Skin Care for Teenage Boy to Control Pimples

My son tried various lines already mentioned here, and he is very good about keeping his face clean; he washes it morning and night, and keeps his hands off of his face. Nothing really helped. He has bad acne genes. My husband and I both had horrible teen acne.

About a year or so ago we started taking him to a dermatologist. Now he uses prescription topical ointments morning and night (two different ones), and takes an oral prescription as well. His face looks great!

Good luck! Acne is no fun to battle.

See a dermotologist if it gets worse, in the mean time anything with salycidic acid or benzoyl peroxide should do fine. Neutrogena, Clearasil, Clean and Clear, all put out great products. My son used Neutrogena until it got out of hand, then we saw a dermo. My step daughter used proactive, and my youngest uses Neutrogena.

Facial scrub and benzoil peroxide has worked well for him so far.
Stridex pads work well for spot cleanings and de oiling when ever he needs it.
He gets his skin from me.
When I was a teen I felt my face was the answer to the world oil crisis.

Neutrogena's "Stress Free Acne Wash"

This one: http://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Stress-Control-Power-Cle...

It's got salicylic acid as well as being an exfoliating wash. LOVED this product when I used to need it.

You'll get lots of varied responses because acne problems are as unique as people are.

I was never a teenage boy, but I was a girl, and I struggled terribly with acne. I still do as an adult approaching 30, but not nearly as bad. I have lots of acne scars because my parents had no idea how to approach the acne, and my Mom assumed it was a hygiene/diet issue, which is absolutely untrue.

Harsh soaps will always aggravate acne, but defining "harsh" is different for everybody. I'm allergic to anything with benzoyl peroxide, so I can't use spot treatments or anything like ProActiv. I have sensitive skin so most topical 'ointments' or gels are too harsh for me. I can't use drying alcohols, swabs, pads.

I have found the the most effective thing at keeping acne at bay is a very mild cleanser (like cetaphil, or CeraVe is my favorite), used once or twice daily. Nothing else on the skin, and keep hair off the skin. Lots of water during the day. That will clear any external factors. If his acne is still a problem, he needs to see a dermatologist. Don't bother with OTC stuff. Most of it is too harsh and doesn't work.

Good luck!

Cessation of eating gluten . . . my older son was well on his way to major skin problems. I even had an emergency room doc (there for a football injury) suggest to me that he see a dermatologist. His father had severe acne problems as a teen and young adult so it wasn't exactly surprising.

Anyway, when son stopped all gluten (wheat/rye/barley) his face cleared up and now his skin is gorgeous! I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. He doesn't do any elaborate face washing routines whatsoever. ETA: before he stopped the gluten he was using benzoyl pads (with some effectiveness but not enough).

The skin can be a great barometer of what's going on inside the body.

JMO, and I'm not a health care professional of any type. This is just my "mom" opinion.

You could try Proactiv. If his skin is very oily, it might help, because it's pretty drying (why it's mostly for teens or people with oily skin.)

Another thing that really has helped my kids is microderm abrasion. There's a sticky "film" on our skin that holds all the impurities in so that it's easier for blackheads and pimples to form with overactive oil glands. The microderm abrasion removes that sticky film. The esthetician who does this also knows how to safely remove blackheads (should use a curette to gain access under the skin so that she isn't squeezing the blackhead or infection down into the skin, which causes scarring).

My sons both have this done, and it is wonderful. The other thing that removing the sticky film does is make it so that the medications your son uses can get INTO the pores instead of laying on top of that sticky film.

Some dermatologists offices have estheticians on staff that do this. (Pay as you go - not insurance for estheticians.) Their cleanliness standards are very high and they are accredited in their field. That's where I go for my kids. Check that out.

Good luck!
Dawn

I managed a high end store. we only sold Kiehls Skin care products. it is all natural. The company is actually a pharmacy. They started the business in 1851 and are still going strong..

These are the products he needs to consider. If you do not have a store near by, You can order their products online. You may even ask them to send you some samples.

http://www.kiehls.com/Acne/face-acne,default,sc.html

we bit the bullet and subscribed to proactive. it really did help! my son is now 21 and rarely gets a zit.
khairete
S.

Have him wash twice daily with an acne wash and use a Clarisonic brush. I swear by them and my teenage son was shocked when his face cleared up. He washes twice a day during flare ups and then daily to maintain it and his skin looks considerably better!

I just bought him the same kind of stuff I used: acne wash, benzoyl (sp?) peroxide cream. etc.
When they got really bad, for about a year, we got something from his doctor, but I can't remember what it was called. It didn't make it go away completely but it helped a lot with the redness and puffiness.
Good luck, zits SUCK :(