Hello
My 12 year old son went through early puberty and was put on Lymcycline for 14 months age 11. It didnt really work and in early February he started on Doxycycline. His acne has got progressively worse and is now spreading down his neck. His old spots have left lots of dark pigmentation and he has lots of new breakouts now. The dr has also just started him on Epiduo. Hes rapidly losing confidence and Im desperate to help him. Does anyone have any experience with severe acne on young teens? Or any success on Doxy? So far nothing is working. I wonder if I should just take him off everything and see if that makes a difference. The dermatologist isnt hugely helpful frustratingly. Advice welcome. Thanks so much.
Antibiotics never did anything for me. They were like a bad joke. Plus, they are not supposed to be taken for longer than 3 months.
I would for sure get a second opinion.
In the meantime, if your son is motivated to fix it, have him take the quiz here at Acne.org. You can take it as well and read the suggestions. The Regimen plus some lifestyle changes can hopefully get things under control.
If it's super duper bad, isotetinoin is always an option as well. It is hardcore and can lead to lifelong side effects, but in cases of scarring acne, it's a risk/reward type of decision. You want to prevent scarring if possible so early intervention with severe acne is really important.
