Depression & anxiety and acne

Post your questions regarding mental health and skin conditions here.

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by Guest Posts on Mon Apr 06, 2020 2:03 pm

Depression & anxiety and acne

Hello

My 25 year old son has depression and anxiety (on Citalopram) and has very oily skin. He showers daily but find the only thing that helps clear his face of spots/acne is shaving. He has had it for about 8 years. It is also on his body.

He has tried Tetralysal in the past and it didn't make a huge amount of difference and he was on it for a long time so they had to take him off it.

I have purchased over the counter products but nothing has worked. Some exfoliants have made it worse.

Please can you advise as it is impacting on his mental health. He doesn't have a job and finds it difficult to be motivated.

Best wishes
Alison
talkhealth team on behalf of a guest visitor

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Dr Alia Ahmed
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Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2020 1:50 pm
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by Dr Alia Ahmed on Thu Apr 09, 2020 6:50 pm

Re: Depression & anxiety and acne

Thank you for contacting us. I am sorry that your son seems to have been suffering for some time. If he has already tried the conventional treatments for acne (i.e. antibiotics and creams) from his GP then it is likely he may benefit from treatment by a dermatologist. I would suggest that you encourage him to see his GP and let them know how his skin problem may be holding him back and that he would like more advanced treatment if appropriate. A dermatologist can consider the use of treatments that GP's are not able to prescribe. We know that people with acne can experience psychological distress, there is also good evidence to show that appropriate medical treatment of acne can make them feel a lot better. I can see from your post that your son already suffers from depression, this should not be a factor that is stopping him obtaining the right treatment, in fact it is something that makes accessing the best treatment available much more of a necessity.
Other things that he can try in the meantime include:
1. Face/body wash containing salicylic acid (use this 2-3 times a week at first as it can be irritating if over used)
2. Use non-oily moisturisers if skin feels dry
3. Use 2% salicylic acid directly on large spots once daily to shrink them quickly
I hope this information helps. I wish you both the very best.
Dr Alia Ahmed
Consultant Dermatologist - BSc MRCP

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... _ahmed.php

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