Dermatologist

[lee_44106]

You seemed to have pretty much made up your mind about what causes acne, what best to treat it...etc. Why don't you just stick with your water drinking, facial steaming techniques?

 

[WSW]

^
Prolly cause it aint workin

 

[hopkins_student]

Originally Posted by lee_44106

You seemed to have pretty much made up your mind about what causes acne, what best to treat it...etc. Why don't you just stick with your water drinking, facial steaming techniques?
+1. You can't ask for the best care if you start with ruling out a major component of what is likely the best care.

 

[SamIam33]

did you try my suggestion about the facialist??

 

[rzi]

I'm not ruling out the necessity for a dermatologist as I started this thread wondering how I'd find a GOOD one.

Brian you said you've been to 5.. I'm trying to avoid that.

Also I've been looking for a facialist, but I don't know how to find a really top notch doctor...

What I have been doing is applying vinegar to my face after showers with a wash cloth, it's had the best effect on the pimples compared to basically everything, (benzoyl peroxide, clynsomething, doxy, sulfur etc..)

I apply vinegar every day and then I apply vitamin e from a gel pill in very small amounts to the pimples which seem to have cleansed themselves of whatever clogged them to help heal any scars etc. Also the ones I popped in a depressed angry frenzy seem to be fading from scar-dom.

 

[bachbeet]

If you lived in the SD area, I'd recommend my dermatologist. I never had a big acne problem. However, I have several other problems now -- sebborheic dermatitis, perifolliculitis, winter eczema. I take Oracea for the peri; cordran for the sebb der (along with 3X a week Loprox, a shampoo); cordran also works well for the eczema. A side benefit to the Oracea is that it kills the bacteria in the mouth that cause plaque and that also can cause a heart attack.

 

[Brian278]

Originally Posted by rzi

I'm not ruling out the necessity for a dermatologist as I started this thread wondering how I'd find a GOOD one.

Brian you said you've been to 5.. I'm trying to avoid that.

Also I've been looking for a facialist, but I don't know how to find a really top notch doctor...

What I have been doing is applying vinegar to my face after showers with a wash cloth, it's had the best effect on the pimples compared to basically everything, (benzoyl peroxide, clynsomething, doxy, sulfur etc..)

I apply vinegar every day and then I apply vitamin e from a gel pill in very small amounts to the pimples which seem to have cleansed themselves of whatever clogged them to help heal any scars etc. Also the ones I popped in a depressed angry frenzy seem to be fading from scar-dom.

To be fair, I've been to 5 over the course of 10 years, lived in 2 different places and had my insurance change twice. But I agree that finding a good one and sticking with them is preferable. Just be aware that a lot of the treatments you've mentioned take anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months (like Doxycycline) to work. You appear to have a healthy fear of drugs, but what most of them do is simply reduce the amount of oil your face produces, and Retinoids will actually slow the aging process so you look younger in 30 years. They're not all bad. If you're looking for one that's very mild and won't dry your skin at all, you may want to ask about Sodium Sulfacetamide pads, which are a topical antibiotic in a Urea (moisturizing) compound.

 

[coachvu]

rai, you seem very confused about the definition of depression. Being angry and frustrated to the point of crying does not mean you are depressed. It sounds like your doctor had terrible communication skills, but it doesn't sound like his treatment plan was unreasonable. There is no online database of dermatologists and patient ratings, so you would do best to ask people in your area for recommendations. Also, as to your story about your dad's health, Lipitor is used to treat high cholesterol, not high blood pressure, so don't automatically assume allopathic physicians are all quacks.

 

[Recoil]

Find a dermotologist that will prescribe you ACCUTANE. It will make your face dry for 5 months. On the 6th month you'll wake up with no acne. Everyone I know, including myself, that have used this product descrbie the experience in the same way.

 

[rxcats]

I would recommend AGAINST Accutane as first line therapy. It could actually be considered malpractice for an MD to prescribe it without trying something else first. It is indicated for severe recalcitrant nodulocycstic acne. While doxycycline does not increase risk of depression (over placebo), Accutane does. Anyone with a history of depression should take that into consideration.

 

[rzi]

My doctor didn't tell me about the depressive side effect of Doxycycline. I experienced it myself. I would come home from school , look in the mirror at the pimples and start freaking out, I'd pop them until they bled , now I have a scar or two and be very very depressed and upset, anxiety attacks which I felt like crying.

I told my Mom about it and she looked into Doxy and found out about the depression.

Overall I'm just very confused with the entire field. Some people say Accutane is worth it, others say don't take it, others have permanent dryness. Simply put I'm not gonna **** with my entire body just cause I have acne. Sure it's completely terrible for my ego and all but I'm not overloading myself with toxic amounts of vitamin A.

The field is so iffy, and I don't wanna take fifteen different treatments hoping one does the trick. I'm trying to address it myself with the fundamental cures people have been using for years.

Doxcycline kills the bacteria germs causing Acne.

the oldest form of recorded bacteria and germ cleaning for people is Vinegar.

I use it topically,

Vitamin E has also been used for a long time to better skin.

topically as well.

Call me some kind of old fashioned ******* moron or w/e but I try to be very concious of what I put into myself.

 

[rxcats]

I wouldn't expect a doctor or pharmacist to tell you about potential depression from doxycycline since that is not an adverse effect associated with that class of medication (tetracyclines). I have worked in hospital pharmacy for 23 years and at Poison Control for 8 years, so I have some idea of what I am talking about. People sometimes associate cause and effect where none exists. That is the reason drugs are compared against placebo (sugar pills) both for effectiveness and for adverse effects. Drug studies often use a "double blind" design; neither the investigators nor the subjects (patients) know if they are getting active drug or sham treatment. Once the study in concluded, the participants are unblinded, and the results of the two groups can be compared. If a specific adverse effect is identical in both groups, it can reasonably be assumed that the effect is not drug related. By the same token, if the intended effect is the same in both groups, it can also be assumed not to be drug related either (" a placebo effect&quot.

I do NOT think you are a "moron" for not seeking pharmaceutical treatment for acne. Many/most people make it through their teenage/young adult years without it. It just depends on how severe the acne is and the way you, as an individual, feel about acne/appearance. I would not recommend applying vitamin E to acne as the oils in the preparation will likely do more harm than good. I don't think acetic acid (vinegar) will hurt anything, but it certainly can't be compared to retinoids and tetracyclines in effectiveness. I think that the reason many people on this thread have mentioned pharmaceutical treatment is because you started the thread seeking out a dermatologist. You don't need a dermatologist for vinegar and vitamin E.

 

[Omegablogger]

Originally Posted by rzi

Call me some kind of old fashioned ******* moron or w/e but I try to be very concious of what I put into myself.

I wouldn't go that far but it's not that far from the mark.

A war was fought and science beat old wives tales, you either accept that or you don't. Medicine now is evidence based, it has to be proven to work to accepted standards. If it hasn't its not called medicine, it's called guessing, pulling it out your arse, crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. Running about squeezing vit e from capsules and putting them on your face seems to suggest that you think you know more than the entire medical community, you don't.

"You cannot sense whether a pill improves intelligence, or cures the common cold, or whether MMR causes autism. Your tiny, beautiful ingot of human experience in the world does not present you with sufficient information to spot patterns on that scale: it's like looking at the ceiling of the Sistine chapel with one eye through a very long cardboard tube."

http://www.badscience.net/?p=404

That applies to you, me and the Doctors. Let science be your guide.

 

[caelte]

I noticed my blackheads went away when I stopped eating alot of fats.
I've gone to pretty much a vegetarian diet, but not totally, just cut way back on meat.

The pottasium iodide thing is new to me. Sounds very interesting.

 

[Mrs. Savage]

Have you considered getting a facial? They have a wand like tool that zaps your zits and drys them out so they go away faster. You could also consider some other cosmetic treatments at a spa such as a chemical peel, it will sluff off your top layers of skin and expose new fresh skin. Also be careful when you pop because when your acne does go away you don't want to be left with scars.