Acne 101: Should I visit a Dermatologist?

Visiting dermatologist has been one of my greatest nightmares as a kid while I was struggling with acne back then. Their medications are strong, service they offered are  expensive and not everything worked on my skin.

“Pssst, have you treat and respect your body right?” 

If I could turn back time and asked my mini-self this question, I am pretty sure that I could deal with my acne issue without visiting a dermatologist. I used to live an unhealthy lifestyle and that’s probably the biggest reason why I broke out often back then. In my teenage years, there wasn’t much information I can get about how to deal with acne besides visiting a dermatologist. I have zero to no understanding about skincare. But I do really think that acne can surely be healed with proper skincare and self-care towards our body

If you are struggling with acne and wonder when you should visit your Dermatologist, look at the list below and try to answer each one of it

• Have you been eating well?

Eat vegetables and fruits regularly, consuming enough water, avoiding refined sugar and junk food as much as you can really affect your skin

• Have you slept well?

A minimum 6 hours of sleep a day to allow your brain as well as your skin to regenerate

• Have you used gentle products?

Instead of adding more stress to your skin by putting products that actually harsh and sensitize your skin, you better put on a more skin-loving product to support your skin healing process.

• Have you washed your face properly?

Removing dirt and oil properly is another underrated risk of acne. I remember as a teenager that I used to play a lot of sport and never bothered to wash my face right away to remove the sweat, dirt and oil cocktail on my face. No wonder, new zits keep popping out on each other day

• Have you kept your face MODERATELY moisturized?

Common wrong perceptions are:

1) a moisturized face on an oily-acne prone skin would make it even worse,

2) an overly moisturized face is good for you.

A moisturized face is needed to keep your skin-barrier on point to protect your skin from the external environment which is good for me. When your barrier is compromised, infection and stress will easily lead to inflammation (acne). However, moisturizing too much could also suffocate and clog your pores.

• Have you kept your towel, clothes, and bed clean?

At least change your bed sheet, pillow cases and towel twice a week to avoid any dirt and oil to clogged your pores on your daily routine

• Have you tried your acne products for at least 1 month?

If you are looking for a drugstore skincare to solve your problems, persistent is key. Use it for at least 1 month to see the result. When your cystic acne has gotten better (this is a positive sign which means it’s working). There isn’t such a magic product that could solve your acne as well as the PIH in one go within a month. Healing an acne is a step-by-step process (be patient!)

• Have you experienced at least 5 cystic acne that doesn’t budge after 1 month of putting drugstore product?

If still have some “No” answers for some of these questions. Your acne might be just an issue of your daily lifestyle and habit. Try to make a few changes on the missing point and see how your skin goes from there. I see a lot of people’s skin transforms as they change their skincare habit and lifestyle in general. I do think this is better than jumping into a harsh chemical and pay an extra for ‘unnecessary’ ingredients

However, If you answer “Yes” for all the points, you’ve done your part right. You reached a point where you don’t know how to deal with it anymore. Rather than playing around with products to realize that it makes it even worse, I would really recommend you to go and visit your Dermatologist.  Here are some of the reasons:

1. Sometimes acne is showing more than just a problem from within your “skin”. Acne could be one of the signs of a problem from “inside” your body. That’s why it is better  to visit doctors who could address this issue well as early as possible
2. ALMOST all products (I can’t say ALL) that are sold in the market without any prescription are within the “SAFE” concentration of ingredients that wouldn’t harm the healthiest skin. At some point, people who are suffering a certain skin issue need MORE than just a “safe” concentration. Though it might sound scary, but under the supervision of a dermatologist, this is totally safe. They will put you on medication that is stronger and supposedly WORK with your skin type.
3. Hormonal issue is a common cause of acne. You might be put on a hormonal treatment to solve your problem. you won’t get this kind of treatment unless you visit a Dermatologist (but it greatly depends on your skin’s severity)
4. This is an extra point: Dermatologist could give you a checkup on other parts of your body that are beyond your vision for any suspicious lesions. This is recommended for people with white skin and people who are exposed to a lot of UV radiation (at least once every 6 months)

I hope this post helps you break your dilemma and confusions! Hope you all a great skin health

Disclaimer: There is no basic science behind each point I made above, all are my opinions based on my previous experience with acne. And pictures included are not my own