HOUSTON – Like most children, Arielle Lester had a clear complexion until her teens. When she reached eighth grade she got hit with inflammatory acne.
"I had a lot of self-esteem issues. People asked me if I got punched in the face. It was just really bad," Lester said.
Dr. Lesley Clark-Loeser said 45 percent of teenagers will have some form of acne that will require a visit to the dermatologist, but the first stop can be the drug store.
Look for products that contain ingredients like sulfur, salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, which can work on the bacteria and inflammation.
Prescription topical products with Retin-A can also help with cell turnover, but start off easy to avoid irritation.
"Perhaps not using it every day at the onset, but maybe three times a week, allowing your skin to adjust and avoid some of those irritating effects of the retinoid, because they are so beneficial," Clark-Loeser said.
When topical treatments aren't cutting it, prescription oral medications can help, starting with antibiotics.
"They work as an anti-inflammatory as much as they are an antibacterial agent," Clark-Loeser said.
If antibiotics fail to work after a few months, bring out the big guns like an oral medication called Isotretinoin.
"That is the single most effective way of treating and sometimes curing inflammatory acne," Clarl-Loeser added.
It did the trick for Arielle Lester.
"It's a lot better," she said. "I feel much more confident."
In office laser procedures and peels can also help with acne. Teen girls may also benefit from birth control pills if fluctuating hormones are causing their breakouts.