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What to expect from dermatologist visit concerning my acne
Stupid Anon
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey all,
I've had a mild case of acne for well over a year now. I've tried literally every topical treatment I could find, following the directions exactly and giving it time to work, but still it persists.
The stuff I'm using now has been relatively effective, bringing down my acne to its lowest levels, but it's still not completely gone.
I'm ready to see a dermatologist now, and I'm making an appointment tomorrow, but I don't know what to expect. My cousin had extremely severe acne (covered his face, neck, back) and he was on Accutane a few years ago. It caused some emotional outbursts but ultimately solved his problem entirely. As I understand it, Accutane is the most potent anti-acne stuff? I'm relatively aware of the side effects but I'd be willing to take it if it's what my doctor recommends.
However, he probably won't jump straight to that, right? Especially since I wouldn't classify my acne as severe. I just always have one or two on my forehead and another handful around my chin/cheeks area.
What is the stuff he might suggest before Accutane? What should I expect? And, most importantly, of what he suggests, which should I choose? I'll obviously put a lot of trust in his judgment, but I want to know all the facts before I proceed with a treatment.
Thanks all.
I've had a mild case of acne for well over a year now. I've tried literally every topical treatment I could find, following the directions exactly and giving it time to work, but still it persists.
The stuff I'm using now has been relatively effective, bringing down my acne to its lowest levels, but it's still not completely gone.
I'm ready to see a dermatologist now, and I'm making an appointment tomorrow, but I don't know what to expect. My cousin had extremely severe acne (covered his face, neck, back) and he was on Accutane a few years ago. It caused some emotional outbursts but ultimately solved his problem entirely. As I understand it, Accutane is the most potent anti-acne stuff? I'm relatively aware of the side effects but I'd be willing to take it if it's what my doctor recommends.
However, he probably won't jump straight to that, right? Especially since I wouldn't classify my acne as severe. I just always have one or two on my forehead and another handful around my chin/cheeks area.
What is the stuff he might suggest before Accutane? What should I expect? And, most importantly, of what he suggests, which should I choose? I'll obviously put a lot of trust in his judgment, but I want to know all the facts before I proceed with a treatment.
Thanks all.
Stupid Anon on
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That said, it may work if you have a minor case, like you describe, and it's pretty mild as side effects go and to my knowledge has no permanent side effects. It's a pain in the ass to take, however (hence the sucks donkey balls comment previously), because you have to take it either one hour before or two hours after a meal (and not eat for another hour), which was difficult for me as a teenager to schedule my eating habits around a drug that didn't seem to do anything.
There are also some topical treatments he might try first. There are prescription topical creams containing retinoids and/or antibiotics that are effective for mild acne.
You can check out my school's dermatology website at http://www.dermweb.com/acneiformdisorders/overview.htm, or http://dermnetnz.org/acne/index.html is a great resource used by many physicians.
Accutane worked, but it dried my lips the fuck out. It was gross. I used chapstick every hour, but still they'd constantly be covered in either dead or new skin. I'd peel off long layers of skin every couple days. I did not make out with any girls during this time, but I suspect it would have been unpleasant for both of us.
HOWEVER, if I could go back I would never have used accutane. The side-effects are genuinely scary. It's possible it made me suicidal while I was taking it, but I didn't make that link until recently. The physical side-effects scare the crap out me. PERMANENT side effects.
Nearly everyone grows out of acne eventually except for the occasional zit, so I would try everything else before you go ahead and do something that has even a tiny chance of fucking you up.
But my skin was so dry that if I didn't moisturize every day, my face would look like I just dipped it in baby powder or something. Flakes galore. And the nose bleeds. Oh the nose bleeds.
Probably your visit will entail a description of your diet, sleeping, moisturizing and exercise habits and probably factors stemming from those before moving on to possible medical remedies. Then, as folks here have said, Tetracycline followed by Accutane.
A major player in many milder cases of acne is diet. Be prepared to consider minimization in caffeine, sugar, and fats intake.
False. Studies have shown that diet has no influence on the course of acne.
However, direct exposure of skin to cooking oils and grease (e.g. working in a fast food restaurant) can definitely aggravate acne.
My diet has varied wildly since my acne started so I don't think it's to blame: I've gone from eating junk food almost every day to fruits, veggies, nuts, and meats instead (along with a lot of exercising) and still it persists.
To be honest, I feel like I've gone through virtually all of the topical stuff I could go through (I even tried some of the more out there methods) and I don't feel like wasting time with that. I'd rather just do antibiotics, perhaps supplemented with some topical stuff, and then Accutane if that doesn't work. I'm also worried about topical creams and stuff because I've been exercising quite a bit and summer is here which means a lot of sweat every day.
I know Accutane treatments run about six months to completion; is it similar for Tetracycline? Really, I would like to just start with Accutane. I want to skip all the crap. I've been tired of this for so long and I really don't feel like trying a bunch of stuff like might make it worse again.
What are some of the more serious side effects of Accutane that people talk about getting? I know it can make you more depressed, and I also know it dries you out quite a bit. But I think I would gladly trade a few months of depression for the constant mild depression that having acne provides. What else is there that continues to affect you after you get off of it? I read it also can thin your hair, but I also read that that stopped after he was finished with Accutane. I'm not aware of any permanent negative side effects.
Again, thanks. All this advice is very valuable.
Scroll down to permanent side effects. If you want to know the chances of having any of that happen to you, then talking to your doctor is your best bet, followed by google.
I mean, it's a drug that can cause birth defects for pregnant women just by TOUCHING the pill.
Oh yeah, I don't think anyone has mentioned it, but something you should make sure to try regardless of what you work out with a dermatologist... Change or wash your pillowcase more often. If you can't change/wash it more often for some reason, at least flip it over more often. This can make a LOT of difference, seriously. All that oil on your face (and hair, for that matter) gets transferred right onto your pillowcase when you sleep on it, so if you change things more often it's harder for that stuff to cause you more acne. I no longer usually get acne on my face, but if I'm too lazy about washing my bedding, I still have to get rid of new acne again. Showering more often (if you aren't showering a lot already) also helps for similar reasons.
Cholula: Hi doctor. Thank you for seeing me.
Doctor: Ummm...that's okay. It's my job.
Cholula: Right. So I'm in my 30s and still have acne.
Doctor: Right.
Cholula: So...what are my options?
Doctor: Where do you have acne?
Cholula: ...on my face?
(Doctor takes a close look)
Doctor: I'd say this is very minor.
Cholula: Okay but surely something can be done about this.
Doctor: Yeah, of course.
Then he wrote a prescription for some topical solution. It's probably the same stuff you can get without a prescription. But anyway, I've been using it for maybe six months. I don't know if there's been any difference. It's mild but it was always mild. Maybe it's slightly more mild? But it will never go away completely. You can probably forget about that as a goal.
So my advice, if you want to get some topical cream or solution, there's no harm in that. But I wouldn't take any pills over this.
If you really think about it, taking a drug that permanently alters natural bodily functions is really something that should only be done in extreme cases. And that comes before even thinking about the side effects, which include permanent colon damage that causes irritable bowel syndrome only curable by surgery. That is, surgery on your colon. My sister and I both gave up on Accutane—we decided that acne was easier to live with than the horrible side effects.
Moral of the story, mild acne is normal for teenagers. You might just have to live with it.
If you took pills, it probably WOULD go away completely. Even mild acne can leave permanent scars, and it is unlikely to go away on its own until you hit your 20s. Also, the DOCTOR knows what the pills do. That's why they went to school for a decade.
Seriously, do NOT listen to these people telling you just have to live with it. There are several effective treatments for acne and they are safe to take as long as you take them properly, as directed by your dermatologist. You do not have to live with acne if you don't want to.
I never had any severe acne, but I took Accutane for the greater part of a year to get rid of moderate bacne. Everyone's said this already but Accutane is fucking crazy. There's a laundry list of side effects which may or may not happen to you, it's a complete guess - the only one that I heard was guaranteed was the chapped lips thing. I'll say it right now, the worst thing in the world is when you go out somewhere and realize you didn't bring any chapstick. We're not joking, your lips will fall apart. They shred themselves. As for me, I got some strange rashes on the inside of my arm briefly, and sometimes my skin seemed unusually dry, but that's par for the course.
Last warning, there are a few studies that have suggested that Accutane stunts growth. Even affecting bone ossification into your early 20s. If I had known that I may have considered against taking it when I was a teenager. It's still speculative but there's definitely some doubt there.
Oh and tetracycline didn't do much for me either.
Yes, my levels are at the lowest they have ever been, but it's not getting better any more. And I'm tired of it.
I wasn't able to call the dermatologist (which I will do tomorrow, when they are open), but I think I want to start directly on Accutane. I've been reading a lot on what he might prescribe, concerning antibiotics and topical creams, and I'm not satisfied. The former seem to rarely work, and if they do, it's not necessarily a permanent solution. The latter I've already gone through. It doesn't seem like they prescribe anything more potent than I've already tried.
I don't want to experiment with my face for years and years until I find something that might work. I want the guaranteed solution, and I want it to be over. Yes, I know Accutane isn't necessarily 100% effective (some people have to go on it multiple times), but it's by far the best solution for people. Plus, since the acne I have isn't really severe (just extraordinarily persistent), I don't think I would have to be on a very large dose. I am also aware of the side effects.
When I go to the doctor, can I just tell him this and will he oblige? Or are they required to try a battery of other solutions before bringing out the big guns?
With that out of the way, I did a 1 year course of accutane, but my acne was extremely bad. Like, without treatment my skin would have ended up looking like Manuel Noriega's, or a smallpox survivor. The side effects were...intense, to put it mildly. Massive depression, paper-thin and parchment dry skin, less than 5 minutes in direct sunlight before I started burning,etc. Also, the first sign that the drug was working for me was an absolutely nightmarish outbreak of super-acne that lasted for about a month. I'm talking biblical plague mimicry in my bathroom mirror every morning.
You say you know about the side effects, but you seriously need to talk to a specialist that can give you a better idea about how much some of them suck. Because they do, they really, really do.
Also, I'm 20 years old. And 6'4". I don't think stunted growth will be a concern.
To be honest, the hardcore side effects of Accutane can be scary. But from what I can find, when given in lower doses, the side effects aren't as severe (obviously dry skin and such, but not the more serious ones). And I'm hoping because mine is relatively mild (though persistent as fuck), I could just be put on a fairly low dose to get rid of it.
I called the dermatologist today but the soonest I can get in is almost a month from now. =/ Oh well.
It took about 6 months to realize it wasn't acne, but a reaction to my cat. She was extremely affectionate and would come rub her face on mine as I watched TV. Licking too.
Once I made sure that when she wanted affection, I didn't let her touch my face nearly as much, the "acne" went away.
And I was by no means ignorant of what acne was, felt like, or looked like. I experienced severe acne from 14 through 18 when I finally went on Accutane.