Sorry if this is the wrong forum. But 16 year old son has a mild/medium acne problem. Not being a smart A$$ or anything but i know that you all know a lot more about skin care products than men do. I am an antique father type and when i was young " back in the dark ages " the only product i remember available to me was sp? Clearsil??? I was just wondering if there might be a better treatment available now that i am not familiar with, Pardon me i am sincere i am not saying women have more skin problems, i am just admitting they are more knowledgeable about what to do with skin problems than all men i know about them...

Proactiv

Usually boys forget they have to wash their face. if that doesnt clear it up and it isnt an issue then the dermatologist is the way to go. That way he doesnt risk excerbating the problem with drying otc stuff. the doc could prolly give him a little duogel or differin and clear it up.

Take him to whatever a skin doctor is called. My son hid it from me and when I finally found out he had a really bad case I took him in. I almost was accused of child neglect but the doc cleared it up quite nicely. To this day my son is 40 and still has very bad scars on his chest, like he was hit with a shotgun blast. Dermatolist I think they are called.

Hook him up with some Stridex Power Pads - the benzoyl peroxide should clear him up in a week or so, if he uses it every night.

I never ever had acne as a kid, but now that I'm a menopausal old bag I'm getting it. The Stridex is knocking it out just fine. :yay:

Get him a doctor's appointment -- they have great stuff these days and if OTC stuff will do it, the doc will tell you.

I would probably try somthing otc first. I personally use Neutrogena face wash but I have very mild adult acne. If the otc stuff doesn't help then definitely see a dermatologist. Causing your skin to dry out too much can cause more acne.

ProActiv

Probiotics (not just yogurt, look for a probiotic that is enteric coated), fish oil (with a higher EPA than DHA). Cut back on the processed prepackaged, sugary and white flour foods which increases candida bacteria.

Forget stridex, clearasil, seabreeze, noxema.... etc.... they contain alcohol that strips the skin of oils which in turn makes you overproduce these oils. Opt for a perfume, dye, and preservative free soap that is PH balanced. For spot treatment of acne try tea tree oil on a q-tip, just dab the sebaceous inflamed pore.

Really it's about taking care of inside as well as out.

Use Proactive (or equivalent), eat healthy, keep pillow cases clean and fingers off of face.

If that doesn't help go to a dermatologist for a course of antibiotics and specialized topical treatment.

I used to use Proactiv everyday for at least 2 years. I started going to an esthetician regularly a few years back who told me Proactiv was one of the worst things to use on your face. It is not good to use a scrub/exfoliant every day. At most, we should exfoliate once a week, otherwise we're just stripping our skin of the oils it needs.

My advice: drink lots and LOTS of water!!

actually clinique has very good mens face stuff. I have used everything from proactive, to clearasil, to neutrogena, to Rx creams, to acutane (sp)- i have tried it all. I found that clinique did the same as the dermatologist but also "evened" out my skin. it took about a week but cleared everything up nd has stayed that way.

Proactive doesn't do anything for more serious acne. My mom got it for me a long time ago, turned out to be a waste of money. Dermalogica is the only thing that's even curbed my acne. You can get it at Hair It Is and S-Kape (sp?).

Dad, is any of this helping you? :lol:

Take the kid to the dermatologist. Ask Derm. about over the counter vs. prescription treatments.

Dad, is any of this helping you? :lol:

Yes Ma'am, i appreciate all the input. Son sometimes is a little hard to talk to one on one about personal matters such as this. I didn't want to bring it up to him and embarass him or make him feel bad about it without some mention of solutions.. I would like to thank everybody for all of their responses and input.

Hook him up with some Stridex Power Pads - the benzoyl peroxide should clear him up in a week or so, if he uses it every night.

I never ever had acne as a kid, but now that I'm a menopausal old bag I'm getting it. The Stridex is knocking it out just fine. :yay:


Use progesterone cream. I'm convinced having my tubes tied screwed up my hormones. NEVER had so much as a pimple growing up but at 25 after baby #2 my face started breaking out. Starting using progesterone cream and viola!

Use progesterone cream. I'm convinced having my tubes tied screwed up my hormones. NEVER had so much as a pimple growing up but at 25 after baby #2 my face started breaking out. Starting using progesterone cream and viola!

JEEEZE!!! I had a huge box of Emerita Pro-Gest (http://www.emerita.com/index.cfm/category/4/perimenopause.cfm) that I gave away when I found out I was pregnant, I wish I knew....

Yes Ma'am, i appreciate all the input. Son sometimes is a little hard to talk to one on one about personal matters such as this. I didn't want to bring it up to him and embarass him or make him feel bad about it without some mention of solutions.. I would like to thank everybody for all of their responses and input.

Whatever he decides to use, make sure he uses a moisturizer after. Even if he has oily skin. I've had terrible acne and oily skin all my life. When you use washes they tend to dry out the skin and then there's more oil and more acne, it's a vicious cycle. The object is to keep a balance.

Try neosporin on the face at night to help keep his face clear.

Also caffeine, for me, plays a huge part in my breakouts. Being a teenager I'm sure there's lots of sodas and candy he's into. Cut back and it'll probably help. My other cause for breakouts is cinnamon, go figure, the week following Thanksgiving is a bad time for my face. Pay attention to what he's eating and take away anything you think could be a cause for about a week and then give it back and see how his skin does.

I would recommend a dermatologist but I haven't been to one in so long, I wouldn't know who to recommend. You may be able to get it under control before you need to take this step.

Sorry if this is the wrong forum. But 16 year old son has a mild/medium acne problem. Not being a smart A$$ or anything but i know that you all know a lot more about skin care products than men do. I am an antique father type and when i was young " back in the dark ages " the only product i remember available to me was sp? Clearsil??? I was just wondering if there might be a better treatment available now that i am not familiar with, Pardon me i am sincere i am not saying women have more skin problems, i am just admitting they are more knowledgeable about what to do with skin problems than all men i know about them...

Proactive would probably be the best but it's a 3-step process and he'd have to stick with it, morning and night. Cetaphil is a good cleanser, is easily accessible and easy to use (you can get it from the grocery store or something like CVS). No frills, just clean skin. That's what my dermatologist recommended when I was younger. Too many of the other cleansers overstimulate the skin...clearasil/stridex makes your skin dry so it produces more oil creating a vicious cycle. I say stick to something simple. Maybe just buy it for him, put it in the shower and tell him to use it :yay:


Oh and drinking water instead of soda makes a HUGE difference.