STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

atlgirl · Gucci

RE: Derms - the good, the bad, and the ugly

Mia · Kate Spade

My sister, who had moderate adult acne a couple of years ago, found a solution with mild glycolic peels. She used to get them done every couple of weeks or so at the esthetician but now she just buy the acid (30% - mild!) herself and does it at home and its really, really helped her skin.

A friend took Accutane in highschool for acne that was so bad it was disfiguring and it cleared it up *right quick*. I don't know much about the side effects and I know they can be serious but it was amazgin how it cleared her skin up.

crystal · Kate Spade

I am another proponent of Accutane... I really think it changed my life!! I was the biggest nerd in high school, barely had any friends & definitely no boyfriend and I am sure it was because of my monstrous acne! It would not go away no matter what I did (at home methods, or derm prescriptions). So finally my senior year my derm precribed Accutane and my wonderful mother was nice enough to pay for it (I seem to remember it being $60/month... not sure if that was w/ or w/o insurance). I was on it for 6 months so by the time I went to college my skin was spotless!! College was totally different, lots of guys were interested in me and my self confidence was much higher! Oh, and wearing a bathing suit was no longer a problem since I had had acne on my chest & back too (and keep in mind this all started in about 5th or 6th grade... it was torture!). Anyways, I had the typical dryness while on it, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat for the skin I have now. Of course, I have some scarring which I would one day like to laser off, but I just wanted to say that Accutane rocks!!

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

I first went to the derm about a year and a half ago, and I have noticed only a slight differences in my skin. I'm still unhappy about the way it looks. And my derm never listens to me - I showed him some acne scars, and he told me it was redness from a zit I had. Some of the scars I've had for like three years, so clearly, they're not because of a zit I had at the time.

Anyway, right now I take doxycycline hyc? orally, and I use clindamyacin phosphate topical solution (I'm supposed to use it morning and night, but it makes my face feel gross, so I use it only at night), Differen .1% cream, and desonide lotion, which I use when my face is irratated. I've also tried Benzaclin cream, which worked quite nicely for a while, but then it made my face burn and get so irratated.

Has anyone found anything that reduces the appearance of scarring?

Elle · Hermes

Man I you guys!

Atlgirl and Crystal - sounds like we have similar skin! Glad ortho-tri-cyclen helps you (for now at least) Atlgirl - if it didn't make me sooooo sick I would have stuck with it. Crystal - I too was painfully shy because of acne, mine started in full force when I was 8 - after so after 13 years wielding a concealer brush, I'm pretty good but it still makes me really self concious.

Rosey - Yep, just moved to CO about 6 months ago. It's actually made my skin better! I'm originally from Portland (very humid) and when I lived there I literally had to be in the bathroom blotting the oil off my face hourly . Now, I feel like my skin needs the oil it produces, so the dryness of the air has really balanced me out. It has made exfoliation that much more important though - the flakiness is the worst!

Mia - where does your sister get the acid to do her own peels? Does she have a prescription for it? I would love to be able to do it at home!

Wetbandit - I've gotten the scarring/red spot rhetoric from my derms too - Dude, I have scars on my face from 8 years ago! They are not just going to 'fade' on their own if they haven't already! The only thing I've found that helps is to use a clay mask, wait for it to dry, and then take it off by scrubbing thoroughly with hot water and a nubby washcloth. Definitely helps minimize the look of scars because of the serious exfoliation, but the results are temporary.

rosey · Dooney & Bourke

Elle, if you're looking for glycolic acid products, I highly recommend the MD Forte line (my derm originally turned me on to the line). His cleanser's come in three steps (I think 10 percent acid, 15 percent and 25 or 30 percent). It doesn't work like a typical cleanser- you rub it into your skin dry first. He also makes a number of creams and other solutions with acids. His acid formulations are among the highest percentages on the market w/o a prescription. You can get products through a local derm (check mdforte.com for docs) or online. Skinwest.com carries his products and they often have 25-30 percent off codes! HTH!

Elle · Hermes

Thanks Rosey, you rock!

Mia · Kate Spade

My sister buys it from an eBay seller - I could get the name if you like. I think there are a few long-term people selling it on eBay. I also have to say that, imo, expensive 'boutique' cosmetic lines that contain a small percentage of an active ingredient and yet cost $80 for a small bottle are a big rip off compared to spending $15 on eBay (or wherever) and just getting the main ingredient. Do some Googling if you want to learn more about doing it at home.

Elle · Hermes

Thanks for the Ebay tip, Mia! I found a company on there called Glymagic (is that the one your sister uses?) that has some cool stuff, and awesome feedback. I ordered a 30% peel/neutralizer/brush - it was $15 on ebay, so I checked their actual website and got the same thing for $8 + $2 for shipping. They sell 50% and 70% solutions, too, but I'm going to start with the 30% for now and when that runs out I'll buy the stronger stuff if needed.

I'll do a review on this stuff when I receive/start using it - I'm sooooo excited!

rosey · Dooney & Bourke

Oh please do a review when you get it, Elle! I love glycolic products and that sounds like such a great price! I'm a anxious to hear how it works for you!

juno · Nine West

i have to chime in and give some love to Accutane. its the only thing that ever worked for me. i was on it in college for about six months have never had the same problems again. i still get pimples- mostly stress, sugar or hormone related. or from resting my chin in my hands (bad juno!) but nothing like before -huge deep under the skin painful zits! Accutane is hard on the body (my god- the amount of chapstick i went thru!) but i would do it all over again in a heart beat.

also: what is with telling someone they can "do something" about their skin? that is SO rude. just as bad as telling someone they would be so pretty if they just lost some weight. for all those jerks who felt the need to comment on my acne: screw you, you aren't being helpful, just rude!!!!

tina242 · Kate Spade

Great thread for those of us w/ skin probs - mine is purely hormonal. It was all clear for a while but when I went off of Flouxetine (a mild anti-depressant for PMS/PMDD), it started flaring up again. Back on flux now but it's still breaking out. I tried Ortho Tri-Cyclen, and that was HORRIBLE for PMDD (pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, worse than PMS).

I've been to a good handful of derms and most have been awful. They don't even look at my face, they just throw a prescription at me. I have 5 more months until my wedding and I'm starting to get worried that it won't be clear. My engagement photos went ok b/c it was the week after my period, which generally means the breakouts clear up temporarily.

I'm going to try a line called clear.now and I was thinking of doing microdermabrasion, but maybe first I'll try the Philosophy Microdelivery Peel and see how that goes. Let's make sure we post reviews of the products!

-- Edited by tina242 at 14:59, 2005-12-18