If you play with fire you may get your face burned! From the September 2007 issue of Glamour, I learned that you can buy Accutane, also known as isotretinoin, online without a prescription! Yikes! Accutane is a very powerful drug that works wonders on clearing up cystic acne, and other forms of severe acne. It also can have some major side effects! Normally Accutane is prescribed by a Dermatologist, and you are supposed to get monthly blood tests, and also be on birth control (since you don’t want to get pregnant on Accutane because of a high change of birth defects). Accutane also has other possible side effects like depression, elevated cholesterol, and liver damage, and most commonly dry, peeling skin. Your skin is also extremely sensitive to the sun, so you should not get sun exposure while taking the drug, nor should you have any laser skin treatments.
You do no want to go on Accutane without doctor supervision!
Aside from the severe possible side effects, there are also all sorts of different doses for Accutane, so you need a doctor to determine this. Plus, if you buy Accutane online without a prescription, who knows what you are really receiving!
Don’t perform medical-grade chemical peels on yourself!
I’ve also heard of people buying chemical peel ingredients online such as Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid, but in the medical-grade versions! While you normally find 2% Salicylic Acid or 10% Glycolic Acid in skin care products, Doctors and Estheticians can use much higher percentages. Just because unscrupulous websites may sell these chemicals, don’t buy them and use them on yourself! I get nervous enough letting a Dermatologist or Esthetician do a light chemical peel on me, so I can’t imagine trying to “figure it out” at home. Plus, these are burning chemicals, so do you really want to have your eyes open while you are looking at what you are applying?
I haven’t looked, but I can guarantee there are tons of horror stories out there of people that have burned their faces from at-home chemical peels, or caused horrible damage from taking isotretinoin on their own. So that’s my little preachy warning - just because you “can” do something doesn’t mean that you should! It may cost more and take more time, but visit a Doctor or licensed Esthetician for your medical-grade skin care needs!
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September 5th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
I buy the heavy-duty glycolic acid, but not to do peels at home! I’ve had problems with KP on my upper arms for years, as well as acne on my face that gets irritated by just about every product under the sun. The only thing I’ve ever been able to use as a moisturizer is plain Cetaphil lotion, which I dilute a little because it’s usually too heavy for me.
When someone I knew suggested that a product containing glycolic acid would be good for the KP, I really didn’t want to buy something that was going to irritate my skin more. So instead, I went online, got a little dropper-bottle of 70% glycolic acid, and now every day I mix two drops of it with my diluted lotion. It’s done wonders, and I’m glad it’s available, but I can’t imagine using the stuff straight on my skin.
The accutane thing is tricky, especially for women. If your doctor just plain won’t give it to you, which some won’t, and it’s the one thing that will probably work… there’s a temptation, there. I know that I asked about it once and found the attitude extremely patronizing. I’ve managed not to get pregnant so far in my adult life, I think I can keep it up without eight forms of birth control, constant pregnancy testing and dirty looks. I felt like a junkie asking for methadone or something. I can see how, faced with a physician like that, if you were desperate enough you might look online. (I opted against it anyway, after hearing that it can aggravate KP.)
September 5th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Have you tried KP Duty by Dermadoctor? That’s the only product I’ve seen specifically targeted for that condition, but I have no idea if it works. http://www.dermadoctor.com/product.asp?productid=850&WID=%7B8762E105%2D9921%2D4DFF%2DA1A8%2D6E3DE45D905A%7D It contains Glycolic Acid, but I don’t know the percentage. I found that Cetaphil lotion caused me to breakout. I know that’s crazy, but it did for some reason. Oh wait it was the Cetaphil moisturizer - in the green tube.
If I wanted Accutane and my doctor didn’t want to give it to me, I’d go to another doctor, until I found one willing to work with me. But it would be a pain to get the monthly blood tests. A friend of mine was just on Accutane and had to stop after a month for having elevated liver levels, or something like that.
September 6th, 2007 at 10:24 am
A tiny bottle of the glycolic acid cost me $7 and has lasted for several months, and Cetaphil’s pretty cheap. I know that Cetaphil does that for some people… actually, I hated it until I watered it down, which has the added benefit of making the bottle last a lot longer. The KP Duty stuff is a *little* pricey for my budget right now, although I might try it at some point later if this doesn’t work out in the long term. With my sensitive skin, I’m reluctant to switch products unless I have to. :)
September 6th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
If what you’re doing is working for now, I’d just stick with it. I was just curious about the KP Duty because I had told a few people about it, but don’t know if it really works. I had a lot of people come into my spa when I worked there and asked about KP treatments, but at the time, I wasn’t sure what to suggest.
September 7th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
That’s some great information. Thanks.