Have the dermatologist harmed or helped your skin?

[strenght81]

I have an appointment with my dermatologist tomorrow and I am kind of hesitant of going. Since I have stopped using Tazorac for one month my skin is actually healing pretty quickly. I am currently using mainly natural products and it's actually working. I can't seem to completely stop the breakouts so I plan on asking her to put me on a non retinoid product, that does not cause initial breakouts, perferably Azelaic acid. I don't want to be dependent on Px but i't summer and I need to be flawless. The only difference this time with my visit is that I have educated myself enough about skincare to not allow a doctor to be in sole control of what I put on my face.:)


So ladies, have dermatologists harmed or helped your skin?

[Energist]

If you are Black, just make sure that the doctor is familiar with Black skin. THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY! If not, then you may be sorry :perplexed

[dede1174]

i'm in atlanta and have an excellent black female dermatologist . i had just come off taking lupron which broke mw out really bad. though i had the prescriptions for retina-a, someother thing and anitbiotics i skin was worse for the next 2mths. i finally started natural stuff. baking soda and lemon juice, backing soda aone, black soap and hiamani soap/creme.

she frowned when i said i did not need a refill. i went for my peels however and she commented on how well my skin was improving.

i think all dermatologist have their place. in the end you have to be able to say this is working for me and this isn't. remember they get incentives to write certain perscriptions and thats the truth.

[vickid]

HELPED TREMENDOUSLY! My derm is the greatest in the world and she has totally changed my skin. BTW, I second what Energist had to say--make sure the derm KNOWS about black skin!

[Browndilocks]

I have a great dermatologist. She's expensive but definitely worth the visits.

[BrownSkin2]

I have a great derm. She is a white female here in Atlanta and knows black skin. I had been using Proactive for a year, and it had dryed my skin out, was causing irritation and hyperpigmentation, and overall darkening of the face. I looked pretty bad!! :( Within a week or two of using her prescripts I was clearing up and my skin texture was returning to normal. What really surprised me was I was wearing a dress with no sleeves. I have a keliod on my left shoulder about the size of a penny. She saw it and asked if I needed to get it treated. I was apprehensive because I had heard it could enlargen with treatment. Within 5 days of treatment that keloid was shrinking.:eek: I had called and talked to several derms that didn't treat them for whatever reason. My insurance covered it, and she asked me to come back in in a month for another injection.

[JLove74]

If you are Black, just make sure that the doctor is familiar with Black skin. THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY! If not, then you may be sorry :perplexed

I firmly believe that if a dermatologist is any good, they will be able to deal with all skin - AA, white, asian, etc.

I have 2 derms - one white & the other black. Both very well know, expensive as heck, but well worth it. They've truly helped my skin.

[seeminglysweet]

I'ver only been to 1 derm in my whole life and he totally jacked me up. It took two years for my skin to get back to normal.

[strenght81]

Well, I'm back from the derm and she gave me some samples of finacea (15% azelaic acid) and retin A. I don't plan on filling the prescription for Retin A, mainly because of the initial breakout it causes. ( I was on tazorac and it did a number on my skin this time around) She told me that Retin A is milder than Tazorac but at this point I had it with retinoids. I may try Finacea and see how it goes. Overall I think I should stick to my natural regimine; it's working for me just fine. My derm was really impressed at how educated I was on the prescription topicals. I told her that I did not want to be on prescription topicals for the rest of my life and she said most likely I will be. This comment alone proves my theory that prescriptions products are made for our skin to be dependent on them.

[mspm]

Atlanta Ladies,

Can you post or pm the names of your derms? I am a NYC transplant and I'm having a hard time finding a good ATL derm. Thanks and God bless!

[vickid]

Well, I'm back from the derm and she gave me some samples of finacea (15% azelaic acid) and retin A. I don't plan on filling the prescription for Retin A, mainly because of the initial breakout it causes. ( I was on tazorac and it did a number on my skin this time around) She told me that Retin A is milder than Tazorac but at this point I had it with retinoids. I may try Finacea and see how it goes. Overall I think I should stick to my natural regimine; it's working for me just fine. My derm was really impressed at how educated I was on the prescription topicals. I told her that I did not want to be on prescription topicals for the rest of my life and she said most likely I will be. This comment alone proves my theory that prescriptions products are made for our skin to be dependent on them.

Azelaic acid really is a good alternative to Retin A (IMO) Not as drying and not as aggressive but it'll give you the same results over time. FYI--Azelaic acid is also used for hair growth (no joke!). It clears the scalp of dead skin cells so hair grows very quickly.

[Danene5]

Dermatologist have not helped my skin at all except for the occassional Chemical Peel. I have been on Clindamycin, Doxycycline, Retin-A, Retin-A micro, Lustra, Compound Retin A/ Hydroquinone, pills of all form. I am sure there is much more that I am missing. But I use Clear Essence and it has saveed me more money then the dermatologist ever could. This is over an 11 year period.

[IntelligenceisBeautiful]

Helped a lot by prescribing Retin A micro, now all I get are compliments on the texture of my skin. The thing with Retin A is I had to develop a regimen that worked for me. Using it everyday irritated my skin and caused me to break out more. I also used to use a moisturizer afterwards. Now I use it every other night (10 minutes after washing my face and letting it airdry), then I use a PEA SIZED amount of the Retin A and that's it, no moisturizer ( I use a moisturizer (spf 30) in the mornings). This is the best my skin has looked in four years.

[strenght81]

Helped a lot by prescribing Retin A micro, now all I get is are compliments on the texture of my skin. The thing with retin A is I had to develop a regimen that worked for me. Using everyday irritated my skin and caused me to break out more. I also used to use a moisturizer afterwards. Now I use it every other night 10 minutes after washing my face and letting it airdry. Then I use a PEA SIZED amount of the Retin A and that's it, no moisturizer ( I use a moisturizer (spf 30) in the mornings). This is the best my skin has looked in four years.

Your face is flawless. Beautiful complexion.

[IntelligenceisBeautiful]

Your face is flawless. Beautiful complexion.


Thanks so much :), but believe me it was a road of trial and error. I'm very happy with the Retin A

[rcknrobin]

HOUSTON LADIES!? do you have any derm recommendations!?

[lexi08]

Azelaic acid really is a good alternative to Retin A (IMO) Not as drying and not as aggressive but it'll give you the same results over time. FYI--Azelaic acid is also used for hair growth (no joke!). It clears the scalp of dead skin cells so hair grows very quickly.


I agree Azelaic acid cream is excellent! A derm prescribed this years ago when I went through a problem period with my skin. I have had success a few years ago with Retin A micro. The retin A cream was a nono :nono: for me.

[lexi08]

I firmly believe that if a dermatologist is any good, they will be able to deal with all skin - AA, white, asian, etc.

I have 2 derms - one white & the other black. Both very well know, expensive as heck, but well worth it. They've truly helped my skin.


This is so true. I had a white dermatologist for years when I lived in my hometown. He was very good. I now have a black female dermatologist, an asian male nurse practitioner (works in her office), and a white female aesthetician at the medical spa I go to, they all are very good. I just wish the services were not so pricey :ohwell: but I do have good medical coverage so at least doctor office visits and prescriptions are covered when I need them.

[Divine Inspiration]

I prefer the natural/holistic route when possible, but a good dermatologist is a good thing to have as a last resort, I suppose. I also think it's good to visit them periodically for screenings for skin cancer, etc.

[Tee]

Mine has helped me tremendously! :up:

I agree with Energist when she said it is a MUST to get one that knows Black Skin. I had a white one who didn't help me at all. (This man never touched me! After 2 visits I let him go.

My dermatologist now is great! My skin has turned around so much since seeing him.