Tricky teen skin suggestions

[peggyfromwastate]

Dd-15 has difficult skin. Sort of like mine but she has more acne problems than I ever had.

Her skin is dry and flaky but she has outbreaks and zits all the time. She doesn't want to wear makeup (she uses bare essentials bc it's the only foundation that's ever worked for her). If she uses anything "strong" like a peroxide type of spot treatment she will get red, blotchy spots.

Any suggestions? Should I take her to a derm (involves getting a referral but I think it's doable) or should I get her a facial?

[HouseofWool]

I have very dry skin that I THOUGHT was oily, but it was my skin overcompensating. By going with a lightweight moisturizer in the summer and heavier one in the winter, I hardly break out at all any more. At a recommendation I saw here, I have been using the cetaphil brand bar soap and my break outs have dropped dramatically.

[peggyfromwastate]

Hmmm, interesting. She has been putting Vaseline on her skin bc it gets do dry that it is red and irritated in the morning. Vaseline is the only thing that seals in her moisturizer but I can not imagine it's good for her skin.

I have her trying the proX cleaning system with the exfoliating brush. I think it might be too intense for her skin...

[peggyfromwastate]

By the way, her skin has been worse this past year than ever and she's been swimming more than ever- between 3-6 hours a week in the heavily chlorinated indoor pools. I am not sure if that means anything. I know the chlorine dries out the skin.

[HouseofWool]

Vaseline can't be good for her skin. If she isn't wearing make-up, even just rinsing with plain water could be enough to wash her face without stripping away too much natural oil. I typically only wash my face once a day otherwise I break out more often.

[scrub-jay]

Vaseline is what they had me put on my dd when she was 7-8 weeks old, it can actually work as an mild anti-inflammatory (vasoconstrictive I think). It is really helpful where we are because the air is so arid and hard on baby skin. Other thick moisturizers are Aquaphor and Eucerin (both in the tubs). Try gentle cleansers without soap to avoid irritants if her face is sensitive, Cetaphil has a good one. I do recommend a derm, find one that doesn't try to sell a product. I have a fantastic one who understands that we operate on a budget. Good luck!

[Thirteen]

Could it be exacerbated by a chlorine allergy?
I break out with too much pool time. Rash, dry skin, etc...

[spotty_dog]

Had you heard about Bare Escentuals and bismuth? Some people are sensitive to it and the redness and inflammation could exacerbate breakouts.

Would she be interested in looking into the Oil Cleansing Method? It's weird but a lot of people swear by it. (In the long run it didn't work for me and I've gone to pretty much just washing with plain water and lots of massage.)

[DCJenn]

What may also be exacerbating it, and I only know this from experience- is towel drying. If she's in and out and constantly drying her face w/ towels then the rubbing may be causing some of the problem as well. That used to happen to me and it took a while to figure out what was going on. I also only 'wash' my face once a day (at night) and w/ gentle cleansers.

Teens also often 'scrub' to try to get the acne to go away but all that does is piss off the skin even more and it becomes a compounding problem.

J.

[Michele]

I use Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil and I really like it. It cleans off my water proof mascara well too. My skin doesn't get that tight feeling after I use it. But I follow it up with moisturizers bc I have dry skin. I don't have any problems with acne though so I can't comment on that. Russ uses minocycline to control his.

[diggitydot]

Cetaphil has a really great gentle cleanser that might help her retain some moisture. I use it with their moisturizer and have had fantatic results. I think a giant bottle of the cleanser is about $8.

[peggyfromwastate]

Thanksfor the suggestions-- I will ask her about the towel drying jenn.

I don't think she has a chlorine allergy bc she doesn't get rashes or redness anywhere else- just her face.

I think I'll look into the derm process too. And try the cetaphil stuff. We have good luck with cetaphil for exzema for the other kids.

I have used the oil makeup remover myself- I don't use any right now, but I thought it was ok.

[SuzySunshine]

Peggy, another one you might think about is Vanicream. I think you'd have to get it from Amazon or your local pharmacist can order it for you, its not prescription but its not carried a lot of places.

http://psico.com/

[poky]

Is she moisturizing right after swimming? She definitely should be doing that, if she isn't already.

[peggyfromwastate]

I will ask her about the moisturizing poky, I think she does not.

Thanks for all the suggestions!!