after pushing off going to the derm for years now, I finally decided it was best I saw one, and my experience felt very lackluster. it was rather really brief and I felt very dismissed afterwards. the doctor literally came in, analyzed my acne for a few seconds (for reference, this is a pic of my acne currently), and suggested I go on accutane. I offered to provide further content and background (such as showing pics of my acne in the past, which was much much more severe) and talk about products I've used all to which she basically brushed off and said wasn't necessary.

hearing all of the side effects of accutane I was very hesistant and reluctant, and expressed so to my derm. she reassured me I had nothing to worry about, and it almost felt as if she was pushing accutane onto me like I didn't have any choice. obviously derms know best and are trained professionals, but she didn't eventually offer an alternative - tret. essentially, I chose to go the tret route because from my understanding, it's ultimately a stronger retinoid than differin, and differin is a product I've used in the past and have had much success with.

overall, it felt like my first ever experience with a derm did not go as I had hoped, and I hope I made the right decision going with tret to help alleviate or at least control my acne.