Is there any difference in doctors with FAMS qualification when it comes to treating severe acne?

Doctor's Answers 2

As a person who went through acne myself in younger days, I had actually gone to NSC myself as a patient.

I was started on doxycycline, and kept on it for ages as I continued to outbreak and scar.

Albeit the dermatologist was an immensely qualified one, but one whom I felt didn’t take the next step for Isotretinoin, which would have benefited me.

Fast forward – I gave up and ended up going to a GP and asking for Isotretinoin, and he kindly explained what it was useful for. Acne gone!

As for a professional front in dealing with my own patients, I had a patient who had immensely bad chest acne, who saw a highly regarded dermatologist. He was started on an insanely high Accutane dosage with no improvement.

It took me five minutes of questioning to find out he frequently waxes his chest. I instructed him to hold that off, as thermal injury and ingrown hair was the likely cause, and also dropped his Accutane to 20 percent of the initial dose. His acne is now gone, and he is happily accepting my advice on other aspects.

Basically, don’t be fixated on just the qualifications. Find someone who is willing to sit through and talk to you about your issues, and work through it. I feel that’s key. Establish the trust and all will be fine!

Great question. Some of my answers below will be factual, and some will be personal opinions. Sorry for the verbose answer, as I hope that it will help other readers too.

Fact: All doctors with FAMS are specialists, but not all specialists have FAMS.

You need to first be a specialist, before applying to be a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine. Think of it like an exclusive members club, for specialists in Singapore. It is not a board certification, as they would have completed their “board specialty exams” by then.

The criteria to become a Fellow (taken from their website) are as follows:

Have successfully completed an advanced specialty programme approved by the Academy for purposes of Fellowship admission or is in a specialty or subspecialty recognised by the Specialist Accreditation Board; and

Are of good general character and conduct, as testified by three referees who are Fellows of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore.

Almost all specialists invariably apply to become a Fellow upon completion of their specialty training. I actually can’t recall the last time I came across a specialist without FAMS.

I think you may be confused by aesthetic doctors/GPs with an interest in skin, some of who go on to take diplomas in dermatology. This does not equate to being a dermatologist/skin specialist, who spend much longer training to diagnose and treat skin disease.

Now having said that, you raise a good point – do professional qualifications/specialty training or experience/professional interests count for more?

I know of GPs and Family Physicians who are passionate about treating acne, and have accumulated over 20 years of experience seeing acne patients. They get their patients to come in with every single acne topical and soap product and and take the time to patiently tell them which to continue with, and which to stop; even going so far as to test newer acne products on themselves.

My take, if I were in your position?

  1. I’d pick the friendliest dermatologist I can find through a reliable word of mouth reference (ask a doctor friend), with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. A friendly GP/aesthetic doctor with a special interest in treating acne would be the next best option.

As a member of public, it can sometimes be really hit or miss with choosing a doctor.

Some red flags from personal experience would be:

  1. A doctor who insists that X or Y is the best/only way to treat acne, without taking the time to explore other treatment options with you
  2. And/or one who makes you buy and use only his range of branded special acne washes and creams, without explaining the ingredients in them that make them effective

In answer to your final query, I’d concur with you that when it comes to operator-dependent procedural treatments (like lasers), accumulative experience certainly counts.

Having said that, the treatment algorithm for acne, be it mild, moderate, or severe is relatively straightforward, and do not involve lasers. If your acne is severe and scarring/at risk of scarring, most doctors would want to start you off with Accutane (isotretinoin).

TLDR: Any doctor is able to treat acne, but some will be less interested/invested with putting more time into following you up closely, and tailoring treatment to best manage your condition. Get a word of mouth recommendation from a doctor friend.

Similar Questions

What should I look out for in choosing an aesthetic clinic in Singapore?

Dr Boey has answered well. Actually, I think that technology and the likes is just part of the story. The most important aspect of the clinic is really the Doctor who attends to you. We have all heard horror stories, including doctors themselves who have met other doctors who don't seem to care, or dish out cookie-cutter advice to all patients. First and foremost, the doctor must take a genuine interest in yourself and your problems, so a 2 minute consultation is not going to serve that purpose.

Photo of Dr Winston  Lee

Answered By

Dr Winston Lee

Aesthetic

How do I treat comedogenic acne and stop it from recurring?

Hello Renee, There are many treatment options available for comedonal acne. Topicals: Retinoids Benzoyl Peroxide Glycolic acid Salicylic acid Orals: Oral Contraceptive Pills Antibiotics Isotretinoin Depending on the severity of your acne, I usually recommend starting with the topical options. The oral medications can be added to the treatment regime if you are not responding to the topicals. Treatment can be slowly tapered to reduce the risk of recurrence. Speak to a trusted doctor to find out more. Hope this helps!

Photo of Dr Jiwei Wu

Answered By

Dr Jiwei Wu

Aesthetic

Ask any health question for free

I’m not so sure about a procedure...

Ask Icon Ask a Question

Join Human

Sign up now for a free Human account to get answers from specialists in Singapore.

Sign Up

Get The Pill

Be healthier with our Bite-sized health news straight in your inbox