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Dermatologist/Skin Clinic

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  1. #11

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    I used dianette for a few years as a contraceptive and an acne treatment. I worked quite well (controls the amount of testosterone you produce and therefore sebum). When I changed doctors 2 years ago thet took me off it and told me it was unsuitable for long term use - not sure why

    I use a topical cream at the moment which has benzoyl peroxide in it which 'peels' the skin. It's not that great and I get really dry, flakey skin after using it regularly.

    I've never heard of any of the other porducts on this thread. Can anyone tell me what they do and what the side effects are?

    Would love to deal with my acne professionally rather than over the counter


  2. #12

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    Proactiv is a benzol peroxide based skin care line that is aimed at treating acne. It is endorsed by big name celebs, but at the end of the day the main active ingredient is benzol peroxide which is available in cheaper formulations on the high street. The side effects are probably the same as you are experiencing with your current topical - dryness, peeling, perhaps redness. Benzol peroxide and other topical treatments are usually only recommended for mild acne.

    Tetracycline is an oral antibiotic. I think it is generally the first line of defence in the treatment of acne because it is one of the cheaper antibiotics, but others, such as minocycline, doxycycline, bactrim are used. Antibiotics work by killing off the bacteria in your system that contribute to the development of the lesions. Short term they can be very helpful. I don't know enough about tetracycline in particular to know about the medically recognised long term effects. Generally though, long term antibiotic use can reduce their effectives at killing bacteria over time. Also, holistic practitioners will tell you that long term antibiotic use depletes the beneficial bacteria in your digestive system which then gives rise to its own health problems. Antibiotics as an acne treatment tend to require long term use because when you stop taking them, the acne returns, unless you naturally grow out of it in the meantime.

    Accutane (Roaccutane in the UK & I think Australia) is not an antibiotic, but I don't know what category of drugs it falls into. It is the only treatment that is medically recognised as potentially working permenantly, but even then a permenant cure is not guaranteed. Unfortunately it can come is a number of side effects, but most are mild (i.e. dry skin, hair, lips) and temporary. However some are more serious (foetal deformities in pregnant women, hair loss, irritable bowel syndrome etc etc). Roche, the producer of the drug, produce a pamphlet containing a very long list of side effects and if you do an internet search you will a number of scare stories. However, information available at the moment suggest that the more serious side effects are uncommon and temporary (and in respect of feotal deformities, completely avoidable by not getting pregnant during the length of the treatment). Because of the side effects, Accutane is usually reserved for very serious cases.

    I have not heard of the other treatments mentioned here.

    Last edited by JBest; 17-10-2006 at 10:11 PM.

  3. #13

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    Thanks for all the info JBest - really useful. I'm not keen on taking antibiotics long term, what other options are there?

    Does anyone have experience of light/laser treatments? I was handed a leaflet the other week that looked like this (was in canto so not sure). Also the kind girl who handed it to me pointed at my face and said 'very bad skin'. Needless to say I ran away, not thru the door!

    Last edited by goodbye kitty; 18-10-2006 at 12:18 AM.

  4. #14

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    Those sales person are always like that, as they want to sell their products. Just ignore them. May be the laser treatments do work, but I don't think I will trust them. Say if the treatment is fail, your skin will be worse than before (that's my opinoin). Of course you should get more information from your dermatologist.


  5. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by goodbye kitty:
    Thanks for all the info JBest - really useful. I'm not keen on taking antibiotics long term, what other options are there?

    Does anyone have experience of light/laser treatments? I was handed a leaflet the other week that looked like this (was in canto so not sure). Also the kind girl who handed it to me pointed at my face and said 'very bad skin'. Needless to say I ran away, not thru the door!
    Been there done that....nothing great....I used to have acne in my teens. But it was cleared up now. I'm left with craters in my face! I went for IPL treatment and it didn't do me any good. But if you do decide to do an IPL treatment, please go to a skin doc instead of those quacks at the beauty salon. I know what is it like to have bad skin.....

  6. #16

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    Aug 2006
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    I use a gel with glycolic acid to get rid of dead skin, then a 5% (that's the lowest concentration I've found, more is not better) benzoyl peroxide cream and once that's dried I apply a simple moisturizer. It's working so far for me.


  7. #17

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    Nov 2006
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    JBest, could you please let me know the address of the doctor who you used to obtain Roaccutane. Also, how much does it cost in Hong Kong? I am currently living in Tokyo and they do not sell Roaccutane in Japan. Thank you.


  8. #18

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    No worries. Will send a PM.


  9. #19

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    Nov 2006
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    Thanks a lot.


  10. #20

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    Jul 2005
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    Hi All,

    After years of being told I would "grow out" of my acne, I finally had a doctor prescribe Accutane... I went on it for one "cycle" and my acne pretty well stopped. But then about five years later it came back... and another doctor put me on Diana 35 - which is a birth control bill - but is used more often for acne - and it worked. But now that my husband and I are trying to become pregnant I am no longer taking Diana 35 and my acne has returned. Using Proative as well, but need something a little bit stronger. If anyone can suggest a Dermatologist for me to see I would also appreciate it.

    Thanks,
    Canucker


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