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About five weeks ago, I started going to a local doctor that specializes in acne treatments. Actually, she's a nurse practitioner, not really a doctor, though the practice is overseen by an MD. He isn't a dermatologist, however, but an OBGYN and general medicine practitioner. Anyway, to the point...
This place does acne "treatments" and I've had three so far, one each week for three weeks, then we skipped a week and I'm scheduled to go back on Saturday. They put me on steroids (6 days) and Aczone right to start with and suggested that my acne is hormonal. A week later I saw them for my annual exam and they did a bunch of labs to test my hormone levels, but I haven't gotten the results yet. She gave me an Rx for Spironolactate, but I don't like prescription medications so I'm waiting on the results and, in the meantime, am using natural DIM plus.
The treatments themselves are what I'm skeptical about. They take me in, steam my face for about 15 minutes, come back in, put me under a huge magnifying glass, and basically squeeze all my pores to get the buildup out of them. They follow that with various chemical peels and masks and then I leave, face red and blotchy for the next few hours. They say that once the active acne is under control they'll start laser to shrink my pores and get oil production under control. But they said it would only be maybe three treatments before it was "under control." Here I am, three treatments later, and I have three cysts on the left side of my face and other smaller breakouts everywhere else.
It has cleared up some, but that came from the steroids. My skin was perfect while I was on those and then started breaking out again. Because this place is considered medical, my insurance covers it, but my copay is $25 for each visit. I've already spent $75 on this place and I'm unsure about whether it's making a difference, but I don't want to give up too soon either.
Has anyone else had experience with a place like this?
I've never heard of this type of approach, but I have to say, I LIKE IT- and I wished I lived in NC!
At least they have an approach that appears to consider the total body, not just the usual derm 5 minutes take this antibiotic orally and use this clindamycin and call me in 90 days stuff. And to get chemical peels for the $25 co-pay???
Let me think about this- YES YES YES I would keep going for the last two treatments. Stick with it, hear them out, you may purge a bit, but everything they are doing is very logical, you have to clear the pores.
And at the end of the visits you evaluate next steps with them, if you don't like what they have to offer then quit....but do give it a try
I've never heard of this type of approach, but I have to say, I LIKE IT- and I wished I lived in NC!
At least they have an approach that appears to consider the total body, not just the usual derm 5 minutes take this antibiotic orally and use this clindamycin and call me in 90 days stuff. And to get chemical peels for the $25 co-pay???
Let me think about this- YES YES YES I would keep going for the last two treatments. Stick with it, hear them out, you may purge a bit, but everything they are doing is very logical, you have to clear the pores.
And at the end of the visits you evaluate next steps with them, if you don't like what they have to offer then quit....but do give it a try
Well, it isn't that these are the "last" visits. Just the next ones I have scheduled. I'm concerned because there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. They said after about three treatments we'd switch to laser, but we aren't because my acne hasn't cleared. I'm worried that what they're doing isn't really helping and I'm just dishing out money for cheap facials.
yea I did this too while on doxycicline but it was more expensive here like 60$ or smth, but my derm didn't told me anything about lasers afterwards. my skin felt better at that time and I was clear for a while but in the end my acne would always come back while I was done with the antibiotics. good luck
yea I did this too while on doxycicline but it was more expensive here like 60$ or smth, but my derm didn't told me anything about lasers afterwards. my skin felt better at that time and I was clear for a while but in the end my acne would always come back while I was done with the antibiotics. good luck
So you wouldn't recommend keeping at it? Would you say it was a waste of money?
it didn't work for me, but again my derm didn't tell me anything about lasers and shrinking my pores. the think is i was 100% clear everytime i was on antibiotics even without those peels so... did they get you fully tested before? like acne specific tests?
In the past I've been told my acne was related to a food allergy. Now I'm skeptical about the allergy and this doctor thinks the other one was wrong. This doctor believes it's hormonal. As luck would have it, she also did my annual exam and had labs done for hormone imbalances, but I don't have the results yet. My problem with this is they say they can't do the laser until the active breakouts have stopped, but they aren't getting any better with their "treatments" so I feel like I'm just giving them money. You know what I mean?
I do, I've been there too. Don't know how that works either, my active breakouts sometimes can last 3 weeks and sometimes 2 days :/ Anyway without full specific acne tests the only thing they can do is guess what's the root cause of your acne, and that's a waste of time and money. unfortunately i found about these tests way too late, after i've been scammed by different dermatologists with standard treatment schemes that didn't work for me. try and ask your derm about specific acne blood tests, bacteria, fungus, parasites, endocrine, testosterone, DHEAS, estradiol, prolactin, LH/FSH ratio and many others tests for kidneys, liver, stomach, allergies etc. if you can't put your finger on what's causing your breakouts, you're just wasting money and time, unless you get lucky and one of the treatments work for you. i didn't get lucky 