I don't know if Equate works or not, but I will say that being a teenager means you are going to have pimples. It's really not a very happy time for most people because your hormones are raging and your skin breaks out. My niece went to a doctor because her acne was so bad, and he prescribed Accutane (I think) which can sometimes cause suicide! It's better to live with it and know that it will go away (she survived her acne and has beautiful skin now) than to try a lot of crazy things which might make it worse. If you feel it's really horrible (it's probably not) maybe you could see a physician. Good luck!