Acne skin care? xpost

[gingerstar]

Hi ladies,
My DD is hitting puberty, and her poor face is spotty. She has very sensitive skin - I have always had to be careful with her hygiene products or she gets rashes.

So I am looking for advice on what skin care products might be helpful for her to treat her acne. I (thankfully) never really dealt with it, and I try to keep my kids using natural products, so I am not sure where to start. Just standing in the facial care products aisle is not helping me! Anything I can get thru Frontier is a bonus, since I have access to monthly co-ops locally.

Any BTDT advice? Thanks much! :

[orangefoot]

I was spotty teenager and still don't have totally clear skin at 35. My ds is 15 and started looking like he was following in my footsteps a couple of years ago.

I have come to the conclusion that cleaning my skin makes it worse and since I stopped using cleansers three years ago and just use oatmeal to wash with every other day and an oil cleanse once in a blue moon my skin is much better and I have very few breakouts. I also do no-poo and it has helped my hair no end.

Ds uses oatmeal to wash his face only a couple of times a week and also does an oil cleanse every now and then. He is aware that his skin is not getting any worse but his friends who are using much stronger acne cleansers are having even more problems.

What I am saying is that perhaps doing less is better than doing something.

Heres the link to the oil cleansing method discussions here on MDC.

[kolleen9]

Originally Posted by gingerstar

Hi ladies,
My DD is hitting puberty, and her poor face is spotty. She has very sensitive skin - I have always had to be careful with her hygiene products or she gets rashes.

So I am looking for advice on what skin care products might be helpful for her to treat her acne. I (thankfully) never really dealt with it, and I try to keep my kids using natural products, so I am not sure where to start. Just standing in the facial care products aisle is not helping me! Anything I can get thru Frontier is a bonus, since I have access to monthly co-ops locally.

Any BTDT advice? Thanks much! :

When my nephew hit puberty I got him a good liver cleanse and a good probiotic (Rx Balance Liver DTox and HMF Superpowder by Genestra respectively). His brother refused to believe it comes from the inside and his face is consistently spotty.

I know for my own young teen, whenever I see the spots come around, I have to remind him of his daily regimen and it all goes away after a few days.

hth,
Kolleen

[KBinSATX]

I think often it's not what you out on it that makes it better but rather what you leave off IMO.
If you are looking for natural things, soaps with neem oil usually have a positive effect on acne prone skin.

[2cutiekitties]

I have that kind of skin. I use grandpas soap to wash and paulas choice for the spots I get. I swear by the paulas choice blemish cream. I could never do proactive as my skin is too sensitive and it made me red and at this point those are the only two products that I can use, so thank the high heaven it keeps my skin clear.

Also, you might have her drink a gallon of water a day to flush. I feel for her. I have been acne prone my whole life and it totally sucks.

[greenmama]

The link to the mothering discussion worked, but it didn't actually explain the technique it linked us to long hair community and i didn't want to sign up for another board. Do you just apply the oil, massage it in well and then rinse it off with very hot water on a very soft cloth. I don't think I'll use it because I do fine just rinsing with warm water and no soap. My family has been shampoo free for over a year and are loving it. I was planning to not use soap on dd's face as she enters puberty, but was wanting some techniques if we do have problems (I think we might as she already gets the periodic blemish)

[orangefoot]

Here's a link I googled that explains the oil cleansing method well.

No-poo and no soap really works for me in my mind as well as on my body! I feel that I have been in some kind of mortal struggle against the oil on my skin and in my hair and this has been some kind of escape from that with good consequences all round.

[SusanElizabeth]

I have been through acne problems myself and also with my two teenagers.

My honest reaction is that if it's bad at all and you have health insurance or can afford it, go to a dermatologist. If my mother had taken me, years of suffering with acne would have been alleviated. And when you're a teenager, there are so many other things you have to worry about.

As soon as I was under a dermatologist's care, my acne was much much better. I was washing my face way too much and too aggresively and it made things worse. I have also found with my daughters that going to the dermatologist is worth it.

My daughter at one point ordered Pro Active, and it made her face break out twice as badly as it did before using this product.

[Linda on the move]

My DD has minor acne and Aveeno products work well for her. They are gentle. she uses:

Aveeno Clear complexion daily cleansing pads
Neutrogena Alcohol free toner
Aveeno clear complexion daily moisturizer


I had acne problems and have used pretty much everything on my skin, and have done the whole dermatologist thing (including some pretty scary drugs). My experience is that these things help:

1. A good diet with lots of produce and minimal processed stuff
2. Water, water and more water. A little green tea every now and then to break things up
3. Excercise, esp in fresh air
4. Keeping face clean using gentle products.
5. Moisturizing. When skin is dry, it produces more oil to compensate. A light moisturizer is a good thing!
6. Including healthy oils in the diet. Really good for the skin even though it seem counterintuitive.

Good luck!!!

[petra_william]

ive suffered with bad acne since hitting puberty and the only time my skin was (naturally) spot free was during the last few months of my pregnancy so i know its got to do with hormones a lot for me.
i have however found that the less i do the better it seems to get. it doesnt help that im a picker
i use tee trea oil sometimes when i feel a spot coming on and it works sometimes but can be to harsh for some
when i was about 13 my mum took me to a dermatologist and he gave me like a long term antibiotic treatment (at least thats what i think it was i cant remember) and that did clear it up. i was also put on the pill and that controlled my hormones so i didnt actually get spotty again until i stopped pumping myself up wiht artificial hormones
gentle all natural stuff has worked best for me but as im in the uk you probably wont have the same stuff. the make is weleda

[gingerstar]

Thanks much everyone for sharing your thoughts and experience.

Petra, we do have Weleda here, at least some products, and I love the ones I've tried.
Linda, she has had success with some Aveeno products, I will look into that too. I appreciate all your ideas; some we do, some we can add.
SusanE, I will keep that in mind. It's not that bad yet, but I wanted to start off right. I think we won't try ProActive!
orangefoot thanks for the links - very interesting! I like the idea of doing less, and will look into your ideas.
2cutiekitties, thanks for the rec's - I will look for those. She (thankfully) prefers water to drink, above anything else, and does drink a lot without being told.
kolleen, I will look for those products as well. I agree with your holistic approach - it makes sense.

I knew I would get good advice here - thanks, and feel free to add.