My son is only 12 and already he has a total gross pizza face. He says he washes it with soap and water twice a day (I half believe him) and I just gave him some acne pad to wipe on his face after showering, but I have seen no improvement.
Advice?
I had acne when I was a teenager, and I wish my parents had done what I will do if my kids have acne - take them to a dermatologist. None of the stuff at the store worked for me and I had pretty bad acne well into my 20s. It sucked.
You could try seeing a dermatologist–a lot of times they put you on antibiotics or on prescription creams that are a lot more effective.
Plus I’d refrain from the gross pizza face remarks.
I use ProActiv Solution. Well, some of the Solution. Not every one of their like six products. I use the Renewing Cleanser and Repairing Lotion and it works like a charm. You might be able to find some kind of automated kiosk thingy in a mall nearby to save you the trouble of hitting up a dermatologist.
The biggest problem is that he is a 12 year old boy, and not real into putting a lot of stuff on his face. He says he washes it, but I don’t really think he does it regularly. He doesn’t like girls (yet) so he really doesn’t have the incentive to fix it.
Maybe I just have to wait until it starts bothering him.
Overwashing (including too frequently, scrubbing too aggressively, or using an inappropriate soap) can actually cause problems, so if he is really washing his face twice a day with hand soap or body soap he should stop doing that. At the minimum buy him a product that is actually intended for face washing.
+1
He might stumble onto the dope, and getting hit with a phrase like that sucks when you are still forming your personality. I hated having it pointed out to me, even gently. I knew what I looked like thankyouverymuch.
I was on a couple different antibiotics off and on all my life, and it took forced menopause to stop the zits [I had them all whipped into submission except for about 3 very recalcitrant locations that recurred all the time] but I dont think nutering him is the answer…
But then he won’t go through male pattern baldness! (Well…if you do it in time.)
In addition to neutrogena, Cetaphil and Aveeno are good facial washes for sensitive skin.
Just a warning – not sure if Accutane is still being prescribed, but a friend of mine was put on it in high school and only after going off it did he realize it had been the cause of his suicidal depression. Not even a hint of a warning from the doctor.
Agree with Hello Again that he may be making it worse if he’s just running a bar of soap over his face, and that overwashing can make things worse. If he’s 12 and hesitant to use ‘grooming products,’ try getting him basic pimple meds in gender-neutral packaging. (It’s freaking 2009 and my male friends still won’t buy facial scrub marketed to women, even if they love it and it costs less!)
There are various types of acne, I had it bad as a teen and still have the pox marks to prove it.
The cystic type is a lot worse and the potential for scarring is greater. A dermatologist will do the best to trade off potential pox marks with healing.
For the average teen acne a dose of OTC acne meds is fine. But if you say “Pizza face,” than that is a sign it’s bad enough for a dermatologist.
A dermatologist may not be able to clear it up but at least he can do a lot to prevent the pox marks that’ll get left behind by overdrying and such
Well, I don’t know about Accutane–I just meant an antibio. I was on one called doxycycline mono for a while but it caused a lot of yeast infections in me. (Blech.)
At home solutions: cleanse with a mild cleanser such as Cetaphyl; DO NOT SCRUB with a washcloth or loofah! Then apply benzoyl peroxide 2.5% or 5% cream or gel. This is the active ingredient in ProActiv, so no need to waste your money on that.
However, echoing others, if it really is into “pizza face” severity, he really does need to go to a dermatologist.
Where do you get a cream or gel of BP?
Also, it’s the active ingredient in a lot of acne products, including what a dermatologist might prescribe. So you (the OP) might want to try that before going to a dermatologist.
I second (third, etc) the overwashing. I found what helped a lot when I was in high school was just to wash during my shower in the morning, then use an acne wipe (or something like SeaBreeze or Witch Hazel) at night before bed.
My parents took my brother to a dermatologist when he was a teen and in addition to some facial wash he had to use the Dr had him severly restrict his sodium intake, which made a big difference. It was awkward for a teenager though because when going out for burgers and stuff he always had to wait for them to prepare a fresh batch of fries so he could get them before salting, etc. A lot of processed food like canned soup and lunch meats and all were out of the question, which was of course all he knew how to cook so he ate a lot of cereal and frozen waffles, lol.
Today he’s 35 and a good-looking guy with a lot of self control. Still can’t cook though.
I know many don’t put stock in dietary factors, but from personal experience, my skin has always broken out more when I’m eating more crap. Cutting down on things like soda pop, processed foods, sugar, and greasy foods has always helped me (and vice versa; more of those types of foods = more breakouts). Just something to consider, especially if - like me - you find topical treatments and antibiotics don’t help.
ETA: I’m in my mid-30’s now and still deal with occasional breakouts, but the above was true in my teens as well.
It is harder to find in less than 10% especially in stores, but you can get this Neutrogena “On the Spot” 2.5% BP cream in most drug stores. And I have heard good things about this 2.5% BP treatment too.
Another vote for “washing twice a day with soap” being bad. First just get him washing twice a day with Cetaphil, and get him a bar to keep in the shower, too, so he washes his face in the shower with the right product (you can usually find a dispenser bottle at the drug store with a free bar attached).
It might take a while to find what post-washing medication for him to use. Keep an eye out for the condition of his skin - if it starts to look more oily it may actually be more dry (from whatever product he ends up using), or if it actually looks dry and flaky, he’ll get more zits.
Also MAKE SURE HE WASHES HIS HAIR. My teenage cousin went through a period of not showering all the time. I think he thought it made his hair look cooler or something. Greasy hair leads to greasy face. Get him to change his pillowcases often, too. I keep a stack of them in the drawer next to my bed, so I can have fresh ones more often than I change my sheets.
Both of you can check out Acne.org. I went through a period of severe acne recently (just before I turned THIRTY) and went there to read the message boards and came away with some good tips. My issue was cystic acne and I needed a dermatologist’s help BUT the message boards seem to be full of very compassionate people, mostly other kids who share their stories and really want to get rid of their acne. If nothing else, I learned not to get too frustrated when something that works for someone else doesn’t work for me - acne seems to be pretty diverse in its nastiness.
The Oxy line of drugstore acne treatment seems to be packaged more for guys. They have the 10% BP creams and 2% salicylic acid pads, plus washes. I’m female and 39, and STILL have regular acne. For me the acid + BP is the only combo that keeps things in a modicum of control, and I have to wash and apply 2x/day for best results.
The clearest my skin has been since I was 12 has only been while under the care of a dermatologist, taking oral antibiotics (tetracycline) and applying topical antibiotics (erythromycin). I wasn’t about to stay on all those antibiotics for 20 years, though, so I stopped in my early 20’s and have just dealt with it ever since.
Sucks.
Another seemingly obviously thing kids might overlook…there’s a prescription acne medicine commercial currently running where a kid in every scene is wearing a grimy knit cap pulled down over his ears and face and my husband and I in unison yelled “WASH YOUR GADDAM CAP!” (For gals see: scarves, headbands, and bras for “bac-ne” etc.)
Bringing up Bac-ne reminds me of one thing that really really did the trick one time but you gotta really want it bad - pine tar soap. The one time I grew my hair out long I had it bad like whoa and that was the only thing that got rid of it but man does it reek like hell and strip you clean like Lava. I went back to my usual bob after that.
When I was still dealing with acne 6-8 years ago, this was my go-to stuff. 10% Benzoperoxide would burn my skin, and the salicylic acid product my doctor prescribed didn’t do a damn thing.
I used the regimen from acne.org, which is basically just a do-it yourself ProActive regimen. You can find everything they recommend at almost any drug store or Wal-Mart, and it only runs you about $10/month instead of $30-40 (ProActive).
There’s also a forum there, in which about 80% of the posters are either suffering acne or have suffered in the past, it’s a nice support forum, though I doubt a 12 year old boy would be interested in a support forum. 