Chamjin Korean Medicine Clinic
ACNE & CHARMJIN
[Health Week] Mistakes to Avoid: Case Studies of Failed Acne Treatments
Today, I'd like to share some of the failed acne treatment cases I've seen over the past 20 years of treating various acne patients. I hope these cases will help reduce the number of people making the same mistakes.

The first case is Mr. A, an office worker in his early twenties. Due to work-related stress, Mr. A developed severe pustular acne on his cheeks and chin. Seeking quick relief, he overused steroid ointment four to five times a day. Initially, it seemed effective, but after about two months, he began to develop a dependency on the steroids. By the third month, he could feel a significant weakening of his skin barrier. Six months later, he returned to the clinic with even more severe inflammation, scarring, and hyperpigmentation. I helped him let go of his dependence on the ointment and implemented treatments to reduce inflammation and strengthen his skin barrier.

The second case is Mr. B, a twenty-year-old college student. Mr. B had attempted to treat his acne using only folk remedies and cosmetics found on social media, without consulting a professional. From egg masks and rice water washes to high-concentration AHA/BHA, concentrated vitamin C, and concentrated tea tree oil, the patient indiscriminately used irritating ingredients, resulting in severe skin barrier damage, contact dermatitis, hyperpigmentation, and enlarged pores. Fortunately, the patient quickly improved after starting treatment, and has since abandoned her love of folk remedies.

The third case is that of office worker C. C had a habit of squeezing her acne every night in front of the mirror with unsanitized hands. This excessive squeezing, even of immature acne, led to secondary infections and ultimately resulted in keloid scars. After visiting the clinic, she underwent several extractions before receiving scar treatment, and subsequently completely eliminated her habit of touching her face. Thanks to this, both her acne and acne scar treatment were successful.

Graduate student D was another example of a patient with inconsistent skin care. She visited the hospital only when her symptoms were severe, and then arbitrarily discontinued treatment when her symptoms began to improve. This led to a vicious cycle of relapses, extending the treatment period. However, after experiencing multiple relapses, this patient committed to diligent visits, and thanks to this, she achieved complete recovery.

Finally, we have the case of Mr. E, a 30-year-old office worker. He neglected lifestyle changes. He averaged only 4-5 hours of sleep, ate mostly late-night snacks, consumed excessive caffeine, and was exposed to intense work-related stress before receiving acne treatment. Initially, hormonal imbalances persisted, making it difficult to control inflammation. Later, lifestyle changes were implemented, accelerating the treatment's effectiveness, resulting in satisfactory results.

Acne is not simply a superficial skin problem; it requires managing internal inflammation as well. Therefore, it's important to choose a medical institution that can develop a treatment plan that considers these factors. Only then can we achieve a faster and more certain cure.

I sincerely hope that many patients will use the above failure cases as a lesson and achieve positive results by approaching acne treatment properly.

Source: Health Week - https://www.healthweek.co.kr
Original article:https://www.healthweek.co.kr/news/view.php?bIdx=8067
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