Photo Illustration: Siobhan Gallagher Photo Illustration: Siobhan Gallagher

I could've avoided some deep scars (and a serious self-confidence knock) if I had trusted the dermatologist who initially prescribed spironolactone for my cystic acne . But instead of planting that seed of trust, she recoiled in horror at my swollen breakouts, leaving the air in that little exam room thick with judgment.

That was years ago. But recently, when a friend left her acne consultation defeated from being told, "You're too pretty to have pimples."

Dermatologists can offer invaluable guidance when over-the-counter acne remedies aren't cutting it, but how providers talk about skin conditions can have sizable mental health consequences, and we all deserve a dermatologist who leaves us feeling emp

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