14 year old problem skin...i'm ready to shop

[lairkeeper]

My daughter is 14 and battling acne of all kinds. Loads of blackheads, particularly around her nose, medium sized cystic acne at her hair line and on her cheeks mostly and enlarged pores. I've recently had her put on birth control for issues with her period and am hoping that will help some but I really need to get her on a skincare routine to help. So where do I start? I'm thinking a cleanser, toner and moisturizer to start with but have no ideas on which ones to try first. And should I add a serum to this line up?

Help!

[xraisonxdetre]

Lairkeeper- your daughter sounds like me. I think some gentle, non-stipping skincare items along with the BC should go a long way in helping with her acne. It has absolutely helped with mine.

These are some of my fave items. I have an oily t-zone and dry cheeks.

For the toner, I really like the bha toner. The bha really helps acne go down and I don't find it harsh at all (its 2% i believe)
The green tea/aloe hydrating serum is great for skin with acne. I think getting hydration into the skin is really impt. I never used to do this, and Ive now found that its crucial.
As for the moisturizer, I think this really just depends. Hemp is supposed to be the best for acne prone skin, but I personally love raspberry. I would suggest getting samples of a few and letting her decide. Also, try a sample of the new daily defense moisturizer. I find this to be better for the fall/winter

If your daughter isn't good with sticking with a routine (this describes me perfectly haha) you can try mixing the serum/moisturizer together into one step. I do this a lot when Im in a hurry and Ive never had any issues

I hope this helps!

[karen]

The Pore Refining Toner might be a good start for her (she'll love it), maybe some BHA...but if that and the birth control don't cut it, take her to a doctor. A couple of teenage zits aren't a big deal, but cystic acne is incredibly difficult to treat, and can leave her with scars.

[zooeyblue]

I have super sensitive, acne-prone skin, and I love the green tea & aloe serum. I have not tried any of the moisturizers, so I cannot help on that one. I just got a sample of the BHA toner, so I have not really had a chance to "test drive" it, but I used it to spot-treat some places last night, and I had no burning or redness from it, and the spots looked much better this morning.

The Mario Badescu buffering lotion is supposed to be good for cystic acne, but I have not seen massive results with it. The Ulta store in Anderson has the MB line now (I know that's a drive for you!). I have a bottle and could make you a sample for her, if you want!

[lairkeeper]

I actually just handed her a sample of the MB drying cream that I had forgotten about in my "chest of beauty stuff". We've got an Ulta in Greenville now too. I'm not sure if they carry the MB stuff though. I've got a cart full of samples from SN now ready to go. I was gonna place a $10 order...somehow my total is now at $23 or so....how did that happen? LOL And ya know, after you pass the $20 mark, may as well push that to $30 and get another free shadow right? Bwahahahahahaha

[robinbird_22]

I actually just handed her a sample of the MB drying cream that I had forgotten about in my "chest of beauty stuff". We've got an Ulta in Greenville now too. I'm not sure if they carry the MB stuff though. I've got a cart full of samples from SN now ready to go. I was gonna place a $10 order...somehow my total is now at $23 or so....how did that happen? LOL And ya know, after you pass the $20 mark, may as well push that to $30 and get another free shadow right? Bwahahahahahaha

hahahaha....That's what gets me every time. If you get far enough past a certain point, you might as well move up to the next level for the free eye shadow.

[lairkeeper]

Finally clicked the checkout button.

1 x Sample Facelift Vitamin C, DMAE & Peptide serum
1 x Sample Peach Foundation *Only*
1 x Sample Ebony foundation *Only*
1 x Eye Lash Conditioning Gel
1 x Pore Refining Toner
1 x Sample Ultra Sheer Zinc Finishing Powder
1 x Sample *Kit* Medium Coverage Ivory
1 x Sample BHA toner
1 x Sample Green Tea and Aloe Hydrating Serum
1 x Sample Holy Crow! Instant Wrinkle Remover
1 x Sample Intensive Moisturizer
1 x Sample Raspberry Moisturizer
1 x Sample Simple C serum
1 x Hemp Moisturizer

Some of this is for daughter and some is for me. Went ahead and got a full size of the Hemp Moisturizer and the Pore Refining Toner. One of us should be able to use them so it won't go to waste. I'm really excited to try all of the skin care items but especially the Holy Crow!

[zeebs]

The Pore Refining Toner might be a good start for her (she'll love it), maybe some BHA...but if that and the birth control don't cut it, take her to a doctor. A couple of teenage zits aren't a big deal, but cystic acne is incredibly difficult to treat, and can leave her with scars.

I agree with this, but based on my own experience with dermatologists, make sure you find one that (1) comes recommended by others; (2) you can trust; (3) remembers your name, your daughter's name, and your daughter's prescriptions each time you visit. There are a lot of bad, overbooked, busy doctors, and dermatologists are especially in demand. A waiting list for a good one is totally worth it. A research/teaching hospital, if there is one near you, is my recommendation.

A bad dermatologist can make things worse, and is a very giant waste of money.

PS, I love the hemp moisturizer. I am very blemish-prone and have sensitive skin.

[lairkeeper]

I just had a look at acne.org and what she has is a bit larger and redder than the picture of the "pustule" but smaller than the "cyst". Perhaps the "nodule", but they generally come to a head on their own. They are tender to the touch once they get to a certain size. I had pretty much the same problem at her age and managed come out of it without scars, but how I have no idea, since my grandmother was a freak about "popping" pimples and extracting blackheads with her fingernails. Oh how I hated to let her see my skin in anything other than very dim light.

If I don't see some improvement soon I'll get her to a doctor. We're still working on her BC routine. Having a hard time finding something that will regulate her flow. Bless her soul, she inherited both my skin and my uterus. I'm thinking we'll try the routine outlined in the Pore Refining Toner description to try to get the blackheads under control.

[Trainer]

I just had a look at acne.org and what she has is a bit larger and redder than the picture of the "pustule" but smaller than the "cyst". Perhaps the "nodule", but they generally come to a head on their own. They are tender to the touch once they get to a certain size. I had pretty much the same problem at her age and managed come out of it without scars, but how I have no idea, since my grandmother was a freak about "popping" pimples and extracting blackheads with her fingernails. Oh how I hated to let her see my skin in anything other than very dim light.

If I don't see some improvement soon I'll get her to a doctor. We're still working on her BC routine. Having a hard time finding something that will regulate her flow. Bless her soul, she inherited both my skin and my uterus. I'm thinking we'll try the routine outlined in the Pore Refining Toner description to try to get the blackheads under control.

My girlfriends 14 year old daughter had the same cystic acne and she found out that it was actually the dairy products she was eating . If your daughter eats dairy or drinks milk, I would try cutting all of those foods (even pizza ) out of her diet for three weeks or longer and seeing if her skin improves. If it does, than she shouldn't eat dairy anymore. I wouldn't introduce any skin care products at this time just a cleansing soap with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid (aveeno makes a good one) and maybe use some Proactiv cream as well . It really works.