Should I Go to a Dermatologist for My Acne?

Question by Jones 🙂: Should I go to a dermatologist for my acne?
I have been struggling with acne for almost 4 years. I am a teenager, so I know that contributes, but I’m sick and tired of it. I’ve used a bunch of different kinds of home treatments and I never have good skin. It makes me feel absolutely horrible about myself. It isn’t all over my face, but small pimples on both my jawlines, chin, forehead, and nose. Occassionally I get cystic looking zigs on my chin and nose. I just want clearer skin. So what do you suggest? Should I see a dermatologist? What would they do? And what is the general cost? Thank you so much for reading this, I want a awesome junior year not feeling self concious about my skin.

Best answer:

Answer by jc
At Home: When you’ve got an oil spill, you tend to want to clean it up. But over-scrubbing just provokes the skin to break out more angrily—which is why you should wash gently and use a towel that you save only for your face, says New York dermatologist and psychiatrist Amy Wechsler, MD. The next temptation? To take that poor pimple out of its misery. You know you shouldn’t, but maybe a little squeezing won’t hurt, just this once? Honestly, not a good idea. “This is especially true for patients with darker skin, who often end up with dark brown spots at the sites of pimples—it’s actually called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH),” says Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, director of the Skin of Color Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital. “PIH generally improves over time, but very slowly.”

At the Drugstore: The two main over-the-counter remedies are salicylic acid, which helps slough off the dead sticky skin cells, and benzoyl peroxide (don’t go above 2.5% on your face), which kills bacteria. “You can completely overdo it, dry out the skin, and break out more,” says Wechsler. She recommends trying just two OTC products, together or alone, and if your skin doesn’t improve in a few weeks, see a dermatologist.

At the Doctor: A number of prescription topical medications, oral drugs, and therapies—including retinoids, long-course antibiotics, blood pressure drugs, birth control, and Isolaz (a light and vacuum treatment)—can all be helpful depending on the type of acne. “Accutane is the closest thing we have to a cure,” says Pam Jakubowicz, MD, a dermatologist at Montefiore Medical Center. “If you have a risk of scarring, don’t wait, because that can be permanent

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