December 23, 2007

Your Dermatologist Meeting - Making The Most Of It

Your first visit with your doctor will involve a review of your medical history, focusing on the acne angle, an examination of your skin, and treatment recommendations. In addition to checking out your face, he may want to look at your chest and back because acne often occurs there as well. If your acne only involves your face, then there's no need for you to undress.

The following are the typical first-visit questions about acne. You will undoubtedly be asked some or all of them. To ensure that you don't forget anything and that you and your doctor can make the best use of your time together, you may want to spend a few minutes thinking about these questions before the visit:

How long have you had acne?
Does it run in your family?
Is there anyone in the family with severe scarring acne?
What do you do to your skin each day — such as how many times a day do you wash your face?
Are you applying or taking any medications?
Do you pick at lesions?
What seems to make it worse? Diet, exercise, medications, stress?
What has been helpful? Sunlight, vacations, medications, winning the lottery?

And if you're a female, you'll also get these old standbys:

Does it get worse before your period or at midcycle?
Does makeup make it worse?
Are your periods normal?
Are you taking birth control pills and do they seem to help or worsen your acne?
Have you noticed any unusual or excessive hair growth?

Based on a physical exam and your discussions with your dermatologist, she will recommend treatment options, which will likely include some sort of medication.

Before leaving the examining room, make sure that all your questions have been answered. Your doctor is there to help you through the process, and questions are always welcome. You should know what to expect from your treatment and get a clear sense of its goals.

For example, make sure that your doctor has answered these questions, and if not, ask them: