Acne Relief

Posts Tagged ‘money’

I know that it is the hope of all acne scarred patients to find a good doctor who will perform their Fraxel laser treatment.  Obviously, I hope that the one who is going to perform mine knows what she is doing.  In all honesty, I haven’t really decided yet as I’m still going through research and plus I’m still trying to get my adult hormonal acne under control before I can even contemplate getting the laser treatment.

My cosmetic dermatologist was recommended by my family doctor who was always reluctant for me to go see a dermatologist.  She always thought it was unnecessary and gave me topical treatments that never really cleared my acne.  I’m in my 30s and I still have mild to moderate acne and I think this is totally unacceptable.  I was tired of being pushed around by doctors who said it was nothing while it has left my face scarred.  In any case, now I have a dermatologist who was reluctantly recommended.  Just great.

I looked up my dermatologist on the Internet to see if she had any patient ratings and it was mixed.  She got good reviews for port wine stains which is her specialty but no reviews on Fraxel laser treatments.  What reviews she did have left her with an average rating.  Some liked her and some didn’t and felt she was cold and only after the money.  That is something that I fear with cosmetic dermatologists – that they always want you to come back for the next treatment as they suck you dry of your money with promises of results that never materialize.

Looking at her very large office suite, you know she has done well for herself.  I don’t know if this is a good or bad sign.  Does this mean that she is doing well because she is gauging or she is doing well because of her reputation involved.  Some patients report that she is a cold doctor.  Personally I didn’t think so but then again, I’m not a chatty person to begin with.  I go in and I come out.  No chit chat.  And frankly, I don’t care if she’s mute.  As long as she does her job and can provide me with an acne scar treament.

In my previous posts about Fraxel laser side effects and Fraxel laser reviews, I pointed out some discrepancies on what I had read and what my doctor answered.  I hope she’s not pushing Fraxel on me to make a quick buck.  On my first consultation visit, I asked her what the side effects were and what is the worse case scenario.  She just shrugged it off and said your acne would come back and that’s it.  It was only during my second follow up appointment to review my acne medication progress that she said that acne might come back with Fraxel due to the aggravation.  Okay, finally what she said matched with what I read on the Internet.  Next, I asked her about the possibilities of hyper and hypopigmentation.  She said no but I wonder if she has any experience with olive skin or if her clientele are purely Caucasian people.  Does she have experience with people of Asian skin, African skin, Latino skin?  In the Fraxel laser literature, they say it is fine and the laser does not affect melanin in the skin.  However, when I read about the reality of Fraxel patient reviews online, I am getting that some darker skinned people have experienced complications.  Discoloration can be easily overcome if the issue is dealt with right away.  However, if my doctor is unaware or is denying the possibility of this then she can’t help me prepare if I am the unfortunate ones who experience this.

I am still torn whether or not if I want this doctor to perform the Fraxel treatment on me.  Hell, I don’t know if I’m going to get Fraxel treatment done at all.  I still have lots to research.  But if I do go through with it, my instincts tell me that I have to develop trust with the doctor.  If I let her go through with it and I have doubts, then it’s as much her fault as it is mine if something goes wrong.  I will say this though.  I would never go to a spa to get this done as I have seen some spas advertise for this and for a cheaper price too.  I don’t know if they have a doctor performing it or a technician/esthetician but I would feel much more comfortable if a doctor performed it.   Maybe it’s on the lightest setting but still, this is your face we’re talking about here.

So, for now, I’m content with my current cosmetic dermatologist treating my acne but later on, I might seek a second opinion about the Fraxel laser from a dermatologist solely so there is no bias to the cosmetic industry.  Just to play it safe.

What is acne? Whether its breakouts, pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, or zits, doesn’t matter what you call it, acne by any other name is still a nuisance!  And, when faced with a breakout, most of us will do just about anything to get rid of acne.  Over time, people have gone to many extremes and spent billions of dollars trying to get rid of acne.    Why is that?  Why are we so bothered by a few blemishes upon our skin, and what gives acne its stigma?  We all experience it to some degree.  Everyone’s had a pimple, right?   And, what causes acne?  Is it our fault if we’re plagued with pimples?  The simple answer is no.  But the truth is, while we may not directly be the cause of our pimples or breakouts; we can do something about them and a lot of the cures for acne are already in our home just waiting to be used.

My first encounter with breakouts was probably similar to a lot of people’s.  I started having problems with pimples during puberty.  Ah, puberty!  That wonderful time in all our lives when it’s difficult to know what new and exciting growth or protuberance we’ll have the pleasure to wake up to next!  Puberty, when all kinds of physical changes in us are coming at us fast and furious!  Not the least of which is acne, ugh!

There have been hundreds, no thousands of books and papers written on the subject of getting rid of acne.  It’s also a business that generates billions of dollars in revenue.   There are doctors who specialize in the treatment of acne and those who promise miracle cures.  They sell us pills and treatments, scrubs, ointments and procedures enough to keep you perpetually broke!  Go to any drug store and you’ll see shelf after shelf of products promising to get rid of your acne.  The question is, does any of this stuff work, or is there a simpler way to deal with acne?  When you think about the money involved, it seems to me there just isn’t any real incentive for those doctors and miracle workers to find a cure for acne.  But that’s just me and my logic.  Even those who used to peddle non commercial approaches to skin care, are now currently hawking their own lines of cosmetics and skin care on the internet.   There’s just so much more money to be made, if we continue to have skin meltdowns and they can keep us on the consumer treadmill.

The truth is you can find many of the products you’ll need to fight acne right in your own medicine cabinet and refrigerator at home.  Everything from peroxide to fresh fruits, vegetables, salts and oils can be used to get rid of acne and treat your skin.  Did you know that just a bit of hydrogen peroxide applied with a cotton ball will clear most pimples and get rid of blackheads, too?  You can also make some amazing mask using items like strawberries or fresh eggs or avocado!  Nice thing about these mask are if you’re hungry all you gotta do is lick your face!

There is new research every day, and new technologies available for treating acne that are certainly worth checking into.  In fact, if you simply do a little bit of digging, you’ll find a wealth of information about alternative acne treatments for almost every ailment you may have; acne is just one.

If you have some really great and easy to access cure for getting rid of your acne, please share it with us here.  I plan to share all my secrets and any other helpful information I find here, too.    Maybe our efforts won’t put the cosmetic industry out of business, but it might save us some money and give us clearer, healthier looking skin in the process as we get rid of our acne.