Acne happens. It is not, unfortunately for many middle aged and older women, the exclusive provenance of hormonal teens who will outgrow it. Acne can happen to anyone, at any age. Each year, billions of dollars are spent on prescriptions, lotions, cosmetics, cleansing products and tools that claim to treat acne and impart blemish-free skin. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don’t – yet the American consumer keeps chasing the promise of clear skin. Acne is embarrassing, can be disfiguring and can cause sufferers to shield themselves from personal interactions. It’s not funny and it’s not the sufferer’s fault. (Am I on a soapbox here? It’s one of my pet peeves that some poke fun at people with acne. I suffered from monthly breakouts as a teenager and young adult. And yes, my cosmetics case was filled with coverup and drying lotions and, I can tell you with no embarrassment that, when my skin was bad, it was painful to face the world. No, acne is not a laughing matter.)
Enter Dr. Terry Dubrow, author of The Acne Cure, a book that, well, the name is pretty obvious. Dr. Dubrow says that, if you follow the steps delineated in his book, your skin will be acne free.
Before I continue, allow me to digress a moment and answer the question that you may be thinking. Yes, you have heard of Dr. Terry Dubrow before. He is married to Heather Dubrow nee Heather Paige Kent, one of The Real Housewives of Orange County and is often seen on that show. In addition, Dr. Dubrow has been featured on the shows Bridalplasty and The Swan. He is a noted plastic surgeon and, according to his website, is “one of the top injectable specialists in the country.” He is also a charming and forthcoming man who I had the pleasure of interviewing so, I’m gonna shut up now and let him do the talking …
EverBeautiful: You’re a plastic surgeon. Why did you do a book about acne?
Dr. Terry Dubrow: Acne is the number one skincare problem on the planet. And it’s not very much focused on by the media. I do a lot of skin care. Yes, I’m a plastic surgeon but I’m sort of a chemist and into mixing things up, including my own skincare products. The book allows people to go to their neighborhood pharmacies and figure out how to fix their acne without spending a lot of money. For about $15. every two months, you can control your acne inexpensively.
EB: My readers are not dealing with teenage acne any longer. Is adult acne a big problem?
TD: If you look at the raw numbers, adult onset acne is, in terms of numbers, a much bigger problem than teenage acne which can only go from ages 13 through 19. Adult acne, can go from age 22 all the way up. The best way to treat adult acne is not to buy that ridiculously expensive stuff. Don’t buy the wrapper and the bottle. Buy the product. There are four causes of acne: P.Acnes, a bacteria that causes acne in all people. Acne occurs in the hair follicles. There’s a connection between the sebaceous glands and hair follicles which are supposed to shed and come out. When it doesn’t, it plugs the hair follicles. When you get bacteria forming, that’s when you get a certain type of acne. In addition you need oil and inflammation. If you don’t have all four of those things, you tend not to get acne. For some, bacteria is their number one problem; for others, it’s the plugging. For other’s, it’s the oil.
EB: So how do you treat it?
TD: You need to use four products routinely to kill off those components. Benzoyl peroxide kills bacteria and is the best product on the planet to do this. Secondly, you need a vitamin A product or a glycolic acid to get rid of oil. You need a Salicylic acid wash to unplug the hair follicles. These are also inexpensive to buy. The fourth product is a moisturizer. You need a low oil moisturizer.
EB: Is there anything particular that people should buy?
TD: I don’t want people to get locked into a product. I want them to get locked into treating their own skin and fixing it without thinking they need to get an expensive product. I don’t want them to buy into the commercial bs. And, you don’t buy these from me. You go to the pharmacy and do it yourself. You don’t need to buy Dr. Dubrow’s acne products.
EB: Will using these products cure all acne?
TD: The medical definition of acne is an eruption. There are two main types of acne – there’s the garden variety type and there’s cystic which is due to excess oil. For that you need a vitamin A-based product to kill cystic acne. We’re not talking about that but it’s due to hyperactive oil glands.
EB: Is your plan easy to follow?
TD: It really is. Just get the four products and apply them every other night.
EB: Will The Acne Cure work for anyone of any age?
TD: Yes it will. But again, cystic acne needs Accutane.
EB: Do you recommend The Acne Cure for those with occasional breakouts?
TD: Totally. By the way, occasional breakouts is adult acne, problem skin, whiteheads, blackheads.
EB: What about someone with sensitive skin?
TD: You have to be very careful with the Benzoyl Peroxide with sensitive skin. If you experience redness, scaly skin, irritation or pain, then you want to use it less frequently. Benzoyl Peroxide OTC is 2.5%. You may need a lower percentage.
EB: How about people with allergies?
TD: You will know, you’ll have a localized dermatitis, an inflamed reaction. Some people are overly sensitive. There’s a small percentage of people who are going to be sensitive to these products.
EB: Should adult acne be treated differently than teenage acne?
TD: No.
EB: Your book details an initial 6 week period to cure acne and then a follow-up or maintenance period. What is the maintenance program like?
TD: Here’s the thing. You should be able to, if not completely rid of your acne, take it down to about 10% of your problem, in six weeks. If it works as it should – and it will work in 85% of people – then you want to go to a maintenance regimen which is just less of everything. My program is so simple you just continue on it. If it’s not clearing in six weeks, your acne may be something else, such as cystic acne.
EB: My readership is a little older and we’re worrying about aging skin. Does The Acne Cure dry out the skin and what do you recommend to combat that?
TD: You should moisturize every day for sure. If you have really, really dry skin, the program is helping you to exfoliate.
EB: Do foods affect acne?
TD: No. That’s all bs. Pizza, chocolate. It’s all bs. If you want to tell the truth, no. That’s an easy thing to study. This is so studied and so clear.
EB: What exacerbates acne?
TD: Stress, for sure. Poor skin care. Drugs. There are certain medications that can cause you to break out. Anything that disrupts the normal equilibrium of the skin.
EB: Antibiotics are a common treatment for acne. Do you recommend them for your patients?
TD: No, emphatically, no. This program is so effective. If none of this stuff works, then go to your doctor as it may be cystic acne.
EB: Tell me about the scientific proof behind The Acne Cure?
TD: The four causes I stated are widely written about in the literature. This is the science. These are the known causes. You have to treat all four causes. No doctor would disagree with this.
EB: Is there anything else you’d like my readers to know?
TD: Stick with it. It’ll be the best thing you did. Stop with the fancy bottles. Colorful bottles do not treat acne. Don’t buy them for that. Don’t fall into that trip.
Ed. Note: I couldn’t let Dr. Dubrow slip through my fingers without asking about his wife, Heather, who I find to be not only beautiful, but intelligent, funny and charming too. Yes, she’s my fave on The Real Housewives of Orange County and, along with Lisa Vanderpump (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) and Carole Radziwill and Heather Thompson (Real Housewives of New York), is at the top of my list of franchise faves. I just had to ask about Heather and the show. Alas, Dr. Dubrow didn’t reveal any secrets.
For more information on Dr. Dubrow’s practice, visit his website at: http://drdubrow.com/
For more information on The Real Housewives of Orange Country, visit the BravoTV website here: http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county
The Acne Cure by Dr. Terry Dubrow is available on Amazon.com.
Interesting, like how he says to buy what you need at the drugstore- not pushing one product! No secrets ??? ugh!! what not fun !!!! Love Heather she was so cute in her show years ago!
Debra – I’m so glad you picked up on that! Dr. Dubrow is not pushing an agenda or a line of products. He was delightful to speak with, funny and charming. Easy to talk to. (Sometimes, it’s like pulling teeth, but not in Dr. Dubrow’s case. He anticipated my questions and made the process very simple.) Yes, Heather is among my fave Housewives. I didn’t see her previous show – but love her on RHOC. Frankly, I wouldn’t watch it were it not for her. (I do think she outclasses the other women on that show though and would fit in more naturally on RHO Beverly Hills or NYC.) I hope someone who tries Dr. Dubrow’s The Acne Cure will write in and let EBers know how it worked for them. The book received very good reviews. xo – Mel