So I did not have the greatest complexion as a teenager. And even in my 20s I had pimple problems. In fact, even as a guy in my mid-30s, I get blemishes. Blech. Just call me immature, right?
Anyway, so the best treatment I’ve discovered for acne is Retin-A gel. I’ve taken it off-and-on since I was a teenager. And it is really a great drug. My face is naturally oily and the Retin A tends to just suck the oil right up. It works by increasing the blood supply to the skin and is actually a great anti-wrinkle fighter. I regularly get told I “don’t look 35” and I think that’s because I’ve been taking Retin-A for so long. I remember actually getting compliments on my skin when I was on it last summer.
Seriously, this is a great drug. And cheap, too! I think people would hear more about it, but the patent expired awhile ago so there’s not much money in it.
Unfortunately, my prescription expired last year. And my new doctor has twice refused to write me a new one, saying it’s summertime and the drug can increase your sensitivity to sunlight. Well, yeah: for some people. But I actually know pretty well how the drug interacts with my body. In fact the last dermatologist who prescribed it to me also sold me a SPF 15 facial moisturizer … which I didn’t use ’cause I didn’t need. (And, of course, I had to wait like 90 minutes in the waiting room).
So I was faced with a choice … shop around for a new doctor or dermatologist, or (probably illegally) order online using mexmeds4you.com. I don’t really want to say what course I took … but I did pick up a package at the post office today…
Don’t ya think your doctor knows something you don’t? Like about skin cancer? Anyway, I wasn’t sure that all those sites work…good to know they’re not all full of shite. How did you come to choose (and trust) that one?
Actually, according to some stuff on google, Retin A can reverse precancerous skin cells. It may also make your skin more sensitive to sunburn or whatever, but I have a dark complexion and v. rarely have a problem with sunburn. And like I said, I’ve been using it for years (and have had other doctors prescribe it for me in summertime).
There is some stuff I definitely want to just trust a doctor for, like when I tore my medial meniscus (knee cartilage). But doctors aren’t like these all-wise people, I can read a drug label just as well as they can, and I’m not going to be influenced by whatever pharmacy company kickbacks they’re getting to recommend Zycor over Xanax or whatever.
good point.
Maybe you could offer a sample to young Ben, also troubled by those pesky pimples