advice for mom of a tween starting to have breakouts?

[jaycatmac]

hello everyone, I'm a mom of a tween. she is starting to have some breakouts and I'm wondering if I can get some advice in order to help her keep her face clearer. Any products should be 1) relatively cheap. tweens are not known to use the tiny amounts required for more expensive products 2) easy to use. she is not really into getting ready in the morning. we are looking at one step. I'm sort of thinking of wipes but I've heard they have a ton of alcohol in them which isn't great for your skin. one last thing: what do you wish your mom did for you and your acne prone skin when you were a tween? thanks

[Anonymous]

Cover-Dot acne patches by SmartMed on Amazon. These things are such absolute, honest to goodness lifesavers! Any hydrocolloid patch will suck out an open spot, but these are thin around the edges and less noticeable if you must wear them in the day. Helps flatten and heal spots very quickly. I can't believe these weren't in every teen magazine ever, and they're not terribly expensive. These are a holy Grail item and I'm so mad I never heard of them til last year- would've saved meyears of anguish. It also took me years to realise that my skin broke out extra because it was TOO dry from combatting acne, so no matterwhat, you still have to moisturise. Cleansing oils are awesome, albeit a bit more expensive >$15.

[Anonymous]

oh, and Bye Bye Blemish drying lotion is the $7 version of Mario Badescu's lotion and some other brand that charges upwards of $18. It's cheap and superbly effective and a go-to in emergencies. Moisturise, then dot it on to leave overnight.

[PinkEvergreen]

@jaycatmac I’m obviously not informed about your personal situation with your daughter, so please be assured that I’m making NO assumptions about how you’re approaching things with her 😊❤️ I just want to post this comment for the benefit of ANY parents out there.

The one thing I wish my mom had done when I developed regular, puberty-related acne was not make a huge deal about it. It truly didn’t bother me that much and I really wish she had waited for me to request help with it. (I doubt I would have.)

By her starting to regularly draw attention to it, I became extremely self-conscious. I know she was trying to be kind when she urged me to try various cleansers, took me to an aesthetician to purge all my pores with one of those metal tools, took me to the doctor, and took me to a dermatologist. However, it made me feel worse and worse, and honestly very unattractive.

Looking back at old photos, I just had a few very normal pimples that didn’t warrant all that attention, or the use of antibiotics or Accutane. (Doctors were very liberal with their prescription pads back in the day.) I would have much rather popped a few pimples and used a gentle daily cleanser for a few years, than have my confidence eroded by good intentions. 

So, my advice to parents is to wait to be approached, or at least to wait until hints are being dropped. Until then, daily doses of love and reassurance while a pre-teen or teen navigates these challenging years will be so appreciated by your child. Once in a while I think everyone just wants to hear that they’re good enough exactly the way they are 😊

[jaycatmac]

this is the best advice and something I needed to hear. thank you so much!

[PinkEvergreen]

@jaycatmac Thank you for reading it with an open heart and open mind 🙏❤️

[smrarig]

Hello there!

When I was dealing with my first wide spread breakouts as a tween, my mom was wonderful enough to buy me Clinique's Acne Solutions Starter Kit . I think since then the products in the kit have changed, but Clinique has always been my go-to for breakouts. It did a great job clearing my skin and it seemed that I never had many breakouts since (but that just might by luck). I know it's not one product, but if her breakouts are wide spread, it does do a great job getting all of the blemishes to heal and prevent new ones. Plus, it'll show her the importance of good skin care 🙂 CLINIQUE - Acne Solutions Clear Skin System Starter Kit

If you have to choose just one product, I would recommend Clinique's Acne Solutions Emergency Gel-Lotion as a spot treatment if her breakouts are localized and minimal. It usually clears up my random breakouts within a day or two. It doesn't sting and you only need a very very small amount since it's a spot treatment for individual blemishes. If my breakout is really bad, I'll apply it both morning and night. It can be drying, so I would definitely recommend only using it directly on the blemish. 

I hope this helps and good luck!