I know a lot of people who have had great success with Proactiv.
That would be my first choice.

Poor girl, that's a terrible time to have acne.

My son has battled acne since he was 15. He is 19 and it is a little better. We took him to a dermatologist and tried proactive among other products. Unfortunately, nothing really seems to help. If they have large boil type eruptions that are deep in the skin, they need oral antibiotics. My son has taken those but doesn't currently. Acutane is about the only thing that may help him, according to his Dr. However, with crohn's disease in our family, this drug is supposed to increase the likelihood of crohns and it is not a risk he is willing to take. I wish we could get him to cleanse his face thoroughly like he should and being a guy, well he just doesn't. It is better when he eats healthier and avoids soda. I hope you get some answers from this board because I would love to hear them.

You might want to peruse Acne.org.
The thing that really helped my daughter was BC pills. Besides acne, she suffered terribly from cramping, and sometimes missed school and threw up it was so bad.

This is a lot of reading, but it is a pretty comprehensive guide to caring for skin with blemishes.

Here is a link that might be useful: All about acne

I second Proactiv, but a trip to the dermatologist is a good idea. My DD had good luck with it, but after many years, it is not as effective. So, she went to the dermatologis for a perscription.

This sounds so simple that you won't think it will work, but when my daughter started to get hormonal and stress breakouts, I bought her Noxema to wash her face with rather than soap and water and her breakouts all but stopped.

I have friends with more serious acne who have been helped by proactive.

Accutane was the only thing that helped my sons. I was reluctant to put them on it, but a neighbor & our dermatologist had used it when they were young and said it made all the difference in their lives. Your skin still breaks out when you finish treatment, but the episodes are mild and only occasional.

I used to get so angry when relatives accused my sons of not washing their faces enough or correctly or with the wrong products. My boys were very diligent about washing. But as our dermatologist said, most people with bad acne keep their skin very clean. They just produce more oil in deep places where it mixes with bacteria and can't be reached by cleaning. Hence the need for antibiotics or Accutane if all else fails.

Tetracycline.

My brothers had issues too and the dermatologist helped them with topical treatments. Please make sure you know all the facts before using something like accutane. I have known Ginny for almost 30 years and no one should have to suffer the heartbreak and loss that she and her family have been through.

Here is a link that might be useful: article on Accutane

I know someone that went through adult acne and Proactiv cleared her face up well.

My face cleared up beautifully the entire time I was on birth control. If my face started to get wonky again I'd personally try the Proactiv first just because I don't want to be on bc anymore and think it would be easier than trying to find a derm.

My DD had the same problem due to stress before starting high school and probably was making the situation worse by using every product under the sun.

We took her to the dermatologlist and they gave her Retin-A and Duac, which is an antibiotic/benzoyl peroxide ointment.

It took about two weeks and then it was all better.

For people with the really severe and chronic cystic kind of pimples, I have known two people who cleared their skin up entirely by giving up dairy products, and another one whose skin cleared up when they gave up wheat products.

My DD was not willing to do either of those dietary modifications, but I think if the problem had persisted more than a few weeks, she would have.

This may sound strange but I used egg yolk on my son and worked amazingly well.

I had bad acne as a teenager, and sadly have the scars to prove it. My son obviously had inherited the problem. Just as it was getting bad I read an letter from the Ann Landers column about egg yolk. We decided to try it.

From the very 1st application we could tell it was working. It was if the egg yolk was sucking out the "infection". Within the week, most/all the acne had cleared up and all was left was discolorations from where the acne had been. Within another week or two his face was completely clear.

The crazy part was he didn't have to keep doing it for that long (about 2 weeks). We kept the unused egg yolk in the frig since just yolk goes a long way. I think we applied it 3x per day but the article says somewhat differently.

We tried it on my DD's few pimples but she we didn't see much in results. One she only had a pimple or two and two she wasn't as motivated since it wasn't a huge problem. Everyone that saw the result though were flabbergasted.

Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Egg Yolk Remedy for Acne

My son had acne and accutane was the only thing that worked for him.

I have mild to moderate acne on my forehead now, even though I'm over 50. I might try that egg yolk!

My daughters took oral antibiotics for a couple of months and use Epiduo gel everyday. Proactive was way too harsh. DD #1 developed horrible red blotches using it 1x a day for a week. The antibiotics gave her headaches at first but within 6 weeks her skin was 90% clear. She had moderate acne.
I was fortunate to never have had acne as a teen or adult, so I wasn't able to offer much advice. I wish we had gone to the dermatologist sooner with her. She had a miserable few months there. Once or twice a year they need to start another round of the antibiotics, but stay relatively clear.

I had terrible acne as a teen. I tried everything that was available at the time (mid 70s), but nothing really helped. It really affected me socially, and I'm happy that my daughter didn't have to suffer the same fate. Luckily, I didn't have any scarring as a result. And even better, I think that the fact that I kept my skin covered with makeup starting at a young age kept me from getting a lot of sun exposure, and now in my 50s my skin looks pretty good.

My 15 year old daughter has had great luck clearing up her skin with Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi cleanser followed up with the same brand of pads. If she doesn't use it 2x a day, it flares up again. We were very close to setting up an appt w/ a dermatologist before we tried this. They sell it in natural foods section in our grocery store and you can find it on Amazon.

Thank you all so very much. I did think of taking her to a dermatologist, but have no idea how much it would cost for the office visit and prescription medication (she has no insurance). I am going to try the Noxema and egg yolk, if she is willing. She told me that Proactiv did not work for her. Again, thank you for your willingness to share with me. I will continue viewing this string of messages for any ideas posted.

I second Epiduo.
My son also really liked using Triaz in the shower
but I don't think they make it anymore.

Ask the dermo about these.
It's a terrible thing for a child to go through.

About NO insurance is a whole other thread.
These meds are expensive .
The med co. usually have assistance for low income.
Ask the dermo about that as well.

Check the web site for Epiduo. If you choose that option
there are rebates available.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.epiduo.com/get_the_rebate.aspx

Although it's not a popular concept, I did find what I ate made a huge difference in my skin. Aspartame in any form gives me cystic boils, it took me ten years to find this out but I used to drink a lot of diet coke in my twenties.
I was thin, but essentially ate junk: fast food, take out, pizza, white carbs, lots of coffee, lot of dairy...

A healthy, natural diet helped moderate my hormones which helped my skin.

I never had acne as a teen, but from about age 30 on, I have (what's up with that?) -- and I'm 47. Not horrible, but I always have at least a few pimples, some that last Forever. Long story but I gave up dairy about 3 months ago and my skin has never looked better! So, cheaper than a doctor, and might be worth a try.

My teenage sons both have/had a difficult time with very bad acne. Oldest had no desire to do anything about it but finally it cleared up around age 19. Younger son, now 16, has a terrible case but he is good with the products -- tried proactiv but it didn't work, now is using a cream and antibiotics which are starting to help, but it's only been about 3 weeks and the dr said it might take about 3 months to really see results. I think anything is going to take time, and that's the hard part when you're a teenager!

Differin Gel (prescription) has been a miracle for my son. It's expensive, so I order it from Canada or India.

Sue, I also found giving up most dairy helped. I never have milk (in cereal, for instance, which I used to have twice a day) although I do eat some cheese and eat Greek yogurt.
Really the only dairy I don't use is milk but I used to consume several cups of skim a day.

Both of the medications our dermatologist gave DD were expensive--even after insurance the visit was over $100 and meds were $200, though it was a six-month supply so not that much per month. Luckily, we only needed them once because the problem cleared up.

Birth control was the only thing that cleared my acne. I did not have it all over my face like some, but I had it persistently and occasional cystic pimples. Abx never worked.

Remind her to keep her (germy) hands off her face. Not just don't pick at things but don't touch your face (unless you're washing it or medicating it). It isn't the cause of her problems but it doesn't help to add additional germs to face already under siege. I had 2 nephews with acne problems and their doctor stressed this.

Two of my six kids took Accutane when teens.

Son now has Ulcerative Colitis/Crohn's Disease for which he takes six pills a day for the rest of his life, unless he loses his colon to this disease. He is 36 years old, was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome in his twenties, UC/CD at age 31. It progresses.

Dtr now has Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Some days she can hardly go to work. She is 30 years old, was diagnosed in her twenties.

Both kids manage their diets very carefully to avoid flareups. Both exercise, neither drinks alcohol or smokes.

Both have joined a class-action suit against the makers of Accutane.

Sherrmann, that is terrible. I am so sorry for your kids, I have friends who have taken accutane for acne that I didn't think was bad enough to merit the drug but I'm glad I never took it.

more and more diet is indicated in acne and so many other ailments.
if she ate clean (paleo for instance)it might go away the fastest.

Another thing that helps with minor breakouts is tying your hair back off your face - even at night. When my hairdresser cuts my hair a certain way and the layers hit right at my jaw line, I get a row of acne there until it grows out.

I've never had acne as a teen; no clue if it's because I did not use soap on my face; it was always straight water but have found that as I got older; I will get a few unless I wash my face with St Ives face scrub. I use the one for blackheads every night in the shower. If I miss a night or don't use enough I wake up with a pimple.

It's not that expensive; $3-$4. I try not use the store brands because the formula is not the same.

Walnutcreek, any improvements?

Thanks for asking, aloha. Her skin is improving. She wasn't keen to use the egg yolk and Noxema. She is currently using Burt's Bees Natural Acene Solutions purifying gel cleanser, pore refining scrub, and spot treatment. The treatments are certainly working.

As long as she is finding something that works is all that's important!