Dermatologists' on How to Deal with Acne

When you walk into a professional and qualified dermatologists office with a bad case of acne, they will initiate a series of steps to help you regain a clear and attractive complexion within the shortest time frame possible. You see, unlike home, DIY and traditional breakout remedies, dermatologist acne treatment routines are often centered on science and nutrition rather than guesswork or myths.

The diagnosis stage kicks off with the dermatologist examining your breakout symptoms with a fine tooth comb to see whether or not there is a unique pattern that can explain the reason for the flare ups. And this is actually why it is critical to sign up and invest in a reliable dermatologist for acne services as it saves you a lot of time and money that would otherwise be wasted trying out and exploring several remedies in a trial and error format. It also helps you avoid worsening your symptoms which you risk doing by attempting to treat acne without the guidance of a qualified dermatologist.

What's more, an acne dermatologist-guided treatment plan also takes into account all health conditions that could disguise themselves as acne while indeed they are as a result of other deeper underlying issues. For instance, contrary to what most people know, sometimes what appears as acne is not always necessarily acne. It could be a bad case of  Hidradenitis suppurativa, for instance, also known as acne inversa. In such a scenario your everyday DIY breakout remedies would not do you any good. The same goes for conditions such as perioral dermatitis which is manifested by painful breakouts that can be mistaken for acne pimples around the mouth area.

Booking an appointment with a board-certified dermatologist or skin doctor also gives you the peace of mind that the specialist will tailor a treatment plan that is tailored exactly to solve your problems. Speaking of which, the right treatment plan for you depends on a number of considerations such as:

• The type of breakout or acne that you are dealing with, is it blackheads, whiteheads or pimples?
• Where the acne predominantly appears or is likely to appear whenever you have a breakout
• The type of treatments that you have so far tried out, even if in futility
• When the acne breakouts started i.e history
• Your age
• Whether or not past acne cases have left scars or dark spots upon healing

When to See a Dermatologist for Acne

Truth be told, it can be very difficult to evaluate and decide when exactly you need to see a qualified specialist about your skin problems. It is possible that you could be under the impression that it is just a simple rash or blemish that does not warrant a trip to the doctor, since after all it could go away on its own. Or maybe you belong to the school of thought that believe that breakouts are not serious 'medical conditions' that call for a dermatologist's attention.  Either way, it is still imperative to know where to draw the line between a pimple and when to see a dermatologist for acne.

You see, regardless of what you may have heard in the media, the truth is that anyone can profit from a visit to their dermatologist. You even don't have to be reeling from a severe case of acne to book a quality sit-down session with a specialist.

That being said, there are situations that could necessitate the need to seek dermatologist advice on acne within the shortest time frame possible. This includes the following;

1. The Breakout Episode Looks and Feels More Severe Than Usual

It goes without saying that when the breakout or acne appears to be out of hand, then it could be time to seek urgent medical attention. There are several reasons behind this reasoning. For starters, it could be a tell-tale for a serious underlying medical condition or hormonal imbalance that requires immediate medical attention. In such a scenario, only a board-certified dermatologist can have the experience and expertise to tell that your pimples or zits are not just another ordinary case of post-teenage breakout.

2. Common OTC Acne Treatments Do Not Seem to be Working

It is advisable to seek dermatologist treatment for acne as soon as you realize that non-prescription quick fixes and remedies such as topical retinoid gels are not improving your symptoms significantly. The same goes for over the counter breakout medications containing salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid or even lactic acid, that normally should be able to deal with mild 'normal' acne cases. And if this has been the case for several weeks or months, then it's definitely time to see an acne specialist.

3. Your Acne Woes Begun After You Started Taking or Adopted a Medication

This one can be quite serious, considering that it may mean that you have a serious case of intolerance or sensitivity on your hands. This is especially the case when dealing with drugs for treating depression or anxiety and other related mental/emotionally precipitated conditions. By ceasing taking the medication and seeking a dermatologist's advice on acne, you may be able to change your prescription to something with less debilitating side effects.

4. There are Acne Scars and Marks

Having acne scars and marks after the breakout episode has passed implies that you may have a case of severe acne lurking in the shadows. This variant is usually harder and more stubborn to rein in but a board-certified skin specialist ought to be in a position to treat these scars with comparative ease. Delaying seeking treatment may predispose you further to permanent scarring that could prove challenging to eliminate in the future.

5. Your Breakout Episode is Taking a Toll on Your Self Esteem

You know it is time to seek help if your acne has gotten out of hand to the point of affecting your self-confidence whenever you are out in public or meeting new people. With the ground-breaking strides that we have made in skin care health, nobody should have to endure being constantly self-conscious about their complexion in this day and age.

Сan a Dermatologist Help with Acne?

One of the biggest dilemmas when it comes to proper skin care and health is the constant worry and lingering question of "Can a dermatologist help with acne?" Well, the truth is that there is a lot of good that you can extract from the numerous dermatologist treatments for acne available at your nearest clinical dispensation.

A skin care specialists can help you;

1. Rein in Your Acne

Truth be told, very few people can control their breakouts by themselves without seeking external advice and outside help. In fact, that's the reason cosmetic blogs, vlogs and websites are among the most visited hotspots in the interwebs. And if not that, we will be tempted to rely on half-baked advice from our peers, friends or family on some of the best ways of clearing pimples. The only problem is that, while they could be well-meaning, very few people actually grasp the innards of skin health well-enough to be able to offer advice on the best ways to clear acne scars without aggravating or worsening the situation.

Here's where a dermatologists' trained eye and perception can save the day. They will walk you through the exact steps that you need to take to control your zits or acne without necessarily making things worse than they already are.

2. Avoid Additional Damage or Scarring to Your Skin

A good chunk of DIY acne treatment methods are overrun with serious side effects that could damage even the non-affected parts of your complexion. This is particularly the case among people with extremely sensitive skin that tends to get easily inflamed or irritated. The truth is that the majority of the home remedies that you might be tempted to use on your skin are not exactly scientifically proven or dermatologically tested. Instead, they are majorly a product of casual observation and trial and error experiments which may or may not work for your skin.

The worst case scenario is that you could end up scarring your skin further in a bid to clear a mild case of acne in the first place.

3. Make Your Acne Scars Less Visible or Noticeable

Anyone who has ever attempted hiding the angry-looking scars and marks that are left behind in the aftermath of a serious acne breakout can attest how hard it is to get out of this unflattering position. In fact, severe acne scars are mostly considered permanent by most people. Nonetheless, with a little help from a qualified dermatologist you can make them less noticeable without necessarily relying on make up or expensive cosmetic procedures.

Unlike you and me, a dermatologist will have a whole bag of tricks accumulated from years of studying and practising his craft, something that may prove to be the determinant in winning the fight against acne scars without necessarily undergoing an invasive procedure.

What Does a Dermatologist Do for Acne?

Dermatologists recommended acne products work inhibiting the excessive production of sebum or hampering bacteria activity on the skin pores. As with most prescription acne medications, it is likely that you will not see any result for the first couple of weeks or even months but that does not necessarily mean that the dermatologist acne cream is not working. Remember that it can take even years for the most problematic severe acne scars to clear up.

The most common prescription acne treatments that a dermatologist would recommend to you include;

1. Topical Retinoids or Almost Retinoid-like Creams

If you are wondering, 'what do dermatologists do for acne?' Well, they help you choose the best retinoid topical application that can control your breakout spells within the shortest time possible with minimal or no side effects. The choice that end up making could be influenced by

• Your age
• Severity of the acne breakout
• What you are willing and can commit to
• Your general health conditions (i.e are you pregnant, diabetic or hypertensive?)

Most dermatologist acne creams include tretinoin, adapalene, tazarotene and others. Most of the time, you will be required to apply the ointment three times a week before starting daily application as your skin gets used to the medication.

2. Antibiotics

These can be oral or topical depending on the dermatologist acne treatment and diagnosis results you are using. Topically applied antibiotics will work by killing excess p.acnes and c.acnes bacteria  in an attempt to reduce inflammation and redness. These types of antibiotic gels and creams are often used alongside benzoyl peroxide to minimize the risk of developing anti-bacterial resistance.

Oral antibiotics for acne, on the other hand, aim at treating severe to moderate acne spells from the inside out. They should also be used for a short spell to avoid triggering an antibiotic resistance.

3. Contraceptives and Anti-androgen Agents

It may sound like an unusual acne treatment dermatologist strategy, but sometimes this is what you need to get rid of a problematic and stubborn acne spell, especially if normal oral antibiotics and retinoid creams are not working. These two work by blocking or minimizing the impact of your androgen hormones on the skin's oil producing glands. The reduced sebum production should be enough to help you reign in some control on your pimples especially when used alongside a suitable skin cleanser.

Acne Advice from Dermatologist

Unless you are dealing with a very unique case of acne vulgaris, more often than not your typical dermatologist advice for acne will revolve around the following.

1. Your Diet

Outside of other external factors that you have very little control on, such as your genetic disposition, your diet is the biggest contributor to most of your skin problems. There is no way, for instance, you would expect a satin smooth complexion when you are constantly feasting on highly processed fatty foods or takeaways instead of wholesome organic meals. Fixing your diet requires a certain level of commitment to include all five groups of foods whenever you sit down to replenish your nutrition stores.

2. Your Lifestyle

It is easy to draw a connection between people who lead sedentary lives and severe acne breakouts. There's a reason almost all professional athletes that you can think of have clear complexions with almost zero breakouts. Most of the time it is because their line of work requires them to be physically fit and this calls for a rigorous daily training or exercise routine. It's no secret that sweating helps the skin get rid of accumulated toxins that would otherwise trigger a flare up and taking a cold shower later is also instrumental in closing the skin pores and tightening the dermis layer that results in a healthy-looking persona.

3. Hydration

Taking ample of clean and fresh water on a daily basis can do wonders for your skin. Constant hydration, especially when combined with physical activity, can help flush out toxins from the body and also minimize excessive oil production. It is no wonder that almost all advice from dermatologists about acne has to include a discourse on your hydration habits. Still on this, your skin doctor could also recommend a reduced alcohol consumption as this could be interfering with all the good work that you are doing for your skin.