My Acne Story Part III - Making the Dermatologists Richer

Once I realised that my acne is not going to go away by itself, I had to consult a dermatologist. Along the way, I have changed many doctors for one reason on another before I finally found a doctor who had a prescription which worked.

While I was spending my time trying different doctors and trying to see which one of them actually works, I couldn't stop going out or living in general. I have never allowed the way I look affect my opinion about myself (which has always been high, by the way!). I am not saying that acne didn't bother me but it is not a big enough issue to put your entire life on hold. People have come up to me with suggestions like, " Why don't you go to a doctor?" or "You should do something about this!". Well, I felt like screaming,"What else do you think I am doing?" [However, this was usually followed by few adjectives which are very guess-able.] You cannot get rid of such people so, the only choice is to ignore them.

Now, let us continue with the list of things that I have tried-

• Acnoff Bar/Soap- This soap had tea tree oil in it and it did turn out to be very effective in controlling oil. I must have finished a lot of bars. I have tried other acne bars too but this one stood out. I even got compliments about how my face looked clear-er. This soap again made me obsessed about procuring tea tree oil in pre-e-commerce era.
  (Composition-Allantoin B.P ,Vitamin E Acetate I.P, Titanium Dioxide I.P ,Tea Tree Oil B.P)
• Adit Cream- This has been one of the most effective ointment that my dermatologist prescribed. He did tell me it would cause peeling [which would reduce the the resemblance of my skin to moon's surface]. I had to deal with a bunch of people who would tell me how my nose was peeling and how I should use a moisturiser [ few expletives later, they stopped]. I just had to apply the cream once before going to bed. However, my skin became extremely sensitive to sun light during my treatment and it still disliked sun very much.[I pretty much turn the shade of tomato if I am out in the sun for long i.e. more than 5 minutes].
  (Composition- Tretinoin)
• Benzoyl Peroxide- Have you seen those ads of Proactiv? I had seen those too but what caught my attention more was Benzoyl Peroxide. I started looking for some cream which would have Benzoyl Peroxide and Google only told me names of brands which were not available in India. I had pretty much given up when I came across Benzac AC. It comes in concentrations of 2.5, 5 and 10. I started with 2.5 and more research led me to believe it is considered the safest bet as it is not too strong but still works on your acne. My skin became even more sensitive to sun when I was using Benzac AC and I just could not stand in sun without feeling that my face had been lit, almost. You need to follow this with moisturiser too otherwise skin becomes very dry. Benzoyl Peroxide definitely works.

 I have spent a substantial amount of time visiting different dermatologists and you just have to keep on changing doctors until you find somebody who prescribes the medicines which work on you. Usually, it helps if you go to a doctor who is considered good by everyone.

Read Acne Story Part I, Acne Story Part II


* What worked for me might or might not work for you. There are some home-remedies that I have mentioned, please feel free to try those but as far as medicines and ointments are concerned (when they are not the Over the Counter kind), it is always better to consult a doctor.