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Accutane: Strong Yet Effective

July 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Accutane, a brand name medication, is a very strong treatment for acne. Its pharmaceutical name is Isotretioin, and is guaranteed to clear up acne within 4 to 5 months. However, it is very potent medication with serious side effects and must be prescribed safely by a doctor. Accutane treats the most severe cases of acne that has not responded to other treatments. It is in a class of medications called retinoids and works by slowling down the production of certain natural substances that cause pimples to form.

There are special precautions you should know about before considering taking Accutane, such as:

  • Know your allergies and consult your doctor to see if these allergies will conflict with this medication
  • Tell your doctor all medications you have been taking, past and present
  • Tell your doctor if you have had depression, mental illness, diabetes, asthma, osteoporosis, anorexia, heart or liver disease.
  • Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Plan to avoid long exposure to sunlight
  • Be aware that Accutane may cause changes in your behavior and mentality
  • Be conscious when playing sports or physical activity because Accutane may cause bone weakening.

Common side effects to Accutane include:

  • red, cracked, and sore lips
  • dry skin, eyes, mouth, or nose
  • nosebleeds
  • changes in skin color
  • peeling skin, especially on the palms and soles
  • changes in the nails
  • slowed healing of cuts or sores
  • bleeding or swollen gums
  • hair loss or unwanted hair growth
  • sweating
  • flushing
  • voice changes
  • tiredness
  • cold symptoms

If you experience more serious side effects such as blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, seizures, etc., please contact your doctor immediately.

Accutane is a very costly medication for acne treatment, but fortunately is covered by most insurance companies. Generally, a co-pay for a month’s supply of Accutane is around $30-50. Without insurance, it would be around $400-500.

Once again, Accutane is not an over-the-counter acne medication and cannot be taken lightly. Please consult your doctor for more information on this treatment and whether it is right for you.

Filed Under: acne, Products, Treatment Tagged With: ,

4 Basic Steps to Skin Care

June 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Step 1: Cleansing

It’s pretty simple. Find a good face wash that your skin responds well to. Remember to read the fine print on these products to see if it’s suitable for your skin type. You do not need to spend $50 on an expensive “quality” wash. Your local drug or convenience store should have a bunch of decently priced cleansers. A quick tip is to use a cream-based cleanser if you have dry skin and a clear cleanser if you have oily skin.

Wash your face with cleanser just once a day, either at night or in the morning. You don’t want to be overcleansing your skin. The simple steps are: wash first with warm water to loosen dirt and soften pores, apply a dime-sized amount of facewash, and then rinse with water again. Never wash your face with hot or cold water for they can cause broken capillaries.

Step 2: Exfoliate

What the heck is exfoliating? It’s the removal of the oldest dead skin cells on the skin’s surface, and is used to help maintain healthy skin. Beach sand is still an excellent (and free!) exfoliant. But when you’re too busy to hit the beach, over-the-counter scrubs are the next best thing. Make sure you get a gentle scrub with tiny grains because big grains can tear skin and cause more damage than you’d think.

Step 3: Moisturize

Everyone, women AND men need to moisturize for it is the secret to smooth, ravishing skin. You might ask, what’s the point of moisturizing? Well, you seal moisture into your skin. How much and how often you moisturize depends on your skin type. You have to be careful not to over moisturize because it can clog pores.

Step 4: Sunscreen!

The average American does not wear sunscreen every day. People believe that sunscreen is only necessary for a day at the beach. This is definitely not true. Sunscreen is the most important part of your skin care routine. Sunscreen can help prevent wrinkles and freckles, amongst other types of skin damage. The trick here is to purchase two moisturizers: a daytime moisturizer with an SPF and a night moisturizer. This is important because moisturizers shouldn’t be used 24/7—it will cause skin aggravation.

Filed Under: Consumer Education, Moisturizers, Products, Skin Care, Sunscreens Tagged With: , , , ,

Benzaclin Carekit Rebate

April 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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How to save on your next 4 prescriptions for the BenzaClin® carekit
Download Rebate Certificate

Insured Patients
Pay no more than $20 on each of your next 4 prescriptions for the BenzaClin® carekit.*

Cash-Paying Patients
Save up to $25 on each of your next 4 prescriptions for the BenzaClin® carekit.*

  1. Fill your prescription for BenzaClin®.
  2. Print and complete the Rebate Certificate.
  3. Read the rebate Terms & Conditions on the Rebate Certificate and sign in the place provided.
  4. Mail in the Rebate Certificate.

Mail the certificate along with your original pharmacy receipt for BenzaClin® with the product name and purchase price circled to:

The BenzaClin® Rebate Program
P.O. Box 12032, Dept. BZC10
Trenton, NJ 08650-2032

Pharmacy Receipt for Benzaclin Rebate/Coupon

Note: The pharmacy receipt comes with your prescription and differs from the register receipt in that it identifies the product purchased.

Filed Under: acne, Products, Skin Care, Skin Health, Treatment Tagged With: , , , ,
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