Wednesday is my first appt. at a dermatologist. I%26#039;ve had pretty bad acne for 5 years now and nothing has worked and it%26#039;s totally crushed my self-esteem so my mom is finally bringing me to one. I just was curious...
-What happens the first time you go?
-Do you get a prescription automatically?
-Is it typically an acne product that you ingest (like pills?) or just the normal lotion and cleanser?
-How long did it take to work?
-Did it get worse before it got better?
-How often did you have to go back to your dermatologist?
Thanks guys!! :)|||I am in medical school and I want to go into dermatology when I am done. I%26#039;ve been to the dermatologist and also worked with some so I%26#039;ll answer your questions as best as I can:
1. You will go, have a bunch of paperwork to fill out. Then you%26#039;ll meet with the Dermatologist. You%26#039;ll be asked a bunch of questions, try to answer the best you can. While you are there its also a good idea to have the dermatologist do a full-body skin check for skin cancer too (this should be done once a year for every body and doesn%26#039;t take very long)
2. You will probably (not definitely) get a prescription to fill. The doctor might give you samples of medicines too. They will probably also recommend a cleaner like Cetaphil.
3. This depends on the person and the type of acne. You could get both a pill and maybe even a lotion for the morning and a different one for the night. Or you could just get one lotion. This is up to what the doctor sees fit.
4. It may take several weeks to work. Don%26#039;t expect instant results and FOLLOW the directions for the products. Using 3 times the amount of cream will NOT make your skin clear up 3X quicker, it will only make the situation worse and your skin very dry and irritated
5. This depends on your specific situation too. It%26#039;s not uncommon for things to get a little worse before getting better (as your skin adjusts to the medicine and rids itself of the bacteria that are causing your acne). Either way, trust your doctor. You are on the first step to better skin
6. The doctor may want to see you in a month. Maybe sooner depending on the medicine you are given and your condition. Also, if you have some sort of allergic reaction to the medicine make an appointment to go back sooner
Before your appointment try and maybe write down a list of all the questions you have for the doctor so you don%26#039;t forget anything. Remember what I said about the skin check (especially if you have moles or freckles or tan alot). You can ask about product recommendations too. Good luck!|||Make sure when you go in you are assertive. The first time I just let the Doctor do whatever and he prescribed me mild topical cream and then I went back a month later and politely asked for antibiotics and a stronger medicine. That was one year ago and just now is my face finally breakout free (well almost except for the mild one here and there) but I did see a great improvement within 6 weeks after I got hte better stuff. If you get anitbiotics make sure to talk to them about the side effects because since it is almost srping and then summer you probably do not wnat one that is irritatedby sunlight.
My dermo also said that it would get worse before it got better and I honestly do not remember. He said this would happen because that acne was already microscopicly or something .... present and that is why it took some time. Drink plenty of water though if you already don%26#039;t and get plenty of sleep because my face was ten times better when I started making myself get 7 hours of sleep versus 5.
Good luck and Hang in There, underneath those Teenage Mutant Terrorists aka pimples you have gorgeous skin and it is only a matter of time (hopefully shorter than longer) before it shines through!|||The first appointment will be much lengthier then any visits after that. First, they will have to get all your info, including how long you%26#039;ve had skin problems as well as any allergies, etc. Then, you will have to talk to the dermatologist about your skin problems like for instance, is your problem areas the T-zone or do you have acne all over. You may also have to make a detailed list of the types of food you eat (because sometimes acne is more prone when you%26#039;re not eating or drinking healthy) as well as explaining to your derm. the type of medications and products that you have already tried. You may or may not get a prescription automatically, depending on the diagnosis and what your dermatologist thinks about your skin. In most cases, he/she will prescribe you something right away.
The types of products vary. Sometimes, a patient will be given a cream but other times a patient may be given a pill. It depends on insurance, severity of skin, and what your dermatologist feels will be the right treatment for you. I prescribe Accutane for some patient who are willing to put forth the money; It%26#039;s pretty expensive but fully worth the cost. Insurance does not pay for it fully.
What the dermatologist prescribes may take different amounts of time depending on what he/she prescribes for you. Sometimes, a cream may make your skin get worse and then better, other times (if you%26#039;re taking Accutane) you will begin to see slow progress and eventually within 3-6 weeks, see great results.
As I answered, in some cases, some people have had their skin get worse with using the medicine only to get better. The results may seem disappointing in the beginning but things will get better.
Your derm. will schedule appointments with you depending on the time you went to the time that your derm will want to see if what he/she prescribed is effective or not. This can be anywhere from 2-3 months usually to see if there were any positive results. If the medicine is working for you, you will have a refillable prescription and will not have to see the derm. as often.|||The first appointment will be an assessment of your skin. They might ask you questions about your diet and you skin care habits.
What the doctor gives you is completely up to them. My doctor gave me Retin-A for my acne and it%26#039;s worked wonders (it%26#039;s a topical treatment by the way).
In the case of a lot of skin care things- yes. It got absolutely worse before it got better because it dredged everything out from the bottom layers to the surface.
If they%26#039;re concerned about bigger health issues (like if there%26#039;s an underlying cause to your acne or something) you might be advised to come back or if you need repeated in-office treatments (if they recommend a skin resurfacing thing with lasers, peels, etc.). Otherwise, I%26#039;m not really sure why you%26#039;d need to.|||well i had the same problem...i went to the dermatologist for the first time also and she gave me this face wash and some pomade for the night! it worked great...untill i finished it and honestly i got the acne back after that( i had no insurance and it was too expensive) i am now putting aloe vera (100% plant crystal) on my face at night for 15 minutes and it works great...good luck hun!
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