Doctor Secrets! My Real Life…

Acne, also known as: zits, pimples, goobers, the widow maker, pizza-face, bachelor’s buddy e.t.c.  is the scourge of teens and twenties fresh on the relationship scene.  Acne couldn’t come at a worst time.  Just when you’d like your complexion to be perfect for that first date, these ugly red spots pop out like stop signs all over your face.

So what causes acne? A parental conspiracy? Nope. It’s caused by raging youthful hormones stepping up sticky sebum production which a villainous bacteria on your face called “propionibacterium acnes” feeds on. After gorging itself with this breakfast of champions the critters produce chemicals which irritate your skin.  That’s what turns the oily pimples from simple swellings to red peperroni pustules that shout “stay away!”.

So to get rid of acne we either have to cut off the oil supply, or we gotta run the bacteria outta town.

Birth control pills, Accutane and vit. A analogues work by the first method, and antibiotics, peroxides and sulpha topicals work by the latter. Simple.

As a doctor I tend to start people off with over the counter preparations to try first for a month. It that doesn’t work I’ll try a prescription strength topical – usually a concoction with an antibiotic in it or vitamin A analogue for a month. If that doesn’t work I’ll begrudgingly pull out my pad and write a script for oral antibiotics or accutane, or in some girls, switch or start a birth control pill. I use this as a last resort remedy because tablets invariably have a higher chance of side effects.

But the good news about acne is that if all else fails, you’ll grow out of it in 5-10 years. So there. The secret’s out.

Doctor Secrets! Clear. Quick. Fun. Try us!.