Can a dermatologist help me?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Maybe this goes in General Questions . . .

A bit of background. I’m 30 years old. In November, I stopped taking birth control pills that I’d been on for 8 years. (IUD=AWESOME.) Prior to that, I had always had acne. Not “OMG what’s wrong with your face” type acne, but a fair sprinkling of zits.

I guess I figured I had grown out of it, but now that I’m off the pill, it’s back with a vengeance. Face, chest, neck, back, arms (WTF?) Neutrogena’s Body Clear scrub has pretty much gotten the body breakouts under control, but my face is still really spotty. Right now, I wash twice a day with Clearasil Ultra with 2% salicylic acid, and some cream with 2% SA.

I’m thinking about going to a dermatologist. I went when I was a teenager, though, and all he gave me was prescriptions for the same stuff I could by OTC, but that didn’t smell as nice. I tried Retin-A for a while, but it didn’t seem to do anything either. I imagine there’s been some advances in the past 15 years, though. Think it’s worth my time? I know insurance would cover the appointment, but I’m not sure about the prescriptions, since it’s just cosmetic.

Advice/experiences/anyone else want to vent?

2

I’m a guy, so there’s been no birth control effects with my acne. However, I’ve had moderate acne since I was about 12. I’m 42 now.

Yes, there’s been lots of new stuff for acne since retin-A. I keep mine under control with minocycline and some topical stuff, and it’s good enough that I have only the occasional blemish. It took a few years to find the right combo, though, and my dermatologist likes to change stuff up every few years or so. But if I stop alltogether, after a few weeks I get fairly bad and uncomfortable breakouts.

My insurance covers the costs of the prescriptions, and they’re definitely not stuff that’s available OTC. I have to be aware of a few things: no blood donation (won’t take it because of the minocycline), and beware of being outside without sunscreen.

IIRC there’s supposed to be some treatment for really severe acne that is quite efficacious… but also makes your hair dry and brittle. Don’t know anything more about what it is, but be sure to ask questions about side effects if you end up going to a dermatologist.

3

Possibly. There are TONS of acne treatments out there, both prescription and over the counter - the hardest part is finding something that actually works for you. Everyone has different experiences with treatments, which sucks because it means you just have to experiment to find out what will work for you.

I was in about your same situation. When I went off the pill, the acne came back with a vengeance. It did calm down on it’s own after a few months, though, I think my body was adjusting to not being on the pill anymore. I still do have moderate acne, and I’ve finally found what works for me.

Salycilic acid works best for me, benzoyl peroxide and things like retin-a never did that much. Pro-Active actually did work OK, but let my skin looking dull even when I didn’t have a breakout. Prescriptions never really worked for me, and I’m not a good candidate for Accutane (it’s a pill you take every day, if you haven’t heard of it - a lot of people have good results with it, but it can cause birth defects if you get pregnant while taking it).

What I do now (I’m 28, if that matters):
wash every night with Dessert Essence face wash - it gets my make-up off without drying out my skin
I also use the oil cleansing method once or twice a week
this peel once every two weeks or so
and this miracle stuff as a spot treatment only, if I need it - it’s quite strong, and can be very drying if you put it all over your face. Stings like a bitch, too, but it WORKS.
I also use an AHA cream at night, just Walgreen’s brand.

Typically, I get large cystic acne a few times a month, and they take so long to heal that the marks would still be there by the next month. I haven’t gotten a single cyst since I started using the above stuff, and the existing marks are almost gone.

Sorry for going on for so long, I’m just very happy to have something that actually works.
ETA: a good place to find reviews of acne products (an lots of other stuff) is Makeup Alley. The reviewers have their skin types listed, that’s how I found a lot of the stuff I listed above, I just looked for reviews from people who had the same type of skin I have.

4

A dermatologist could almost certainly help you, but if it’s not super bad, I would try over the counter stuff first. My niece had bad acne but she’s been using the Walgreen’s version of ProActiv and she’s cleared up almost 100%.

5

I’m 30 (next week!) and started seeing a dermatologist last fall for my acne. I don’t have it everywhere but there sure is something freaky deaky going on with my face.

I was doing EVERYTHING to keep it under control on my own. I was religious about keeping my face clean, keeping my environment clean (special face-only towels, clean sheets and pillowcases), using minimal hair care products, trying different “systems” from the store. Nothing worked one bit.

I went to the dermatologist and she gave me some prescription stuff to fix the problem. It cleared up on my right cheek and chin, but my left cheek still is gross. Turns out I have cystic acne. On this last appointment she gave me a cortisone shot plus some antibiotics and a stronger face cream. So far, so good.

As badrubberpiggy said, there are tons of treatments. I read the forums at acne.org and everyone is looking for a solution based on other people’s success stories. I have found that the FASTEST route to getting it fixed is to visit a dermatologist. It’s too hard to keep guessing on your own (also note that dermatologists do a bit of “trial and error” too).

6

Beware of washing your face too much though. Too much abrasion can make the problem worse, for some types of acne. Be gentle when you towel dry too.