During the Managing our Budget discussion topic, the subject was raised on how the local Pharmacist is really worth his or her weight in gold when times are tough.
Rather than buying over the counter preparations willy-nilly, or taking another supermarket painkiller, or having to visit the doctor, many of us have found that having a conversation with the local Pharmacist can yield all kinds of worthwhile info and save us heaps of money.
Here's a case in point.
Poor DS, despite having blemish free skin for his teenage years, is currently suffering with what we thought was acne. We'd been down the Clearasil, Benzoyl Peroxide path, and it really didn't seem to be helping the poor guy. As he has Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair, his good skin and handsome smile had always been a point of pride with him, so his confidence was really suffering. His GP had diagnosed Acne, and we'd been bombarding his face with all kinds of semi-radioactive preparations, which seemed to be doing little to clear the Acne, and much to aggravate his eczema.
Finally in desperation, and before embarking on yet another expensive and useless skin care range for him, we took him to the local Pharmacist. I'd done some research and wondered if what appeared to be 'acne', might actually be ingrown beard hairs, common in people with curly hair. I thought this might also explain why he hadn't had 'Acne' until he was old enough to shave. My online research (gotta love Google), had found that products containing Salicylic Acid were effective in keeping the skin and pores soft enough to allow the curly beard hairs to exit the skin without curling around and burrowing back into the hair follicle, causing these raised bumps that look like pimples. Other skin care designed for acne, actually dries the skin, creating dead skin cells that just aggravate the ingrown hairs.
Well, the pharmacist agreed, and for just $15 has made DS a 100gm jar of neutral face cream with a 2% solution of Salicylic Acid in it. We're using a tiny amount mixed with something gentle like Rice Flour as a scrub, then using a Natio toner ($10), and finally using another tiny amount as a face cream on the affected areas. He also recommended not shaving too closely, and to use a new, single blade disposable razor for each shave to prevent infection. DS has been following this regime for just two days, and the difference in his skin is astounding. No inflammation, the bumps are all but gone, and he looks all fresh and clear skinned again.
Many high end skin care ranges, both for acne and anti-ageing, have the same 2% Salicylic Acid range. So I'm thinking it's worth replacing my own current skin care with the same cream, to see what it can do for me! The anti-ageing products I've seen that have the same 2% Salicylic Acid, are right up there in the $30-$100 price range.
Yes the pharmacist is your friend :)
