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- My son has been getting breakouts mainly on his forehead for the last couple years. His first dermatologist tried differin cream and Clear Pore wash which didn't help. His second pediatric derm started him on tretinoin and to continue the Clear Pore wash. In June he added clindamycin gel and benzoyl peroxide in the mornings. I sent in some pictures to his derm because his skin was getting worse and I figured he would just tell me to try another wash or something minor. He said that he wanted me to come in 3 weeks to discuss him going on accutane since he wasn't responding to the other meds. Is it just me or is he giving up a little quickly? He also was on docycycline for about 2 months because he had dermatitis on his face and his face completely cleared up. His dermatologist said he can't be on it over 6 months so this is not an option. Granted I haven't met with him yet but I am very stressed out about making the wrong choice. My son's dad had really bad skin and had to take accutaine at 15. I'm just wondering if it is normal to only try a couple different medications before jumping to accutane? He has no body acne, and I would say about 10 pimples on his forehead, and I couple on the sides of his face. They aren't cystic but they do seem to progressively getting bigger over time. His face is also pretty oily.
Hi rileytime,
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you could try taking your son to an LICENSED master esthetician who is very good with acne. They could be very helpful in clearing your sons acne or at least recommend skincare products that will help with his skin and clear him up. Derms know the science behind your skin, but estheticians go to school to make peoples skin nice, clean, and clear. Do your research on estheticians in your area by checking google, yelp and maybe even groupon reviews to see if they focus on helping folks with their acne issues and just to see what their rating is from other users reviews so you can choose the correct esthetician. Please do not just go to the nearest one to you because they may not be the best qualified.
i am currently on accutane (30 years old) and even though my side effects have been minimal (dry skin and lips) I would not recommend it so quickly even for my own children (i have a daughter 5 and son 8)...i would take those routes i suggested to you above before jumping on accutane.
I have dealt with acne for 15 years, and I wish my parents were as worried about my acne as you were, so please keep trying to find a solution to his acne before he gets older. Its better to get it over and done with now and him not have acne for an extended amount of time.
good luck and God bless!
I too wouldn't recommend Accutane. While the risk isn't great, there certainly is a risk of long term side effects.
While I wasn't told these potentialside-effects before I went on it, I was told it may affect my growth. I was already 16 years old and 6'4, so I didn't mind, but at 13 it would certainly be something to consider. Lastly, for some people this is worth taking, I have several friends who took it and don't regret it, but they all had very severe acne. Personally I regret taking it
Functional brain imaging alterations in acne patients treated with isotretinoin.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15863802
"RESULTS: Isotretinoin but not antibiotic treatment was associated with decreased brain metabolism in the orbitofrontal cortex (-21% change versus 2% change for antibiotic), a brain area known to mediate symptoms of depression.
Conclusion: This study suggests that isotretinoin treatment is associated with changes in brain functioning."
A 4-month treatment trial with isotretinoin was associated with a decrease in brain functioning in the orbito-frontal cortex, a brain region implicated in depression.
13-cis Retinoic acid (accutane) suppresses hippocampal cell survival in mice.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15251924
We now show, in a mouse model, that endogenous RA generated by synthetic enzymes in the meninges acts on hippocampal granule neurons, and chronic (3-week) exposure to a clinical dose of 13-cis RA may result in hippocampal cell loss.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC387382/
"This report demonstrates that a clinical dose (1 mg/kg/day) of 13-cis-RA in mice significantly reduces cell proliferation in the hippocampus and the subventricular zone, suppresses hippocampal neurogenesis, and severely disrupts capacity to learn a spatial radial maze task. The results demonstrate that the regions of the adult brain where cell proliferation is ongoing are highly sensitive to disruption by a clinical dose of 13-cis-RA."
Retinoic Acid and Affective Disorders: The Evidence for an Association http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3276716 /
"Increased concentrations of homocysteine have also been associated with attacks of violent anger. Isotretinoin administration to human subjects was shown to be associated with increased concentrations of homocysteine, as well as decreases in 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate, providing a potential metabolic mechanism by which isotretinoin may promote depression."
"In the case of patients reported to the Norwegian Medicines Agency, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of the brain was performed in 15 cases who reported lasting neurological symptoms. Altered brain function was seen in all cases involving altered or reduced frontal lobe blood flow. Ten of these patients were evaluated to have organic brain damage.