So when do the first pimples start showing up? My daughter is 9 and has had two pimples pop up over the weekend. She is so young and immature, it is soooo weird. She is crying because one of them (near her mouth) is hurting her. She doesn't seem anywhere close to developing, she weighs all of 47 pounds..YIKES! Any advice, any BTDT?

By Truestori on Sunday, May 11, 2003 - 11:39 pm:

Kaye,

My daughter is 10 and had a few bumps and such on her nose. Make sure she is washing her face not just rinsing with water. Depending on her complexion she may have oily skin. My husbands side of the family has oily skin and so do my dk's. Alot of times they don't wash all of the conditioner from the shower off their body either. You may want to suggest that she rinse really well.

By Jewlz on Monday, May 12, 2003 - 01:03 am:

my daughter had them at nine ... thats when we found out she was allergic to oxy 10 ? i think is the name of it and had to miss a field trip cuz if it... at a young age we found that if u put white toothpaste on them it helps to dry them up faster and heated washrags help the pain when they are sore ... summer is just startin ... just stay on top of it with cleanser and rinsin well a few times a day ...

By Karen55 on Monday, May 12, 2003 - 07:24 am:

I got them and J & J both got them at around age 9. Some kids just have a bigger problem with pimples than others. Washing her skin really well will help, but make sure she doesn't use anything that totally dries and irritates her skin. Neutragena makes an oil-free ache wash that's gentle on the skin.

If she starts getting a lot of them, you might consider a dermatologist before it gets really bad. My DS actually ended up with some scars from them because nothing seemed to work on him, even after trips to the dermatologist. Sometimes I wonder if we waited too long to go to one. One or two pimples isn't enough to send you running to a dermagologist, but if it looks like it's going to be a constant thing, go sooner rather than later.

Another thing that will certainly aggravate their skin is hormones, and that's *probably* a contributing factor in your DD's case.

By Kaye on Monday, May 12, 2003 - 09:32 am:

I just can't imagine her getting hormones yet..LOL. I know some kids start at 9, but I was 13, I was hoping she was closer to being like me. I also didn't really have acne, one here or there, but never those major cases. I hope this is just one of those things. We are in the midst of a move, so I am also hoping that stress and poor eating habits are contributing factors. If we would ever sell this blasted house I might could cook a decent meal! but that is a whole different post.

By Palmbchprincess on Monday, May 12, 2003 - 12:07 pm:

I was probably 9 or 10 but then again I started my periods at 11, so I was in early puberty. I would just get her a cleanser and some oxy, and not stress about it unless it gets bad. BTW, if one is near her mouth she may have gotten it from leaning on the phone, or may need to wash her pillow case more. I have to wash mine a lot or I break out, and wiping down the phone really helps prevent them.

By Susan10 on Monday, May 12, 2003 - 03:21 pm:

I would say that at nine, the chances are these 2 pimples will go away, and she probably won't have to worry for a while. My son is 10 and has had a pimple here and there, but so far no breakouts.

We went through the whole pimple thing with my daughter. She had a pretty bad case of acne starting at age 11. Not the lesion type, but lots of pimples on her forehead, chin, cheeks, and really badly on her back. We tried all the over-the-counter stuff, and the best thing we found was this Clearasil face wash that you can buy at the supermarket-it comes in a red, white, and blue tube. I think it has salicylic acid, or something. She would use this in the shower every night, and it helped. We also tried the benzoyl peroxide stuff, but it made her face really red. She looked like a tomato. Her back was still really bad, too. So, we've been to 3 dermatologists, and finally got it cured. I mean, it's miraculous. The best thing we got from the 3rd doctor is this face wash called Brevoxyl. She uses this every night on her face and back. She also takes antibiotics (Doryx), and uses these face wipe thingies (I keep them in the car), I think they're called clondi-something. (She got some Retin-A micro, too, but doesn't use it much.) She looks great now. Her back is perfect, and it used to look like a pizza. Her face looks great, too. Now when I see some of her friends with pimples, I want to give out our dermatologist's card.

By Conni on Monday, May 12, 2003 - 03:41 pm:

My ds got his first one at age 9. He is 10 now. (ok the kid is ALMOST 11 !!!!!!! yikes!) And I just remind him (when I see one) to wash with soap and rinse good. He rarely gets them. I feel sorry for him though, because he has my skin and by the time I was in 10 grade I looked AWFUL. My hormones went wacko that year. If he gets that bad I will take him to the dermatologists. I wont put him thru the misery and pain. LOL

Its so tough to be pre-teen/teen!!!! YUCK! I wouldnt want to relive those yrs.

By Mommyathome on Wednesday, May 14, 2003 - 04:24 pm:

I didn't get any pimples until I graduated from highschool. Go figure lol. When I graduated I would get a couple here and there, now and then. Nothing too serious. Just thought it was weird that I was an "adult" and getting pimples. It only lasted about a year though. My DD is 4 and has had 2 pimples already. One on her upper lip, and one between her nose and cheek. Hopefully it was just one of those things. I don't know why she got them. They've never been back.

All the advice above seems to be good ideas! I'd just have your DD wash her face a little more and drink plenty of water.