KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Dear parents, I tried searching the forum and was dismayed that there's no information about childhood pimples. My DS is 11 and has fair skin and this year, he has been having spots on and around his nose. On and off, it clears and then comes back again. It doesn't seem to bother him at all but looking at those red little spots, I wish I could do something about them. Can anyone recommend any over the counter products that are not harsh on the skin for children? His has a good complexion otherwise.
TIA!

mummy_linda wrote:Dear parents, I tried searching the forum and was dismayed that there's no information about childhood pimples. My DS is 11 and has fair skin and this year, he has been having spots on and around his nose. On and off, it clears and then comes back again. It doesn't seem to bother him at all but looking at those red little spots, I wish I could do something about them. Can anyone recommend any over the counter products that are not harsh on the skin for children? His has a good complexion otherwise.
TIA!

I think it's just normal spots? 11yo is about the age that many kids start getting pimples. Just make sure he washes his face regularly with some kind of face wash (my kids use Clean & Clear) and keeps his face as clean as possible. For spots, we use an antiseptic cream like Burnol which seems to work better than pimple creams.

Thanks slmkhoo. He's had this on/off acne problem since last year. So far I tried applying Witch Hazel and Tea Tree gel but he complained they made his skin itch. I always thought Burnol was just for first aid but I'm going to try it out.Am hoping to find a more active forum on this topic. My kids are moving into adolescent years and I've seen how my nephews and nieces used to struggle with self-esteem issues arising from bad skin during their teenage phase.

mummy_linda wrote:Thanks slmkhoo. He's had this on/off acne problem since last year. So far I tried applying Witch Hazel and Tea Tree gel but he complained they made his skin itch. I always thought Burnol was just for first aid but I'm going to try it out.Am hoping to find a more active forum on this topic. My kids are moving into adolescent years and I've seen how my nephews and nieces used to struggle with self-esteem issues arising from bad skin during their teenage phase.

My reckoning was that pimples are just infected pores, and so I tried antiseptic cream when I didn't have pimple cream. And I found it worked even better. I suppose how badly kids are affected depends on how bad the pimple issue is for them. My girls (15 and 17) only have the occasional spots, so aren't affected at all as far as I can see.

DD had very severe acne problem when she was in P6. Over the counter kind of cleansers & acne cream weren't very effective. They were very red and looked really raw. DH eventually brought her to his skin doc (she obviously inherited his acne problem) and she's now on their basic skincare products. DermaRx. She still has breakouts but not as severe as before.

hey, try to control these acne problem before it will be too late, try some good acne cream at least for 3 months and if you don't see any improvement then do visit a good dermatologist. its my advice

I think Clean & Clear by Johnsons might help. Get the toner and facial wash. Give it a try.

all the best, hope the acne clears up soon

I have a son who also has acne on his nose only when he was about 14 years old. It started when his nose got really oily with blackheads and he refused to use proper facial cleansers despite my advice. Then a huge acne popped out and later two or three more followed, all on the nose. They were big, painful and have no heads, hence the pus were all trapped within and healing was difficult. The rest of his skin were still baby smooth. He started using proper facial cleansers but big acnes kept surfacing on his nose, yes, only on his nose. He always complained why his nose was so 'screwed up'. I used various acne products on him to no avail.

About products from iHerb, I bought the Nelson Clean & Clear acne gel and finds it works well at very early stage of pimple or acne, just when the pimple surfaces. It will not work if you wait longer then treat or on older acne. Also it is very very drying and your skin will peel badly. The American Health acne treatment lotion is worse. It is so drying and did none of those things that it claimed to do. Moreover it smells horrible. Son refused to apply it. Oxy creams are useless and organic tea tree oil wasn't helping too.

I brought son to see a skin specialist at NSC. I asked the doctor why my son only has acne growing on his nose and not other parts. He did not start with small pimples but huge acne. The doctor explained that the forehead, nose and chin areas have the most fatty tissues compared to other parts of the face. Hence, you see adolescents have pimple growth on these areas first. It is a matter of time that other areas will grow pimples if skin care regime is not proper.

The doctor prescribed a acne gel known as Differin from Galderma. Active ingredient is adapalene 0.1%. This gel requires prescription and you cannot get it over the counter. It is not oily as it is a gel and you have to apply sparingly on the skin. I like this gel too and when I have an occasional pimple, I just dab a small dot on my spot and the pimple flattens and dries up within a day or two. For my son, because he has some old acne bumps, the gel took longer to work on them. He applies it diligently on the spots and within 2 months, the old acne bumps cleared. His fresh acne spots clear fairly quickly with this gel though. Although the doc said to apply on all parts of skin areas to prevent future pimple breakout, my son did not do so bevause it becomes rather drying when applied on large areas of the skin. He only applies it on his specific spots. Now that he is approaching 15 years old, he has small spots on some parts of his cheeks and chin area and Differin will do the trick. Son reported that nearly his whole class of students have some form of acne on their faces. The boys are rather nonchalant about their skin conditions and stay very upbeat.

As adolescents go through hormonal changes, emergence of spots and acne is inevitable. To keep spots at bay, one has to strictly adhere to a proper skincare regime, using suitable cleansers, toners and moisturisers. Never handle or touch face with dirty and grubby hands or pick at your face or spots. Most importantly, eat lots of fruits and vegetables and drink lots of water to keep skin hydrated and moist. When the skin is dry, it tends to produce more sebum to lubricate itself and that's where the trouble starts. The excess sebum traps dirt and bacteria, blocks up the pores and white and blackheads form which then advance into acne.

The doctor did advise about abstaining from nuts and chocolates. Ever since, my son stopped taking them, his skin condition improves. I also stopped him from taking shellfish and seafood like prawns, crabs, squids, dried shrimps, oyster sauce, even chilli belacan (although the doctor said it was perfectly ok) and fish is the only seafood he takes now.

I bought the enzyme crystal papaya soap cleanser from Qoo10 for my son and it leaves the skin squeaky clean. There are various types of soap available, each catering to different skin condition. It is quite drying, so son quickly slabs on Hada Labo toner and massage skin with sea buckthorn organic oil immediately after cleansing his face.

It will be a battle against acne for these adolscents for at least a couple of years. Expect more skin changes when exams are near, when stress levels go up.

May I know what facial cleanser to use on 8 yrs old kid?