The curious case of the mail-order miracle

Jonathan is 16. He first started getting acne when he was about 14 when he saw a
few small whiteheads and blackheads on his forehead and nose. Then his skin
became greasy. His mom told him that if he just washed his face more often, his
skin would look better and the pimples would clear up. But despite increased wash-
ing, his acne got worse and he started developing a few red pimples in addition to
the whiteheads and blackheads. His mom started buying an acne cream from the
drugstore. Jonathan tried it for a few months and it seemed to help a little.
But when he turned 16, he became really embarrassed and extremely self-conscious
about how bad his acne made him look and he hated going to school. His mom then
ordered a product that she saw advertised by doctors and movie stars on television.
It was very expensive, but it promised to stop Jonathan’s acne in its tracks! So Mom
began ordering it by mail on a monthly basis. But just like the other over-the-counter
product that she tried, this one helped a little, but not for long.
By the time his mother brought him to me, Jonathan’s acne was completely out of
control, and the mail-order product was starting to really irritate his face. After a
few months of prescription cream medication, his face became almost completely
free of acne! I reminded Jonathan and his mom about a few key points: You can’t
wash acne away, and in many cases washing your face too frequently or scrubbing
too hard can worsen the appearance of acne (see Chapter 2). I also mentioned that
it’s hard for movie stars and “television doctors” who have never even seen your
skin to make the correct diagnosis, let alone know exactly the best way to treat your
personal skin problem.