Dermatologists vs. D-I-Y

| June 27th, 2007 | Kikay Thoughts, Skin Love

Bump, bump, bump. That is how my skin felt prior to visiting my dermatologist that I haven’t seen for a long time already. Blame it on my busy lifestyle, I couldn’t even drop by her office to give my skin some good ol lovin’.

Being always on the go prevents me from taking time to see a dermatologist for cleaning and checkup. I’ve always resorted to d-i-y ( do it yourself ) products, seeking the cream of the crop skin care to address my needs. Yes, I’ve felt my skin squeaky clean, and non-problematic as I am satisfied with the brand of skin care that I am currently using right now, but I could not deny that there were still problems in my skin that weren’t curable by products themselves. Even the best skin care could not get rid of comedones ( or in simple terms, whiteheads ) and deep seated dirt – thus, I needed a dermatologist.

After 6 months of not going to the dermatologist for a monthly cleaning/facial ( yikes, I am embarrassed to admit ), I finally got a “lecture” from my dermatologist that even if I use the best products out there, only dermatologists can perform extractions because if we do them ourselves, they would result to scarring. I had my facial, and diamond peel done, and as I left her clinic, my skin felt way cleaner than before – bump free, comedone free. Lately, I feel that my skin care products are doing great on my skin with the combination of the cleaning that I have done with the dermatologist.

To sum it all up, there are things that we could do d-i-y, of course, we can’t expect the dermatologist to do everything for us as it would be time consuming, and hurtful on the pockets, but we can’t do d-i-y forever, because there are stuffs that are better left to the hands of the skilled dermatologist. Here’s a list :

Skin Peeling
Derma or DIY?
Answer : Depends.
For minor skin peeling like over-the-counter products are safe enough for consumer use, like the Nu Skin Polishing Peel, Neutrogena Microdermabrasion Sets, ( and even the Susan Lucci’s Microdermabrasion Set sold at the local Home TV Shopping Network ). They’re safe enough for D-I-Y use because the peel depth is usually very superficial and shallow.

Deeper kinds of peels for scarring like Glycolic or TCA Peel should be performed by a dermatologist because they are the one who determine and control the concentrations or depths of the peel. Doing otherwise, would give you the risk of having your skin burned, and believe me, that is not a pretty picture!

Spot Treatments like Anti-Acne
Derma or DIY?
Answer : Start with D.I.Y., and if problem persists, go to a dermatologist.

Spot treatments sold over the counter are actually okay to use, such as salicylic acid. To combat the zit that you are agonizing over, spot apply over the entire zit, and around the edges for a few days. If they just keep on sprouting out of nowhere, and you can’t control it anymore, then it’s time to go to a dermatologist, to have proper medication.

Just a word of warning for those adventurous of topical treatments sold over the counter, do not over apply! I remember my skin getting burned from applying too much Panoxyl on an area. My lesson was learned the hard way =(

Pricking.
Derma or DIY?
Answer : Heck, go to a dermatologist if you don’t want scars!
Dermatologists still have the authority on the art of “pricking.” First, their tools are sterilized as compared to our fingers or own tools, and at least, we won’t have sleepless nights wondering if the pimples or comedones we have pricked will scar.

Skin care
Derma or DIY?
Answer : DIY. Choose your own skin care.
I think that we have the liberty of choosing the skin care products that we use for our everyday regimens. Dermatologists merely suggest products that they feel that are good for our skin, but hey, there are alot of skin care products in the market that are actually good! I’ve found my HG (Holy Grail) skincare in Nu Skin from my personal quest during college, and I couldn’t be happier. Everytime I visit a new dermatologist, I always tell her that I already have my skin care products to begin with. Though, if you think that the products that you are using don’t work for you, you can seek help from dermatologists’ , they might have good picks for you, too!

picture credit : http://dermatology.co.nz