I’m a guy with acne and nothing has worked. What now?
Acne often seems to people to be an easy, “nuisance” problem. Often it is…… just a few pimples in the teen years. But, as many of you know, if you have the persistent, chronic, cystic or scarring acne, it can be upsetting to say the least and sometimes life changing.
Acne Questions to ask:
I’ll refer you to this acne information on the site. First, try to answer these questions for yourself and with your doctor:
- What kind of acne do you have?
- Which topical (creams, lotions, gels) medications have you tried and failed? Have you used them each at least 8-10 weeks (stopping only if you were irritated or allergic).
- Which oral medications have you used? Have you been treated with Accutane (or it’s generic) in the past? Was it at the recommended dose of 1 mg/kg of lean body weight?
- Have you tried any other treatments like peels, extractions (often referred to as acne surgery), photodynamic therapy (there’s some good medical literature on this now), certain lasers, Thermage (yes even this helps some acne sufferers), etc.
You get the idea, I’m sure. You want to really approach this systematically if you have an especially severe or persistent case. If your dermatologist isn’t helpful to you, it may be time to take all this information with you and get a second opinion from a different dermatologist!
Good luck to you.
Dr. I
For more information on acne, check out the following guides:
Acne in Depth
Acne Scars and Scars in Depth
Common Acne Terms
Seeking out a good dermatologist is important. For tips and information about how to find a good dermatologist, check out our article Tips to Find A Good Dermatologist.