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ACNE
THE HIGH PRICE OF PERFECT SKIN
BY BRUCE MIRKEN
Copyright 1997 by Parents' Press
The good news: new treatments
really do work
It was just
about four years ago, 18-year-old Tom Plummer recalls, when the
handful of pimples on his face suddenly blossomed into full-fledged
"pizza face," every adolescent's nightmare.
"I was embarrassed by it a lot," the teenager remembers. "In ninth grade people picked on me all the time about it, and it really bothered me."
When over-the-counter treatments didn't work, Plummer went to see a dermatologist, who put him on two medications at once: Tretinoin (common knows by the brand name Retin-A), a cream applied to the affected areas on his face and shoulders, and tetracycline, an antibiotic in capsule form. In just six months the boy's skin had almost completely cleared.
Plummer's story is far from unique. Though it doesn't produce headlines like organ transplants or new treatments for AIDS or cancer, treatment of acne has advanced markedly in the last two decades.
NOTHING TO LAUGH ABOUT
And though it may not be life-threatening, acne is no laughing matter, explains Dr. S. William Levy, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco.
For teens, he says, "It can be a devastating disease to their psyche and to their personality." Studies have shown that both youths and adults with severe acne tend to have problems with social interactions like involvement in sports or dating, and poorer academic performance as well. A 1986 British study even showed that acne patients have higher rates of unemployment than those without acne.
ACNE ON THE WEB
PimplePortal
The Power of Accutane: The Benefits and Risks of a Breakthrough Acne Drug
THE HIGH COST OF CLEAR SKIN
Many acne treatments are relatively inexpensive, but some of the newer products can get quite pricey. The table below lists the approximate annual cost [in 1997] for commonly used doses and strengths of several frequently used acne treatments.
Of course, prices will vary from pharmacy to pharmacy and may be raised or lowered at any time, so these numbers are only a rough approximation. Your actual cost may differ.
Remember, the figures given are for the cost of the product only. Doctor visits and other related expenses are not included. In the case of isotretinoin these may be considerable, as extensive laboratory testing is required.
TOPICAL PRODUCTS
(creams, etc.)
Benzoyl peroxide,
$22/year
Erythromycin, $27/year
Clindamycin, $115/year
Tretinoin, $95/year
ORAL DRUGS
Tetracycline,
$46/year
Erythromycin, $275/year
Minocycline, $1,450/year
Isotretinoin*, $1,330/year
*Cost for standard 20-week course of therapy. Source: "New Perspectives on Acne," Clinician, March, 1996
