Son's face went from clear to bout ready to explode almost overnight, I bought him some clearacel cleansing pads is there anything else to help him? he hides under a baseball cap now I told him to lay off the greasy foods and candy and sodas, which he doesnt get often anyway but never hurts

__________________
Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com

My other favorites
www.paperbackswap.com
www.wheresgeorge.com
www.geocaching.com

Greasy foods, candy and sodas are not affecting your son's skin in any way. I don't mean to sound harsh, but that's a common misconception.

Giving him the Clearasil cleansing pads is a GREAT step. Also you may want to pick up either some benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid (Clearasil cream or Clean & Clear Persa-Gel) to help dry out the acne.

Acne is caused by an excess of sebum (oil) on the face, bacteria and good ol' hormones. Encourage your son to drink lots of water to help keep himself hydrated, which can help keep skin clearer. Also, encourage him not to wear a hat because the hat will trap the oils, dirt and bacteria and keep it close to the skin, which will, in turn, cause more acne.

Acne sucks, honestly. I didn't suffer with it as a teen, but I have had bouts of it as an adult!

__________________
Proud mama to Emily and wife to Dan!

You might want to consider a dermatologist since the change was so sudden. I really don't think the food selections make much difference. However, the ball cap is holding the oil on his forehead.

My DS had the same problem. Doc put him on an antibotic and a med to rub on his face. It really clears it right up.

__________________
My MySpace Page

To Leave Me FeedBack Click HERE

When ds had that problem, I took him to our gp and he was prescribed Cleocin which is an antibiotic that you apply to the skin. It worked great. The faster you get the medicine, the better.

__________________
Proud Wife of an Army Soldier and proud mother of an Army MP currently serving in Iraq.


"To any critics who say a woman can't think and work and carry a baby at the same time, I'd just like to escort that Neanderthal back to the cave." - Sarah Palin

Please take him to a dermatologist.

I would definately say take him to the Doc since it was such a sudden change. I didn't have a big problem with acne when I was young, but my best friend did and I always felt to horrible for her....Of course now I have had several horrible bouts with acne, with the acne always winning.....

If you go to the Proactive site they have a pretty good section on acne myths and causes....might be worth the read.....

__________________
"You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward."

Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes

O-H-I-O

[quote=mkagarise;2812222]Greasy foods, candy and sodas are not affecting your son's skin in any way. I don't mean to sound harsh, but that's a common misconception.[quote]

You are right and I was aware of it when I told my DS the same thing ... I got him to eat a little healthier .

I took him to the Dermatologist, bought $100 worth of product, he didn't use it and a year later his skin looked a lot better. Maybe it would have looked better earlier, maybe not ...

My sister swears by the wal-mart brand of proactive (knock off much cheaper!!)
Also I have a friend who swears by witch hazel. She said it got her through the teen years and she never had a breakout!
Maybe the next time you are at the drug store, ask the pharmacist what the strongest and most reliable product is on the shelf today.
It may save you $$ in the end if you have to spend $100 on acne medicine that your son won't take the time to put on...

__________________

My DS was on accutane for 9 months. Please get him in now if it happened that fast. We thought we would wait it out but it only got worse. Now that it is under control he only has to use a topical called tretinoin and it works great. He also has a prescription for Ceftin to use if he notices a flair up. That puts it right back into check.

Jen

__________________
Mom to Jake, Zach & Meghan
SJCC STREAKS FOOTBALL!!
CLEVELAND BROWNS FOOTBALL!

I had HORRIBLE and I mean HORRIBLE acne on my back when I was about 16, and Cleocin is what the Dr. gave me. Worked great. I had my mom keep the Rx current (she worked for the Dr and could do that) so I could use it when I would have an outbreak in other places.

__________________
Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

I was on accutane twice and my son is on his second time also. Acne can be heredity also. Please see a dermatologist. I live with it everyday and please if you can help him now it is a lot better.