Should I See A Dermatologist?
At what point do you think it's time to see a dermatologist for acne? This past month, I've had more frequent acne, and it's often those big, painful whiteheads. If it's not that, it's just numerous red bumps. I also have little red bumps on my body. It's not severe, but it's spread out all over. It's on my back, stomach, arms, and legs. I don't know if it's acne, or some kind of stress reaction like hives, but I do wonder if it has anything to do with my face breaking out. This also happened in September (when my face was fine), but I figured it just was stress from school starting, and it cleared up eventually. I've never had problems with acne on my body before.
I saw a dermatologist four years ago, when I was 15, when my acne became more severe and constant. I was prescribed antibiotics, Retin-A, and a Benzoyl Peroxide gel that I can't remember the name of. It all worked pretty well. My skin was never 100% clear, but it wasn't bad at all. Obviously, I stopped taking the antibiotics, and eventually I weaned myself off of the Benzoyl Peroxide, and that didn't cause any problems, as my skin stayed the same. I started taking Yaz, and I figured since it is often prescribed specifically for acne, I could get away with not using Retin-A. Again, my skin stayed the same. This summer I switched to Seasonique after taking Yaz, and my face actually cleared up pretty nicely.
I take very good care of my skin. I use a gentle cleanser that has always worked well for me, toner at night, and a good moisturizer. My skin can get very oily, and it can also get very dry, but lately there's been a good balance. I exfoliate 2-3x a week. I also use good masks and spot treatments when needed, but they don't solve the problem completely. I never skip washing my face, I don't pick at it, or touch it, I don't wear my hair in my face, I change my pillowcases often, I drink lots of water, etc. I don't know what gives. I thought I had figured out what works well for me, and that I was over the teenage acne stage. I've been telling myself "If my skin doesn't clear by this date, I'm making an appointment." Usually, by the date I set, my skin looks a lot better (it actually looked really nice last week, for about a day), but then a few days later, I'm back to square one. My acne is not as severe as it has been in the past, but it does bother me. For those of you who have gone through something similar, what caused you to finally set up an appointment?
I saw a dermatologist four years ago, when I was 15, when my acne became more severe and constant. I was prescribed antibiotics, Retin-A, and a Benzoyl Peroxide gel that I can't remember the name of. It all worked pretty well. My skin was never 100% clear, but it wasn't bad at all. Obviously, I stopped taking the antibiotics, and eventually I weaned myself off of the Benzoyl Peroxide, and that didn't cause any problems, as my skin stayed the same. I started taking Yaz, and I figured since it is often prescribed specifically for acne, I could get away with not using Retin-A. Again, my skin stayed the same. This summer I switched to Seasonique after taking Yaz, and my face actually cleared up pretty nicely.
I take very good care of my skin. I use a gentle cleanser that has always worked well for me, toner at night, and a good moisturizer. My skin can get very oily, and it can also get very dry, but lately there's been a good balance. I exfoliate 2-3x a week. I also use good masks and spot treatments when needed, but they don't solve the problem completely. I never skip washing my face, I don't pick at it, or touch it, I don't wear my hair in my face, I change my pillowcases often, I drink lots of water, etc. I don't know what gives. I thought I had figured out what works well for me, and that I was over the teenage acne stage. I've been telling myself "If my skin doesn't clear by this date, I'm making an appointment." Usually, by the date I set, my skin looks a lot better (it actually looked really nice last week, for about a day), but then a few days later, I'm back to square one. My acne is not as severe as it has been in the past, but it does bother me. For those of you who have gone through something similar, what caused you to finally set up an appointment?