Need Help Finding Something to Help Son's Acne

I sometimes break out on my neck/shoulders and since I started using a scrub with salicylic acid it doesn't happen anymore. The one I use is Neutrogena but I used Garnier in the past and it worked great too. I use it each time I shower. Some people (like me) have much much oiler skin than other people. Someone with regular skin cannot use this all the time bc they would get too dry. But I don't get dry using it every time I shower (almost daily). PS - You might want to take him to a dermatologist bc they will know a lot more.

Had a long answer typed out and it was lost.

Short answer: When my son wrestled in high school, he used Defense Soap.
https://www.amazon.com/Defense-Soap-Ounce-Pack-Pharmaceut...

So much more stands out to me than back acne...

An annual physical has nothing to do with school vs homeschool, please take your child to a medical professional regularly. A chiropractor adjusting him has nothing to do with "staying healthy".

And I'm sorry, no human in my home would work out and not shower immediately upon arriving home. ADHD is not an excuse for poor hygiene, which is likely the culprit. There are so many health issues(particularly skin infections) that are highly contagious in sweaty gym environments, particularly with body to body contact or mats used by multiple people. He NEEDS TO
SHOWER, NOT BATHE, immediately AFTER a workout - showering before is NOT important, he can toss some deodorant on. He may very well have some sort of fungal or bacterial infection on his back - especially given the hygiene situation.

Time to see a Dr and get him showering. He's WAY too old for that. If he's too ADHD to remember to shower, it's time to scale back on the outside activities and hit the basics WAY harder. A diagnosis is not an excuse for a kid to do/not do basic life skills, but it does require different parenting strategies sometimes. And yes, I have a special needs child, so I do relate to the struggle.

The good news is this is likely a VERY simple solution.

I think you need to ask a dermatologist. I was under the impression that acne was usually unrelated to how much you wash the area or how much chocolate you eat (something I was told in the '80's). It has to do with your body chemistry. I mention it because you don't want to give him the impression that he is doing anything wrong. It's just rotten luck that some people are more prone to acne than others.

One of the challenges you face with acne is that there are so many different types. You need to know what type of acne your son has in order to know what is going to be helpful. An ointment that worked for a friend could possibly make your son's acne worse if he has a different type.

Have you asked your pediatrician? Peds are not dermatologists, but it's a good place to start. Otherwise, you might talk to your pharmacists.

Right now you don't know what type of acne this is, so it's really a good idea to talk to someone who can identify it and get you the right ointment or wash.

He needs a dermatologist. You are spending money for him to compete as a gymnist. Spend money on him not having terrible acne scars for the rest of his life.

Microderm abrasion is an excellent way to help. My own sons had face and back acne. I was lucky that the dermatologist's office had an esthetician who did this. There's a "sticky" layer that covers the skin and holds in impurities and makes it harder for topical medicines to penetrate the skin. The microderm abrasion gets rid of that sticky substance, and the esthetician can remove blackheads while she's there. She will do it without causing scarring.

I was so grateful for this for my boys. It helped so much.

It's troubling to me that your child hasn't been to a doctor in how long. Home schooling has nothing to do with it. Being healthy has nothing to do with it. Children need annual doctor visits weather they are healthy or not. It's your job as a parent to provide medical care to your children. Bad insurance is not an excuse to not take your child to the doctor. All your children need annual physicals!! Not providing this basic need is neglect. Please get your kids set up with annual medical care at the very least.

Take him to the dermatologist. It will be worth every penny.

Make sure he takes a shower every night before he goes to bed.

As a quick fix, we used the "toothpaste" trick on our faces. Regular toothpaste rubbed on a zit will get rid of it, but I'm not sure it will work on a large area with serious acne. (We used crest)

One of my daughter's friends was put on a maintenance dose of antibiotic and it cleared him up in very short order. He only took it for about 6 or 8 months and then they took him off to see how he did. It cured it, but he was very careful to wash often and follow the prescribed regimen.

ETA: per your SWH and additions, I understand insurance. My deductible for daughter and myself is $12,000 so I pay 100% until we hit it which we only did once, in 2016 when she had heart surgery.

Health and safety should NEVER be compromised. I would NEVER not have my child see a Dr. because of my deductible or crappy insurance plan. I would find a way to pay the Dr, set up a payment plan or something. There is NO excuse in my book for not seeing a Dr. when a child (or anyone) needs medical care.

There is an option for a cash price which leaves the insurance out of the transaction and the fees are lower. Example... I had an MRI scheduled and I was told my portion of the $2600 would be $1250 through my insurance. I casually said wow, what does one do with no insurance. I was told, they pay the cash price of $450. I said I would gladly pay the cash price and leave insurance out of it. SO by simply ASKING A QUESTION.... I saved $800.

Call your DR. It is NOT worth allowing your son to potentially scar that will last him his lifetime.

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I would take him to a dermatologist.

A Dr can properly diagnose and prescribe meds if needed.

As for over the counter.. a lot of Dr's recommend Purpose soap or Cetaphil.

I'm not familiar with acne products over the counter as we did not have that issue.

I did however, take my daughter to a dermatologist around 12-13 as a proactive approach to the routine skin care we practice.

My sons use Clean & Clear wash, toner, and moisturizer for sensitive skin and it does the job for their mild and intermittent facial breakouts. They don't have back acne.

My niece, however, needs prescription care from a dermatologist. Severe acne is a medical condition that has to be treated to avoid serious infections and scarring. Sometimes acne is provoked by an existing infection and requires antibiotics before the skin will clear. No topical product will fix the issue when that is the case.

I get you about insurance. We have a high-deductible plan so if I took one of my kids today, I'd be responsible for the bill total. However, I consider this a medical necessity. Do whatever kind of hoop jumping and rearranging you must to get him to a dermatologist. Talk to billing about setting up a payment plan.

In the meantime, do make sure he showers - but don't tell him to scrub at it because that makes it worse, not better - and make sure he is sleeping on clean sheets and pillow cases to reduce the oils and bacteria. Have him change his sheets at often and make sure they are washed in Hot water.

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Updated

Try Stridex medicated pads. My granddaughter uses them on her face and it really works well.

Proactive is great for back and face. I hope you'll be able to get better insurance. You can also call his pediatrician and explain your difficulty maybe they can suggest something over the counter. Proactive is what helped my son as well as his cousin's acne when they were in their teens! Warning ...it will bring out the acne but continue to use instructions, and it will even out the skin making it clear. It's a wonderful solution. The price isn't too bad it's worth it for your son's concerns.

I'd try to talk with him about discipline. I'm assuming he already understands the discipline of practice, staying in shape, attending gymnastic meetings and practices, and competitions. He must understand the discipline of being in uniform, wearing the right equipment, etc. So in a similar vein, personal hygiene is as important as any of the other disciplines involved in any competitive sport. There are certain body washes that a pharmacist can recommend, and your son needs to accept that if he has the mental and physical ability to be a competitive gymnast, he obviously has the mental and physical ability to take care of his body. That includes showering frequently, showering with a proper body wash, showering thoroughly, and eating well (fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, limited or zero sodas and energy drinks and chips). Make him responsible for personal hygiene and nutrition. Teach him that it's as important as stretching before a practice or whatever gymnasts do as part of their training.

Certainly, ADHD factors into certain things, but as far as I know, it doesn't mean that the child can't shower. Yes, perhaps your son needs a reminder for a post-workout or competition shower, but if he refuses, you may need to be more strict. If he's got any free time (for electronics, relaxing with a book or tv, for example) then he has enough time for a shower. He might have to lose that free time unless it's preceded by a shower and proper hygiene and personal care.

If it's the keratin type of acne then his pores have little mushroom shaped plugs in them. The nly way to get those to go away is to use any cleaning product with salicylic acid in it. Then he has to wash well with it. I'd say he needs help with this. He needs to get the area clean then rinse it well. Then he needs to moisturize his skin to make the plugs softer.

I didn't think that would help when our girl started getting bumpy skin. But we moisturize with a good facial lotion and her skin has pretty much cleared up.

The plugs get a hard skin on top of them and that makes them where they can't come out. It's normal for us to ooze this keratin out of our pores all the time but if it's too much or our skin is too dry the keratin plugs the pore and then turns into that hard little clog.

Cleaning then moisturizing the skin is about the only way I found to treat this issue. And it's an every day thing. Tell him he can choose. Choose to have his back look like this or have you come in and wash his back maybe twice per day and then put lotion on it as soon as he's done washing his skin. He can put some swim suit bottoms on while doing this so you and he will feel less invasive.

A layer of lotion on the skin seals in the moisture. If he dries it off then walks around a while before putting lotion on the clogs have time to dry out on top and make that crust even thicker.

Our family takes the supplement L-lysine for acne, ulcers and many other skin issues. We take two on the onset of a pimple or ulcer (before it breaks the skin) then 1 a day after that. If we take it after it breaks the skin, it reduces the time and the discomfort. My teenagers do not have acne. We swear by it!

There is medication of course, but

- back brush (cleaned regularly)
- a facial skin wash for teens OR Pears soap (used on back brush)
- anything with benzoyl peroxide or Salicylic acid (low percentage)
- no conditioner for hair (that could run down his back, if he's using one or switch from a 2 in 1 if he's using that too)

It's imperative he showers after. My teens break out if they don't shower after hockey.

The gels/topical ointments should clear it up - applied twice a day after washed. If it doesn't, there's regimens that can be prescribed, some people like Proactive. Personally, we've kept our kids' pimples under control by doing the above. Hopefully that helps!

You might try to always make sure he showers after. He could be breaking out due to the contact with the equipment. A friend from work uses Neosporin on acne. My daughter tried it on her face and it did work. A friends cousin used dandruff shampoo on his acne. He has a roofing company and would break out bad on his back in the summer. I was told it pretty well in reducing how bad it could get.

Try having him gently wash with a paste of water and baking soda and rinse with plain water a few times per week.
A good back brush should help with this.
He could try a paste of baking soda and honey too - honey has antibacterial properties.
It's just abrasive enough to keep his pores open.
Using it too often would dry his skin out too much.

http://www.facingacne.com/baking-soda-cure-acne/

if my husband eats a ton of chocolate and greasy foods his back will break out. maybe diet is secretly contributing? i would eliminate some foods that cause acne and keep a journal to see what foods help to clear up the skin. also taking a fish oil daily helps with skin conditions maybe theres one that can help with acne too. find a nutritionist in your area that can help you learn what foods help and what foods hinder. (our health department has a nutritionist and its free to talk to her.)

Take him to a dermatologist. They will diagnose and recommend treatment for his type of acne. Out of pocket, my dermatologist charges $120. It is well worth the money imo. You really don't want him to scar.

I sympathize with the problems of having poor insurance and high expenses.

I would talk to the pharmacist - that costs nothing. And you can make a call to your pediatrician - that costs nothing. Your son will also need his annual physical, probably before school starts in September, right? So bring that up then.

Some forms of acne are helped by adding gentle exfoliation (such as a back brush) to showers, but some forms may be irritated by it.

I'll just add that a 15 year old who is not taking a shower is a problem - for a million reasons. ADHD or not, he doesn't get to opt out of showers and he doesn't get to "forget." I have no idea why he would need a shower before practice though - that makes no sense! But afterwards is a different story. You tell him that's what happens first, upon arriving home, before anything else. If he's old enough and focused enough to manage his school work and a competitive gymnastics training and meet schedule, he can take a shower. If he's going to bed during puberty and after competition/practice without showering, then I assume he's getting up the next morning and stripping his bed and washing his sheets. If he's not, it's time to inform him that this is the consequence of not showering. A 15 year old needs to be learning to do his own laundry anyway - he'll be off on his own in a few years and this is a basic life skill.

I would see if you could hook up with a Rodan and Fields consultant. We have a line of products especially for dealing with acne. You can check it out by googling Rodan and Fields. I'm sure there is a consultant near you.

Good luck!