<p>RUN-DON’T WALK- to your nearest day spa and purchase a tube of Lerosett clay mask. It is made by Gunilla of Sweden and runs about $30-$35 a tube. It is an ALL NATURAL clay mask and works by pulling oils from the pores and keeping them bacteria free. My sons both have one at school for spot breakouts and they literally dry up within a day or two. If you aren’t interested in harsh chemicals, I am telling you, this stuff is a miracle in a tube. When breakouts are severe, apply mask to entire face twice a day, (once during the day for 30 minutes and once overnight) applying an extra dab on trouble spots, rinse with tepid water and apply Burt’s Bees Garden Tomato all natural toner (for oily skin) to close pores. Tell your son to stick with it and within two weeks his skin should be clear or very close to it. Then he can use 2 or 3 times a week for maintenance. I HAVE SEEN THIS CHANGE TEENAGERS LIVES!!! You can also purchase it from Amazon for about $31 with free shipping…and read the reviews. Best wishes to your son!</p>
<p>low dose accutane.</p>
<p>Sounds like you’ve tried everything else–Accutane may be the way to go.</p>
<p>My S had terrible cystic acne on his back and neck when he was only 12/13. He very quickly ran through all the alternatives before getting Accutane at 13. It worked wonders. S is now 22, acne never came back. (Though dermatologist said he might need another round at age 18/19, it wasn’t necessary.)
Only side effect was dry cracked lips. He had regular blood tests, which he remembers as worse than the treatment! Expensive, but partially covered by insurance. Totally worth it–just like the braces.
My nephew also used Accutane after suffering for years–he was already in college when he tried it. Again, total cure. Accutane was a miracle drug–greatly improved looks and self-image for both of these young men.</p>
<p>Another accutane mom here. DS used the generic Sotret and Amnesteen (sp?). One was more effective than the other, but now I dont recall which was which. Also, he had breakouts whenever the MD increased the dose, so he ended up on a very low dose for about 11 months. He also had very chapped lips for most of the time. That was the only side effect we were aware of.</p>
<p>At the final appt, the derm told him to avoid getting a piercing or tattoo for at least 6 months. Later, I heard him say to a friend “My doctor told me I can’t get a tattoo.” I did not correct him.</p>
<p>Here’s our story. Not sure if this will work for your son, but Ithought you might be interested.</p>
<p>When my son was 16-17, he had terrible acne that we could not control. Proactiv was what we ended up using but that wasnt very effective and he wasnt good about suing the whole system all the time. He left for Marine Corps boot camp just before his 18th birthday, and when he graduated three and a half months later, he had no more acne. None! Just that gorgeous, handsome face that I barely recognized!</p>
<p>In boot camp, they do not allow you to pick your face (or any scab) for fear of developing cystitis, and he was a “picker” before. And, there is absolutely no junk food or soft drinks or even (in his case anyway) anything with sugar. He’s 6’3", he went in at 205 lbs (which was within the weight standards but not acceptable to his drill sergeant), and came out at 168. </p>
<p>The combination of not picking the sores and no sugar worked for him. Almost a year later, he still has beautiful clear skin.</p>
<p>I made an appointment with the dermatologist for when he gets home in a couple of weeks. I will bring up Accutane, although maybe they will make us wait until he is home for the summer. It is comforting to know that so many of you had positive experiences with it. The changing of the pillow cases more frequently is new to me and makes a lot of sense. He does have more on one side than the other. At home I used to wash his sheets in hot water once a week (because he is allergic to dust mites) and I am sure he isn’t washing his sheets very frequently at school. The derm swears food doesn’t matter, but I really wonder about the sugar. In the dorms he is drinking soda everyday and having soft-serve ice cream every meal. I think I will also buy a tube of the Lerosett clay mask. It sounds like it is worth a try. Thanks for all the suggestions!!!</p>
<p>tx5 – if he has a lot of outdoor activities in the summer, make sure you talk to the derm about that and accutane. sunburn is a side effect. Eggson’s doc had him go off treatment when he was camping for a couple of weeks. Just went back on low dose after he was no longer outdoors 24/7.</p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>S is almost 15 and is having a very bad time with acne. Derm has him on Duac, Retin A, and now benzaclear. Still bad. I keep telling him not to touch his face, but when I was at his school for a conference, that’s all he did. Chin in hands, hands rubbing cheeks, hands scratching forehead. I wonder if all the cleansers/medications make their skin irritated so they itch, which just spreads the dirt and germs? Ask him if his skin feels tight or hot – if he’s using a cleanser with salycylic acid plus topical meds, might be too much. Maybe have him use a gentle cleanser then just topical medicine at night, not in am. Definitely change the pilowcase often. And to save your nice towels-- only let him use white. The benzoyl peroxide will strip all the color out of anything – it’s like throwing bleach in the wash. Good luck.</p>
<p>Another huge accutane fan here. Our derm had us go through all the topicals and antibiotics first but nothing worked. My kids didn’t have severe cystic acne, but it was always an issue to one degree or another. This was a wonder drug for us, beautiful skin and aside from chapped lips, no down side.</p>
<p>My son is just finishing up his course of Accutane treatment this week. He tried EVERYTHING before going on Accutane. It has been incredible for him. The acne is cleared up and his personality has undergone an amazing change for the better now that he no longer wants to fly under the radar for fear of being noticed. He had dry lips/skin and somewhat achy joints, but he has dealt with it well. </p>
<p>He started on the Accutane in the spring but had an issue with headaches and eyes at the start. His dermatologist had him thoroughly checked out to make sure there was no brain swelling, and he took him off for a couple months. When school ended, my S started on Accutane again, with a lower dose. The doctor moved the dosage up gradually, and S had no problems. He went off to college while on Accutane, though, which was a bit of a challenge. The college health center does Accutane blood draws for quite a few students, though, so it wasn’t anything new for them.</p>
<p>At first, we hadn’t yet met our insurance deductible. Yikes!!! We met the deductible quickly. Be sure to shop around, as all Accutane is generic & I don’t think it makes a difference which brand you use. The prices vary widely by pharmacy.</p>
<p>Two of my brothers were on Accutane as adults, and they encouraged me to put S on it when I was nervous. They were very grateful for the difference it made in their lives. One needed just the first treatment; the other needed two courses. Hopefully, S will be fine with just this one course.</p>
<p>Pernox-been using the product for years. It is a facial scrub that am now ordering off the internet. Also, a regimen alternating between salycilic acid and benzoyl peroxide.</p>
<p>I have been struggling for acne for about 8 years. It runs in my family 
</p>
<p>I’ve tried every over the counter treatment. They only work for about a week. I’ve tried natural treatments. The only prescription I received from my former physician was BenzaClin and it did nothing for me. My mom is very skeptical and highly critical of conventional medicine and so I was discouraged from going back to try something else. </p>
<p>Now that I’m at university I’m under the student health insurance and I’m going to be prescribed Accutane soon :)</p>
<p>My doc put me on high-dose minocycline while we waited out the 30-day mandatory period before my Accutane could be prescribed. The minocycline helped a little at first and then the acne started creeping back.</p>
<p>The co-pay for Accutane is going to be only $15. I hope it does the trick. I am reallly tired of my face looking like crap and having people (strangers even) give me advice about what to do about my skin. I’m tired of putting make up on everyday to cover my blemishes just so people won’t stare at my skin. I have hyper-pigmentation, so any zit (no matter how little) turns into a dark blemish which can take months to fade. I avoid mirrors. It really has damaged my self-confidence. </p>
<p>Here’s hoping…</p>
<p>Accutane. Period.</p>
<p>My mom and I both took Accutane. It was a godsend. I took the first round in the fifth or sixth grade and the second one a year later. Only had chapped lips during treatment. I’d go through it again in a heartbeat if I had to (and I was a Huge needle phobe back then). Went from pizza face/back/chest (doc said it would have scarred) to the occasional pimple from bad habits. Tried everything before that. It better still be around when I have kids!</p>
<p>UPDATE: my son came home from finals a week ago. His face was better, but still bad. For the last week (in addition to his current regimen) we have been doing a daily 30 minute Lerosett clay mask. Also we are changing the pillow cases daily and switched him to a Burt’s Bees shampoo. His face is better but still not great, although it has only been a week) We saw the dermatologist on Wed and he recommended Accutane. He will start in 2 weeks. We are crossing our fingers! Thanks for all of the advice.</p>
<p>son has been on accutane for one month now…he also has atopic dermatitis so we were really worried about the drying effects… his skin is usually extremely dry and irritated but so far it is just drier but not anything he would stop the meds because of. It really is monitored…if fact both times he has gone to fill the script he hasnt been able to get it filled right away as the clinic he goes to hadnt done something they needed to do. One word of caution if child is away at college…make sure he will be at the pharmacy location on the day it is due and able to keep doctor appointments, ie dont want him/her home when refill due…unless they see the doctor, no script. the other thing to consider is the cost…this month’s script was 732.00… we will be reimbursed 80% by insurance though.</p>
<p>Related problem: DS is mostly getting over his cystic acne now, but it left scars, especially on his chest. (Not so much on his face, thank God!) He has had a number of laser treatments. They seemed to work very well on his face–he’s a handsome kid, if I do say so–but his chest is still a mess. He is so self-conscious about his chest that he refuses to swim…and he used to love the water. I don’t know what to do…am thinking of switching dermatologists. He still gets cysts on his back occasionally. I am hoping to get him all “lasered up” before he goes off to college. Yet another expense that makes public colleges / merit aid look like the only option, college-wise! The Doryx and laser treatments (latter not covered by insurance) are killing us.</p>
<p>DS’s younger brother has just mild, ordinary teenage acne – little zits here and there that go away quickly and leave no scars. I don’t know why his older bro got so slammed with the cystic stuff. The poor kid! Am so thankful that the laser worked on his face, at least. (But his face was never the worst spot – it was definitely the chest.)</p>
<p>OP, you sound like you have a plan in place so this is probably too late to be of much use. Mine is a cautionary tale. </p>
<p>My daughter tried all the topical and oral treatments you mentioned, plus YAZ BC pills, and still had cystic acne. Her exceptionally competent, conservative dermatologist finally let her try accutane. The first month on it she was here at home so we could carefully monitor her. No problem. Then she left for college. About six weeks later we got a 1am phone call from the ER near her school. She was suicidal and had to be admitted to the psych ward. </p>
<p>Our daughter is one of the most level-headed, even-keeled kids you could ever hope to meet. She has a remarkable zest and enthusiasm for life, an eternal optimist and utterly confident. The psychiatrist assured us this was merely a reaction to the accutane brought about by the stress of college. Once the drug was out of her system, she would be fine. She stayed in the psych unit for about a week. Once released, she was back to her former sunny self.</p>
<p>Sadly, her acne has returned. I don’t care. She’s here, and she’s fine. That’s all that matters. </p>
<p>I hope your son responds well to the accutane. My advice would be to keep a very close eye on him.</p>
<p>P.S. Both kids inherited their dad’s hairy chestedness(sp?)–so I’m hoping the hair will eventually cover most of the scarring…that is, if further laser treatments don’t work. I wish we’d gone to the dermatologist sooner, but we kept thinking benzoyl peroxide would do the trick. We didn’t even realize it was cystic acne. We were so stupid!!</p>
<p>je n’sais quoi – have y’all tried steroid shots for the cystic outbreaks? Also laser treatments for any scarring?</p>
<p>That is a cautionary tale indeed. The poor kid!!</p>