What to bring to your dermatologist for acne (so the visit is not wasted)

Every dermatology appointment starts with the same question: what have you tried? I have seen four dermatologists, and the answer is only as good as the record you bring. Memory gives you a few vague details. A record gives you dates, order and outcomes.

Why preparing changes the visit

A dermatologist can see your skin today. They cannot see the last six months. What you bring is what lets them decide what to try next and what not to repeat. The American Academy of Dermatology also notes that you do not need to wait for acne to clear up on its own, and that it is worth seeing a dermatologist if you keep breaking out after trying several treatments.

The checklist

• A treatment history. Each thing you have tried, the start and end date, and how it went: helped, helped but came back, no change, made it worse. The AAD says to expect at least six to eight weeks before a treatment shows results, so "dropped it after two weeks" is information the doctor needs.
• Your current routine. Products in use, in the order you apply them, with the date you started each.
• Medications and supplements. Including the ones you do not think of as medication.
• Your pattern, if you have seen one. For example, new spots on the jawline in the week before your period. Say how many cycles you have seen it for.
• Photos. A set taken the same way each week shows direction of travel better than any description.
• Your questions, written down before you walk in, because you will forget them in the room.

Keep it to one page

Nobody reads six pages in a ten minute visit. One page with the timeline, the treatments, the routine and your questions is something a doctor can read in two minutes. Bring it as a printout or on your phone.

What the document is not

It is not a diagnosis and it is not a verdict on what you should take. It is your own record, so the person who decides can decide with the full picture.

That is the reason I built the doctor report in Skinory: one page, made from your own log, with your treatments and their outcomes, your products, your photos and your questions.