#1 ·
Hello to everyone on this forum.
I woke up this morning and, as usual, was greeted by one of the most repulsive sights the human eye can endure today... It’s—it’s my bathroom mirror. Given how much that rectangular little demon has already caused me misery, I decided to finally end it (though I’ve said that more times than I care to admit, so perhaps this time actually sticks). Some might find my struggle with this redness pointless or even ridiculous—to them, I say enjoy being lucky enough not to deal with this, because I think anyone with even minor breakouts would kill to be rid of them. There are really two ways to approach this: focus on the problem itself, or focus on the fallout. In this case, the fallout would be the stress, the shyness, the social withdrawal, and the frustration; the problem is the acne. Well, after attempting to manage the psychological side for quite a while, I concluded it might be easier to just tackle the actual cause—the acne. Anyway, to avoid rambling about my own philosophy—which, clearly, amuses me—I’ll get to the actual details.
I first tried to fix this about two years ago when I went to my primary care doctor to get a referral for a dermatologist. He recommended Neutrogena (which I applied at night), erythromycin lotion (applied twice daily), and CeraVe (for cleansing before anything else). If I recall correctly, that helped to a certain extent, but it didn't fully clear things up. Unfortunately, I told the dermatologist that things were improving—so she assumed I was satisfied with the results—and recommended a different treatment, which turned out to be weaker and less effective than the first. Back then, I was using a salicylic acid and resorcinol solution (mixed at a local pharmacy) once a day, plus clindamycin twice a day (including overnight). Things started getting worse, and by the time I tried to schedule another appointment with the dermatologist, it turned out the waitlist was two months long—apparently, there was some annual conference or something taking up all her time.
Because of all that, I was pretty disappointed with the specialist route, so I took matters into my own hands. I searched the web and eventually, acne.org convinced me that benzoyl peroxide was the way to go. I looked to see if we had any creams containing it locally, and finally found one. It was called La Roche-Posay Effaclar. That ended up being my biggest headache yet. In my experience, the cream is terrible. Once you apply it, it’s impossible to move your face because it feels so tight and dry. You can only tolerate the effect of the BP after applying a moisturizer—if I understood that term correctly. But unfortunately, once that moisturizer goes on, my skin looks so greasy that there's no way I could leave my bedroom looking like that. Plus, the initial redness caused by the BP—which acne.org claims only lasts a week or two—never actually stopped for me. I would have kept going with the BP, but the redness was the final straw.
After that, I went back to my original treatment since it was the only thing that actually worked, though it isn't yielding the same great results anymore. Even now, as I write this, I’m still using that Neutrogena and erythromycin combo, searching for new suggestions in my desperation. I've been thinking about seeing a dermatologist again, but this time I think it might be better to see someone privately. I contacted a private clinic, and they sound promising, though I forgot to ask about the cost. So, I'll take this opportunity to ask: what does an average consultation with a private dermatologist cost in the US?
To summarize the important parts for anyone who didn't want to read all that above...
Used—Neutrogena, CeraVe, erythromycin, clindamycin, benzoyl peroxide (no oral medication, so far)... and honestly, nothing has really helped.
I'm looking for any suggestions, advice, or products I might not have tried yet. For context, the acne isn't everywhere—it's mostly around my mouth and beard area, then my nose, with a bit on my forehead and sides.
Thanks in advance for any help—best regards to everyone!
I woke up this morning and, as usual, was greeted by one of the most repulsive sights the human eye can endure today... It’s—it’s my bathroom mirror. Given how much that rectangular little demon has already caused me misery, I decided to finally end it (though I’ve said that more times than I care to admit, so perhaps this time actually sticks). Some might find my struggle with this redness pointless or even ridiculous—to them, I say enjoy being lucky enough not to deal with this, because I think anyone with even minor breakouts would kill to be rid of them. There are really two ways to approach this: focus on the problem itself, or focus on the fallout. In this case, the fallout would be the stress, the shyness, the social withdrawal, and the frustration; the problem is the acne. Well, after attempting to manage the psychological side for quite a while, I concluded it might be easier to just tackle the actual cause—the acne. Anyway, to avoid rambling about my own philosophy—which, clearly, amuses me—I’ll get to the actual details.
I first tried to fix this about two years ago when I went to my primary care doctor to get a referral for a dermatologist. He recommended Neutrogena (which I applied at night), erythromycin lotion (applied twice daily), and CeraVe (for cleansing before anything else). If I recall correctly, that helped to a certain extent, but it didn't fully clear things up. Unfortunately, I told the dermatologist that things were improving—so she assumed I was satisfied with the results—and recommended a different treatment, which turned out to be weaker and less effective than the first. Back then, I was using a salicylic acid and resorcinol solution (mixed at a local pharmacy) once a day, plus clindamycin twice a day (including overnight). Things started getting worse, and by the time I tried to schedule another appointment with the dermatologist, it turned out the waitlist was two months long—apparently, there was some annual conference or something taking up all her time.
Because of all that, I was pretty disappointed with the specialist route, so I took matters into my own hands. I searched the web and eventually, acne.org convinced me that benzoyl peroxide was the way to go. I looked to see if we had any creams containing it locally, and finally found one. It was called La Roche-Posay Effaclar. That ended up being my biggest headache yet. In my experience, the cream is terrible. Once you apply it, it’s impossible to move your face because it feels so tight and dry. You can only tolerate the effect of the BP after applying a moisturizer—if I understood that term correctly. But unfortunately, once that moisturizer goes on, my skin looks so greasy that there's no way I could leave my bedroom looking like that. Plus, the initial redness caused by the BP—which acne.org claims only lasts a week or two—never actually stopped for me. I would have kept going with the BP, but the redness was the final straw.
After that, I went back to my original treatment since it was the only thing that actually worked, though it isn't yielding the same great results anymore. Even now, as I write this, I’m still using that Neutrogena and erythromycin combo, searching for new suggestions in my desperation. I've been thinking about seeing a dermatologist again, but this time I think it might be better to see someone privately. I contacted a private clinic, and they sound promising, though I forgot to ask about the cost. So, I'll take this opportunity to ask: what does an average consultation with a private dermatologist cost in the US?
To summarize the important parts for anyone who didn't want to read all that above...
Used—Neutrogena, CeraVe, erythromycin, clindamycin, benzoyl peroxide (no oral medication, so far)... and honestly, nothing has really helped.
I'm looking for any suggestions, advice, or products I might not have tried yet. For context, the acne isn't everywhere—it's mostly around my mouth and beard area, then my nose, with a bit on my forehead and sides.
Thanks in advance for any help—best regards to everyone!