<p>Thank you for all the posts, ideas & experiences - very helpful. The pediatrician did prescribe two prescription cremes for our son…I can’t say I have actually <em>witnessed</em> him using either one, and the skin has not improved yet, but at least mom can say she’s tried! Shaving…yeah, our son is getting the peach fuzz on his upper lip now, and I asked him over holiday break if he has thought about starting to shave. He said yeah, but not until the acne is cleared up! So…maybe once the peach fuzz gets prominent enough, he’ll reach for those cremes. One can hope?</p>
<p>Based on the previous thread, I had my S try oral zinc supplements, and within a week his cystic acne had miraculously subsided. He still has pimples, but not cystic ones.</p>
<p>I just finished my accutane regimen, and I can honestly tell you that it has been life-changing. I took two pills each morning for five months, and I had to do required monthly blood tests at the dermatologist. The only side effects I noticed were extremely dry skin and chapped lips (nothing that lotion and chap stick wouldn’t fix). Before the regimen I had horrible cystic acne, and now my face is completely clear with even the scarring starting to fade. I would recommend it to anyone.</p>
<p>I used to have horrible acne on my face, chest, and especially back. I took tetracycline and used the prescription washes for a while with no real change in situation. I never took accutane, but I did take bactrim and after a few weeks my acne was nearly cleared. You still have to go in for blood tests for that (something like) <.1% chance of becoming anemic, but it is not as extreme as accutane and would be a good thing to try for a while before moving to accutane.</p>
<p>It’s so sad that people think that kids with acne are dirty and don’t wash. Just not true. Our son struggled with acne beginning in 7th grade and we finally relented and let him go on Accutane in 9th. Oh, how I wish we’d done it sooner! It cleared him right up and it has never come back - he is now 21. </p>
<p>Acne is just a terrible burden to a kid during the teenage years. If it’s a really bad case and not responding to the antibiotics or topicals - by all means ask for acutane.</p>
<p>I am concerned about acutane because our son lives alone in a city where he doesn’t know anyone very well. If he had the mental/emotional side effects, no one would notice.</p>
<p>My son started Accutane 10 days ago. He left to go back to college 5 days ago. He was compliant and had tried everything prescription, over-the-counter and “natural” (including some ideas I got here) with really no effect. We discussed the potential mental/emotional side effects at length. I made sure this was his decision, not mine. I am keeping in much closer contact with him than before. He is very happy in his dorm, so whereas I was very resistant to starting in September, I am more comfortable with it now. So far, no side effects, acne is no better, but no worse (I understand results are not generally seen until the second month). I tried to get him to confide with one of his friends/roommates that he started this but I don’t think he has. I have witnessed the acne causing him to lose confidence and retreat and it breaks my heart so I am hoping that this is the answer.</p>
<p>My S started on Aczone 3 weeks ago. I can see a Big Difference, in intensity, color, size. (He still seeing a less than perfect complexion, so not as thrilled as I am.) If Aczone does not provide desired results by time he returns for summer, we’ll do Accutane. Dermatologist flat out said No to Accutane until summer. She never starts any kid on Accutane as they are heading back to dormlife. Her take on it is that someone (Mom or Dad) needs to closely monitor for side effects for a few months before kid heads to dorm life, especially given the alcohol abuse at college.
Side note: Dermatologist said Aczone (only recently approved here) has been the staple of European acne treatment for over five years, with minimal side effects. Mostly chapped lips.</p>
<p>My son just started on a 2 cream regimen … one for two weeks, and then a 2nd cream after that. (I’ll verify names of each cream when I get home.) In week one, there is already a huge improvement. He had already been pretty good about showering, washing his face etc., especially with sports causing more sweat, but H finally took him to the pediatritian. Both recognized that a little prescription help could go a long way for him. Yay for our handsome boys that will soon have great skin.</p>
<p>My s has been on Solodyn, and it worked very well. Then he was switched to an antibiotic (tetracycline or another,Ive forgotten offhand) and is now back on Solodyn. Someone recommended Volcanic ash. Has anyone tried this?? Does it work?</p>