Skincare/Dermatologist?

Mars

Mars

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So my daughter is 13 and she is starting to struggle a little with her skin. My wife is convinced that if she (my daughter) washes her face 2 or 3 times a day with face wash then it will sort out all her problems.

I'm not convinced if washing that much is good for you. So I have been thinking about taking her to a dermatologist to see what the actual issue is. I think if its hormones or ache then washing isn't going to help, I have heard that excessive washing may even make the problem worse.

So the question I'm asking here is: Is a derm the right place to go? The problem is not so bad that it needs a doctors visit and while I'll pay if I have to R1500 is a tough pill to swallow for a visit that may not be to the right place to go for a visit. The last time I went to see this (highly recommended) Derm he made me feel stupid for already knowing my condition by searching online and mispronouncing it when I spoke to him. So while he may be the best doctor, I don't really want to expose my daughter to him for skincare advice because he is a dick.

Is there something like a skincare clinic? Or a derm that deals with skincare in general rather than actual medical conditions?
 
She perhaps drink a lot of sugary drinks / refined / processed foods?
 
Acne is more hereditary than anything else. Keeping skin clean, multivitamins and drinking lots of water (LOTS). Is about the best you can do with the simple stuff. If you still need help after that, go see a pro.
 
saor said:
She perhaps drink a lot of sugary drinks / refined / processed foods?
Click to expand...

Nope. None at all in fact, we follow the banting diet.
calypso said:
Acne is more hereditary than anything else. Keeping skin clean, multivitamins and drinking lots of water (LOTS). Is about the best you can do with the simple stuff. If you still need help after that, go see a pro.
Click to expand...
Well, I'm not sure its acne. And as an aside, she already drinks a lot of water, and we take multivits most days.

My goal here is to know for sure if it is acne or hormones or dirt as my wife seems to think it is despite no one else in the house having to wash their face 3 times a day.
 
Just go to the derma for piece of mind then. Sure they expensive but better than permanent scars.
 
I had terrible acne from around the age of 12 until 17 and still have a break out or two at the age of 38. I tried all sorts of washes, creams, medicine, etc. but the only thing that worked properly was a course of Roaccutane when I was 16. Let a dermatologist see her and go from there...

Disclaimer: I am not in any way a medical practitioner.
 
You're correct that washing her face too often will make her skin worse, AFAIK it stimulates the skin to produce more sebum.

A decent selection of dermo-cosmetics is available from Dischem. Something like the Uriage range might help.
 
She's still quite young and it's possibly got a lot to do with hormones. My two cents is to go to Dischem and just buy a teen range - there are quite a few. Try discourage her from washing too often too.

My daughter had spots on her face, here and there too, but two years ago, came out in full blown acne on her back and chest. Thank goodness not on her face.
I took her to a dermatologist, hoping he wouldn't immediately put her onto Roacutanne (I was on it as a teen - terrible side effects although it worked like a bomb), and he didn't. I find a lot of these dermatologists are just too quick to do prescribe it.

Anyway, he put her on the birth control pill, a 3 month course of antibiotics and gave her Benzac AC 5 wash to use once a day (also a prescription wash... Extremely strong and potent). He said if this didn't work, he'd start with Roacutanne. We didn't have to go that route, it worked a bomb and has never returned.

Here's pics of what she looked like before treatment and a pic of the cream wash (but, as I said, you need a prescription for it).
4a3d805a90b221e1433dc13336ddacd2.jpg
f32693f4d2e430a74b9f9eed22ecdcd1.jpg
8c3a7656e38ed5b3cf629cb512c67f97.jpg
 
You don't need a prescription for Benzac, although without one, medical aid schemes won't pay for it.

Benzac cream (as opposed to wash) works very well too, but is expensive. Clicks often have a buy two, get one free, special on Benzac products.
 
i would first try cleaning/treating/moisturizing - at first it will get slightly worse as the skin isnt use to it, i would hang in there at least a month, after 2 weeks it should hopefully start getting better. if it doesnt after a month then go to the doc.

a fresh towel that is ONLY used for the face and is washed once a week.
Do this twice a day, morning and night:
clean - https://www.dischem.co.za/cetaphil-gentle-cleansing-lotion-125ml
treat - https://www.dischem.co.za/benzac-ac-5-gel-40g
moisturize: https://www.dischem.co.za/cetaphil-moisturising-cream-50ml

the stuff goes a long way, the benzac really dries the skin out use it on the affected areas only, make sure to wash hands before doing anything else, it will dye your clothes or towel.

bonus points for changing out pillow case every second day or so, the more frequent the better.

AND tell her NOT TO TOUCH HER FACE CONSTANTLY and to keep hair out of it.
 
When using benzoyl peroxide, it is normal to initially have substantial dryness and flakiness, and some redness, of the skin. This is known as the benzoyl peroxide hardening effect and it subsides after a few weeks of use.
 
Washing the face 3x + won't help clear acne and it can actually trigger more oil to be produced which leads to acne. Acne is often caused by the overproduction of oil in the skin. At the age of your daughter, it's where most kids start getting acne due to hormones. The only way to fix this correctly, or to assist, is to seek professional help. Drugstores like Clicks & Dischem are filled with hundreds of products for acne, but in my experience, most are useless and not "strong' enough for proper hormonal acne.

The only strong cream available is Benzoyl Peroxide (Galderma AC 5 Gel) that comes in a tube and is available @ most drugstores. It works for most people BUT this needs to be used very sparingly. I used it about 6 months ago for adult acne, and I got a very very bad rash and burn on my face & I thought I used little but I was clearly wrong. So this can be used as the first line of defence but honestly, I say rather bite the bullet and just see someone professional.
 
EMAM said:
She's still quite young and it's possibly got a lot to do with hormones. My two cents is to go to Dischem and just buy a teen range - there are quite a few. Try discourage her from washing too often too.

My daughter had spots on her face, here and there too, but two years ago, came out in full blown acne on her back and chest. Thank goodness not on her face.
I took her to a dermatologist, hoping he wouldn't immediately put her onto Roacutanne (I was on it as a teen - terrible side effects although it worked like a bomb), and he didn't. I find a lot of these dermatologists are just too quick to do prescribe it.

Anyway, he put her on the birth control pill, a 3 month course of antibiotics and gave her Benzac AC 5 wash to use once a day (also a prescription wash... Extremely strong and potent). He said if this didn't work, he'd start with Roacutanne. We didn't have to go that route, it worked a bomb and has never returned.

Here's pics of what she looked like before treatment and a pic of the cream wash (but, as I said, you need a prescription for it).
4a3d805a90b221e1433dc13336ddacd2.jpg
f32693f4d2e430a74b9f9eed22ecdcd1.jpg
8c3a7656e38ed5b3cf629cb512c67f97.jpg
Click to expand...
This. Get this wash and or cream but there is a little soap bar that you can buy, nothing fancy but it contains something that softens the pores on the inside, helping the dirt etc to come out easier. You then apply the benzac cream but please not the benzac will discolour clothing, towels, bedding etc.

The soap is called Eskamel, its like R15 for a bar. She can use that daily when showering on her body and face.
 
Take her to your GP, no need for a dermatologist unless GP refers.
A course of antibiotics normally does the trick.
 
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