Acne in 9 year old

[sinisaju]

My 9 and a half year old daughter just started having acne only on one side of her face. Is it common for this age group? Does it have any relation to the food that she eats or is she going through her prepuberty period? What kind of face wash should she use and what precautions should be taken to prevent it from coming anymore?

[loiloi]

Hi. My son is 9 and a half and has had acne for several years. Our GP refered him to an endocrinologist for hormone tests to rule out an early puberty. It is important to rule out an early puberty as if children go into puberty too early they may stop growing too early too.
We were then refered to a dermatologist who told us to keep his skin very clean with bland skincare products and apply Differin (adapalene 0.1%) at night. Diet has not been proven to effect the abnormal skin processes involved in acne.
Eloise.

[sinisaju]

Thank you so much for the response. I took her to the dermatologist who prescribed differin and erythromycin lotion. Did it work with your son?? I remember that I also had the same problem at almost the same age but attained puberty at around 13. I hope it will be the same with her..

[loiloi]

Hi. Differin and Erythromycin are both effective and can be used together (Erythromycin in the morning and Differin at night) because they work in different ways. The Differin is helping my son but as his tendency to acne has persisted he needs ongoing treatment. His skin is olive colored, oily and strong and topical lotions do not cause him irritation. Oral antibiotics can be prescribed from age 12 if necessary. Girls aged over 13 with acne may also be prescribed a combined oral contraceptive pill to block the effect of androgens- the hormones responsible for stimulating the grease-glands.
It is difficult for kids to understand at that age, but reassure your daughter that acne is not her fault. It is difficult when you go into puberty before your friends. I developed acne and needed a bra virtually over night at age eleven.
Acne is not caused by lack of a healthy diet, some people are just more sensitive to the effects of androgens than others. Androgens stimulate the sebacous glands which produce oil. The glands then become blocked with excess oil and bacteria which feeds off this oil. Erythromycin will kill acne-causing bacteria on the skin and Differin will stop the abnormal skin processes invloved in acne.
You are right to address this issue early. Acne can cause psychological distress and physical scarring and should be treated robustly as quickly as possible to avoid these potential problems.
Best Wishes, Eloise.

[sinisaju]

Thank you for your informative reply. My daughter still is physically a child, she didn't start having changes in her body structure. She regularly use oil on her hair. My doctor also was mentioning that she should change the pillow cover atleast every other day because pillow covers get greasy from the oil on her hair and this can also cause acne to come out pretty faster. I think this can be possible as her acne problem is only on the right side of her face and she usually bends to the right side while sleeping.

Is it possible for the child to have menarche before developing secondary sexual characteristics like breast development and pubic hair? Please keep me posted if you have any information about this?