erm… i don’t know what tribe your guy is, no one in my family really had much acne, and to be honest (which is kinda cringe worthy) on this is one i was able to win – the more acne someone had, the more “white” they were, and while i was really really pale as a teen (not when i was little, i was really dark as a kid, but my porphyria kicked in when i was 9-10 and by the time i was 12 i was PALE), i didn’t have acne, so my cousins were therefor somewhat more willing to treat less as a Pariah. i don’t actually really know any Native Americans that aren’t Cherokee, so maybe its different for other tribes??

On a sidenote, I’m surprised so many people go to a dermatologist for acne. My family doctor prescribed me medication for that as well as birth control pills. I’ve only ever seen an ear specialist.

To anyone with psoriasis or something like it, a cousin of mine had pretty bad psoriasis which no doctor can get rid of and finally she tried a natural soap that is supposed to help and she says it’s gone.

I had both – bad skin and bad teeth – but thank god for canadian medicare vis-a-vis the skin – becuase you know what, bad skin can impact your LIFE when you’re hitting puberty. I mean, not a few pimples, but ACNE – so bad that you look in the mirror and want to die becuas all you see are oozing craters, red angry mountains and on top of that – it HURTS.

But medicare dealt with the dermotologist. My second daughter hit puberty at 9 – by 10 her skin was so bad that there were days I let her stay home from school – again, thank god for medicare – AND no scarring either! It affects self-esteem, sense of self – and I am eternally grateful for our canadian medical system.

I also had braces back in the late 60s, early 70s when no-one did – and yes, it was unusual and we were FAR from rich – but we lived on a tiny island in the caribbean at the time and one of our neighbours was an orthodontist … my father worked out a deal with him that he would design his cottage back in canada for the price of the braces. When we moved back to Canada, I spent years going back and forth (3 hour drive each way) to him while my dad finished up the plans for his cottage (and no, my dad was not rich, he was a great architect and a REALLY REALLY LOUSY businessman!).

All four of my kids had them – and no, they weren’t covered – but again, had I left them, I truly believe their sense of self would have been massively, negatively impacted – becuase like me, their teeth are big and there are too many of them in a small mouth – you end up not with just crooked teeth, but teeth growing in front, behind each other, twisting to one side … etc.

I worked lots and lots of overtime to ensure they were given a chance to have them – and have no regrets at all.

and it is interesting that while it was totally unsual to have them when I was a kid – and was in fact TORMENTED (railway tracks, metal mouth, you name it was called) – it was almost seen as a rite of passage now – and really a “cool” thing!

mind you, they look a hell of a lot better now too!

I was lucky not to have to deal with acne as a teenager but now as an adult have developed rosacea. I would not be able to lead any thing resembling a normal life without treatment. Being able to “fix” cosmetic problems is definitely a class issue. I dread the time we seem to be coming into when only the wealthy will be able to afford medical care of any sort.

Besides acne, dermatologists treat everything from hair loss, nail fungus, psoriasis, eczema, etc. Each of these conditions is limiting in its own way. I know in my case, even though my family was not at all well-off, but just lucky enough not to be poor. It was a bit of a financial hardship to go through treatment (including Accutane), but I know I would have done it if it were even remotely possible. I think it’s one of those things where you can’t imagine yourself in such a position and so you think it’s superfluous and cosmetic. But dermatologists exist for a reason, whether or not you happen to be aware of the reason.