the Cost of Dermatology

When I was a teen, I had really bad cystic acne all over my back, chest, and lightly on my face. I was on very powerful acne medication until the age of 22. I have always had a few cysts since then, but nothing major. During the summer of 2007, my wife became alarmed when she found over a dozen new cysts on my back. I had never had that many at once since I was being medicated for it. She said I should go see a dermatologist to be sure I did not need to be put back on medication. I made an appointment with a local dermatologist that I had seen for another reason prior and liked. A couple of weeks later, I went to see him at his office and he did a full body exam, looking for cysts, etc. He gave me a prescription for some topical acne medicine and told me to come back if that did not clear me up or the condition worsened. He did not think I needed to go back on the oral medication I took as a young adult.

This dermatologist is really good at what he does. He even took out a hand magnifying glass at one point! I would recommend him to anyone with acne issues. I will say that he is a bit gruff and does not have the best bedside manner, but he doesn't make you uncomfortable or anything like that. Just no warm fuzzies.

If you have a history of cystic acne, you know that keeping an eye on it is important. If you are not as lucky as me to have someone else to help you look out for flare-ups, its important that you check yourself over in a mirror fairly often. You do not want it to get out of control and cause even more damage.