<p>“Bunsen–I think I’ve seen trentonin in over the counter. Btw, could I ask you a question? My gf’s teen daughter started having bad acne. I mentioned Accutane & she was worried that since it caused severe birth defects it might otherwise adversely impact a girl’s hormones/reproductive health in some way (my gf is a pharmacist, so I thought her concerns were likely based in a certain amount of knowledge). Her daughter’s really upset about it–I’d love to be able to tell her it’s okay (daughter is 14 and def not at risk for preg).”</p>
<p>Jolynne, here are my thoughts on OTC tretinoin:</p>
<p>Either A) The FDA has fallen off the deep end by allowing the OTC use of a potentially teratogenic substance;
Or B) The makers of those OTC creams are lying about their products
Or C) They are selling this stuff illegally.</p>
<p>Today I tried to “buy” tretinoin-containing cream from a Canadian online drug store, and a prescription was required to fill the order.</p>
<p>Regarding your friend’s daughter. I’m sure as a pharmacist your gf knows a lot about side effects of drugs. If her D goes on Accutane, it is possible that D will have to take birth control pills while she is on Accutane. According to my friend who got Accutane to treat a horrible case of acne on her back, she was required to sign off on some forms that she’d use 2 forms of birth control (!!!) while taking this drug and undergo a pregnancy test. Apparently, Roche, the maker of the drug, and FDA implemented a program called IPLEDGE which requires all women of childbearing age to do so. I do not know if 14 would be considered “childbearing” age.</p>
<p>I would not put my kids on either bc pills or Accutane unless there is a clear medical need. Accutane is a miracle drug to treat acne, but miracles come with a price. I’d try other things before asking for it.</p>
<p>I have been using Paula’s Choice antioxidant serums and really love them. One of them is matte and is great for daytime use. I put it on before my moisturizer (Aveeno positively ageless) and it makes your skin feel wonderful. It’s available from the website cosmeticscop.com. I use a number of Paula’s Choice products, but I also read all of her recommendations for other products. She wrote the book Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. Her website is a treasure trove of information (even if you don’t buy her makeup) and she sends out a good (free) newsletter with advice and reviews of new products on the market. Periodically she sends a free PDF document with an annual review of products and sometimes she sends a PDF about the best way to care for specific skin problems. It’s worth checking out.</p>
<p>Bunsenburner–thank you very much for that info/opinion on Accutane! I was actually considering it for my son since he’s had a medium bad case of acne for almost a year. Instead, we’ll continue w/the oral antibiotics.</p>
<p>One other acne thing I almost forgot to mention!! My son was away at MIT this summer for 2 weeks & came back w/his skin almost completely clear! I realized he hadn’t been drinking the huge amounts of milk that he ordinarily does (giant bowl of cereal for breakfast & bedtime snack, big glass of milk w/almost every meal…). We tried having him give up milk & his skin cleared up somewhat. He went back to it & it got worse…so now he’s completely given it up & it’s slowly improving.</p>
<p>Switching to organic milk (less hormones) did not help. Giving up it totally did.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Btw–Alummom–I’m def going to try that Whole Foods trial pack of MyChelle! I like make up, but to me the underlying skin-care stuff is so much more key. Can almost do w/out the make up if you get that right! Thanks!</p>
<p>I was also wondering about the artichoke water as well - is it something you make, or something you can buy? My D has started having monthly breakouts and is willing to try anything to calm them down. We are trying to avoid medication as she just experiences breakouts a few days each month.</p>
<p>You might considering trying giving up the milk. If they are cyclical (monthly) maybe the break-outs are hormone-related (& milk often has lots of hormones).</p>
<p>I’m not a scientist, though–just anecdotal experience!</p>
<p>BTW, I second the Laura Mercier primer - it’s excellent. There’s also something called Spackle by Laura Geller that works well. I received a sample of it with an order from Sephora.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestion Jolynne, but my daughter doesn’t drink milk, so I don’t think that’s the problem - I do think it has to do with her menstrual cycle and that it’s hormone-related. I also experienced that as a teen, but only one or two pimples - she unfortunately has started to break out a lot more than that. Luckily, it is not too noticeable when she puts on makeup, but I know she would feel better if she didn’t have to worry about the breakouts.</p>
<p>Limomomof2–not to try to be a pseudo-nutritionist here, but does she drink or eat a lot of soy products? A couple of gfs & I have started drinking soy. It’s got a lot of estrogen. My one gf who had gone through early menopause started back w/her monthly cycle after starting soy! I noticed I got a lot moodier, so stopped it (soy milk also has a noticable impact on my 6 yo daughter!).</p>
<p>Just something to consider (maybe reducing that, if she does consume)…</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions Jolynne, but I don’t think it’s soy products either. She occasionally eats edamame, but that’s it. About the only foods she eats a lot of are red grapes and dry cold cereal. She is almost a vegetarian, but not a tofu lover. She would rather get her protein from beans, nuts, and eggs. About the only meat she eats is my meatloaf, about once or twice a month. On rarer occasions, she will eat a turkey wrap. I honestly don’t think it’s a nutrition thing with her. She drinks a lot of water and eats quite a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. She is not a fan of dairy products - not even ice cream or yogurt. The hormone thing does make sense though. Thanks for your suggestions though - I do appreciate hearing your opinions. I decided to try the zinc oxide and just picked some up at Target a few minutes ago. I figured it’s worth a shot, right?</p>
<p>My S’s doctor made him go through 4 or 5 years of antibiotics, trying to clear up his severe acne. Everytime I asked about Accutane, he wanted to try something else first, including one dismal failure in a drug trial (he was either on the placebo, or the drug didn’t work). I finally switched doctors. The new one took one look at him and recommended we consider Accutane. I was surprised at how fast he suggested it, and asked if we needed to try something else first. He said, “Looks like you already have.” He also told me that when it goes to the back, there are few other drugs that will touch it. </p>
<p>We had some in-depth discussion about the pros and cons of it, and do feel it was the right decision. In hindsight, I believe that 5 or 6 months of Accutane was much less damaging to my S than 4-5 years worth of antibiotics. </p>
<p>The doctor did say that it was much easier to treat males, because of all the potential problems and requirements for females.</p>
<p>How to make artichokes water - boil artichokes in water, then drink the water. Make sure the artichokes are clean and organic. I got them from Whole Foods market. Artichokes water also helps with people with sleeping problem. I think it cools the yin or yang maybe kidney.</p>
<p>Thanks 99cents - I had a feeling it involved boiling artichokes in water. That’s great - maybe we’ll add stuffed artichokes to our Thanksgiving menu…lol. It’s definitely worth trying anyway. Do you know if the artichoke water actually makes you sleepy? That would not be a good side effect for my D! She has no sleep issues and too much to do to be sleepy.</p>
<p>I drank some myself and I did get sleepy last night, I could not stay awake past my normal hours. Got up later than usual. D has problem with sleep as well but I did not see her this morning so apparently she did not overslept.
On a side note, D has problem with milk, not lactose intolerant, but if she drinks something cold in the morning like milk she falls asleep in class.
I don’t know if yeast is a cause for her acne. But I did bake lots of bread last year which coincidental with the break out of her acne.</p>
<p>Thanks again 99cents. Since the artichoke water made you sleepy, maybe I’ll let her try it before she goes to bed at night. Just wondering, do you drink it hot or cold? I doesn’t really sound appealing, either way - but at least she likes artichokes so she won’t be too resistant. She also wants to get rid of the acne.</p>
<p>Either, hot or cold. My preference is hot because it feels like drinking hot tea. It does not taste wonderful, at least that is what my D said. I poured the rest of the water in a container. If she wants it to drink it hot, she can heat it up in a microwave.</p>
<p>Diet modification can help a lot with solving skin problems! For some of D’s friends giving up sweets or excess “useless” carbs (white bread, cookies, etc.) made a huge difference. Some people can have various reactions to milk proteins, not neccessarily hormones. But if you give up something that has essential nutrients, you have to make sure you get supplements. If your kid does not drink milk, he has to get his calcium and vitamin D from another source, otherwise he’ll have bone/teeth problems down the road.</p>
<p>It is true that soy has compounds that are believed to act like estrogens in the human body, so excess of soy products may cause problems.</p>
<p>I agree. My kid does crazy stuff. She stayed out late for homecoming, went to starbucks for coffee at nearly 12:00 A.M, then went bowling afterwards until 2-3 A.M. If I have that kind of schedule, my face would look terrible too. All the stress of her UC writing essay does not help either.
She drinks milk when she gets home from school and then takes a nap, so it works out. She does not completely cut out milk.</p>
<p>I just went out to look for organic artichokes - no luck. I’ll talk to H about it tonight - he has a Whole Foods near where he works, so he can try there. </p>
<p>Good point, BunsenBurner, about the need for some calcium in the diet. I realize my D does not get enough - she tries to force it in somehow, but I doubt it’s enough. A little milk in scrambled eggs, a little in a cup of tea - that’s about it. Once in awhile, she’ll eat a spoon of ricotta cheese or a bite or two of baked ziti, but that’s very rare. I am concerned about her limited protein and calcium intakes, especially as she is a runner. </p>
<p>99cents - like your kid, my D stays out late nights on weekends - but during the week she has extremely long days as well. She gets to school at 7 AM, and the earliest she ever leaves is 5:30 PM. She is often at school until 9:00/9:30 at night - and during winter track last year, she didn’t get home until after 11 or even midnight on a few occasions. Then, she still has to do homework - that’s why I said I wouldn’t want her to be sleepy…lol. But you’re right - that type of schedule probably wreaks havoc on her complexion - I hadn’t even thought of that.</p>