Ramblings: Acne medications I've tried + Intro to Pocketderm / Curology

The first acne prescription I ever tried was Retin-A (tretinoin) and I got this prescribed through my university doctor.  I'd eagerly slathered it over my face, chest and upper back for 2 weeks before having to quit.  Literally over one night I developed a severe rash on my stomach that confused my doctor enough she had to pull in another colleague to stare at the large scabbing wounds all over my tummy. =(  They kept asking if I applied the Retin-A to that area but I don't get breakouts there so obviously no.  In the end, they couldn't rule out this itchy rash was a side effect of the retinol cream and we abandoned it for other topical medications.

Next came Differin (Adapalene), a once-a-night cream that I applied faithfully for a year before discarding as useless.  It never made a dent in my breakouts and towards the end I experimented with using it on only half my face to compare to the other untreated side.  Results?  Not much difference between the two halves! >_<

At one point I was prescribed an oral antibiotic, minocycline, but that lasted only 1-2 weeks because I was so hungry all the time!  The instructions stated I shouldn't eat 1 hour before or 2 hours after taking it but I eat every 2-3 hours because my blood sugar issues make me HANGRY if I don't.  I remember setting my watch alarm to tell me when I'd be allowed to eat and my friends thinking I was nuts.  I told the bemused nurse "I don't care if this works because I'm constantly starving!"  Who cares about smooth skin if I hangrily scare off my friends, too?  So the oral antibiotic route was no good.

Then came clindamycin, a topical antibiotic that I still feel neutral about.  I only spot-treated so didn't see a vast improvement in my overall breakouts but kept using it because I figured it could help heal picked skin faster.  In the end, I stopped because switching healthcare plans meant I had to pay over $100 for a small bottle and my cheapness won out.  When the pharmacist rung me up he said "that will be XXX.XX" and I asked if that was some medical code I didn't understand.  His response?  "Uh no, that's the dollar amount of your prescription."  X__X

So what next?


I'm definitely not a skincare pioneer.  I like to see positive reviews and research quite a bit before hitching a ride on any bandwagons but since last year I kept seeing mentions for online dermatology service Curology (formerly Pocketderm) and enough crazy impressive Before/After photos that my curiosity won out.


The $20/month service gives users access to skincare professionals' advice and medication customized to skin problems (acne, aging, hyperpigmentation, etc) delivered to your door as needed.  With my crappy health plan I have to spend $100 per visit to a specialist so derm visits would get pretty pricey for me and that's not even factoring in the actual cost of medications.  Plus, my hospital appointments are so tightly scheduled I never feel like I get to ask all of my questions.  (There's an online service I can use to message my providers but it's not user-friendly and the replies aren't prompt.)  Basically, I figured I had nothing to lose on trying Curology since someone's affiliate link would give me the first month free & I could cancel anytime.

After answering questions about my skin/medical history & prescriptions I had to upload barefaced pictures of my face/neck and other problem areas for review.  In the end I was paired with a nurse practitioner that always responded within hours if it was a business day-- extremely quick!  She gave me advice about cleansers, supplements and info about the active ingredients she chose for my first bottle of lotion medication.  A formula with 3 actives was mailed to my home and I was able to begin using it within a week of starting the whole process.  Now it's 5 months and 2 formulas later & even though my face is still a work in progress, I'm confident I made the right decision to try out Curology (formerly Pocketderm).

I'll upload a more in-depth look at my progress with actual pictures of my face in my next post! =D