12 yr old daughter has long term acne

[baileybird]

daughter has been on antibiotics for two years for acne
doc has taken her off them as they are not working and we go to see consultant tomorrow

what is likely to be the next step. has anyone taken dianette and come off it sucessfully.

any comments really appreciated

[dot.hawkes]

get her along to a Chinese herbalist shop, there is at least one in most towns now, we have 2 in Wigan actually:
http://www.drshen.com/herbsforacne.htm

[daffy654]

Dianette is great for acne,I took it for years as I had acne from the age of 10 right through my teens and into adulthood. I still get the occasional outbreak now age 39.I'm not allowed to take the pill now though as i'm a smoker aged over 35 :-(
It is a good way of controlling the acne but as your daughter is only 12 I would question whether taking the contraceptive pill is wise.I was 14 before they even considered that option.I hope they find something that works for her,I know how she must feel.x

[beryllium]

Hi baileybird,

Have you looked at red/blue light therapy? they were doing this treatment at Hammersmith Hospital.....

http://www.rosacea.co.uk/blog/2006/07/new-stud y-on-red-and-blue-light-for.html

May be worth looking into :)

[Ice-Maiden]

I wouldnt've thought that the pill was very good for a 12 year old girl to take, but at her age, the acne'll probably disappear by itself eventually.

[Emu2005]

I took dianette for a few years from about age 18 onwards, it did well for my skin but I needed the pill as well, that's why it was suggested. I was really worried about coming off it when they wouldn't give me anymore, but didn't really have many problems. I'm 25 now and still get some spots (did anyone else when they were young think when you got to your twenties your skin would be perfect??!!), but I use a Neutrogena toner which works really well and I would be lost without. Last year when I was away for a long time I ran out and my skin got much worse - I was horrified! Anyway I don't know if you wanted advice on products, but if you're always trying new things anyway I would really suggest giving this one a go.

http://www.boots.com/guidedsearch/newsearch.js p?searchArea=1&searchTerm=neutrogena+visibly+c lear+lotion&uri=%2Fguidedsearch%2Fnewsearch.js p&classificationId=&contentId=&articleId=&N=0& Ntk=all&Nty=1

Hope you get some good results :-)

[andrea81]

There are a lot of alternative therapies out there, sorry I don't know hat they are but have seen some on the TV that work.

I'm also not sure how successful drugs are as a friend of mine was on tablets for a short while but came off because of depression. Obviously something to think about if you do go down that road.

Good luck x

[devil99]

he may suggest roaccutane, it's a fairly new treatment but suppose to be very effective, read more here
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20 061010061730AAv9u7J

[sarah1979]

i was put on dianette when i was 16 and my skin cleared up quickly. I was taken off it after a couple of years and tried lots of other pills (needed to stay on the pill for contraception) but about three years ago i persuaded my doctor to let me go back on dianette as my skin had got a bit bad again. Doctor doesn't like me being on it for so long, but i have blood pressure checked regularly and it suits me so well. I know someone who is on roccatune (sp) which is a very strong drug, sounds a bit scary to be honest. He has become very forgetful and not quite 'with it' at times, but has cleared his skin up amazingly. He is 26, and i'm not sure if they'd prescribe it for a 12 year old.

[PortlandBill]

Try and avoid roaccutane, it has many side effects. There are many stories knocking around the net about the stuff but be sure to read tthe warnings if you do take it. I did when i was 20, it dried up my face but it causes numbness in lips and the consequent dribbles at night can cause marking on the skin, which is already dry. It can affect liver function as well if i recall. It did work, but i gave up taking it 6 months before i got married to restore my face! That said, my acne is pretty much non existant and in most cases it does reduce with age.

[China Doll]

Again... got to go with the dianette angle.

Also, good diet and drink lots of water.

[laura_123]

Hey baileybird,

My friend has just come off Dianette at the age of 18, she has only been on it for around 6 months but she has had endless problems with it. It has given her terrible mood swings (more so than normal!), she cries for no reason, has constant headaches, and has been sick around 6 times since she has been on it.
Whether these are a definite link to Dianette I'm not 100% sure but she certainly seems to think so.
She originally went on to clear her skin up as she's suffered from acne for years. Tried antibiotics, and at the same time had a special roll-on liquid, and she believes it is the liquid that has worked more than anything!
Dianette is probably a very successful pill to be on, I just thought you could have an opinion for both sides of the argument!
Hope all goes well with your daughter. x

[baileybird]

thanks for this
roaccutane is be started in 3 months
not an easy decision to make is it
hope all goes well