit,with my son , I ran
to the dermatologist,had it treated and now a grown up,grew out of it, while I still breakout.hormones,...sigh.
You both are doing a great job, it's hard for kids to stick to schedules, so it's pretty normal when we have to chase them.
The regimen from the acne.org , seems to be a good one, I never thought of not using a toner, so if using over the counter products work without using a toner ,I guess it must work.
I tried to get my daughter to use it, but she spends like 5 minutes washing her face and putting her creams, so we kind of agree, on the benzoyl peroxide treatment.
I do use it sometimes too, my face doesn't need a lot lately, I'm 52.
Best wishes.
@noche...Hey thanks for the support, I really appreciate it! It hasn't been easy for sure. My own hardship with acne growing up did play a significant part in getting Zack on the Regimen as soon as his acne started heading into the moderate range where the OTC stuff just wasn't cutting it anymore. We started out using Stridex pads when he was 11 for noninflamed comedonal acne, and this worked great for 2 years. My son could even manage the Stridex pads himself, they were very simple to use which made them ideal. But by the time he turned 13 over the summer, I started noticing more and more inflamed acne and larger, deeper pimples. So we switched to a BP cleanser when he started 8th grade, but this seemed to make things worse, not better. By late September, I decided to order the Regimen for him.
Took 24 years to outgrow my acne so I hear ya there...hoping my son takes after his father and outgrows it in his early 20s. It's weird for people like you and I who have been dealing with acne longer than most of the young people on here have been alive haha...I'm in my 40s. I'm over it now but it's something I've had for so long it's like a part of me now. I'll probably always view myself as the pimple-faced girl haha.
Posted a few new pics of my son's progress. Looking good! (BTW, his skin is shiny from the Regimen) Most of the marks you're seeing are hyperpigmentation/red marks from old acne. The AHA+ is really helping the marks fade. We've been doing a 50/50 mix every other night and his skin is responding really well to it. Mixing in jojoba oil for the other applications to help with winter dryness and chafing.
Among other good news is we've managed to do the Regimen 2 mornings so far this week since school started back up...YES!! Reduced the BP in the a.m. to only 2 pumps (we were doing 3) for quicker drying. Making a difference!
@DeLovely .....His skin is getting balanced,I think that is all the skin needs ,get to a point where it can find its balance. And yes ,I read somewhere online ( I have been reading a lot lately). About how salicylic acid reaches so deep into the skin ,I tried it myself , and it's a harsh one , for sure it can't be used every single day.
And yes ,unfortunately for me ,I got to be the winner of my parents genetics.
Acne on and off ,I have the scars in and out of me.
My dad had 2 cysts removed from his forehead when he was young, and the acne went away, but he have always have this clogged pores where he had those cysts removed, they are so clogged that they just look like moles, he doesn't touch them ever, and he says that they hurt if tried to be removed.
My mom can get a pimple every now and then, she doesn't wear make-up , she never did .At 74 , she still gets a pimple ,every now and then, but they go away fast , and her face doesn't look like she had and, she looks young.
I'm the oldest of my sisters , and people tell me I don't look 52, I feel like my age +.
And yes, it's very rare to find people who are old and still dealing with acne,I was really hesitant to come to the acne.org and talk to kids about acne,I felt ashamed, like what are they going to think , I'm going to discourage them.
But then I thought ,maybe I can prevent someone from making the same mistakes I did .Because to this day I have tried almost everything there is about acne.
My hypothyroidism and high cholesterol don't help either, I know that there are hormones out there to fix or better said control my menopausal hormones,but dealing with the thyroid is something I don't want to do ,I rather keep it simple and just under control.
Oh my ,I talk too much.
But ,really , looking at your son beautiful face, made me realize that you don't have to put the face through a lot of harsh chemicals, and that was my mistake.
Come to think the skin doesn't probably need exfoliation at all for most people , or just lightly for others.
It's so great to see your and your son's efforts.
Best wishes.
Salicylic acid on its own actually has strong anti-inflammatory properties. But unfortunately most products containg salicylic acid contain a lot of irritants (alcohol, menthol, peppermint, witch hazel, etc) and even are not in the right ph for exfoliation to occur. I really encourage you to add a well formulated salicylic acid product in your son's routine. I recommend one from a paula's choice. The 2% BHA liquid maybe best for its weightless texture. You can use it directly after cleansing and before BP. No need to wait between steps, especially when you're in a rush
@A97...Thanks for looking in on us, and the recommendation! I'll definitely keep BHA in mind for down the road. They don't recommend incorporating non-Acne.Org products into the Regimen until after you're clear, so we'll wait on this. I know the right pH BHA can be very effective at breaking down comedonal acne.
Just a little update...we were able to do the Regimen twice a day for almost 2 weeks and his skin is looking better and better! Tried mixing 5-6 drops of jojoba oil with our 50/50 mix of moisturizer and AHA+...worked great! Very hydrating, great for winter dryness and flakes!! I'm finding using these 3 products to once to be more effective than using separately at keeping skin in balance.
@DeLovely .....I think salicylic acid is very strong compared to glycolic acid, and I know that I don't need to tell you something that you already know (stridex)...you are doing a great job ,and like you say it's better to stick to the instructions if you want to see results,that goes for everything that we do ,I guess.
Putting the skin through so much never helps ,it's better to be gentle,and like you say ,you are more worried than he is .
I remember those days,running behind my kids .
Let's just hope that it's hormonal,I think it is going to turn out like that.
I tried to fix a few pimples on my son and unfortunately he ended up being allergic to benzoyl peroxide,or maybe all of proactiv.
My daughter and I can tolerate benzoyl peroxide,we use Dan's ,without problems ,she can tolerate jojoba ,I get a reaction to it within 5 days of usage. The funny thing is that I can use it on my scalp without problems,I use 4 drops of jojoba oil mixed with 1 drop of lavender oil (not to be used for people with bladder , kidney problems ,brain problems or boys who are going through puberty,just to be safe), rub between my hands and apply with my fingertips gently to my scalp right after the shower ,and I prefer to blow dry my hair with the dryer and my hair grows really fast ,I was loosing some hair due to my thyroid but now I have so much hair . when I used to go to the saloon, the girl used to say ,you have so much hair and never did a good job ,by 2 weeks my color was gone ,I got tired and let myself go grey,now my problem is keeping my hair from turning yellow and the only thing that helps with that is the jojoba oil mixed with the lavender oil,sigh !.
I'm sorry I got sidetracked ,I have a tendency to do that .
Best wishes.
@noche...I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experience with me! Stridex pads have come a long way since I was a teen...back then they all had alcohol in them which contributed to the dryness and harshness, plus the maximum strength formulas were like 5% BHA which is very harsh...I remember not liking them. Now most of the formulas out there are alcohol-free and 2% BHA formula which is much gentler (The formula we used also had aloe vera in it). The Stridex pads were not nearly as drying on Zack's skin as the BP is, and we used the Stridex pads plus Dan's moisturizer, twice a day for 2 years for comedonal acne before switching to BP. It worked great to keep his skin clear of the tiny rough skin-colored bumps (comedonal acne) teens get when they start getting acne. He started getting comedonal acne when he was 11, just like his mama.
I totally agree with you that it's not smart to add additional steps to the Regimen, at least until you're clear. I think that's why so many people fail...they think they are doing the Regimen but they aren't. They are creating their own version of the Regimen from the get-go without giving the original process a chance. They start adding in other steps, before they are clear and wind up with more problems, which prompts them to buy more products, adding more harsh chemicals to their skin. I'm with you...LESS IS MORE!
And you're right about exfoliation...AHA is a great exfoliator and better than manual exfoliation which can be very harsh for sensitive, acne-prone skin and even contribute to scarring if done on broken skin.
I'm so glad you decided to join the site! I also felt a little funny at first, being most of the members are in their teens and 20s...sometimes I feel like the resident old lady haha. But folks like you especially have years of experience and wisdom to share which is extremely valuable.
I also had a thyroid condition for awhile (hyperthyroidism...where you can't keep weight on). It likely stemmed from being pregnant with my youngest child, who is 2 and a half. I lost all of my pregnancy weight and then some in no time flat, was also losing hair, and started having heart arrhythmia, in my case a racing heart, every so often, very scary! Sure enough, after bloodwork from my yearly physical, my doc phones me and says my thyroid is in overdrive. So I had to see an endocrinologist for awhile to get medication, but the condition resolved and I no longer need to take the meds.
Wow, the whole fam as acne...when I was growing up I was the only one and no one understood why I had acne because no one else in the family had it. I got a lot of bad advice from my mom and grandmother...like touching my face with unclean hands is the reason I have acne, or try this Avon mask, it'll help your acne. By the time my mom took me to see a derm I had it pretty bad. But what I remember most is, "DONT SQUEEZE!" hahaha...ah the good ol days of my youth!
Take care!
@DeLovely ....how is your son reacting to the jojoba oil ? Are you still using it?
My daughter has decided to go with oils now,I guess she is kind of disillusioned that I sometimes need the benzoyl.
I guess she found the right oils that work for her, because when we went to visit her (she is almost done with college,hopefully), her skin was glowing,a little minor pimple only,I was like, thank God.
Take care.
Oh and the Amlactin is a pretty harsh lotion,reserved for really super dry hands. I rather use glycolic acid for exfoliation.
@noche...Happy to report that my son's skin is reacting beautifully to the jojoba oil! Using it twice a day, mixing 5-6 drops in with his moisturizer. It's really helping keep his skin soft and in balance. We've also stopped using the Acne.Org cleanser in the a.m., it's drying his skin out too much, so we are just rinsing with warm water.
A little acne update: He is getting consistently clear results on his forehead!!!! It's been a couple of weeks at least since we saw a zit here. Mostly seeing breakouts on his cheeks and around his mouth, maybe one or two on his chin. Has had some sizeable pustules which burst easily and dry up. The AHA+ really seems to be speeding up the life cycle of a zit. One will be noticeable in the morning and by that evening or the next morning it'll be a giant pustule, about the size of a pea. We drain it and it's dried up by the next day. Thankfully he's only getting one of these at a time. But am super psyched that one part of his face is completely clear of acne!
Another update: His cheeks are just about clear of acne as well! Mostly just some hyperpigmentation from old acne...the BP really made the red marks from those larger zits he was getting in succession on his cheeks kinda purplish but the AHA+ is helping with this. We must be at week 14 or 15 of the Regimen, lost track. Forehead still staying clear!! Red marks/hyperpigmentation on the forehead is clearing and looking better than it did a month ago. Just getting the odd pustule around his mouth and chin but hasn't had any major zits in well over a week....awesome!
Update: No inflamed acne (except one small pustule on his jawline which we left alone) in almost 2 weeks!!!!!!!! Blackheads and noninflamed comedonal acne have been his major problem now, mainly on the fronts of both cheeks, concentrated in a few rough-textured patches. Not sure if it's the AHA+ doing its work but one of his cheeks feels completely smooth now!! The other still has some rough spots, which hopefully will smooth out with time. If we weren't using the other products, I'd probably try a little BHA for the comedonal acne, but am hopeful the glycolic acid will take care of it. I think another thing that has really helped at this stage is not picking. With no pustules to drain, his skin is remaining unbroken for longer and longer periods of time, which is blocking out infection and germs. This clearing of inflamed acne happened fairly rapidly over the past 2 weeks. He's been on the Regimen since mid-October, so almost 4 months!
I have pics to post which hopefully I'll get on this week...hoping the next batch after that will be his 100% clear face!!
Good thinking,stick to the AHA ,its less irritating.
You have been free of acne for awhile that you probably have started to forget a little , how reactive skin can be, for that I'm glad( forgetting the reactive acne). Oh my gosh,I hope you get what I'm trying to say.
Glycolic acid is my favorite of the two, salicylic acid goes deeper but because of that irritates more.
I think he's getting great results .
My son used to not wash his face in the mornings while using differin,well, just a splash of water.
Take care.
Here are the latest pics...over a week old now. BTW, my son is spending the weekend with his dad in NYC. I just hope his father uses the Regimen products I sent as outlined and doesn't screw up his progress. He's been doing so good. The first night he sent me a text and applied the BP treatment AFTER the moisturizer! Not boding well...
We'll see...
Here are the latest pics...over a week old now. BTW, my son is spending the weekend with his dad in NYC. I just hope his father uses the Regimen products I sent as outlined and doesn't screw up his progress. He's been doing so good. The first night he sent me a text and applied the BP treatment AFTER the moisturizer! Not boding well...
We'll see...
Looks good! I see no more active acne, just the dark spots/hyperpigmentation. Just a few months away from full clearness, great job We're in the exact same situation haha.
Has your son's confidence ever been affected by his previous acne?
Hey Anton! Nah, his acne bothers me more than him haha. I just know how bad my skin was at that age. Thanks to the Regimen, his acne is staying under control, and his skin looks way, way, way better than mine did at that age! So I am very thankful at least!
Came home from visit with dad with 3 decent-size new zits though...oh well, can't say I'm surprised. Not really a huge deal, except he was zit-free before this for almost 2 weeks.
I can see a lot of improvement, and also considering that he is going through his teenage years ,it is normal to have a little breakout every now and then ,but his skin looks pretty good.
This is what the dermatologist told my daughter when she complained about getting a pimple every now and then, she said "nothing is 100% sweetheart". Back then I thought that answer was pretty harsh ,but then I gave it some thought ,and said ,yeah she is kind of right considering that we as women sometimes wear make-up or go through hormonal changes.
So ,considering that your son goes away sometimes or maybe falls asleep before you get to help him with his treatment, I can see results,the inflammation is gone and the hyperpigmentation is normal,it will diminish with time.
Good job!
@noche...Yeah, I sometimes forget he is a teenager and that breakouts are normal...hard not to become a little neurotic haha! I know you can relate being a mom with acne yourself.
The zits he came home with are in the drying stages...developed a few small pustules around his mouth now but these are no biggie. He started a new autism medication (Abilify) last Monday and acne was listed as one of the potential side effects...so we'll see as he goes if his skin gets worse as a result of the new medication.
Update: So we've been slacking a little and not always doing the Regimen every morning since he's been staying so clear. Result: breakouts! Not bad...forehead still 100% clear but he's got some cystic acne on his cheeks...first notable setback we've had in quite awhile. Also, chin cysts and one fairly large nodule (first one of these he's ever gotten) which we spot-treated with straight AHA+ for 4-5 days...worked beautifully to bring down the swelling so it never did erupt any further, now it's pretty much gone. Chin is clear again!
Been doubly hard doing the Regimen in the morning with the time change...UGH!!!! Been misery getting up for work/school...I usually help him. His skin clears up fast so I'm not worried, we'll get things back on track. Actually it was a good test...reassures me he does need two treatments a day. Was hoping we might be able to get away with just one. Not yet!
His forehead is looking better and better! The AHA+ cleared up most of the red marks/PIH so you can hardly tell he had acne here!
Just a little update: Things are already looking better! All the cystic acne on his cheeks are now in the healing/drying stage. There's going to be some red marks, but that's to be expected. Moral of the story: the best way to prevent red marks is to prevent acne...lesson learned there. We're back to doing the Regimen twice a day and using 3 pumps of BP instead of two. His skin is clearing fast, like I knew it would! Excellent!!