Excuses, excuses

I love it when a non-compliant patient (a teen) does not show up to appointments and does not follow any of the prescribed regimens, which are reached to via consensus, and then oh, 9 months later, when said teen is away at college, everybody wonders why his acne is out of control. I actually received his mothers' rebuke TO ME for not "feeling" the stress he's under and not renewing his meds, sight unseen. I set her straight, no compliance from you, no more renewals from me, this crosses over into medico-legal land. I also urged them to find a different dermatologist who would suit their needs. I was already the third one he had seen in a year, "because nobody is helping him". Well, most of the time, you have to put in some effort, and help yourself. I am only a guide, not a magician with Merlins' wand to wave over the acne and have it disappear.