Going to the Dermatologist

[Kat81]

OK, SOOOOO I have suffered from Acne since I was 12. I am now 26 although it is nowhere near as bad as it was when I was younger it is still there. I am going to a dermatologist on Friday. I don't know what to ask or any options I have in the way of treatment. My wedding is in 6 months and I want to get rid of the Acne and maybe some of the scaring. Any input would be great. Maybe some questions I could ask or some procedures I could ask about.

[Maura]

i just was at the dermatologist over lunch... i have a similar problem. and i have two scars on my back from a surgery i had in 2005 that look awful and have scar tissue that makes them painful, so my reg dermatologist referred me to a laser dermatology specialist, and he did my first treatment right away today following the consult because another patient was running late. it didnt hurt (the laser) but the steroid injections to break up the scar tissue hurt a little.

 

it depends what kind of scarring you have on your face though. you may just need something like a chemical peel. be up front with your derm and tell them my wedding is in X amount of time and this is what I want. they will be pretty good about recommending treatments. however, if they give you antibiotics, DONT take solodyn. search the forum for my other post about that.

[Maura]

also, have you tried proactiv? since i went off antibiotics for my face because of the bad reaction i had, i am going to give that a try because my sister swears by it.

[Kat81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mauraw also, have you tried proactiv? since i went off antibiotics for my face because of the bad reaction i had, i am going to give that a try because my sister swears by it.

I have tried Proactiv twice. Both times I hated it. It didn't work for me. I have heard that it works for some though. I have had more luck with Clearogen. It is a bit more expensive but for me worked a lot better. But, nothing seems to completely get rid of it. Just slightly lessens it.

[Sandra E.]

I feel your pain, I've been there and I've tried absolutely anything that you can think of. from Acutane to regular antibiotics to proactiv. My face would clear, but then it will just be a matter of time before the acne came back. So I started really looking into the problem and doing tons of research. I still went to dermatologist got antibiotics, request a wash for your face and a cream I believe it's called metro gel (that's stuff, really works). But also change your diet. Go get the Dr. Perricone's diet for acne, if you eat what he advices, which is a lot of bell pepper and salmon your face will clear. I'm telling you it's amazing. I no longer take antibiotics, I only use the face wash and the metro gel and I'm in much better shape. By the way schedule a couple of peel facials and you'll be set. One more thing drink liters and liters of water. I was drinking about 100 oz a day. Good luck!!

[cheese_diva]

Search for Obagi.. I know Host Tammy had great results and there's lot of information on the web about it.. although I don't know if you have enough time for it to work.. it takes a few months where you basically could shed your old skin.. they call it the Obagi Uglies... you'll have events coming up before your wedding that I'm sure you want to look great for..

 

It may be worth looking into though.

[beachbride08]

I never had a problem with acne growing up, and I think I could count the number of zits I had on one hand. However, the past 3 years or so I have had adult acne. I started using proactiv about a year and a half ago. However, I don't use it the way they say you should. I use the cleanser in the morning and at night I use L'Oreal pure zone cleanser. I don't like to use a separate make-up remover and this stuff is the best at getting my makeup off and makes my skin feel fresh without drying it out. I only use a little bit. I use the proactiv toner rarely and almost never need to use the blemish treatment stuff. I do use the mask about once a week, and twice during that time of the month since that is when I tend to get a flare up. My skin looks much better. I tried doing the whole proactiv system, but my skin would get so dried out and didn't do that great of a job with removing makeup. I have had one microdermabrasion facial and that made my skin look great. They are pricey, but you might want to try that out to see if that will help you. Acne sucks, and everyone is different so I think you just need to try things out until you find something that works best for you.

[kr3611]

Accutane really worked for me. Now I use Retin A

[Maura]

little bit of an update: i have to report if anyone has raised scarring, i highly recommend the laser therapy and cortisone injections to flatten the scar (the steroid injection breaks up the scar tissue) --- even though i just had it done this afternoon around lunchtime, my FI just checked it out and says he can tell a difference that its already flatter and the color, although right now its discolored where the laser zapped, its already starting to look better than it did before!

[JennyK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kr3611 Accutane really worked for me. Now I use Retin A

Make sure you are off if it by the time you get married.. the sun might not be good with those medications