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Teen son acne treatment
Hello,
My teen son (17) as recently suffered a severe bout of acne on his upper back, chest and face. We decided that using BP, Proactive etc was actually more irritating and not helping at all. Made an appt with a dermo that took almost 8 weeks to get into. During that time the acne did not improve, and he suffers from mostly pustules that sometimes turn to whiteheads.
He has always had very sensitive skin...the kind that after a shower he sometimes would get red blotches that his pediatrician said was a form of dermatitis. He also suffers from contact derma from any type of metal..even snaps on jeans.
So..we get to his dermo appt. The doctor prescribed Doxycycline 100 mg per day. Because of the sensitive skin he opted for Finacia (azlelic acid) twice per day for his topical treatment.
He is in his second week of therapy. The acne on his chest has cleared by 50%..on his back about the same.
His face has broken out to new heights. I called and the dermo office says this is expected and that almost always tends to become a bit worse before better.
I have read on this forum that it is not the case.
Can you clarify? My sons confidence is at such a low. He wants to give up because he said it is making it worse. It is heart wrenching to see your child go thru this. Any comments would be appreciated. Basically, can acne become worse on the first couple weeks, or is it an indication that it is not the med he should be on. What is your take on tanning beds to improve acne for a short time>
Thank you for this forum.
My teen son (17) as recently suffered a severe bout of acne on his upper back, chest and face. We decided that using BP, Proactive etc was actually more irritating and not helping at all. Made an appt with a dermo that took almost 8 weeks to get into. During that time the acne did not improve, and he suffers from mostly pustules that sometimes turn to whiteheads.
He has always had very sensitive skin...the kind that after a shower he sometimes would get red blotches that his pediatrician said was a form of dermatitis. He also suffers from contact derma from any type of metal..even snaps on jeans.
So..we get to his dermo appt. The doctor prescribed Doxycycline 100 mg per day. Because of the sensitive skin he opted for Finacia (azlelic acid) twice per day for his topical treatment.
He is in his second week of therapy. The acne on his chest has cleared by 50%..on his back about the same.
His face has broken out to new heights. I called and the dermo office says this is expected and that almost always tends to become a bit worse before better.
I have read on this forum that it is not the case.
Can you clarify? My sons confidence is at such a low. He wants to give up because he said it is making it worse. It is heart wrenching to see your child go thru this. Any comments would be appreciated. Basically, can acne become worse on the first couple weeks, or is it an indication that it is not the med he should be on. What is your take on tanning beds to improve acne for a short time>
Thank you for this forum.
Cindy,
Sorry to hear about your son's situation, I am doing research at National Institute of Health (NIH) in Maryland on Biomedical research. My son has same situation as your son, but probably it is not as serious as your son. I prepared one solution which is specific for treating acne according to my medical knowledge on acne. The effect of treating is perfect. What you need do is just to wash the face for 10 to 15 minutes at first two or four weeks daily, then once or twice per week after. It will keep the acne free from face.
As I know, the basic ingredient in Proactive is Benzoyl Peroxide, the manufacture just wrap this acitve component into particles, they claim that it is easy to absorbed by the skin. As clinic report, benzoyl peroxide is not very effective on treating ance. There was a scientific report in 1992(Clin Thera 1992; 2:247-253), the treating effect (efficacy) of Benzoyl peroxide is even worse than Salicylic acid, Salicylic acid is 50%, but Benzoyl peroxide is only 28% on skin damage; for treating open acne, Salicylic acid is around 50%, but Benzoyl peroxid is only around 30%.
Even the new releasing drug, Adapalene, the clinic data show 38.78% significant effect after 8 weeks (Ind J Dermatol Ven & Leprolo 2003; 69(4):277-280 ).
If you are interesting, we could discuss further on this topic. I would like clearify here is that I am not business man, I am MD who is doing medical research for more than 20 years, and I am not happy on the manufactures who produce these kinds of products which already did not show much effective for treating acne long time ago.
In addition, as my clinical experience, if ance happen repeatedly, the dents will appear on the skin when the age is up.
Sorry to hear about your son's situation, I am doing research at National Institute of Health (NIH) in Maryland on Biomedical research. My son has same situation as your son, but probably it is not as serious as your son. I prepared one solution which is specific for treating acne according to my medical knowledge on acne. The effect of treating is perfect. What you need do is just to wash the face for 10 to 15 minutes at first two or four weeks daily, then once or twice per week after. It will keep the acne free from face.
As I know, the basic ingredient in Proactive is Benzoyl Peroxide, the manufacture just wrap this acitve component into particles, they claim that it is easy to absorbed by the skin. As clinic report, benzoyl peroxide is not very effective on treating ance. There was a scientific report in 1992(Clin Thera 1992; 2:247-253), the treating effect (efficacy) of Benzoyl peroxide is even worse than Salicylic acid, Salicylic acid is 50%, but Benzoyl peroxide is only 28% on skin damage; for treating open acne, Salicylic acid is around 50%, but Benzoyl peroxid is only around 30%.
Even the new releasing drug, Adapalene, the clinic data show 38.78% significant effect after 8 weeks (Ind J Dermatol Ven & Leprolo 2003; 69(4):277-280 ).
If you are interesting, we could discuss further on this topic. I would like clearify here is that I am not business man, I am MD who is doing medical research for more than 20 years, and I am not happy on the manufactures who produce these kinds of products which already did not show much effective for treating acne long time ago.
In addition, as my clinical experience, if ance happen repeatedly, the dents will appear on the skin when the age is up.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Whenever I start a new patient on acne treatment, I emphasize that treatments don;t usually take effect for 6-8 weeks, or even longer. Anything that happens before then, good or bad, is mostly what the acne would have done anyway. That's why it's so important not to read anything into what is happening with your son two weeks into treatment. I realize this is hard, but it's vital. If he doesn't stay the course, he'll end up getting nowhere. The good news is that if he does work with his dermatologist, he is sure to do well, even if it means changing things, and waiting the number of months--not years--it will take to get the job done. In general, pimples and pustules do not leave permanent scars, just red marks that fade in time if left alone.
Take care and hang in there.
Dr. Rockoff
Take care and hang in there.
Dr. Rockoff
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