10 Reasons Why You Should Not Buy Acne Treatments from Doctors
science/skinscience/acne.shtml ).
I personally, have almost always had a peaches and cream complexion. But about the same time I became seriously ill, and was finally diagnosed with Chron’s Disease, I suffered a really bad outbreak of adult acne, on my face, back and chest. I don’t know if it was the medicines I had to take, or the illness, it’s self. But, I took my problems to my doctor. I then took part, in some pretty controversial, but standard practices regarding skin care for acne.
1. I was put on long term and high doses of antibiotics to clear up my skin. I was told this was totally safe and acceptable. But if you visit: http://www.antibiotics.org, you will find a starting point to research some of the reasons why you should think long and hard before taking antibiotics for acne. I was on steroids at the time, and was not aware that should also be considered, when prescribing antibiotics for something as simple as acne. Digestive problems can happen, when antibiotics are not selective in what they attack in your system. In fact, you can end up reducing the normal gastrointestinal flora and fauna, diminishing your absorption of vital nutrients. Some people believe that if you simply add live yogurt cultures to your diet, all will be well. That is not always true. Currently, one of the most popular acne treatments using an antibiotic, is involved in a class action suit, with problems as extreme as suicidal thoughts.
2. I was told that I had to change my pillow cases every day, because the oils of my own skin, had bacteria that was re-infecting my own skin. Implying that I was reinfecting myself, on a daily basis. When I found what worked for both my step-children and myself, I stopped doing so much unnecessary laundry. You can not ‘catch’ acne by skin contact, or by using the same flannel or towel as someone with acne. Acne is not infectious. I was not contagious, nor re-infecting myself: http://www.embarrassingproblems.com/spots_b.htm
3. I was told to avoid using too rich of cream rinses on my hair. Because I had long hair, I was told that my hair making contact with my skin, could cause, or worsen my adult acne. In fact, I was told to use a shampoo by Neutrogena, which nearly stripped all the natural oils from my hair and gave me a bad case of dry hair and split ends. I’m not saying all Neutrogena shampoos are harsh, but what I was using was. Then to find out, that this is not even true… “Greasy hair causes spots. False. The hair is greasy for the same reason that the spots are present (which is overproduction of sebum)”: http://www.embarrassingproblems.com/spots_b.htm
4. I was told to avoid milk, chocolate and milk products because the lactose in them, could cause eruptions of the skin. Mind you, no tests for sensitivity to this food product were performed. I just told, as a woman, to cut back on one of my most important food groups which would later help to assure healthy bone growth and structure. And it seems that there is now evidence for what I felt was personally true for me. “Eating chocolate, sweets or fried foods gives you spots. False. There is no scientific evidence for this”: http://www.embarrassingproblems.com/spots_b.htm
5. I had expensive dry ice treatments, which required that I pay an office visit and for the dry ice treatment. What resulted after these visits was a dried out, splotchy complexion, which often peeled for days after the treatment. It was unpleasant and inconvenient, and seemed to greatly disagree with my skin, my finances and my faith in the treatment. You can visit http://www.mamashealth.com/skincare/cpeel.asp, where dry ice treatments are included as a type of chemical peel. The site tells you during the week leading up to the peel you should: “avoid sun exposure, do not use scrubs or masks, do not apply a tanning solution to your skin, do not wax, bleach or pluck” So, if you have treatments weekly, or more often, you will not be able to pluck, or tan. My only question is which is worse? The Acne or the cure?
And, according to the same site, you can visit http://www.mamashealth.com/skincare/cpeel.asp , after the peel you can expect one, or all of the following: “Increased Sensitivity, Redness – blotchiness, Tightness and Dryness, Swelling and scabbing, Deeper peels usually scab and swell, Peeling”
6. I had UV light treatments after the dry ice, which further caused me to suffer dry and peeling skin. Current science believes that UV lights can contribute to certain forms of Cancer. See: http://health.yahoo.com/topic/skinconditions/treatment/article/healthwise/hw215920
And one aspect should have been clear, but was not discussed; Stop the UV light treatments, and the acne can come back! See: http://www.embarrassingproblems.com/spots_d.htm#5
7. Soap became an issue. It seemed that any soaps I tried, just dried my skin like than the treatments I was already receiving. I tried soaps with the same chemicals as aspirins, acne soaps by Neutrogena, sulpher based soaps, soaps with oatmeal and/or herbs, antibacterial soaps, and lots more different soaps. Some of them were pretty nice, smelled nice and made me feel good, but none of them really did much for reducing my blemishes or embarrassment. Lots of money down the drain, literally.
8. The cost or co-pay, of office visits, consultations, treatments, prescriptions, special products, extra laundry, fresh daily changes of wash clothes and towels, were prohibitive. We did the best we could, but in our family, it meant doing without other things we might have enjoyed having. And because it was considered cosmetic, it was not high on anyone’s priorities to help us out with our financial and esteem dilemma.
9. My step-children were told, because acne ran in their family, they would simply have their share of time, when they would suffer from acne. Other than using the treatments listed above, and going to war with current breakouts, it seemed they were doomed to suffer the outbreaks, and the emotions that such outbreaks caused. After all was said and done, if we stopped any of the treatments, if could not afford the hundreds of dollars out of pocket per year, our kids were doomed. That just made us feel kind of hopeless about the whole situation.
10. Time and energy. I tell people we all wake up with the same 24 hours a day that everyone has to use or rest with. But not everyone has the same energy, or freedom to do all the things we were told we needed to do, to fight this problem. We did function pretty well with our schedules and chores, but all the additional care that a few of us in our family required, for the acne we tried to overcome, caused extra strain for our family of five. We were already pretty busy with school, work, shopping, laundry, social calendars, and the visits to a second household…. Time was precious, and spare time was unheard of, in our household.
So, how did we finally cope? Well, before they put peroxide, or aspirin like chemicals into most skin treatments for acne, the original formula of Clearasil, was the best thing my family had ever used. In the 1960’s, it was always in our bathroom cabinet for the teens in our household. But, try as I might, I could not find the original Clearasil anywhere! And none of the new formula acne creams seemed to work as well, for me and mine. I searched high and low, for over a year! Finally, I found something called Acnomel, which as close and I could find, compared to good old original formula Clearasil. We used the tinted formula of Acnomel, and applied it every night, right after our shower and before going to bed.
Finally, when my children had some small warts on their hands, I bought an old standby to help rid them of warts. There is this fantastic scrub that has been around for decades, and it’s called Brasivol. When ever there was a blemish of skin, in our household, out came the Brasivol. For warts, I had the children scrub the warts with Brasivol, on dry skin, for a few minutes daily, and then rinse and dry. Soon, no more warts. So, I thought we would give it a try with our acne also. While in the shower, we washed our blemishes with the Brasivol and warm water, for a few minutes. We then put the Acnomel on it for the night, and off to bed. Our simple routine, and low cost maintenance forever rid our house of acne and all of us finally had peaches and cream skin again. And if we were running low, my oldest, who had suffered the most, was sure to remind me to put both on the shopping list.
You can find out more about Brasivol at the makers’ website: http://www.Stiefel.com. While they do not list it as one of their acne medications, I personally know it to be a fantastic scrub that leaves your skin fresh and soft and prepares your skin so that the Acnomel works even better. I order it locally by contacting my local SavOn Pharmacy and asking them to order it for me. Other Pharmacies tell me they can’t seem to locate it. (Remember not to scrub too hard or too long.)
You can find out more about Acnomel Acne Cream by visiting: http://www.rxmed.com/b.main/b2.pharmaceutical/b2.1.monographs/CPS-%20Monographs/CPS-%20(General%20Monographs-%20A)/ACNOMEL.html
What you have read here, is just the experience of one family. Please make sure to consult your with your doctor about what you have read here. But remember that ultimately, we should all be informed consumers and you have a voice in your care, treatment, and your out of pocket expenses . Best Wishes for a healthy and happy life!
