My son is 18 and is really suffering with his acne. He wont go out, he hides himself away, he gets upset because he doesn't like having his face as it is. He is taking tetralysal but all he thinks about all day is his face. I cant seem to say anything that will make him feel better, please help, Im getting worried about him, thanks
I'm not a dermatologist but your son might want to try retinoids. I had severe acne and it worked for me. better yet, he should go to a dermatologist and let them check his condition.
* I wish my parents were like you. they're really not that supportive, instead of trying to help me when I was really down, they tell me things that I should and shouldn't have done. pffft! (but I love them, they just dont know the feeling of having acne
)
please tell us something about his diet and lifestyle(sleep/stress/activity level)?
(kindly dnt just say 'healthy diet'.'healthy' is subjective.u would need something thats for HIM)
He has a fairly good diet, always tries to have fruit and vegetables. Fish and meat are grilled. He sleeps well, but is easily stressed ( anxiety is in the family) . He used to be quite active - football, cycling. But because of his acne, he has stopped doing a lot of things.
I'm not a dermatologist but your son might want to try retinoids. I had severe acne and it worked for me. better yet, he should go to a dermatologist and let them check his condition.
* I wish my parents were like you. they're really not that supportive, instead of trying to help me when I was really down, they tell me things that I should and shouldn't have done. pffft!
(but I love them, they just dont know the feeling of having acne
)
He has seen a dermatologist and she gave him the tetra. She looked a his face thro a magnifying glass and said it wasn't too bad.She didn't think he needed anything stronger.
There is no point telling someone when they are feeling down about all the things they should/shouldn't be doing.
Personally I don't think it is bad, but of course to him, it is horrendous. As I said, anxiety is in the family, so that makes me more concerned for his state of mind. He talks to me a lot about it , which I suppose is a good thing.
Thanks for your replies x
Hey, first of all, you sound like an awesome parent. Your son is lucky to have you.
Second of all, I totally get that relationship. I used to get in fights with my parents all the time over my skin, or over other things (that were really about my skin but they didn't know it). It really sucks to have acne and having anxiety probably makes it much worse. It is good that he talks to you about it though, it sounds like you guys have a really healthy relationship.
How long has he been trying his current regimen for his skin? 3 months? If you don't see too much improvement after about 3-4 months, I would go back to the derm and maybe try something else.