STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Where did you buy it? My poor daughter is having a tough bout of hormonal acne and she doesn't see her dermatologist until the end of the month.

We'll try anything.

Don't worry, no way is she going on that! She does take an oral antibiotic, which I am not very happy about but it does seem to be helping.

She also uses once a day a 6% benzoyal peroxide cleanser by prescription and Differin gel.

I was looking for something for her to use whn she washes her face in the morning as that other cleanser is too strong for her twice daily.

Thanks, I'm off to order it now.

Another good product your daughter might try, is PCA Skin care's acne line.  I have their "pHase 33" light acne cream and it works wonders on my sensitive skin's occasional blemishes.  They have different levels depending on your skin type and how severe the breakouts are.  I got mine at a spa in town, but I've seen it online. 

How old is she? I remember how awful it was when I got my first pimple in 4th grade. Oh the emotional roller coaster it brought...

I remember I tried everything out there. Make sure she drinks plenty of water every day. That will help also.

I think either B6 or B12 helps with acne. I can't remember which one and you can buy just it at the pharmacy to take.

I'm not sure if she has really sensitive skin that retin-a would be good. it killed my skin and caused me major headaches when I wanted to wear makeup (may not be an issue for you). Just be careful with it though because it will dry your skin out and can cause you to peel. My derm also made me stay on antibiotics while on retin-a and submit monthly blood tests. It might have just been my doctor though.

Accutane on the other hand - i'd rather suffer through the zits that go on it. You also have to go on bc pills with it and it usually takes more than one round (usually 3 rounds of 6 months each time) to get this stuff to work. I've had friends be declared legally blind because of this stuff and there is a suicide warning that comes with the meds.

wow, lsubatgirl, i can't believe someone u know went blind from accutane!  that's so scary!  i was on it when i was in high school because nothing else worked (i tried differin, retin-a, everything u can think of).  besides being dried out (which aquafor helped a ton w/) i had no bad side effects.  plus, since i was young and not having sex the doc agreed i did not have to take BC pills.  i know it supposedly causes depression and what have you, but i think w/ a concerned parent such as yourself Ally S, if you noticed anything wrong you could usher her to a doc right away &, if necessary, take her off the meds.  anyways, that's JMO cuz really my confidence & self esteem from high school to college (which is when my skin became competely clear, i started the accutane senior yr. of HS) was just amazingly different!  i mean, i never had a single date in HS &, not to toot my own horn but, i was pretty popular in college.

Oh geez LSU, now I am really afraid of Accutane, my daughter wears glasses and knowing that risk is there too is just damned scary.

 

quote:

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Originally posted by: lsubatgirl
"Well legally blind in the state of louisiana isn't completely blind but more like blind without eye glasses and contacts. Like can't see anything but blobs. Its one of those things that happens if you are already wearing contacts/eye glasses and your sight isn't bad...well it will get worse on this medicine. Lots of people complain about it."

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I've never heard this about Accutane.  Never ever.  I was on it for 4 months when I was 18.  I had been wearing contacts for about 4 years and my doctor never mentioned it, and my eyes did not change anymore than usual after the Accutane.

It can be kind of scary, but I think in general the anxiety about the side effects is greater than the number or severity of the side effects themselves.  Yes, your skin (and mucus membranes, like your nose and stuff) get really really dried out, your lips are constantly chapped.  And you definitely need to use sunscreen and/or avoid being in the sun too much.  But that's not unusual for many drugs (the sun sensitivity part).  IMO, it was totally worth it.  But I had been battling acne for about 7 years at that point, and had tried retin-a, two oral antibiotics, a topical antibiotic, and some other stuff I don't even remember.  Looking back, I might have had better luck looking for a different skin care regimen such as Cetaphil, but I still think the it was worth it.  I think 13.5 is too young to resort to Accutane, especially without exhausting the other options first, but I think it's good to keep it in mind if nothing else seems to help.

I've had very bad acne since I was 11, trying EVERYTHING (Retin-A, Tazorac, et. al.) and nothing worked very well. I was so desperate after visiting multiple dermatologists that when I was 17 I got an Accutane prescription. And then I read that it can atrophy your brain, so I got ridiculously scared that I would end up retarded. Plus my mom was literally freaking out like mad in the doctors office because of all the paparwork you have to go through and the checkups and the suicide. Call me overly neurotic, but I got frightened and didn't take the pills.

This past summer, still dealing with said acne problems in copious doses, I met a Sephora SA who literally saved my life. He recommended either the DDF that lsubatgirl posted or the Peter Thomas Roth 10% BPO Gel, which is what I ended up going with. I still use it to maintain my acne and I've had very good results. I still get occasional breakouts but the PTR stops it in its tracks.

My acne is hormonal as well. I'm also on BC pills partially to help with acne (generic Ortho-Tri-Cyclen, although I liked Yasmin better than this one but of course stupid student health center doesn't cover Yasmin...)