Puberty and Break Outs

She needs to go to a dermatologist before she starts scarring. Also, a doctor once told me the longer acne goes untreated the harder it is to get under control. My daughter is starting 5th grade and is breaking out on her forehead. Her pediatrician prescribed an antibiotic ointment that is helping but she has an appointment with a dermatologist at the end of September. (It took me 3 months to get her into to see the Dermatologist). Good luck! Acne is treatable with the right medications, you just have to find the right one.

She needs to see a Dermatologist.

Over washing and using the wrong moisturizer will aggravate the break outs.

She also could have a bit of an infection if she is messing with her skin too much.

well, acne is one of the hallmarks of puberty.

What is she using as "lotion"? I would start her on a facial cleansing "system". My daughter uses "clear advantage" - facial wash, moisturizer and acne spot treatment in the morning and at night.

Noxema also has a good skincare line for tweens.

If she is using the wrong "lotion" - she can actually be CAUSING her pores to close which will backfire and she will have more acne.

Get her an appointment with a dermatologist so she can get instruction in the right kind of face care. She may be making it worse by the products she is using.

It is hormones kicking in, but that is also affected by genetics. Some people have it worse than others. Were either you or her dad prone to breakouts?
I wasn't. At all. My husband, however, was. And has some scarring from it. He did eventually see a dermatologist at one point, but by then he had been dealing with it for a long time (alllll through high school). He also has very oily skin, even to this day (we are in our 40s).

If I kiss him with my glasses on, I have to take them off and clean them, b/c there will be oil on my lenses from his face.

Take her to an expert who can look at her skin and show her (and you) the correct way to care for HER skin. And a list of what products (over the counter and possibly prescription at some point) she should (and should not) be using.

Take her to a dermatologist before it gets worse.

There is such a thing as "too much" scrubbing and medications that it can make it worse.

A couple of over the counter products that dermatologists do recommend is Purpose and Cetaphil for mild cleansers. Witch Hazel is a good astringent as well.

Now... the biggie.. you have to consider looking from inside out on skin issues. What is her diet like? Does she drink enough water?

Depending on the severity and what a Dr. determines, she could possible be put on some RX medications to help clear it up.

Keep up a regular cleansing routine with mild soap and don't scrub.

Good luck.

ETA: I took my daughter at 11 to the dermatologist as a proactive measure to ensure she was on the right track, etc with skin care. She had very few and rare breakouts and so did I at her age. My mom did the same for me when I was that age. I don't think you always need to warrant an excuse to see a Dr. because you can likely offset future visits if you educate yourself from the get go regarding your health.

Many spas offer a "teen (or pre-teen) facial". How about that for a mother-daughter spa day?

And go see a dermatologist.

Don't let her try to figure it out by herself with whatever crazy lotions she sees commercials for - help her to get some guidance from an expert.

Pick O. simple, gentle product for her to use.
(She might be making it worse by over washing, etc.)
I like the Simple Facial wipes. 25 for about $6.
Once per day should do it. Plain water otherwise.

That's a bit young for full on breakouts.

Sounds like the problem might be the fact that she's overwashing and moisturizing. What's she using?

My son has ADD and was on medication for this. When all of a sudden he started breaking out I was confused. We found out that some medications cause the skin to break out especially around when puberty starts. Their crazy hormones mess with the chemistry of the medication and causes breakouts. You may want to check into this if she is on medication of any kind. It was just something I never thought of! HTH!

It's not external! It's internal!! The skin is the largest organ and it needs to be nourished from inside. The wash/lotion cycle can be drying her out, and while a little gentle scrubbing with a washcloth can remove the dead skin from the surface, which helps prevent SOME clogging, the bulk of the problem is her hormonal changes. My son's problems didn't start in 5th grade, but he's been remarkably blemish-free since things started up for him in high school.

It's not what she's eating or what she's touching her face with, unless she is squeezing her pimples which will make things much worse. So don't let her believe all the stuff about chocolate and fries. You can spend a fortune on lotions and creams, both over the counter and prescription, but it's not going to help the underlying problem.

Someone mentioned genetics - yes, that can be a factor, but there is a lot of new info on epigenetics, which is repairing those genetic flaws by getting the genes to return to their proper "switching" (which genes flip on, which flip off), and those signals are disrupted by environmental influences, toxins, stuff in our food supply and more. So there is a lot she (and all of us) can do to rectify that. I can send you some info if you want to learn more. People think we're stuck with our bad genes - but we aren't. Bad genes aren't bad - they are just improperly functioning, and there are natural ways to address that, safely.

Please, please, please take her to a dermatologist. My mom thought it was "just hormones" for me and let me wallow in acne throughout my high school years. Well.....YEARS!!!!! later I still have acne, yes I STILL HAVE ACNE!!! So please, don't just chalk it up to hormones, get the girl some help ASAP before it turns into systemic acne.

Sorry this post was a little more heated than it needed to be, I just have a little resentment

My daughter is 11, entering 6th, and she is in puberty and she has been having acne breakouts. It was worst this summer when she was going overboard in putting sunscreen on her face. When I was a kid and young adult I couldn't put any moisturizer on my face without causing an acne break out. So, as much as we encourage sunscreen, my daughter's skin can't handle it at this time. We have not been to a dermatologist for acne. In my opinion it's not severe enough to warrant Rx medication. Good-luck.

I found for myself, the quickest, easiest solution is to wash face with the "Puff" textured sponges (available at Rite Aide) with Dove Soap. Harsh soaps activate the oil glands, so using a mild soap is a must. The textured sponge, really cleans out the pores. My DD is 10, but no where near puberty....late bloomer I guess. But this method has worked for me over the years....I have hormonal breakouts and yes, sunscreen aggravates everything!