To think 80 weeks to see an acne specialist is mad?

[Spotthe]

DS 16 has really really bad acne. 80 weeks till he can see a dermatologist possibly longer. The private hospital the doctor suggested near us can’t see him till mid January.
beayty type private place won’t see anyone under 18.
please, is there anything else I can do?

I do think keeping perspective is important. Things like acne are something that can, for the most part, be treated privately.

I do think keeping perspective is important. Things like acne are something that can, for the most part, be treated privately.

You do realise that not everyone has the money to do that right?

We actually did go private for our son as we could afford it. However. the first appointment was £200, we then had 3 further consultations at £150 each. Then prescriptions were about £50 each, so it was heading towards £1000 by the end of treatment. Not everyone has that.

Teens don't often need much NHS care, they're young and usually fit and healthy, they should get what they need for acne at such a vulnerable stage in their life when acne can have a negative impact on their future confidence, friendships, relationships, education, career etc.

The impacts of bad acne for a teen can be far reaching and long lasting. Anyone that minimises it is a total arse.

Thankfully our GP and dermatologist were fantastic. They said there should be no reason for teens to put up with acne now and thoroughly understood the impact of it.

To add, I could say that lots of things could be treated privately, we're wealthy so that's what we do. Why doesn't everyone else eh? 🙄However, I understand that £1000 to some people may as well be £100000...they just don't have it. This isn't buying a tube of cream for a few pounds. If you need roaccutane, which if you're seeing a derm, you often do, it's expensive

Don’t mess around with beauty type skin Clinics.As has been said, severe acne needs Roaccutane which can only be prescribed by a specialist and supported by blood tests to ensure there is no liver damage. Girls will be asked to ensure they dont become pregnant as it is extremely tetragenic. That said, we paid for our child to see a consultant and Roaccutane worked wonders. The nhs list was many months and that was 20 years ago. Acne is awful.

Severe acne for a teen boy is going to be so very detrimental to his mental health. I can’t believe people would say “it could be worse”.

Also I’d look at skincare subscriptions such as Dermatica with retinol as it could make a huge difference.

Completely agree - every medical condition under the sun can be treated privately but it depends on affordability.

Treatment with roaccutane privately involves specialist consultations (several hundred per appointment), regular blood tests (over £100 each time), private prescriptions (£100+ each month). This is not affordable to many

If a child is under 18, a number of services available to adults will not be an option for them

Have you tried HCA healthcare? We see a specialist at the Portland through them - appointment within 2 weeks of asking.

The whole nhs waiting times are diabolical. My ds is on a 4 year list for orthodontist treatment. 2 years down 2 to go.

That's awful! I think Kier was right and the NHS is broken. Is it not making your sons teeth worse by waiting 4 years? Do you call them and ask for cancellations? I just can't imagine waiting 4 years, I would have gone private by now.

He has regular check ups at the dentist and it’s not deteriorating thankfully. We did look at private but was told if it failed at all the nhs wouldn’t pick up the pieces any faster either and it would be back on the nhs waiting list anyway starting back at day 1.

Oh and yes constantly calling in. Problem is all the covid back log as well when people where not being seen.

That's awful! I think Kier was right and the NHS is broken. Is it not making your sons teeth worse by waiting 4 years? Do you call them and ask for cancellations? I just can't imagine waiting 4 years, I would have gone private by now.

It may be making her sons teeth worse but the cost of private treatment isn't an option to everyone.

Another one of my children needed orthodontic work and we were told it would be a 3 year wait and by that time the treatment would take a lot longer and be more complicated. We went private and chose Invisalign but it was £4k. Metal braces would have still been £3k. It's just not affordable for everyone. Then your next child may need it too.

Oh no this so short sighted because of the risk of scarring. Where are you? Surely there’s more than one private hospital nearby.

for treatment like this I think you have to be prepared to travel I would widen your search.

There are lots of brilliant private dermatologists who were offering zoom based appointments during cov I’m sure lots will have continued.

In the mean time look at Dermatica and Skin and Me retinol.

Yep just use dermatica. There's threads on here about it, it's life changing.

My acne permanently affected my life. Even decades after clearing my skin I have BDD and low self worth. Acne made me suicidal. Roaccutane is strong but stick to all the rules and he'll be fine.

I had to have several courses as my acne relapsed every 3 years for a while, but Roaccutane zapped it and I'm now on Spironolactone until the menopause. It's not licensed for skin in the UK so my dermatologist prescribes it.

I remember having to wait a year for a derm appt on the NHS and that was crippling. No way could my family afford private healthcare. If you can, please try both NHS and private for cancellations as they do get them. Just keep trying. I honestly wouldn't get a prescription online without proper care including blood tests.

Your son will be ok. People think I'm at least 10 years younger than I am now, because of my Roaccutane!

I really feel for him. Thank you for not being dismissive of his skin complaint. Thank you for understanding how devastating it is.

I lurked on this thread when it was active, and noted recommendations for skindocuk online dermatology. DD had been referred to NHS whilst she was at uni, but they were hopeless, wait a year for an appointment, then sent away and another appointment a year later.No treatment suggestions. She was due another appointment around now, a year after her previous one. So I started looking at local private options, but all the reviews (and recommendations on here) for the online skindoc encouraged us to try them.

I'm so impressed and delighted - she had face to face appointment (online obv), got bloods done and sorted a letter from her GP, and started roaccutane very quickly about a month ago. The doctor she "sees" is very encouraging and sympathetic. She can email and contact them any time with any queries and gets a reply very promptly. She's been on it for about a month now and already her skin is much improved, she's feeling so much happier and quite upbeat about it.

It's reasonably affordable (depending on budget, I do understand). I think her initial appointment was £170 and subsequent are £130, about once a month, blood tests (GP won't oblige) about £70 and her first prescription was £29, she's just got a new supply at a higher dose that was just under £50.

I think seeing a private dermatologist at a private hospital would be much more expensive from what I researched before - a big chunk goes to the hospital just for turning up to the appointment, before you start with fees for the consultant and other expenses.

I think this sort of dermatology really lends itself to online management and I don't believe the NHS clinic would have provided anywhere near the level of care and close supervision she is getting this way.

Coincidentally I have recently attended dermatology at my local DGH, for removal of a basal cell carcinoma on the side of my face. Really nice consultant, I had a very helpful chat with him while he was stitching me up, and he was very positive about the benefits of roaccutane. He described it as a miracle drug, with life changing benefits. I had been very worried about the reports of mental health problems, but he said he'd been prescribing it for 25 years with no problems. He was so nice, I wish she'd been referred there in the first place instead of the large tertiary hospital in her university town.
(If anyone wants name and location DM me, but post here to say you have done so as I rarely check the email I use for mums net). I was very impressed for my own treatment as well as the discussion re acne treatment. Not sure if he does private work, but I'd have thought he would, most consultants in specialties like dermatology do.

Anyway, so far so good, hopefully she will have the lovely skin she deserves by spring.

Next thing is to ask for recommendations of treatments for any residual scarring/redness. There seems so much to choose from, micro needling/laser and more, I haven't a clue where to start, but I think it will be needed and I've promised to pay for her to have whatever treatment is needed to finish the job.

Just linking their information sheet which I found very informative and helpful.

www.skindoc.uk/pages/isotretinoin-roaccutaneaccutane

Try to find someone that does nlite laser. I had bad acne as a teen, it subsided but came back at 30. I had two treatments and never had it back! It’s also very good for reducing scars, but that would take more treatments.

Mid -Jan is really good considering there are two holiday weeks in the middle of that. I would go private because they can write your GP and the prescription can be on the NHS.

If you can’t, after 18weeks you can exercise your right to choose and that means you can self refer to a private doctor on the NHS approved list and the NHS will pay for it. This means jumping to another waitlist and often a bit of driving but usually a right to choose waitlist is shorter.

I would never go to a beauty type place. They’re not qualified and you can damage the skin, make acne worse trying all these different products.

Not diminishing it, just be grateful..?
Severe acne can be extremely painful, cause permanent scarring, and seriously impact mental health/QOL.
It's not a race to the bottom.