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Post by shanniebananie on Apr 6, 2016 17:57:18 GMT
My 13 year old son has been battling acne for the past 2 years without any luck clearing it up. It is cystic. After months of delay, I finally gave permission for him to start. I dread having him experience the side effects, but he is starting to scar and his self-esteem is suffering. We will closely monitor his health along with the doctor.
I was put on Accutane while I was in high school and remember feeling like my lips would fall off from the dryness. I also recall my legs aching. I don't think I had any other side effects.
If your child has been on Accutane, any tips to get through this? I sent him to school with Aquaphor for his lips and a water bottle that he should refill at least once. I remember it is so important to stay hydrated.
What moisturizer and/or sunscreen would you recommend?
Was the initial breakout horrible? I dread this so much. He has end of the year activities going on and I hate for him to feel even worse, but we really want to get a handle on this before school begins again in August.
Any tips or helpful advice is appreciated.
UPDATE******
So, my DH and I decided not proceed with Accutane for my son. The side effects are just too serious and my stomach was in knots with worry. We only got two days into it. The side effect that put me over the edge is that has been known (in rare cases, but it is proven) that it can close the growth plates and stunt the child's growth! My son is only 13 and though he is 5'10" already, he is not done growing and I would hate for this to effect him so drastically.
Also, in the two weeks from when we saw the doc to when we started the Accutane, my son's face cleared up considerably! He started taking a probiotic everyday about a month ago because I read an article with an actress who said that doing this cleared up her cystic acne. It is known that a healthy gut can have a very positive effect on your complexion. So it feels right to pursue a more natural solution first. I just don't feel we have exhausted all avenues yet. And, when looking a pictures of kids with moderate and sever acne, I would say my son really only has mild-moderate. I have made another appt to discuss our options and I have made an appt for him to have an acne facial to start addressing the scars and see how we can treat them.
I am not against this drug totally. I know it has helped millions (myself included). I just feel he is too young to be putting himself at such risk and I think we haven't exhausted all courses of treatment yet.
Thank you again for all your replies.
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carhoch
Pearl Clutcher
Be yourself everybody else is already taken
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Post by carhoch on Apr 6, 2016 18:24:02 GMT
My son use Accutane years ago his skin clear up in 4 weeks it was amazing to see , the only problem he got was the dry lips he was putting Aquaphor on it 20 times a day and they were still bad.
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Post by kkooch on Apr 6, 2016 19:21:34 GMT
Both my son and daughter were on it and like carhoch said, dried lips are the only real problem. Amazing the difference it makes. Looking back at pictures I feel so bad for my DD who struggled with it during school despite all the other meds she tried. Was definitely worth the blood work etc. DD still swears by Aquaphor. As far as suntan lotion, just use whatever you normally do.
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Post by Basket1lady on Apr 6, 2016 19:32:40 GMT
DH was on it when he was 18. It made a huge difference. I remember the dry lips, but it was worth it. He's almost 50 now and still gets spots, but nothing like it was when he was a teen.
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Post by mom2luke on Apr 6, 2016 19:33:36 GMT
We are so happy we let our son go on Accutane. The dry lips were the worst part of it. In fact, he starting clearing up within the first month. The dry lips are definitely the worst part of it all! Oh and my son? Hates chapstick!
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Post by mtscrapper on Apr 6, 2016 19:48:08 GMT
My daughter was on it, and I only wished we had started sooner. She had been to a dermatologist, but he didn't prescribe Accutane (like ever to anyone) and we just kept going back and back every 6 weeks and nothing ever changed with anything he told her to do. We finally had to switch dermatologists and she immediately started her on Accutane. The difference the first month was amazing. The dry lips were really the only big side effect. She has fairly oily skin and for that 6 months, she loved how her hair was. She actually could go 2 days without washing her hair. Her doctor had given her some samples of stuff for the lips. I can't even remember what it was, but she loved that stuff. Otherwise, her next favorite was Vaseline.
When she got off Accutane, the oil seemed to come on stronger for a month or two until her skin evened out again. It was definitely worth it for us.
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Post by shanniebananie on Apr 6, 2016 22:48:47 GMT
Thank you all do much for your replies! He made it through the first day and says the only thing he felels is pretty tired.
Were you nervous about the serious side effects while your child was on it? Intestinal damage, depression/harmful thoughts, vision damage? This is the stuff that is freaking me out!
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ellen
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,500
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Post by ellen on Apr 6, 2016 22:57:00 GMT
My daughter took Accutane and it did a beautiful job clearing up her skin. She had insanely dry lips and had to have lip balm on her at all times. She used Aquaphor and coconut oil for her dry skin. She had a sore back and she had some issues with high cholesterol toward the end of her treatment. She had to take fish oil capsules to lower that. That was about it for her side effects. I was nervous about her going on Accutane because of all the potential side effects, but she didn't have any big ones. She was so happy that her skin was finally clear and it stayed like that. Totally worth it.
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Post by underwatermama on Apr 6, 2016 23:24:17 GMT
My DS was on it too. Besides drinking a LOT of water, he used a ton of aquaphor. We also got a bagful of dr. approved lotion/cream samples from their office for him to try out and see what he preferred. He also really liked the sample sizes to take to school and just keep in his pocket. Not only were his lips really chapped but all the skin on his face was dry. He refused to eat hamburgers/sandwiches because it hurt to open his mouth wide enough to do so.
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Post by sunraynnc on Apr 6, 2016 23:38:51 GMT
Please watch him for depression. My dd only needed one cycle, but one of the last dosage increases almost sent her over the edge. She couldn't stop crying. It finally clicked with me what was wrong (other than normal teen moodiness) and we called the doctor. We scaled back the dosage and she was fine.
She was super dry (especially lips) but she would do it all over again. Results were great.
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zookeeper
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by zookeeper on Apr 7, 2016 1:12:21 GMT
Aquaphor!!! Buy him tubes of it to have everywhere.
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Deleted
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May 5, 2024 21:51:38 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2016 1:56:23 GMT
I was on it about 15 years ago. The only thing that worked well for my lips was the Blistex squeezable lip cream.
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Post by cmpeter on Apr 7, 2016 3:56:40 GMT
DS took it and the only side effect was dry lips. Tubes of Aquaphore were his best friend. I was a little nervous at first about the side effects. But, as his monthly blood checks came back clear and his skin started clearing up, those went away. It's been four years now and his skin is just perfect. Dd had similar acne issues but her dermatologist put her on Yaz birth control pills and those have completely cleared up her acne.
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Post by shanniebananie on Apr 8, 2016 19:18:24 GMT
Bump for update
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ellen
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,500
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Post by ellen on Apr 8, 2016 21:21:30 GMT
My daughter was 16 when she started Accutane and had been seeing a dermatologist for a couple years and had tried a few other things before she started Accutane. I wouldn't have done Accutane with a 13 year old either. I don't regret at all that my daughter took Accutane and I probably would have let her start it earlier had I known how well it would work, but I wouldn't have done it when she was so young. I'm glad that she tried other things first.
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Post by maryland on Apr 8, 2016 23:41:57 GMT
My 18 yr. old had mild acne, but it bothered her, so I took her to a dermatoligist. They gave her a special shampoo because the doctor said that he sees a lot of dandruff and acne in athletes (she was a dancer and on the track team). She was to rub it on her face while washing her hair. She was also given a low dose of retin A. It cleared up a little, but we didn't want to try accutane (and they said they normally wouldn't give it to her because her acne wasn't bad at all). She is a freshman in college out of state. She jokes that the water in her old dorm must clear up her skin because when she came home for Thanksgiving, winter break and spring break, her face was perfect. Then after being home it broke out again. We tell her to bottle up dorm water and bring it home for the summer!  |
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Post by hop2 on Apr 8, 2016 23:53:36 GMT
My DD's dermatologist would not put DD on accutane unless she was on birth control. Which can also clear your skin. She tried to get DD to try just the BC but DD didn't want to so no accutane.
It's DD's life and DD's choice, though she was a bit older when she started treatment. She was 15, she had various treatments until she was almost 18 then she stopped. We supported her decision.
Btw which probiotic are you using there are so many!!
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Post by hop2 on Apr 8, 2016 23:55:35 GMT
My 18 yr. old had mild acne, but it bothered her, so I took her to a dermatoligist. They gave her a special shampoo because the doctor said that he sees a lot of dandruff and acne in athletes (she was a dancer and on the track team). She was to rub it on her face while washing her hair. She was also given a low dose of retin A. It cleared up a little, but we didn't want to try accutane (and they said they normally wouldn't give it to her because her acne wasn't bad at all). She is a freshman in college out of state. She jokes that the water in her old dorm must clear up her skin because when she came home for Thanksgiving, winter break and spring break, her face was perfect. Then after being home it broke out again. We tell her to bottle up dorm water and bring it home for the summer! Ha my DD had the same thing happen. I told her it was because she balls up in her bed here for all hours and does nothing, where as on campus she is always busy doing work or seeing friends. I told her hibernating in bed with electronics was bad for her skin. Lol |
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TankTop
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Jun 28, 2014 1:52:46 GMT
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Post by TankTop on Apr 8, 2016 23:59:09 GMT
Would you mind sharing the probiotic your DS is taking?
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Post by jamielynn on Apr 9, 2016 0:29:10 GMT
I didn't read all the responses but had you tried the actual proactive brand? I did and had great luck with it. The only downfall was it bleached towels/bedding. I was shocked for an infomercial product.
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Post by maryland on Apr 9, 2016 2:03:28 GMT
My 18 yr. old had mild acne, but it bothered her, so I took her to a dermatoligist. They gave her a special shampoo because the doctor said that he sees a lot of dandruff and acne in athletes (she was a dancer and on the track team). She was to rub it on her face while washing her hair. She was also given a low dose of retin A. It cleared up a little, but we didn't want to try accutane (and they said they normally wouldn't give it to her because her acne wasn't bad at all). She is a freshman in college out of state. She jokes that the water in her old dorm must clear up her skin because when she came home for Thanksgiving, winter break and spring break, her face was perfect. Then after being home it broke out again. We tell her to bottle up dorm water and bring it home for the summer! Ha my DD had the same thing happen. I told her it was because she balls up in her bed here for all hours and does nothing, where as on campus she is always busy doing work or seeing friends. I told her hibernating in bed with electronics was bad for her skin. Lol That's exactly how my daughter is! She hardly ever went out in high school, always sat at home on the weekends. My husband and I didn't understand, as we were social in high school, and we always encourage our girls to have a social life and to enjoy high school and their friends. But she started college and is so social with her college friends! She hangs out with girls on her hall and they study together, go to class together, go out a lot and have a lot of fun. She also hangs out in the lounge with the boys on her floor. She says that she knows she needs to get to bed, but she can't stop socializing. I love the social girl she has become! She says the boys on her floor are so easy to talk too, and they are engineering majors, so they can help her with calculus. She loves college! |
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Post by shanniebananie on Apr 9, 2016 2:18:53 GMT
We used Renew Life Ultimate Flora Extra Care 50 Billon Probiotic. We got it through Amazon. I am really amazed at the improvement.
We have already cut out dairy. We are really trying to cut down on gluten and sugar too.
Tonight I mixed 30 drops of witch hazel and a few drops of 100% tea tree oil and applied with a cotton ball to his red spots on his forehead.
I should add we went back to taking Bactrim which had been presribed in Jan. I didn't really notice much improvement until the probiotic though.
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