Night Elf Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 My son has been receiving treatment for moderate to severe acne. His worst spots are on his cheeks and chin. He uses a facial acne cleanser twice a day. in the morning with the wash, he puts a combination erythromycin and benzoyl peroxide cream on. With the night washing, we use Retin-A. He just ran out of his oral antibiotic, Doxycycline Hyclate, the generic for Vibra-tabs. Per this board, I started him on 50 mg. of Zinc Gluconate. I researched the different kinds of zinc and couldn't find anything that showed how one was more effective with acne than another. He started them 3 weeks ago. His acne is not clearing up. He's been treated with the anitbiotics for many months, possibly a year now. We're quite frustrated. He has Aspergers and has a limited diet so it's hard to think of an elimination diet. I can write the few things he eats: Meat: broiled chicken, pork chops, roast beef. His favorite food when we eat out is chicken fingers and french fries. Boxed pasta dishes and mashed potatoes. Canned green beans, corn, peas Applesauce and bananas Lucky Charms cereal with milk strawberry yogurt His entire diet, listed above, is just alternated daily. He doesn't like fresh produce except his bananas. He will try new foods but he hasn't taken a liking to anything new in years. We thought we finally got him used to raisins but today he told me he hated them and he didn't like that he was being forced to eat them. We didn't realize he didn't like them. So I've got to find something else for him to snack on. He's lost 15 lbs. over the past 6 or 7 months (he was overweight so that was actually good) simply because his diet is so limited that if he isn't in the mood for something, he won't eat. I've heard that dairy and gluten can cause acne. Can his limited diet be a culprit for this skin problem? Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I am on my ipod and can't see your son's age. My diet is limited by gastro issues since young and I had almost no teenage acne. My aunt who has severe adult acne was on antibiotics (cream and oral). She also washed her face with fresh lemon juice diluted once a day and use cucumber for facial mask. After a few years she was off antibiotics. She can eat anything. Maybe try a homemade face mask for your child? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 There has been some research indicating that limiting carbs and sugar can help some people with acne due to the connection between insulin and other hormones that can drive acne. I realize it would be quite a challenge to have him change his diet, and might not be feasible. Some research has also indicated dairy may be a problem for some people as well. http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/news/20110808/low-carb-diets-may-improve-acne . If he's already on the overweight side or gets there easily, he may be sensitive to carbs or on the insulin resistant end of the spectrum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 He's 16. He was overweight about ages 14 - 15 and I think it was just due to poor food choices. He would have big meals, sodas and lots of sweets like cookies and donuts. He sort of lost his taste for the sweets and eats them rarely now. He does still drink diet sodas but we have gotten him to drink lots more water now. He is aiming for 8 cups of water a day. I wanted to find out if diet might play a part and talk to him about it. Sometimes he is concerned about his acne and sometimes he doesn't care. I'm the one who pushes him to wash his face or else he wouldn't even think about it. I'm not sure if he would be amenable to a change in diet but I do want him to know his options. The acne is bad. When I was in school, we called kids with this kind of acne pizza face. He doesn't have any peers so the motivation to look clear isn't there. Also, his Aspergers plays a role in how he feels about hygiene. But if I could suggest something that might really work, he might be willing to try. He's taking the Zinc without complaint. He washes his faces without complaint when reminded. I just wish I knew what to do. His oral antibiotic doesn't have anymore refills and I don't know whether to take him back to the dermatologist for a refill or not. The meds haven't cleared him, but they could be holding back a lot of it. I just won't know until he goes off of them. I don't know what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 According to the following article, there are different types of acne and each requires a different type of antibiotic. Perhaps he needs to have a culture taken and analyzed to make sure the doctor is giving him the correct one? http://www.drbaileyskincare.com/blog/common-reasons-why-your-acne-treatment-might-not-be-working-new-ideas-to-treat-your-acne-from-a-dermatologist/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I use this chelated zinc. It's inexpensive enough to try. I'd probably go back to the dermatolotist for a different antibiotic, and in the meantime I'd try another zinc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 My son's acne is not bad, but what he has seems to be related to dairy consumption. He started breaking out in hives and through the process of elimination, we pinpointed it to dairy. When we eliminated dairy in his diet, not only did the hives stop, but his acne started clearing up. I would probably press the dermatologist or find another one. It sounds like your son has a difficult case, and there is stuff out there that works, you just need to find the right combination of rx and diet. I would treat this aggressively. Acne, paired with a spectrum disorder, could be extremely isolating :(. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I would also suspect dairy. It's an easy "fix," KWIM? It couldn't hurt to eliminate dairy for six months and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 All the MD treatments did nothing for my ds's acne. He saw more improvement with Proactive. Time is really what seems to be helping. He is 19 now and it is getting better. My dh had acne quite badly so I'm thinking there is a genetic component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Make sure he takes the zinc every day. If DS misses it (he sometimes forgets on weekends) I can tell a difference. Three - four weeks of taking zinc every day was when it started to help DS. We have some Aspie traits around here and trying sweet peas and green beans directly from the garden helped my kids end up eating them raw/fresh. They still don't like tomatoes or cucumbers though. Does your son take any vitamins/supplements? Good luck! I hope you all find something that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 My daughter (18) suffers from acne. Literally, we have tried pretty much everything known to man! it seems like nothing works. she has started to back off with the cleansers, creams and medications and it seems like her face is clearing up. She does take zinc and we also know when she hasn't taken it consistently. We actually found (at a vitamin store) a zinc that is made for acne, she hasn't started taking it yet so i can't tell you how it works. also, we have been told several times that acne isn't caused by what you eat but that it is something on the inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Something fairly inexpensive you can try is moisturizer for him. When the skin is irritated, it created more of that stuff (sebum?) which can make acne worse. Have you read thru the routine described at acne.org? We have had good success using that over the years where the antibiotics did not help at all. DS17 had to do a round of Accutane to knock down his very severe cycstic acne. This was concerning for us because of the side effects, but we monitored him very closely and the doc ordered monthly blood draws as well. It did work and DS now maintains pretty well with just face cleaning and moisturizer. Accutane is not for everyone though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 My 17yo Aspie just saw a dermatologist for the first time last week. She gave my dd a topical cream to use every night (epiduo), a 5% benzoyl peroxide wash to use on her back and shoulders, and said to continue using T-Plus salicylic acid shampoo. So far she hasn't clawed her face open once to get at the oil since she started the treatment so that's real progress. She usually rips her face open 2-3x/week because of oiliness. Before this she had tried every remedy that I have ever seen mentioned here - eliminating dairy, proactive/acne free, apple cider vinegar, honey, Queen Helene's mint julep mask, bentonite clay mask, acne.org, zinc, ... Zinc worked great for my oldest, but hasn't done anything for my 17yo. We have both been very happy with the T-Plus shampoo at Walgreen's. I saw that mentioned in a post about two months back and it made a huge difference in the oiliness of her hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2boysmom Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 There has been some research indicating that limiting carbs and sugar can help some people with acne due to the connection between insulin and other hormones that can drive acne. I realize it would be quite a challenge to have him change his diet, and might not be feasible. Some research has also indicated dairy may be a problem for some people as well. http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/news/20110808/low-carb-diets-may-improve-acne . If he's already on the overweight side or gets there easily, he may be sensitive to carbs or on the insulin resistant end of the spectrum? My teenage son has little to no acne, he hates milk and dairy products. there might be a link. also we live in Japan, where we have less access to processed foods. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 Make sure he takes the zinc every day. If DS misses it (he sometimes forgets on weekends) I can tell a difference. Three - four weeks of taking zinc every day was when it started to help DS. How much? My son has been taking one pill which is 50mg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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