Recent visit to Derm ---- Ho-Hum --- Why did I bot... - Page 2

tends2dogs · ‎05-08-2010

@Foxxee wrote:
@AngelPuppy1

I'm not recommending you do this, but, if you can stand a little pain, I know of someone who used a sterile needle to break open the skin covering her milia.

You can buy sterile lancets, too from medical supply houses. Pretty much doing the same thing as your doctor when he said he would use a lancet to break them open. You could try one or two at first to see if the red mark heals and goes away. She also used Dr. Scholl's Freeze Wart Remover for the stubborn ones.

She doesn't have rosacea, though, and tackles them one at a time when she gets them. She never had a lot. She applied Neosporin afterwards. All healed nicely leaving no marks.

She had one on her eyelid close to her eye that she rubbed (gently) with a rough washcloth whenever she washed her face. It eventually broke open.

@Foxxee I have done the needle thing on me when I have had the occasional milia. It stings. I can't imagine doing a lot at one time, but I am a "bathroom" surgeon and would get the job done over time if need be. LOL I have heard of the wart remover method also, and have even bought it. My derm gave us prescriptions for a "chemo" cream (his words) that does dry up spots nicely.

@Foxxee I am asking this tongue in cheek, are the that someone???

Fear not Brothers and Sisters! I have read THE BOOK..........we win!!!

PinkyPetunia · ‎03-09-2010

@AngelPuppy1

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect your skin to look better. I had rosacea 15 years ago and I took an oral med called Oracea. My derm gave me a Rx card to give to the pharmacy for a discount, otherwise it would be costly. I think I paid $25 a month.

This medicine helped the rosacea immensly. After a year or 2 I discontinued it and my skin wasn't perfect but it was never as bad as it was initiallly. Your present derm is focused on the medical isssues but is not so concerned with cosmetic results. I would see another derm if you are not satisfied with your skin. Are there other doctors in the practice you could see? A female derm may better understand the impact of cosmetic results IMO.

wonderfulworld · ‎12-05-2012

I have had my face gone over with lasers at derms office many time to break up the redness.It has made a tremendous difference. You will be bruised because the blood vessels are burnt out...but it fades with in 2 weeks and the redness is much less. Get retreated (touch up) every 4 or 5 years.

wonderfulworld · ‎12-05-2012

@PinkyPetunia wrote:
@AngelPuppy1

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect your skin to look better. I had rosacea 15 years ago and I took an oral med called Oracea. My derm gave me a Rx card to give to the pharmacy for a discount, otherwise it would be costly. I think I paid $25 a month.

This medicine helped the rosacea immensly. After a year or 2 I discontinued it and my skin wasn't perfect but it was never as bad as it was initiallly. Your present derm is focused on the medical isssues but is not so concerned with cosmetic results. I would see another derm if you are not satisfied with your skin. Are there other doctors in the practice you could see? A female derm may better understand the impact of cosmetic results IMO.

I now have occular rosacea..dry, red gritty eyes. I take very low dose (tetracyline) for it and have used occular steroid drops twice during big flares. Though for years I had pink eye....well no. My eyes actually give me more trouble than my skin.

Foxxee · ‎10-03-2014

@tends2dogs wrote:
@Foxxee wrote:
@AngelPuppy1

I'm not recommending you do this, but, if you can stand a little pain, I know of someone who used a sterile needle to break open the skin covering her milia.

You can buy sterile lancets, too from medical supply houses. Pretty much doing the same thing as your doctor when he said he would use a lancet to break them open. You could try one or two at first to see if the red mark heals and goes away. She also used Dr. Scholl's Freeze Wart Remover for the stubborn ones.

She doesn't have rosacea, though, and tackles them one at a time when she gets them. She never had a lot. She applied Neosporin afterwards. All healed nicely leaving no marks.

She had one on her eyelid close to her eye that she rubbed (gently) with a rough washcloth whenever she washed her face. It eventually broke open.

@Foxxee I have done the needle thing on me when I have had the occasional milia. It stings. I can't imagine doing a lot at one time, but I am a "bathroom" surgeon and would get the job done over time if need be. LOL I have heard of the wart remover method also, and have even bought it. My derm gave us prescriptions for a "chemo" cream (his words) that does dry up spots nicely.

@Foxxee I am asking this tongue in cheek, are the that someone???

@tends2dogs

Lol. No, but I am the overly curious type, ask a lot of questions, so whenever someone talks about something they have that I might get in the future, I want to find out what works.

More recently, a neighbor friend told me about using niacin for high cholesterol. She was unable to take the standard medication. She suggested niacin to her doctor and he was hum ho about it, but said OK. It's working for her.

I learned everything anyone would want to know about using minoxidil and laser caps from another lady just by asking a lot of questions. Who knows, I might begin losing my hair. This one even kept me up to date probably because I was the only one willing to listen.

The list goes on.

Not only do I learn, it might be helpful to others.

skatting44 · ‎07-26-2019

Try a second opinion- look for a dermatologist that may specialize in your issues. Try at a major medical center that has outpt clinics. Sounds like he did dicuss what options you asked abt. In regard to the procedure that he says your insursance does not pay for , you have an option of paying out of pocket .

Texasmouse · ‎09-27-2010

@AngelPuppy1 I feel your pain! I have the same issue (tons of milia on my cheeks and chin). I had a BUNCH of them removed by my dermatologist using a lancet. He was working on my left side while his assistant worked on my right (presumably to get as many as they could in the allotted time). I walked out of there with my face a HOT MESS like I had just gone a few rounds in a boxing ring. Needless to say, I had to take several days off work until it got to the point where I could cover the damage with makeup. He didn't come close to getting ALL of my milia so now I not only had to deal with the remaining milia but also the trauma to my face.

This guy is a cosmetic dermatologist who works in conjunction with a spa adjoining his clinic, where trained estheticians perform light peels, facials, etc. After my procedure, he brought in an esthetician from next door who proceeded to try to sell me a series of hydro-facials at $99 a pop. I politely declined as I knew this would do nothing for my deep-seated milia.

To be clear, there is NO AMOUNT of exfoliating products you can use to get rid of deep milia, which is what I have and sounds like you have too. Maybe the superficial ones that show up around the eyes can be helped by using some acids but these are also the ones that tend to go away on their own, in time, anyway. Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of them is by lancing and physically removing each little "pearl" or cyst consisting of encapsulated keratin.

At one time, a long time ago, I remember reading about a procedure wherein a tiny needle could be inserted into the milia and a laser pulse would be transmitted through the needle, pulverizing the milia, after which the residue would just be reabsorbed into the skin. This gave me hope but I never again heard of this and my derm gave me the "deer in the headlights" look when I brought it up.

As much as I would like to think there's something I can do to get rid of these things, I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I'm just going to have to live with them until they go away, if ever. They can be caused by many things, like sun exposure and heredity and sadly, even if you were to have them removed, there's always the possibility that more will form anyway.

Sorry for my long-winded post but, having been in that frustrating place where you are right now, I felt I should share my experience to give you some perspective. I totally understand your derm's stand, especially since you have rosacea. As traumatic as my extraction was, at least I had normal skin otherwise, at baseline. He is probably trying to save you from the pointless trauma to your skin which will only add to your grief because he probably wouldn't be able to get them all and if he did, more would likely crop up.

Sorry I couldn't give you a more hopeful reply.

skatting44 · ‎07-26-2019

@tends2dogs wrote:
@AngelPuppy1 wrote:
I recently went for my derm. visit. Had to go for my routine check for existing conditions that I have. However, I was hoping for some assistance for a couple other issues I have been having. What was I thinking??? Disappointment --- as usual! Don't get me wrong --- I really like my derm. and I have a long relationship with him --- over 20 years! I know he cares about me and over the years he has really helped me with a very serious health issue. But I was hoping he would help me with some issues I am having with facial things that I am not happy with.

I have had Rosacea for years and now (I use Metrogel and/or cream) I have so many of those little white bumps --- milia --- whiteheads --- ??? -- or whatever? Any way -- I told him I am very unhappy with my face --- it's not nice looking at all! I asked him for some help or what I could do? He said --- in order to get rid of the white bumps he would need to use a lancet and that I would not be happy because I would have red sore bumps all over my face, plus my insurance would not cover it!

I said --- can't I use any product to get rid of them or prevent them and he said --- no! I asked him if he could prescribe some kind of RetinA product and if this would help. He said it would help but he would not prescribe it for me due to my very sensitive skin and my other skin issues! In other words ---- just deal with and accept it!!! And he also said --- for goodness sake, do not go to some spa and get facials and then really mess up my skin!

I left there feeling very disappointed and down in the dumps. I know he was just telling me what he felt was the best for me. I know it's silly but who doesn't want to look better and feel better about themselves???? Just venting..... Thanks for reading!
@AngelPuppy1 Before DH and I went on Medicare, our derm would burn off as many spots as we wanted (liquid nitrogen). After going on it, he doesn't even bring the "stuff" in the room anymore. It is totally an insurance thing. If Medicare doesn't approve it, your supplemental won't either. We have excellent supplemental....never paid one cent for anything. DH has been in the ER several times, had several procedures, and we haven't had to pay any $$. I mentioned on another of your threads that DH has milia where his glasses hit his face. The derm cleaned out a few the first time we brought it up, but then told him he could do this at home. Again, I am sure it is an insurance thing. BTW he did use a lancet. I have him using Dr. Nasif's facial pads. They have glycolic and salicylic acid. That is as much as DH will do for "beauty" LOL. I will let you know if it helps or not. I feel for you and hope that others on here can come up with a doable solution. I understand that with rosacea, you must be careful.

Maybe another derm would have other answers, but then again, the insurance thing. Also, your insurance may not pay for another visit for a year. It is hard to get into derms, at least that has been our experience. Ours schedules our next years appointment at our appointment.

That is such a racket with supplemental health insurances . I don't know how that rule came into being . We pay $ thousands of dollars in supplemental premiums along with Medicare and as customers we are being cheated ! If one's insurance covered a procedure prior to Medicare than and your premiums or level of coverage on your supplemental did not change that is ripping customers off.

Effie54 · ‎09-08-2010

I don't think the gender matters on physicians. I went to two female dermatologist, and I thought that neither of them were very helpful. Sometimes they just don't know what to do. They give you the information that they know, and sometimes there have been major changes in new technologies that they're not aware of. I would get another opinion, but not necessarily a female. I would check for reviews, and ask friends for referrals.