It's that time again...

Time for a doctor's appointment! Namely, my first trip to the dermatologist office.

Even after just one appointment, I already feel a million times better than I did after my primary care physician appointment about my acne. Clearly I looked stressed or anxious or SOMETHING because at the end the doctor patted my knee and told me I'd be fine.

They exchanged the clindamycin and benzamycin routine for one with a retinoid, Tazorac, and spironolactone. The side effects and general info on spironolactone are pretty scary, but the derm didn't give me lots of instructions on how to change my diet or routines while taking it. Perhaps it's one of ~those~ medicines.

Now I know some birth control pills can do what spironolactone does, namely blocking androgen receptors. Sometime in the near future I want to go back on the pill, so I'll be interested to see if they'll recommend a certain birth control for this same function or if it'll be a bit of a hullabaloo to make that switch.

Downside: the retinoid is apparently and expensive named brand and was 50 bucks. I will definitely be asking if there's a generic they can prescribe instead.

Here's hoping this works!

(i'm sorry for the crazy eyes)

Welcome to the blog!

Hello there!
Chances are no one will read this blog, but I figure I should be cordial just in case.
I've started this blog as an online diary of sorts, I suppose. Even though I am arguably a ~real adult~ at 23 with a full time job, I feel like I'm still bumbling along through life. I'm addicted to makeup and clothing, and am just starting out on a journey towards better skin. I thought it might be nice to have a place to vent about skincare, write reviews to justify the makeup habit, and post gratuitous pictures of my outfits.
As I write this I am fresh off a rather unsettling doctor's appointment. I went in with the intention of getting a referral to a dermatologist. I've had acne since middle school and at 23, it's now just making me feel like a child next to all the clear-faced adults with which I work. Of course the acne's not that bad; just persistent. I've been told it's not bad enough for a referral, but these are the same people who misdiagnosed my mother's rosacea for a long time. I'm going to work on forcing that derm referral but in the meantime I've been prescribed a 1% Clindamycin solution and a generic Benzamycin gel. Hopefully I'll remember to post progress photos, so I can track that even if no one else is interested!

Let's see how this goes...