Washing his face...?

Fittle

I have a 'pre-teen'...well, he's almost 10 and I see a change in him these past few months that I'm sure is 'hormone' related!!

Anyhow, he has gotten his first proper spot, and he's only delighted with himself:D. (How times have changed from when I was a kid and grew my hair long and covered my skin in elizabeth arden make up to cover my embarrassment at even the tiniest of pimples!!).

This spot is in the crevice of his chin and has been there about a week now - when he wakes up each morning, it has a big yellow head on it, but it seems to die down by evening time. I've done nothing with it, just encouraged him to keep it clean and not to pick at it etc (although the temptation I'm feeling to squeeze it, is almost driving me to drink;))

So I don't know if I should encourage him to wash his face with some product from now on? Currently, he gives his face a splash of water every morning, and would also wash his face in the shower or bath 2/3 times a week. I remember using biactol on my spots for years (it had my face in a mess mind you, but I was convinced it was getting rid of the spots!).

So should I head to the chemist and buy some product for him to wash his face...or should he stick with water?

cynder

I gave my lady clear and clear exfoliating wash, I also gave her tea tree to put directly onto spots, thankfully she only gets one here and there but some girls in her class have really bad acne, no idea what they use, but its not working...

Something like this

http://www.clean-and-clear.co.uk/products/clean-clear-deep-action-cream-wash

Fittle

I know I had acne as a teen (oh the memories:() and NOTHING worked other than tablets from the doctor (after 2yrs of buying products grrr!!).

I hadn't thought of tea-tree for the spots and actually, that has worked for me in the past too, so I'll grab some of that in the chemist today.

Is an exfoliating face wash not too 'abrasive' for him just yet though??? Other than this particular spot, his skin is great.

silly

I always think of clearasil when I think of teenage spots.
How about something like : http://acne.about.com/od/cleansing/gr/ClearasilAcneWash.htm

Fittle

silly wrote: »

I always think of clearasil when I think of teenage spots.
How about something like : http://acne.about.com/od/cleansing/gr/ClearasilAcneWash.htm

Is that not just the new name for Biactol - which is what I would have used over 20yrs ago? My poor face was just a mass of dry flaky skin from it and it stung the face off me too!!

It doesn't look like there are any new spots coming anywhere...what do 10yr olds wash there face with normally (if they don't have spots?). It's years since I used anything other than cleanser etc on my own face...

iguana

Fittle wrote: »

Is that not just the new name for Biactol - which is what I would have used over 20yrs ago? My poor face was just a mass of dry flaky skin from it and it stung the face off me too!!

I don't like special pimple washes. When I was a teenager my skin was fine until I got a free sample Clearasil, which is a rebranding of Biactol, and within a few days I had horrible flakey growths at either side of my nose. Stupidly I washed more often and they got worse and worse and the skin on my t-zone started flaking too. I got suspicious it was the wash, stopped using it, my skin cleared up again. A few months later I tried using it again and again within a few days the growths started coming back, so I never used them again.

For pimples I think the best thing is to keep it clean with whatever wash suits him. Advise him not to touch it so he doesn't spread the bacteria and occasionally apply tea tree oil/witch hazel to the spot.

cynder

I found Clearasil very strong, made my skin feel dry, i found clean and clear was less harsh.

My daughter uses it daily either the foam wash/ exfoliate or cleansing lotion for when she has make up on and has no trouble, but every one's skin is different.

There are other washes on the market, but are very feminine (Vichy range i think) they are designed for young teens, come in pink, green and yellow, seen them in Dunne's a few times.

was in Dunne's yesterday and they are clean and clear washes (not exfoliators) green orange and yellow.

Fittle

iguana wrote: »

I

For pimples I think the best thing is to keep it clean with whatever wash suits him. .

That's the issue though - he doesn't use any sort of wash yet - he just washes his face with water or if he's having a shower, the shower gel does it.

Should I get him a 'wash' for his face???

iguana

If you get him a face wash I'd suggest something gentle. Maybe like the aloe face wash in the body shop or a budget version like the cucumber wash in Boots.

The Princess Bride

grindelwald wrote: »

I gave my lady clear and clear exfoliating wash, I also gave her tea tree to put directly onto spots, thankfully she only gets one here and there but some girls in her class have really bad acne, no idea what they use, but its not working...

Something like this

http://www.clean-and-clear.co.uk/products/clean-clear-deep-action-cream-wash

Agree with this. ^^^^^^^^
Would also recommend Clean & Clear Blackhead Daily Cleansing scrub for occasional use-(maybe twice weekly is more than enough).
Also, witch hazel can keep the area dry if it's prone to being greasy.
Obviously don't use it if skin is dry.

The Lovely Muffin

Hi Fittle,

I am 20 and have suffered with Acne for about 7 years now, in the past few months though it has started to clear up, thankfully.

I use the following products which I find fantastic, I've tried god knows how many products I've tried and these are the only ones that have helped my acne.

Neutrogena 2-in-1 wash/mask. I use this once a week or sometimes I leave it for two weeks between using it. It's great if you just put a dab of it on a spot and leave it for 2-3mins and then wipe it off with damp cotton wool (I went the cotton wool in luke warm water).

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R6PtThCIQrI/S884oFiES7I/AAAAAAAAANo/tBVGl6Ym8As/s1600/neutrogena_visibly_clear_2_in_1_wash_and_mask.jpg

Gentle exfoliating facial wash

http://www.adeptonlinestore.co.uk/ekmps/shops/sjwilkinson/images/neutrogena-visibly-clear-gentle-exfoliating-wash-738-p.jpg

I use this every day and find it great for keeping my skin soft and clear. It's not too harsh on the skin either.

Oil free moisturiser

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EbSlokxNmbo/SspfEFOWclI/AAAAAAAABWE/QR84V3DXTP0/s400/SDC10312.JPG

I love this moisturiser, it's about six euros and the tube lasts for ages. I get about two months out of a tube, but I use a good bit of it each day, probably too much, so the tube should last you a wee bit longer.

On my nose, where my skin is very dry and flaky, once a month I use this scrub.

http://skinscrubs.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/St.-Ives-Elements-Warming-Scrub.jpg

It's about €3, but it might be too harsh for your son's skin.

To be honest, I wouldn't recommend your son uses ALL these, personally I'd stick with the moisturiser and the gentle exfoliating scrub. I'd only allow him to use the exfoliating scrub once or twice a week, just so his skin gets used to it.

I think Boots have these on offer at the moment, but I'm not 100% sure.

I got all of mine before Xmas and the tubes are still almost full, except for the moisturiser.

Another thing I use for spots (I only put it on the spots though as it can really dry out your skin) is the witch hazel blemish gel. I find a tube of it lasts for months, I put it on a few times a day (when I'm not wearing make up) and put it on at night before bed, it's amazing for spots. It's around €6 in Boots.

http://www.pakcosmetics.com/images/content/productimgRegular/WitchBlemishGel.jpg

I use a cotton bud to put it on, but you can use your fingers too, just make sure they are clean.

Fittle

Thanks alot for that post - I'll have a read over it and look at some of the products mentioned, much appreciated!

He's gone to bed tonight with a dab of tea tree oil on the spot, that seems to have calmed down again tonight - it was very red this morning with a massive green head on it (sorry if that's tmi!) Hopefully it'll be half-gone in the morning anyway.

cbyrd

Spots are hormonal and unless they get infected there's not much point wasting your money. Most of the products on the market recommend daily washing, however, this removes the protective oils on the face that keep the skin protected. So its catch 2, the more you wash they more you need to wash.

Exfoliting scratches the skin and allows bacteria in to cause havoc.
with my eldest when she started getting spots we would get 2 cotton buds and squeeze out the pus til it bled a bit and the used the witch hazel and teatree stick to keep it clean. Also the bigger black heads would be gotten rid of too before they erupted.
A good simple cleanse is a towel over your head over a steaming bowl of water with tea tree oil in it. and wipe with cotton wool.

At 10 he's too young to start on the harsher products..simple water should do the job.

Fittle

cbyrd wrote: »

At 10 he's too young to start on the harsher products..simple water should do the job.

See that's what I was thinking myself - his skin is still pretty smooth but for this one big spot (which has died down a good bit this morning) and I'm reluctant to start him using any product that might cause havoc with his skin just now - but I thought there might be a very mild 'wash' out there for him. I remember my own skin getting so dry because of the biactol - but I was clueless and continued to use it for years - and everyday! This was in the early 80s mind you, when there was no internet to advise me to stop using it, and when we didn't learn stuff about our skin in school!!

The Lovely Muffin

If his skin is pretty good other than this spot OP, I wouldn't get him any facial wash or moisturiser, I would continue with plain water every day (luke warm is good).

I would just use a small dab of tea tree/witch hazel/whatever products you have on his spot. I'd put it on maybe 2-3 times a day, depending on how harsh the product is.

I personally find with the witch hazel, I put it on a couple of times a day (no more than four times though, morning, afternoon, evening, night) and it really helps my spots.

I'm not sure how harsh tea tree is though so maybe once or twice is enough for your son.

Definitely don't pick the spots though, picking them can leave scars (I picked a few of mine when I was younger and have scars as a result) the scars aren't bad and not noticeable to everyone, but they are noticeable to me.

Your son is 10, he's coming up on teenage years so you don't to do anything that may or may not leave marks on his face, somewhere they are visible and can't be hidden, it could affect his confidence (I'm not saying it definitely would affect his confidence, but it's a possibility).

So yeah, I'd stick with plain water and whatever you use on his spots. His skin is still delicate at his age and you don't want to cause problems with could be avoided (not to mention the expense of various products).

confusticated

What about Simple facewashes OP? They're generally pretty mild, and it could be an idea to get him into a habit of washing his face with something before his skin gets worse (if it does!)

cynder

Does plain water even clean the skin?

Let alone get rid of spots, blackheads.

It's like showering without shower gel or washing your hair without shampoo. Just water seems odd to me, as kids we had to wash with a bar of soap and water.

CIARAN_BOYLE

grindelwald wrote: »

Does plain water even clean the skin?

Let alone get rid of spots, blackheads.

It's like showering without shower gel or washing your hair without shampoo. Just water seems odd to me, as kids we had to wash with a bar of soap and water.

On a scale of 1-10 for cleaning effectiveness plain water is probably a 1 or a 2.

What I did as a teen was wash my face with the same stuff I used in the shower two or three times a day.

the_syco

Try a product for a month and if it doesn't work, try another one. When I was a teen, I went through various products, and they all failed. Some of the "popular" ones even made the problem worse for me.

Found hot water and a rough cloth worked the best. Found that when the water was hot, you didn't really feel the spot being ripped off your face :pac:

Truley

Please please please don't go don't the road of buying your child face washes. I had really bad skin as a teen and from the age of ten was encouraged to use everything, clearasil, clean and clear, simple, panoxol, raw tea tree (shudder.) I used to scrub my myself raw twice a day with these products and it ruined my skin. Spots are hormonal, they are not caused by bad hygiene. If that were the case I wouldn't have had a single spot because I was OCD about dirt near my skin. I used to change my pillow case every night and never use the same towel twice.

The best advice anyone could have given me was to leave my skin the heck alone. Now all I use is water from the shower and maybe a dab of Dr Haushaka moisturiser if it's a bit dry. I take evening primrose supplements and try to drink loads of water. The improvement in my skin after years of abuse has been massive. My complexion has never been great but it's the skin I inherited. The best I can do is try and take care of it from within, none of these gimmicky products will help. I only wish someone had told me this sooner

cynder

Truley wrote: »

Please please please don't go don't the road of buying your child face washes. I had really bad skin as a teen and from the age of ten was encouraged to use everything, clearasil, clean and clear, simple, panoxol, raw tea tree (shudder.) I used to scrub my myself raw twice a day with these products and it ruined my skin. Spots are hormonal, they are not caused by bad hygiene. If that were the case I wouldn't have had a single spot because I was OCD about dirt near my skin. I used to change my pillow case every night and never use the same towel twice.

The best advice anyone could have given me was to leave my skin the heck alone. Now all I use is water from the shower and maybe a dab of Dr Haushaka moisturiser if it's a bit dry. I take evening primrose supplements and try to drink loads of water. The improvement in my skin after years of abuse has been massive. My complexion has never been great but it's the skin I inherited. The best I can do is try and take care of it from within, none of these gimmicky products will help. I only wish someone had told me this sooner

I remember that being the case with a few of my friends, there acne was terrible, my sister in-law sufferd bad until the gp put her on the pill at 22 and with in a month the acne was gone, she tried every product on the market for years.

Fittle

grindelwald wrote: »

I remember that being the case with a few of my friends, there acne was terrible, my sister in-law sufferd bad until the gp put her on the pill at 22 and with in a month the acne was gone, she tried every product on the market for years.

You say this, yet you still recommend the 'wash' in your previous post??

That's why I'm also reluctant to get my son to use any type of wash...I also had acne as a teenager, and those 'washes' did nothing for me, other than to dry up my skin. I was keen to post here now to see if things had changed and if there was something more natural that he could wash with, rather than just water (which I know, on it's own, does nothing to keep his face clean).

Abi

Fittle wrote: »

I have a 'pre-teen'...well, he's almost 10 and I see a change in him these past few months that I'm sure is 'hormone' related!!

Anyhow, he has gotten his first proper spot, and he's only delighted with himself:D. (How times have changed from when I was a kid and grew my hair long and covered my skin in elizabeth arden make up to cover my embarrassment at even the tiniest of pimples!!).

This spot is in the crevice of his chin and has been there about a week now - when he wakes up each morning, it has a big yellow head on it, but it seems to die down by evening time. I've done nothing with it, just encouraged him to keep it clean and not to pick at it etc (although the temptation I'm feeling to squeeze it, is almost driving me to drink;))

So I don't know if I should encourage him to wash his face with some product from now on? Currently, he gives his face a splash of water every morning, and would also wash his face in the shower or bath 2/3 times a week. I remember using biactol on my spots for years (it had my face in a mess mind you, but I was convinced it was getting rid of the spots!).

So should I head to the chemist and buy some product for him to wash his face...or should he stick with water?

Aw Fittle, that made me laugh

I'm an awwwwful picker, and nobody close to me is safe

I've had spots since I was about 10 or 11, and at 32 I still get the hormonal monthly ones. The worst are the tight places along my jaw-line. Currently got one on my cheek thats been there the last 3 weeks and its pissing me off no end. I've tried everything on the go, lotions and potions, even prescribed stuff you roll on to your face and nearly melts it off :rolleyes:

I think the hormones are going to keep producing some nasties for a few years to come with your little fella, but I suppose all I can suggest is a non-abrasive ph balanced wash.

/dabs on clearasil rapid action cream :rolleyes: :pac:

cynder

Fittle wrote: »

You say this, yet you still recommend the 'wash' in your previous post??

That's why I'm also reluctant to get my son to use any type of wash...I also had acne as a teenager, and those 'washes' did nothing for me, other than to dry up my skin. I was keen to post here now to see if things had changed and if there was something more natural that he could wash with, rather than just water (which I know, on it's own, does nothing to keep his face clean).

Thats because she had acne not just a spot here and there. A spot here and there is way different to 30+ big red lumps over your face, people with such acne may need antibiotics and other medicine however a spot here and there can be dealt with with mild to moderate face washes.

Thought everyone who went through their teens knew that. Just water isn't going to clean pores and WILL cause spots and black heads...

I suffered with a spot here and there and not acne, so does my daughter (just a pimple here and there) hence my recommendation. Also that i found clearasil harsh unlike clean and clear.

Fittle

grindelwald wrote: »

Thats because she had acne not just a spot here and there. A spot here and there is way different to 30 big red lumps over your face, people with such acne may need antibiotics and other.medicine however a spot here and there can be dealt with with mild to moderate face washes.

Thought everyone who went through their teens knew that. just water isn't going to clean pores and will cause spots and black heads...

Nope, I went 'through my teens' and have learned that all spots are related to hormones..cleaning with water alone doesn't 'cause' spots and black heads as far as I know?? I know even now the odd spot I get, is purely hormone related and also know that the little fella's spot (which is almost gone, thanks to the tea tree - or perhaps just the timeframe) was hormonal.

cynder

Fittle wrote: »

Nope, I went 'through my teens' and have learned that all spots are related to hormones..cleaning with water alone doesn't 'cause' spots and black heads as far as I know?? I know even now the odd spot I get, is purely hormone related and also know that the little fella's spot (which is almost gone, thanks to the tea tree - or perhaps just the timeframe) was hormonal.

Dirt in the pores not being removed because only water is used...

Not all spots are hormonal.

Diet also has a part to play as do genetics, cleansing routine, stress and so on and on and on.

Fittle

grindelwald wrote: »

Diet also has a part to play as do genetics, cleansing routine, stress and so on and on and on.

Sorry grindewald, but I have never heard of genetics being a cause of spots.

Anyhow, his is almost gone and I've gotten great advice from here, thanks again guys.

cynder

Fittle wrote: »

Sorry grindewald, but I have never heard of genetics being a cause of spots.

Anyhow, his is almost gone and I've gotten great advice from here, thanks again guys.

I dint say it caused them I said it plays a part.

If parents had bad acne chances are child will, if patents had only pimple chances are child will have pimples.

If one had bad acne and the other only had pimples it's a 50/50. Unless there us anything else at play, unwashed face or stress and so on.

I know my parents only had pimples and not bad acne, my husband only had pimples, there are good chances our kids wont be walking around with angry looking skin unless there is something else at play.

cbyrd

A lot of cases of acne are a bacterial infection of the sebaceous gland and very little to do with dirt, it's caused by a build up of sebum and keratin (human skin fibres.)creating a plug blocking the gland and causing a spot ..washing away your outer layer of oils( or the acid mantle as it's known as),with detergents or abrasives can allow bacteria to grow in the plugged up areas.. yes keep it clean but water or steam will do the same job. Other types are caused by an increase in testosterone

At ten years of age the skin is too sensitive to start using a myriad of products that every single cosmetic company will have you believe will cure Acne or what is more often than not just teenage spots.. and remember everything you put on your skin be it soap moisturizer or shower gel has to be processed by the liver as it soaks into the skin..
Genetics do play a part as does exercise .. He's ten, unless he's showing signs of proper acne (red scaly skin and large boil type spots) leave well enough alone. If he has enough confidence in himself a few spots won't bother him..

Justask

Hi Fittle

I've not read the full thread if not mentioned already Seba Med is great, I,ve used it years and so has my lad.

Its not harsh

up for anything

My daughter's dermatologist said that plain soap and water are the best things for keeping skin clean and to forget all those Clearasil type products.