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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 2/22/2008 11:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone!,  I have a 14 year old son dx with uc in 10/07.  He is tapering off pred, down to 10mg from 40.  My question is this???...His face is a mess!  I don't mean a pimple or two...his whole face looks raw! He is getting self conscious.  He has tried Nutrogena acne face wash and now proactive.  Not working! His dr. does not want him on any antibiotic.  How long after your off the pred does the acne go away?  He has 3 weeks left. Can you guys tell me what has worked for you?  Thanks for the help! Casey's Mom
Posted 2/23/2008 12:26 AM (GMT 0)
I am so sorry. I know how that can be damaging for a teenager. I did not have that reaction to the steroids, but I am sure that when he is off the meds his face will clear up. I know it is hard to wait it out, but hopefully he is feeling better and that will help. I did get back acne, and it took about 2 weeks after I was off prednisone for that to clear. Hopefully others on this site will have better advice for you. Sorry, but hang in there, it will get better.
Posted 2/23/2008 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
He probably should just use mild soap and water for now. The anti-acne products tend to be very drying, and in his case oily skin isn't the culprit. I never had this problem with Pred, so others may have good remedies for you. If it doesn't clear up in a couple of weeks, consider taking him to a dermatologist. Just tell the derm that he can't take antibiotics. They do have other options available.

Also, it's usually only oral antibiotics that bother us. Injected or topical antibiotics are usually okay.
Posted 2/23/2008 1:30 AM (GMT 0)
I had really bad acne and face problems when I was 14/15 and on prednisone. My skin would be so dry it would be peeling and I'd put moisturizer on it and that would make it go to the other extreme and be seriously oily.
I started using Clean & Clear products and I have used them ever since and have excellent skin now.
The Advantage products can be a little harsh if you over use them but they work well. I always preferred the Clean&Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser or Foaming Acne Wash. In addition I use Deep Cleaning Astringent or Daily Pore Toner after washing at night which makes you feel dry and tight but it clears you right up.

I've had nothing but problems with Proactiv, Nuetrogena, Noxema, etc and they think the one that's in pill form (can't remember what it's called) is actually linked to UC in some cases so you don't want to do that!!

I would drive C&C a try, it was a total self esteem saver for me; it was REALLY rough being a teen with severe ulcerative colitis AND acne.
Posted 2/23/2008 6:20 AM (GMT 0)
when i quit the pred, my skin problems went away pretty quickly. sorry, i don't remember exactly how long it took.
i agree with the advice to not use any drying products.
cetaphil works very well for me. and if you find something that doesn't dry his skin, he could use it more than once a day and that may help. but as judilyn said, it's not really oily skin that is the problem.
Posted 2/23/2008 1:37 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the input!  I didn't really look at it as though it wern't an oil problem.  His face is really dry between the pimples.  I'll try the c&c products and call the dermatologist on Monday. I didn't know there as a topical antibiotic.  Again, thanks for the advice!

Posted 2/23/2008 1:54 PM (GMT 0)
It's not nice to have to put up with in the meantime,but it will go away after the pred is stopped.After three weeks of iv steroids,and many on oral,during my twenties I had the same problem(on my neck too).The problem abated gradually after the steroids were stopped.

Your son can be assured this problem will go away,but unfortunately,time is the healer here.There's no "quick fix",at least not to my knowledge.
I hope they've at least done the trick,as far as his UC is concerned.I was dx at age 23,14 is a miserable time of life to have to put up with this.
Posted 2/23/2008 2:09 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, the prednisone has helped him.  Kids can be funny....we didn't know how sick he was.  He runs cross country, he had a race the day before they admitted him to the hospital because his blood count was so low they wanted to transfuse him.  He doesn't talk about his uc much. He is very fortunate to be responding really well to the medicines he takes.  Of course he hates the way he looks now but has other successes to celebrate in his life.....kids! Ya gotta love em!

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