Claire - Jessies Mum - Just about to go for it?

claire - Jessies Mum
 

claire - Jessies Mum

Thursday 31 July, 2008

Posted in Roaccutane Diaries

Hi,

Can anyone give me some advice? My daughter has only just turned 13. She has suffered with acne since she was eight years old and we have tried allsorts of creams, potions and medication over the past five years with nothing working.

A couple of weeks ago she saw a new dermatologist who advised Roaccutane but didn’t give too much away - just did a blood test and told us to come back in a couple of weeks. I then looked it up at home on the internet and was sure I couldn’t allow her to try something with so many side effects at her age. When we returned to the hospital last week I asked to discuss any alternatives but was told this was her only option.

She is due to start a new Upper school in September and begin her GCSE’s. She is finding it very hard to make a decision as to whether to start the treatment and I feel I should be making it for her as she is so young.  We are desperate for her acne to go - it is body and facial, although she actually copes marvelously with it and is reasonably confident although she admits it gets her down.

Tonight I have discoverd this site and would appreciate any advice especially from young teens or parents who may be able to help me make a decision with her / for her. We are due back this Friday to meet the dermatologist again as I refused to accept the prescription as I felt little information was offered. Really i need to sort out what we are doing by then!

Thanks for anyone who takes the time to respond. If we go ahead I will definately record her diary on this site.

6 Responses to “Claire - Jessies Mum - Just about to go for it?”

#1 Ai says...

Hi,

Hope my experience would be helpful to you. My daughter now age 17 has also suffered from breakout since age 14. Before she had her first acne her skin was the admire of many of her school friends. She got porcelain pinkish skin which from a little girl everyone came across her would adore and love her beautiful skin plus her sweet oriental look. After her first breakout at age 14 then from bad to worse, I have tried many types of treatments including several visits to dermatologist. After 3 years of non stop cream, lotion, facial treatments, her acne still cannot completely heal. During that few years my daughter even avoided certain food like prawn. Finally things still cannot work out we even resort to become vegetarian. After becoming vegetarian for about 3 months she still find that her acne wasn’t getting any better. She was so frustrated and I hardly find her with a sweet smiling face. She used to be a happy pleasant looking girl and because of the acne on her skin she felt very disturbed. It affect her study too. All this while I know there is such medication as “Roaccutane” that can do wonders to skin and I know the side effects too.
That’s why I waited so long for my daughter to start the medication. After consultation from the dermatologist and by letting her fully understand the side effects of the medication then only I finally let her start in April this year. I think she has completed about 3 packs, that is 12 weeks supply of Roaccutane. Now she looks good, her acne has gone, she is very happy with the result. She just had her exam in June, I find that so far, thank god, the medication has not effect her emotionally and physically. She got her exam result last week, she did better that last semester.

I am 40 this year, when I see her result I started taking Roaccutane as well. I start for about 7 weeks already. May be for my age I find the side effects a bit obvious especially my joint areas. But the improvement on my skin is worth it.
I had this on and off acne problem for more than a decade, and now I got the peace of it at least. The rest I will leave it to God.

God Bless You!

July 31st, 2008 at 2:27 pm

#2 Sylvia says...

My daughter was offered Roaccutane when she was 14 but decided at that time not to proceed with the treatment.

She is now 17 but we had 2 years of trying various antibiotics etc with no success.

She suffers from nodular cystic acne and we were told years ago that Roaccutane was our only hope.

I now wish, and she feels the same, that we had decided to go ahead back then.

She has just finished a 5 month course last week. Although you can still feel the cysts under the skin, they have not resurfaced and hopefully won’t do in the future.

Yes she suffered from the dry skin/.lips and nosebleeds but when I asked her if she would repeat the process if her acne returns, which in some cases it does, she said she wouldn’t hesitate.

Hope this helps.

July 31st, 2008 at 7:55 pm

#3 Kathryn says...

Hi claire, I am very new to this site and to Roaccutane. I started my course 5 weeks ago and thought i could just offer my experience be it short.
1st my dermatologist was very good and made sure i knew about all of the side effects. Im sure you know after looking it up there are lots. I can understand your concern as jessie is 13, this is something i really would seek advice and make sure you are really sure it wouldnt be better to wait till she is older maybe her hormones might settle?.
My acne is mild and got worse to the point it bugged me day and night in my early 20’s, so the thing i would say if it is safe for jessie being 13, for the sake of what 16 -20 rubbish weeks if it gives your daughter clearer skin for her teenage years then it would be totally worth it.
I started on 30 mg and i will say in my first 2 weeks i felt like i had flu aches, sickness and feeling really tired. But that has gone now and i feel fine and i kept my skin under control with lots of moisturiser. My concentration seemed rubbish they said this could be because of the medication maybe something to think of if it get near revising for GCSE’s?!
I have now been upped to 65mg my full body weight dose and things i have been told will get worse but i keep focusing on it getting better so it depends how much it bothers her.

Well i hope that helps a little and i would really have a big long chat and ask lots of questions next time you see your dermatologist better to stay healthy.

Good luck kathryn x

July 31st, 2008 at 9:08 pm

#4 adele says...

Hi Claire, Although I’m 33 (knocking on a bit), I can still remember how hurtful other children could be about the way I looked at school. I wasn’t particularly spotty, that didn’t stop them poking fun at me. I wish my mum had taken as much interest in me as you are about you’re daughter. I might not have had acne for so long and got so many scars to prove it. I grew up with zero self-esteem and this has definately affected my choices in life.

As far as I know there aren’t any alternatives that work. Once you’ve tried everything the GP can offer, isotretonin is the next and last thing.

I presume your daughter is on school holidays at the moment? If she is, if you get the tablets now she’ll be past all the worst side-effects by the time she goes back. The first few weeks are the hardest. The skin goes dry, and lips, and she’ll have to moisturise all over. She might have some joint pain so she could have difficulty doing strenuous activity, although exercise is recommended. Anyway best of luck to Jessie. Adele.

August 1st, 2008 at 10:33 am

#5 lyn says...

Hi Claire,

I’m 16 and started roaccutane about a month and a half ago. I have suffered from acne since i was about 13 and have (like your daughter) tried many alternatives.

I feel that if i was offered roaccutane at this age i would have accepted it because i do feel i have lost a lot of confidence by having acne, especially as young girls at school can be very bitchy and a lot of the time I didn’t want to go to school beacuse i thought i looked too bad.

As for the side effects, it is different for everyone but so far i have only experienced dry skin and lips, a few nosebleeds, and i did breakout in the second week. I know a lot of the side effects sound scary and nearly put me off taking it but just remember the worst ones are very rare.

I agree with Adele’s comment that starting in the holidays is good as the first weeks are the worst. I think just discuss it with your daughter and the dermatologist and see how your daughter feels about taking it….

Good luck if she does decide to go through with it.

August 1st, 2008 at 4:30 pm

#6 Jasmina says...

Is the acne very severe? 8 is very young to begin suffering from acne so I presume they have looked into the root causes - checked bloods for hormone levels etc?

It’s easy to say when you are not suffering from it I know, but isn’t there a very strong chance that she will still grow out of it??

I am 24 and just finishing my course of Roaccutane. I have found it really difficult with all the physical and emotional symptoms and it seems like a lot to put up with at her age, especially when starting high school. The physical symptoms - dry skin, lips, can be just as humiliating as acne. Plus I have been so, so tired and very tearful. Starting high school is tiring and stressfull enough as it is! Could she hang on a year or two and see if it clears up at all?

Having said that roaccutane really works, and everyone on this site seems glad they did it. I have never heard of someone taking it so young so I guess you have to discuss that with the professionals.

The main thing I would say, whether you go with the roaccutane or not, is to invest in some quality skincare. Acne sufferers, and especially teenagers are bombarded with harsh chemical products which claim to ‘zap’ acne but they can be the worst thing for the inflammed, damaged skin you get with acne. I spent years drying out my skin with Clearasil, Oxy, and harsh scrubs. Last year I went to a salon and was advised that I had very dry skin - despite all the spots! When I started using products for dry skin a lot of the redness and inflammation went down and my skin was much more comfortable and healed better. I felt so much more normal.

Especially with your daughter’s young skin, I would be very careful what you treat it with. As a special treat could you take her to a salon for a consultation? Their products can be pricey but are a great investment as they will make her skins much more comfortable and quicker to heal, preventing scarring.

I know she seems young for makeup, but a gentle foundation or concealor could go a long way too. Again, I would say pricier brands are gentler and have more staying power, plus they dont block the pores and make spots worse.

There are some great books on amazon about dealing with acne. Also get her looking at forums on acne so she doesnt feel like she’s alone. When you have acne you feel like you are the only one and it will never end but it WILL.

Really sympathise for you both in this situation. Let us know how you get on.

August 1st, 2008 at 7:17 pm

Your Say

Share this post

What's this?

Tags

« Just Started
week 4, day 1 »

Login

Popular