My Bad Experience With a Dermatologist

 

I was 16 years old, I watched YouTube as if it was the only source of entertainment available and it was a time when all the YouTubers I watched went to a dermatologist and having acne was quite an awful thing. Keep in mind that I was SIXTEEN! An age when it is normal to have acne, an age where my acne was a couple of pimples, some oily skin and nothing more. However I didn't want to be left out of the trend, and everyone seemed to go to a dermatologist so I went to one. I went in hopes to learn which was my skin type, to learn what steps should I include in my routine, what products I should buy. I wanted to improve my knowledge on my skin, to pick things that were appropriate for my age and skin type and to feel like I knew more than most people in order to legitimate the advice I gave on my blog. And so I went.

I must state now that I honestly think that I had really back luck with my dermatologist, it was a lady at the local hospital and I think it was the only available doctor that had an agreement with my insurance company.

Firstly I remember that to the only time I went (or maybe I had two appointments with her, I'm not sure), she got in at least 45 minutes late, which for a 16 year-old  going alone to the doctor for the first time is nerve-racking enough without having to wait for a long time.
Anyways, when I finally got in she asked me why was I there and after a short chat (that I don't recall) she gave me the magical recipe for my acne. Firstly she recommended me a cleansing gel and a moisturizer, that to this day I feel like were nothing special and did nothing for my skin.
A tinted moisturizer that had no coverage and that didn't help cover up the blemishes, something the doctor told me I had to do whenever they showed up. The tinted moisturizer was too liquid to offer any coverage, and too dark for my skin so I went to school looking like and Ompaa Lompa.
Besides all this, and the part that, looking back on this experience scares me the most, is that she prescribed me 3 boxes of pills to dry off my skin. To be fair I didn't ask what they were or what they did and I took them every day as I was told.
They made my skin look flakey and too dry, in addition to that, the mattifying products didn't help at all. I looked like a dried Opmaa Lompa, I took a whole box of pills (for around 2 months) and I felt absolutely awful.

My dreams of having dreamy skin like the girls I saw on Youtube were turned into nightmares, my self-confidence was more shaken up than ever and all I wanted was a place to hide. Thank god I decided to stop taking the pills, kept using the products but started to research a lot more when it came to products, skin type, formulas and ingredients.

Today, at 21, I am as far as you can be from being an expert. However, I know that having oil is not a bad thing, I don't like a look too matte (maybe due to the trauma), I know how important it is to keep a routine, to use sunscreen (something that wasn't even mentioned by the doctor), and much more.

I'm not saying that Doctor Google is the best option, I'm just sharing my experience, with a specific situation. I never went to a dermatologist again, because I never really had problems that forced me to go there. Lately, an allergy showed up on my skin and I've been considering seeing one in order to find a solution to this issue.

So what I learned for this experience and the message I hope to spread with this post is that you should be informed and ask questions. Don't do anything without realizing what you are doing, don't do it because you wanna be someone else. Do things for yourself and your own well being, the most important thing, at the end of the day, is that you are making informed choices and taking advantage of your biggest power, knowledge.