ACCUTANE GALLERY

The main objective of this pinned thread is so that all of the Accutane users have an opportunity to post their Accutane before and after pictures in order to enable easier viewing by other members. We are hoping that this thread will facilitate locating the before and after photos, as well as alleviate some of the difficulties associated with the screening process in the original gallery.

Guidelines:

Hi all! Today is my first day on Accutane! I actually got the pills a couple of days ago but I had to wait for 48 hours for the tetracycline that I was taking before to get out of my system before taking Accutane. I'm gonna pop the pill with lunch, and now I'm excited but also quite nervous. I saw others' logs and they were really encouraging. Hopefully I'll get to see some good results too.

I've never been this self-conscious before, now I find myself thinking about how my face looks like ALL the time, and I don't even like meeting new people anymore because I'm so worried that the first thing they see is my horrible skin, I just wanna cry out that IT DIDN'T USED TO LOOK LIKE THIS!

So my acne has been mild for about 5 years now, it was only on my forehead. I got prescribed Stievamycin gel a couple of years ago and got clear on that, but this past summer, my acne's come back with a vengeance. It's now all over my face. It started as a bunch of closed comedones, and even now I still have about 100 little bumps on my face, so hopefully Accutane's gonna push those out. I also have persistent acne on my back.

I'll try to keep a daily log, and possibly post monthly pictures.

Good luck to everyone who's on tane right now, I'm so glad that this website exists so that we can see there are others like us out there and support each other.

I suppose my motivation for using accutane is slightly different than others, in that I am trying to combat excessively oily skin, as opposed to acne itself. I have managed to stay relatively clear with a combination of AHA and Vitamin E cream, though it has done little to address the oil slick that is my face.

For the purposes of transparency, I will concede that my oily affliction is entirely my own doing. I am a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter, and in the past, have used anabolic steroids to assist me in my training. Though I am not here to debate the ethical or health implications from using illicit substances, I now have to deal with the side effects attibuted to the prolonged use of AAS.

I take my 10 mg accutane (generic isotretinoin) dose with 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil (to aid absorption) in the morning.

My diet is comprised primarily of protein and healthy fats, with minimal carbohydrates (<20g). I try and take in between 4-6L of water per day, and supplement with a generic multi vitamin and fish oil.

Currently on day 2, with nothing of importance to report. I did notice a new pimple on my foreheard, but I would suspect that is largely a coincedence.

Wish me luck!

P.S: For those on low doses, how long before you noticed a reduction in sebum production?

Well, guys. I did it. I bit the bullet, and now Accutane is in my near future. It's been a long struggle with this silly acne, and I'll admit, it's given me a run for my money. But I'm here to end this nonsense, and I've got an excellent dermatologist and a course of the big guns for it to try and survive through. If it does, well...it won't, so I won't postulate further on that.

I get my blood work done tomorrow, and my course begins Friday. I've always had issues with acne, and I've tried a lot of stuff (DIM, fish oil, chromium, niacin, Benzaclin, glycolics, Duac/Tazorac combo that actually worked but did nothing for my body acne, tetracycline, doxycycline, etc.) Some of it has worked somewhat. Here's a picture of me, about...hmm, six months ago.

[img]http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/3906/6monthsbeforedermvisit.png[/img]

Look at that guy. Doesn't he look like buckets of fun? He's a happy one, he is.

Well, in short, my dermatologist refused to continue prescribing me my meds, because I wouldn't come in for another consultation. Now, you may ask, why? Why not go in?

Well, for one, she's in another city, and I am off at college. I'm too busy. She could've refilled my stuff and everything would've been fine. But she didn't, and this is what I have to look at these days.

[img]http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/6492/day1dermvisit.png[/img]

[img]http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/594/day1dermvisitleft.png[/img]

[img]http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/7898/day1dermvisitright.png[/img]

Just in time for college. Oh boy, lemme tell ya, it's loads of fun.

So, today, I walked for 30 minutes to reach my dermatologist's office, ready to fight for my right to Accutane. I was willing to kill to get it if I had to. I went in and waited, studying for a test later in the day, and before long I was talking to a nurse, who reluctantly mentioned Accutane. I heard that sweet whisper and expressed my interest in the drug, and she wanted me to consider other options. This fight was not going to be easy.

My doctor finally walked in. He took one look at me, and the first words out of his mouth were, "What do you know about Accutane?" Well, after introductions and such. The point is, he knew what I was there for, and he was willing to hand it over. Added bonuses include the fact that my pharmacy is a four minute walk from the dorm. Hooray!

So, this is the beginning of my log. I will be keeping a journal here as often as possible describing the side effects, and posting pictures monthly to show my progress. I hope that, after six months, my problems will be solved.

My dosage is 40mg/day.

I'm ready.

Tomorrow is the day I pop that first pill! I am more excited than I should be, but sitting here knocking back 100 calorie Oreo packs isn't doing me any good. So I'll tell you my acne history:

I have had acne since I was about 12 or so and it didn't become mild/moderate/cystic/whatever until junior or senior year in high school. I was always able to manage it or hide it, but the past few years has been really difficult. I have tried Retin-A, Retin-A Micro, Differin, Tazorac, Minocycline, Doxycycline, Tertracycline, Brevoxl, Benzaclin, Benzamycin, and everything OTC imaginable.

Finally a few months ago I found this website and read all about Accutane, which my brother took years back but I never knew much about it. After reading several logs (sophiena's in particular) and speaking with my brother, I decided to go on Accutane. My derm at the time said that he would have to try me on a new combo before prescribing me Tane and said to come back in after 2 months. I called to make an appointment and was told to wait for the derm to call me back, and a week later he said he was moving and I was SOL. What a jerk! So my new derm is so sweet and put me on Tane the same visit.

So all I know about my regimen is that it will be 40mg to begin with and then will be bumped up to 80 mg down the road. She predicts about 6 months for the regimen. I don't care how long this takes as long as I have clear skin!

My fiance is pretty opposed to the treatment because he is a worrier. He reminds me of Edward from Twilight, where his main hobby is worrying about me! Lol. My only reservation about Tane is the monthly blood test as I haaaate getting my blood drawn. Ew.

So, the story:

Keeping it short, an Irish boy, 23 years of age, having dealt with acne for close to 10 years, has hit the bottom of the acne based barrel, stunted confidence, lacking in a social life, finally wants out.

My acne is moderate, but persistent, so while it may not be aggressive, there are constant waves of attacks, multiples of active and red-marked acne, and it's very much pustule based acne, which makes it visually disgusting - to me. It's strange, what repulses you in yourself you find completely fine in others. Your own mind playing tricks.

Anyway...

Today I met with my dermatologist. Notes on the appointment:

• He read like a spokesman for Roaccutane, but that didn't eradicate the message.
• We spoke frankly about the drawbacks and he was considerate and quite honest.
• He took my weight and said that the best course of action would be 70 mg a day.
• The 70 mg being based on a weight of 11 stone.
• This 70 mg would be split into 30mg in the morning and 40 mg in the evening.
• It will be 70 mg per day for four months.
• I ask whether starting with a lower dose would be best, but he stated that it's only used to ease people into the drug, so they won't be deterred by the strong symptoms within the first couple of weeks.
• There won't be any blood tests, unless there is colouring in my eyes after the first month.
• He has studied, prescribed, and dealt with this drug for just under 30 years.
• He has prescribed it to his own children, as well as some relatives.
• He sold it quite well, even if I had a level of paranoia attached to the idea prior to the visit.

Now, I'm waiting for my medical card to kick in over the next couple of days before I begin the course, but I'm hoping maybe someone could tell me about their course, especially if it entailed an immediate high dosage. This, while only an opening post, will become a log. No fear of a lack of updates either as an addiction to the Internet will help in this case.

So, starting with a little bit of apprehension, but good vibes. I'll post some imagery later, some horrible stuff for you all to enjoy. Also, I hope you don't mind, but just to quirk up the posts, I'm going to do an image-song-filmscene of the day type thing, too, to accompany the logs and complaints and eventual euphoria (believe!). I guess I might aswell start now.

Day -2/3.

Song: Mazzy Star, Happy Image: Morrissey Scene: The Monday Tape, High Fidelity

andrewharv, that title is for you! haha

Some background info:

I started having acne when I was about 10 years old. The cystic break outs started around 13 and got increasingly worse until I went on Accutane when I was 16 (1999-2000) and it worked like a charm. I was on 20mg/day for 5 months. Very minimal side effects-- a very easy experience. I wish I had some pictures of this time to share with you because the transformation was nothing short of a miracle. But I'm sure you'll understand when I say that I never allowed anyone to take my picture. My skin was absolutely PERFECT for almost 10 years. THEN.....

Between 2000-2008 I went on and off birth control and anti-depressants with no problem. Until I went off Yaz. I had a lot of problems with it (not skin related), but I tried it out for about 2 years. The last straw was the high blood pressure, so I decided to stop taking HBC in favor of getting a copper IUD. As soon as I went off the Yaz my skin and hair got EXTREMELY oily. I started breaking out on my chest and back. As soon as that cleared up, it was on my face. At first it was just normal zits and I didn't panic. Then it became those painful, big cysts that are active mountains for over a month. Then I noticed new scarring. I really tried to be a trooper with topicals and anti-biotics but it just didn't do anything for me.

So, Oct 19th I started my 2nd course of Accutane! 40mg/month for 5 (maybe 6) months. I'm not sure if we'll be bumping the dosage, but I sort of doubt it. I'd rather do a higher dosage for less time, though, because my WEDDING is MAY 2nd! I want to be able to enjoy it and drink without flushing like a crazy person.

This time my acne is NOWHERE NEAR as bad as it was the first time I took Accutane. I have faith that will mean this is the end of my skin problems. A girl can dream, can't she?

I'm attaching photos of me before I started my treatment.
[attachment=23111:before_1.jpg][attachment=23112:before_5.jpg][attachment=23116:
sep16__011.jpg][attachment=23115:sep16__010.jpg]

Hey guys,

I'm not exactly "new" to Acne.org, I've been on here before but never really posted anything. I actually was on here about a year ago when I started my first Accutane course back in late July of 2008. I was on the medication for 5 months, I ended it in early January of 2009. With great success, I was cleared 100%!

Unfortunately.. I am here again. The Accutane really kept my skin under control for about 6 months after I had stopped the treatment.. I mean, I got the occasional few little pimples.. But I treated everything successfully with Mario Badescu.. Recently I broke out while on vacation.. I broke out around my mouth and chin area.. They were painful and very, very itchy pimples popping up one after another everyday of my vacation.. Of course, having clear skin for 6 months... I WAS DEVASTATED.

So! I've decided to go back to my dermatologist and ask to be put on Accutane again. I hope he'll put me back on it.. Has anyone done a successful second course of Accutane? Did you're doctor willingly put you back on? Were there any differences in how the Accutane worked the second time?

Please reply! I am looking for some encouragement! I would love to have people give me their insight on this. Thanks!
(I'll give a detailed history of my acne if people start replying)

Here are some pictures I took Just now, I Just washed my face and put on some moisturizer:

Full Face

Right Side Chin

Left Side Chin

Left Side Chin (better detail)

Beleive me when I say these pictures don't do my skin any justice.. It looks way worse in person. This is actually a good skin day though for me. Do you think that my derm will prescribe me Accutane with this kind of acne? It's very persistent.

Sooooooooo....I've never really wrote a post in the welcome section so I'll just do it here
I'm 16 and I come from Italy...too tired to write everything else.

I've had mild/moderate acne for 3 years and Seborrheic Dermatitis (HATE IT!!) for 1 year and I'm just too tired of wasting my money on creams, gels and lotions. I've been going to this dermatologist for about 5 months and the past treatments weren't all that either and since I started school I started breaking out more than usual with hard and red papules. I don't have any scars but quite a lot of red marks. A week ago I went to the derm and told him I wanted Isotretinoin because I'm tired of my life being this way. He told me to do the blood test to check the liver and the blood and well...it was PERFECT. Nothing was out of range. Today I couldn't go to meet him and I sent my mom there lol. She said he let her sign loads of documents. As soon as she had the white paper with the dose and the blood tests she went to my GP and IMMEDIATELY she let him prescribe the thing Result I got home today with a 20MG blister. She paid 0.00€ because it's free here.

I'm starting tomorrow and I'll update this almost everyday so follow it fellas =D

1 month = 20MG

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My name is Gianna, I live in Chicago, Illinois and today is the first day of my 4 month accutane journey! soooo exciting. ive been waiting for this day for a very long time let me tell you a little bit about me to make this potential 4 month log a little bit exciting ( wow i hope people actually read this haha ) hmm, well i am 18, almost 19 years old. i have a sexy boyfriend of almost 9 months who i love with all my heart. i am a freshman in college and play softball at my school. I HAVE MODERATE BUT VERY PERSISTENT ACNE & ITS SUCH A CONFIDENCE SHATTERER. and i thank the lord every single day that ive found someone who loves me despite whats on the surface of my face. due to the persistance of my acne and NOTHING EVER WORKING; NOT ACZONE, NOT DIFERIN, NOT MINOCYCLINE, NOT BIRTH CONTROL PILLS, i reached a point in my life where i had lost hope. i was diagnosed with severe depression, social anxiety, and body dysmorphic disorder....all because of fuckinggg ACNEEEE..ugh. my chin area loves to break outt. and my forehead gets it too, but the witch hazel astringent has helped immensely but eventually ur skin gets immune to topicals and bam, the pimples are back and madder than ever...so my derm and i both thought itd be a good idea to do accutane still , despite how good of shape my skin is in compared to what a mess it is capable of being.

but there is light at the end of the tunnel...the 4 month tunnel, that is. i am super stoked to have CLEAR SKIN in 4 months ! :)they should just give accutane instead of dumb topicals that NEVER WORK...cuz i wasted 5 months of effing diferin and aczone...where i coulda had nice skin already.


RIGHT NOW: the pictures i posted are from my macbook camera, so you cant really see every pore, and the red marks look worse on this effing camera htan they do in the mirror. i have a normal person pimple (thats what me and my bf call them because i would get nasty weird cystic bubbly hormonal bitches instead of the simple tiny whitehead. so i dont mind the 'normal people pimples' quite as much ) right between my eye brows...sweet, 3rd eye. honestly, my skin is the best it has ever been so that is why i am so glad i start accutane now because i heard the process is easier if you start when your skin is manageable? anyone know anything about this?

feel free to leave ANY COMMENTS
ESPECIALLY GOOD ADVICE

also---is generic 'tane just as effective?
i was prescribed claravis....10 bucks a month, boooyyyaaa.



REGIMEN....
1 40 MG PILL IN THE AM
WASH FACE WITH CERAVE HYDRATING WASH
MOISTURIZE WITH CERAVE MOISTURIZER
IF NOT WEARING MAKEUP, THROUGHOUT THE DAY WIPE WITH WITCH HAZEL ON A COTTON BALL AS NEEDED.

WHEN I DO WEAR MAKE UP,
-CLINIQUE OIL FREE LONG WEAR
-APPLIED WITH THIS AMAZING SQUISHY SPONGE THAT I BOIL AFTER EVERY USE TO KILL BACTERIA THAT MAY BE ON IT.


At night - -
1 40 mg pill with dinner.
repeat mornign routine....simple enuf

i love the idea of just washing my face with a simple cleanser 2 times a day.
btw - witch hazel from sally's beauty store...fucking amazing...made alot of my red post acne marks vanish within like a month and a half of consistent use.


[attachment=22952:Photo_6.jpg]
[attachment=22953:Photo_10.jpg]
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Hi All,

I just started my second month of Accutane. I was on 40 mg per day for the first month and now I am up to 80 mg per day for the remainder of the course.

I’ve been around here for quite a few years now... I actually couldn’t find my old username so decided to make a new one.

Anyway, I am a 29 year old male and have struggled with this since I was 15. My acne has never been extreme but I do get a couple of cysts a month that last for a while. I ould classify it as a little worse than mild. I’ve used Tetracycline, Minocycline, Septra, Keflex, and most recently Solodyne. All work for a while but eventually are not as effective as they once were. Topicals included Erythromycin, Clindamycin, Tazorac, and Retin-A.

Instead of trying more antibiotics, my derm and I decided to give Accutane a try. I have been holding off for years but I will be 30 next year and would like to nip this thing in the butt…

Few questions for those of you on Accutane….

I have a tan complexion and always had oily skin. I am wondering what you say when someone notices your redness or drying? What excuses do you give to others? I work in an office so we work closely with others.

I wash my face day and night. I tried the Cetpahil face wash but didn’t like. I am using Purpose now but not sure if it right for me. What do you all use?

I also moisturize with Cetaphil Facial Moisturizer (SPF 15) morning and night. Is there anything that would work better?

Since I have been bumped from 40 mg to 80 mg, will I experience increased side effects? My derm said I shouldn’t since most side effects remain the same.

What can I do to help with redness? Not was as often?

Thanks all for your help and take care!

Hey all

Went to derm for first time today, he told me due to my type of acne inflamed tight on skin or something that IB on accutane is more likely in his experience. So he gave me a prescription of bactrim and accutane, but said not to fill the accutane until 1months time. He said if i did it this way i could minimize/avoid breakout and additional scarring. I think he wants me to stay on the bactrim for the 1st month on accutane as well, im not sure about the remainder. Anyway mainly just creating this as a placeholder so i remember to fill out accutane script a month from now.

Has anyone else been on antibiotics particularly bactrim during/before accutane? did it help with IB?
Also if people got given a sample roacctuane pack specifically in australia, with all those cleansers/moisturizers, are they any good?

Accutane. Woooo boy. 9 months. This is going to be a pain in the ass and a half.

History: Acne began in the sixth grade. Like many others on this site, i thought it was just a phase that everyone and their mother went through. Was i wrong! See my acne is a mixture of genetics and hormones. Genetics because my mother had cystic, white heads acne until the age of 22. Hormones because well one: I am a teen. Two: I am a female. Double-whammy anyone? So i've been a lurker on acne.org for about a year or so trying to find the cure. Let me give everyone a time sequence of me and my bff (not for long! ha!) acne:

6th grade (11-12)- Mild acne. White heads popped all over. I felt grown up because i finally got a facial cleanser. Lol it was the clean and clear morning burst. Some improvement on my baby acne.

Junior High (12-14)- Hormones finally kicked in and cysts continued to sprout all over. I remember the boy i had a giant crush on said that i had the rocky mountains growing along my forehead. Re-tina, pro activ, neutrogena, biore, clean and clear, clearisil, duac, tazorac, aveeno, and benzoyl peroxide were given a shot during this time.

Freshmen, Sophomore, and now Junior year (14-16)- Hormones still raging. White heads and the occasional cyst appear. Breaking out in 7-8 whiteheads each day. Anti-biotics were given a shot but they weakened my immune system. Then bc was tried. Seriously helped out my skin but i still break out in 3-4 whiteheads a day.

Now here we are. God these pills were a killer pain to get. I was prescribed this in Colombia over the summer (vacation for a month) and that was in June. Months later (wasted a lot of money and a lot of blood and urine) i finally got the pills today. FOUR MONTHS!

I am currently on 20mgs (claravis) and will be on a low dose for NINE months (small person. 105 lbs and 5'5"). I just popped the pill an hour ago. Peanut butter and milk and a little brown pill.

Feel free to comment whenever. So this was a long post. Posts like this won't come that often lol. I promise. Pictures will be up soon (still trying to figure out how to get them on the blog)
-Floppy

Pictures:
Accutane Album!

Hello everyone! I have been reading logs on this website for months now, and finally decided that Accutane is right for me. I must admit, for me, it was such a difficult decision to make. For one, my husband and I were discussing trying to start a family in the next year or so (obviously we won't be trying while I am taking Accutane), and it terrifies me to try to get pregnant after Accutane. Secondly, I am a middle school teacher and have been putting off Accutane because of the dreaded initial breakout and how humiliating it can be (especially around kids)! Lastly, I kept hoping that I would "grow out" of acne, but have finally realized that will not be happening anytime soon!
I have tried a ton of different acne medications, both over-the-counter and prescription. The most improvement I saw was with a combination of Spironolactone, Minocycline and Retin A Micro, but after several months the results I was seeing are wearing off. I am now experiencing persistant/constant breakouts, mostly on the sides of my cheeks and jawline area. I will post pics once I figure out how!
My main goals for creating an Accutane journal are to 1.) Share daily/weekly updates with people just like me who were spending hours looking at journals trying to decide if Accutane is right for them 2.) Get encouragment from people who are going through the same experiences as I am. My husband and friends all seem to have perfect, poreless skin and it is extremely hard to find people who truly understand the emotional pain of acne.
I just swallowed my first 40mg Claravis pill!!! My derm prescribed me 40mg twice a day, I feel that this is high considering I weigh 120lbs, but I guess she knows best. I am over being scared of Accutane and am now feeling extremely excited about the potential results. I hope that you decide to follow along with me on my journey with Accutane! I will post again tomorrow with any updates, and hopefully pics of my skin w/o makeup. I hope to hear from all of you!

Hello everyone. I've been reading everybody else's logs and have decided to start one of my own.

Just call me Kim. I'm 20 years old, living in Jamaica. Been suffering with this skin ailment since I was about 12. I've tried EVERYTHING. Every...single...thing. Nothing has helped. The list would be too long for me to type so I really can't even be bothered, lol.

Accutane has been suggested to me three times. Once by my old dermatologist and twice by the one I'm seeing now. Their suggestions went on deaf ears at first, because I was way too scared of the side effects. More so, I was TERRIFIED of the blood taking process. Needles in my arm, or anywhere else on me for that matter, are a BIG no go.

After sitting and reading about the process, however, I decided to give accutane a go. Yes, dry lips, skin and thin hair suck, and yes, blood work is just as bad as the devil, BUT, it cannot be any worse than walking around with a face covered in big red, puss filled pimples accompanied by scars for every day of my life.

So, I decided to give the accutane a go. I'm currently 6 days in (started on Tuesday) at 40 mgs. I've been experiencing the start of the dreaded initial breakout and man, it sucks already. My lips are also a teeny bit dry. That's pretty much it so far though. I'm trying my hardest to stay positive and remind myself that this too, shall pass.

If you've read all this, thanks much. Later

So im 20 years old and have had acne for like 5 years. About every pore of face is visible if you look close and has something in it. I get bigger stuff around mouth and the jaw line to ears. Ive tried many prescriptions, doxycycline, clindamycin, benzoyl, retin a and other stuff. I have red hair so my skin is fair and im kinda redish all time anyways so red marks are super visible. Its time to move on. Finally got to college and saw the doctor and we decided on accutane. So today i took my first 40mg of Calarvis (some generic since accutane isn't made anymore. I have some pics but they came out crappy. Went to store and bought some nasal spray and some more lip balm...im getting ready the side effects. I will keep this updated whenever i feel something has changed. Wish me luckkkkk. Ok camera died and i cant find any more batteries in dorm...pictures will have to wait.

Day 1- Got a few on each side of mouth that are red marks. One pretty big one right by corner of mouth. My nose and surrounding area have couple. My forehead is red cause i just push and stuff comes out everywhere so its addictive.

Hey everyone. My name is Anthony (20 years old) and I've been around the forum for a while, posting here and there. I've been on bactrim/tazorac and BP since January and it's been okay but just not good enough. I just got back from the dermatologist today, and without hesitation she gave me the green light on accutane. I don't have severe acne, but it's been anywhere from mild to moderate on my face and back/chest so it's time I end it for good.

I will have my blood test either today or tomorrow, and assuming the results are fine I will take my first pill of 40mg on Monday. I'm very excited, but quite nervous at the same time. Best of luck to everyone else taking accutane, and I am praying for quick and good results in the long run! I will try to update it everyday and show pics if I have the guts, lol. Oh, and for those wondering the main reason I am on accutane is for persistent acne overall and spots on my body. With other antibiotics and topicals I've been able to keep myself relatively clear, but whenever I come home to my parents place I break out pretty badly and I'm just sick of having to worry about it!

Cheers!

HELLO PEEPS

I've finally decided to go on accutane after much deliberation. I used to have really clear skin, all nice and soft and smooth with just the occasional one or two pimples that pop out and go away. My life was great! Good grades, awesome friends, an active lifestyle was involved in quite intensive sports, a not too bad social life. I also had a boy that I liked alot and the catch was he liked me too! I was pretty contented with my life. Until during April when I started breaking out like crazy. Initially it was the forehead, which then spread to the temples and then to the cheeks and jaw. It was so embarrassing. I shunned myself from all my old friends and never went out to socialize. I always walked with my head facing the ground feeling so self-conscious that I wanted the earth to swallow me. So I lost my social life (well except for a group of classmates in my current school - they're the best and have given me so much support! ), lost that guy I liked cause I pushed him away , lost my self-esteem, lost my confidence.

So I was on quite a lot of antibiotics (doxycycline, erythromycin, minocycline [the latest I've been taking is minocycline]) and topicals (erythromycin, some steroid creams, differin, BP, clindamycin phosphate lotion, clindoxyl etc.) Some of them had completely no effect on me, whilst some worked initially before losing its effectiveness after a month or so. It is very demoralizing. At first, I was pretty naive thinking that acne could be cured in a month or two with just one round of antibiotics. But I was so wrong, its been 7 months or so and no improvement.

I have oily skin. Gross gross oily skin. Its like just 2 hours after washing my face, I can feel the grease on my skin already. Gross. So imagine what it's like in school when you just feel so uncomfortable from all the oil that accumulates on your face. My face also gets RED easily. Especially after I'm in the sun like for a few seconds, or when I'm in school. Its strange cause at home I'm quite okay but in school it just flares up and looks really bad. EWW.

My acne is mostly comedonal acne. ALOT of comedonal acne that's all very very inflamed so I looked as if someone flung tomato sauce at my face. Also have lots of millia recently. Lots of whiteheads and blackheads and not to mention, gianormous pores. and RED MARKS. so my skin is really uneven and lumpish, skin tone is terrible too.

So anyway after reading all the logs and reviews here, I finally made the decision to get accutane. Went to my derm and he wasn't too keen on it and rather have me try Bactrim. But I insisted on going on accutane, cause it has been far too long. I've already reached the point where I don't want to waste any more time wallowing in self-pity and wasting my life away.

DAY 1

The sun is shining and the birds are singing! YAY HAPPY DAY ^.^ HAHAH so I'm given one month's worth of 20mg/day Isotretinoin (Oratane) - that's 28 capsules. I just popped the 1st capsule which reminded me of a really fat and obese red bean. Then went for a bath and came out feeling so HAPPY! I guess I'm really looking forward the the future, suspense and anticipation *drum roll!!!* hehehe oh yeah and I have the following:

Cleanzplus Antibacterial Cleanser (contains 1% Tricolsan)

Vaseline Lip Therapy (in preparation for DRY LIPSSS)

Aqueous Cream Moisturiser (for the DRY SKINNN)

WOOTS. So that's pretty much all for DAY 1. I'll try to update as much as possible :>

Anyways I have a major chinese exam tmr!!! Yep I know chinese WISH ME LUCK! After which, my classmates are planning to go to someone's house for some swimming and bbq-ing! EXCITING :] just hope that my acne won't scare them away HAHAHA Oh yes and I will be applying LOTS OF SUNBLOCK! YEP!

OKAY THEN PEACE OUT! ^.^V SEE YA SOON

Hello everyone, my name is Noel, I'm 18 and i'll be 19 in December.
I've been struggling with with acne for about 4 years now but it was always only mild-moderate for the first 3 years.
During my senior year (last school year) I started to develop cystic acne. The MONSTER of the acne kingdom. My family does not have health care so it took up until 4 months ago before I could visit a dermatologist/doctor.
I heard of accutane from my mom, but she didnt know much about it besides it worked well BUT had major side effects (scared me, im not gonna lie lol). So i tried minocycline instead. It worked while i was on it, but not major results. To top that off, my mom and i saw some girl on the news that got severe liver damage while on it. Spooked us, so my mom told me to get off of it.
Afterwards my acne started to get worse. Leaving redmarks and scars.
So as of now my self esteem and self confidence that was once OVER THE TOP is now WAYYYYY down. I am no longer social and i try to avoid hanging out with my friends.

So, here goes the point of this all. LUCKILY and with PERFECT TIMING, my dermatologist found out about an Accutane experiment at another derm office in town. They are paying for everything and even COMPENSATING ME ! So basically, im getting paid to clear my skin... hopefully ! (god i need assurance lol) They are starting me off on high dosages, so to get the FULL EFFECT of the drug. Kinda freaked me out BUT they are also paying for the blood work, x-rays, psychological tests and EVERYTHING.

Sounds great huh? I really need it too b/c i still dont have healthcare.. but at this point im hopeful and REALLY WANT THIS TO WORK ! I miss my old life =/

On top of that, College is starting for me in the Winter and i want to start with a semi clear face.

ON TOP OF THAT... (Okay Venting time b/c im too cheap to hire a psychiatrist lol) i like this girl... She's my bestfriend and I really wanna be more. But the thing is, I know she likes the "inside me" but if i asked her out I dont know if she could look past the acne. She is so beautiful and funny and fun and perfect for me in every way. I dont know what to do.
Sorry for that, but i needed to do it lol

SOOOO, the derm said they will call me in for an appointment next week. I WANT TO BE ON THIS PILL NOW ! They still have to run so many tests too, so it will take weeks before I actually get on the pill. The reason im freakin out is b/c i really want to be clear by May, better yet, March b/c I'm planning to do something special for "the girl's"" birthday (march) PLUS im thinking of asking her to her prom (May). *sigh* my mom said patience is a virtue but im going through so much psychological stuff right now its killing me so im getting all emo lol i dont like this.

PLEASE ACCUTANE, SAVE MY LIFE !

*responses will be much appreciated !*

oh yeah, I WILL MOST DEFINITELY START MY LOG ONCE I START THE PILL, so dont worry if u read this all and are like "what the hell, this kid lied" lol b/c i didnt !

-Noel

So yea you're probably "yet another one of those banal accutane logs" but i'm soooo excited to start!! I guess i'll start with the typical "about myself" paragraph.

i'm a 17-year-old female whose had acne (aah i really really hate that word. it makes me cringe! does this happen to anyone else??) since the beginning of 7th grade. I am now in 12th grade so I think i've had enough years to torture to qualify me for accutane. It's not that my acne is bad per se it's just really really consistent. I've tried a laundry-list of products, such as yasmin, all the -cyclines, retin-a, the DRK, countless over-the-counter products, clindamycin phosphate, peels, and the list goes on. The only treatment that made me practically clear was tetracycline and retin-a a few summers ago, but i think i became immune because my acne came back full-force only a few months later.
I'm so anxious to start accutane and i'm almost done with my 30-day waiting period. gaah it's torturous I'm taking my urine test on Monday and will hopefully get my prescription on either Monday or Tuesday!! I'm not sure what brand or dosage i'm on yet. I'm 5'8" and 130lbs so i'm guessing my dosage might start out at 40mg?

It seems as if my body is already on accutane!! I've been breaking out a lot lately and my skin is pretty dry. I guess i've been thinking about accutane too much??

anyways, i'm going to be using aquaphor (that's a given), cetaphil cleanser (unless someone has a better suggestion?), and then cetaphil lotion at night and ceraVe lotion in the morning because i've heard that one makes you a lot less greasy. I will probably also take fish-oil and zinc. anyone else have any suggestions?

Well if you read all this, then you're amazing! I will be posting pictures as soon as i take my first pill next week. see y'all then!!

I have been replying to a few threads already and I decided to finally make my own log. I will post pictures in a few days, but I will start off with a brief skin history.

I started breaking out really bad when I was about 14 years old, mostly around my forehead and then my cheeks and back, and after a year or so of using over the counter junk I decided to go to the doctor. Over the course of a year I was on several different meds such as: Differin, Triaz(benzolye Peroxide) and eventually Accutane. My skin started to clear around month two of Accutane, and my doctor took me off of that. Which was a mistake, obviously, it's suppose to be a 6 month treatment. After growing frustrated with prescription meds I decided to continue with the over the counter treatments, mainly Proactiv, and I used that type of medication until recently, when I went to the Derm and she put me on Accutane again, and said that I was taken off way too early last time! Damnit.

Soooo a little about me:

I am currently 19 years old and I was put on 40mg a day. The real reason for me doing this is I am just being tired of looking in the mirror and not being happy with myself, and only having moderate self confidence. I am also shy and a not very happy person when I have a breakout, and it really affects my life. I would like to find a girlfriend, but I never talk to girls when my skin isn't looking decent(which is about 70% of the time) because I am extremely self conscience. I also don't like approaching new people or making new friends because of this as well. Another reason is that I am sick and tired of worrying about what products I should try and what skin care combination's will work.

My skin condition when I was put on Accutane this time was not horrid(I think), and probably considered mild to moderate and most of my breakouts occurred on my face, and they were usually whiteheads, or closed comedomes(not cysts I think? Or small ones if they are). I have light scarring on my cheeks and some on my forehead, but they are fading faster than I expected since being on Accutane.

My back Acne has since scarred over, and I rarely get a breakout or zit there. I have 2-3 scars on my right jawline where I use to pick obsessively, and after my tane treatment is over I hope to get these removed or worked on in some way. I also hope to get a Tattoo on my back to cover up my existing back Scars.


Accutane Experience so far:

Weeks 1-4: The first few days I did not notice that big of a change, however around day 5 I noticed my skin was nowhere near as oily, but I started getting an IB that consisted of whiteheads around the edges of my lips and this lasted a week and was really embarrassing . The last 2 weeks before my first checkup visit was kind of a up and down experience, after the first 3 weeks my skin slowly started to clear, however I started breaking out a bit around my cheek. I experienced the normal side effects (dry lips, skin, nose dryness) and I was not too bothered by them, except for the nose dryness, because I would get nosebleeds.

Weeks 4-6: My checkup appointment went fairly well, and my blood work turned out fine. My derm said she thought my skin looked a little better, but I think she was just being nice and trying to keep me motivated. My skin looked kind of ok for a week or so after this, but then I started getting another breakout. This breakout is mostly on my cheeks, which is my biggest problem area. I don't know if anyone else has had this problem but, I swear that this spot under my skin that I have had for 6 months that wasn't noticeable at all, but I could feel it if I touched it, just had to surface. Damnit . I have had that spot for about a week and I think it's slowly getting better, but it's not going away fast enough!
I am also having trouble with a spot on my right cheek that's about an inch by an inch, and it's right in the area where your cheek bone is located, and is directly across from your eye. I keep breaking out there for some reason.
Also, my skin has been feeling really REALLYYYYYYYY weird lately.. It doesn't feel as dry as it did the first month, it barely flakes and I can go the night and maybe the day without it peeling or flaking...It feels kind of greasy, but it still doesn't shine as much as it use to, and it isn't that oily. You know how your skin feels when you go camping and it feels kind of clammy? It feels like that.. Maybe it's my moisturizer? I use cetaphil moisturizing lotion, and I recently started using the Cetaphil SPF 15 moisturizing lotion or whatever it's called. Has anyone else had this problem????? I am getting worried my dose isn't strong enough or something.

Today:
And here we are today and I just finished taking my Day 46 pill. I decided to post this to vent my frustrations mostly, because I am almost finished with school for this semester and I have a big speech/presentation on Thursday, and I have like 3-4 spots that are really pissing me off. There is one on my forehead that's taking forever to go away, and is more like a scab now because I picked at it (fuck me). I have two spots right under my eye/near the cheekbone, and my old 6 month friend that decided to surface a week ago and looks like a f****** pea on my face. I am terrified about Thursday, and I welcome any spot treatments or tips that might help those spots! I am using neosporin for the forehead/scab spot, and I just started applying tea tree oil at night for the others. The only positive is that, besides those spots, my skin is looking "ok" and I think my overall color is getting better. My face isn't quite as red as it use to be.


It's almost been two months, and I thought I would see more results by now . I know I have to stick it out the full 4-6 months because it takes that long to work, but I feel bad atm .

7 MORE DAYS UNTIL THIS SEMESTER ENDS AND SUMMER BEGINS AND I CANT WAIT!!! I will nearly finish my treatment before next semester starts, and I will be a completely different person by then!

I hope so anyway!!!!


P.S. Replies are welcome!!!

Here we go....

To be honest my acne is mild with the use of topical agents and antibiotics (duac and doxycycline). In the last 6 months these agents have not been working as well with primarily break outs of cysts/nodules that only come out sporadically but when they do they last weeks and leave scars. I tried the topical retinoids but I couldn't handle the side effects (peeling, tightness, super oily skin, and no effect on controlling the occasional big cyst). Otherwise I think most people would say my skin is not that bad, but the big cyst once of month is worse to me than having a few whiteheads that goes away in a few days.

Now if this was acne that was going to get better with age, I would just stick through with the duac, but I've got adult acne and I don't want to rely on topical products anymore. I've been on duac, benzaclin, or benzamycin for over 7 years! My dermatologist understood and here we go with accutane.

Day 1:
Right now I have a few red papules that are small on my cheeks but for the most part are not that noticeable. I do have two more nodular like lesions along my left jaw that I'm hoping will fade away and not develop into the nasty-need to drain pus filled cysts.

Aside from all the possible side effects (skin sensitivity, dry lips, joint pains, hair loss) what I'm most worried about is what will happen to my skin now that I have to stop using duac. Will I have a terrible breakout? I hope not. Would it be so bad to continue to use duac for the first few weeks? My doctor told me to stop cold turkey. He also told me to stop the doxy a week before starting the accutane. I wish he had prescribed me something to overlap like plain old topical erythro or clindamycin, or oral bactrim. I don't blame him though cause when he saw me two weeks ago when my skin was not that bad. Plus he says that not everyone gets a horrible initial breakout. Ha...we will see...I'm expecting the worst.

Hi, my name is Jake and i started taking accutane 2 weeks ago. In June I saw my dermatologist and up until 2 weeks ago, I was repeatedly prescribed different anti-biotics but none of them worked. My acne is affecting me way too much not to go on accutane.

So he started me on 40 mg twice a day and see how my body reacts to it after a month. So far my acne has gotten a bit worst which I expected. On the 4th day I got extremely itchy, and it was hard to sleep but that went away after 2 days. The day after the itching started i got severe headaches and I never get headaches but those also went away after a day. Im currently on my 15th day and the only side effects are dry lips.

I'm really hoping that I will start to see improvement within the next 2 weeks. My derm told me that i would start seeing improvements from a month to 2 months. Sorry if this wasnt entertaning enough, its a work in progress.

This is me in my first week, most of my acne is on my cheeks though so its hard to so the severity of it
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Hello everyone, I hope you will enjoy taking this journey with me as I begin what I hope to be the final chapter in my battle with skin issues for the rest of my life. I decided to finally sign up here after coming as an observer many times. I would come onto this site to read other people's logs, to get some reviews and noticed how supportive everyone here was. Let's face it (no pun intended) we've all been through the heartbreak of acne and bad skin together. We all have dealt with the ups and downs and what it has done to our self esteem. So I decided that I wanted to join today, the same day I filled out my first prescription for Accutane/Claravis.

I am 28 years old and have dealt with fickle acne issues my whole young adult-adult life.Since about 14, through high school, through college and now - I was on everything from Retin A, to Differin, to Clendamycin, to tricycline to doxycycline to duac to topicals, to antibiotics, everything. still the best I could do was to "maintain" but never CURE!

My acne is very mild now but can be explosive due to hormones around "that time", most people would think I was being crazy for taking it bc i dont look like i have bad skin; if you saw photos of me you would probably say "why is she doing accutane?" but I know myself this isnt how life should be. Time to take charge!

So I hope to check in and tell you all how its going xo

Things I want to accomplish on Accutane/Claravis:
- Reduce oil in tzone, no longer have to blot every hour
- No more black heads or whiteheads
- No more explosive breakouts around my period
- Be able to wear minimal/no make up during the day
- Feel more confident
- No more scaring from acne break outs
- Smaller pores
- Better overall tone to my skin
- Happiness

Hello everybody!

I'm 18 year old guy finishing up lovely senior year at high school...soo ready to get out of there!

Anyway I have moderate acne- nothing too bad, but enough to get fed up with. I have been thinking about going on Accutane for quite some time now, but I have not one one major reason...chaped lips.

Now the reasoning for this is not simply because of kissing, but I suppose there is that too
; ) but because I have planned on majoring in music and playing college trumpet auditions on chapped lips well...its not good.

However! Recently I have decided that what I want to do is really major in psychology and because of this I am completely fine with taking Accutane! I am not too worried about the other symptoms, but I suppose if anything gets really bad I can just stop...

I finally got the pills a couple days ago and I am on two doses of 40 mg per day or 80mg. This is either the third day or the second...i dunno. I think its number two so I'll go with that.

I haven't noticed much of any symptoms yet, other than minor dryness. Acne has stayed pretty much the same so far, but I'm excited about the future! I'll post some pics up sometime soon.

So in conclusion: I think this Accutane is going to be a great thing and I hope to keep up with this log. I'll try to make it interesting for everybody as possible.

Good luck to everybody else out there!

Hello everyone ,

Been lurking this site for a year now, reading people's accutane log's.Last month i finnaly took the step to use accutane ,again...
I say again because i have used it when i was 17 y/o .But due to extreme side effects , and seeying improvement after 2 months, i never finished the course.It dissapeared,but never went away.Yeah i know, not very smart.But being older and wiser now, this wont happen a second time.

I had severe acne in my teens , and due to picking at them , poppin them etc, i have some bad scars on my face.Icepicks on the side of my face and temple area aswell.However troughout the years i hardly had any new zits on my face.But my bacne wich is the main reason i use accutane again is really bothering me.I just want it finnaly over with.

Here is my log from day 1 40 mg a day:

Day 4: Dry lips , no new pimples
Day 9: Very dry lips , no new pimpels
Day 11: Still very dry lips, dry eyes , very very dry skin
Day 14:One big zit on my forehead, tried to pop it with a needle but just made it worse.It stayed there for 2 weeks!
Day 30:My zit on my forehead is still there but much smaller.Im guessing accutane is doing its work.I learned my lesson of touching any new acne.

I have used a simple moisterizer for my face , body milk without perfume for my body and back.And vaseline for my lips wich helps a ton!

I went to the derm today, and he told me it is getting better and the medicine is doing its work due to my skin flaking like crazy.I told him at my back, i have 2 very big areas wich are extremely dry think a rash, he told me it is normal and that is the cause of accutane.I had to use more moisterizer for me back and arms.

My selfconfidence dropped below zero due to that one zit on my forehead...But the more i see it dissapear, the more my self confidence comes back .3 weeks since i have been going out

I have NEVER used any peeling , or something similiar.Anything you guys recommend?

Thanks for reading my log.Excuse my english , it sucks haha

Hey!
I just became a user on this site. I've been keeping up with people's blogs, and it's super encouraging! Little about my skin...I had mild acne starting about half way through high school, I usually would break out on my t-zone and would be pretty oily. In college it got a bit worse and occasionally I would have a pretty painful red breakout along my jawline. I definitely have had the chest and back acne for a while which sucks pretty bad. So pretty much since high school I've always had some kind of a breakout on my face. Clear skin usually wouldn't last pretty long. I get whiteheads almost always and cysts occasionally and those suckers last forever!
In the past, I've always used over-the-counter salcylic acid treatments which barely helped and I've tried a bunch of different vitamin and herbal pills that never did anything except help me waste my money quicker. I went to the dermatologist for the first time on August 28th and he prescribed me Doxcycline at 100 mg/day. I didn't notice much until maybe a week ago, but one thing that was kind of nice was that it seemed like when I did break out, the zit went away quicker.
I recently went to Australia and then Indonesia for 5 months. During that time I didn't have a really bad breakout, but I was still oily. When I got back from Australia this past summer, my skin worsened a bunch. All summer I had really painful, red, small cysts along my jawline. My skin was breaking out along my t-zone as well as my hair line. (Anyone know why my skin changed so drastically after coming home? I wonder if it was because of some kind of diet change..)
So I've always had problems with my skin, and I am usually pretty outgoing and still am with acne, but it can be super embarrassing and makes me very self conscious when I talk to people and they can see how bad my skin is. I always go out with makeup on because the breakouts and red spots make me so self conscious.
This summer was the last draw and the worst my skin has ever been, so after researching and talking to a friend who has been on accutane, I decided to take the jump. I don't have insurance, but my parents have agreed to cover the cost out of pocket. I got my prescription last Tuesday- I'm on Claravis: I switch between 80 mg (2 pills) every other day and 40 mg (1 pill) every other day. The past couple of days my skin has been a little more dry than usual, and the corners of my mouth are a little chapped. Last week when I got my prescription, I was starting to have a cyst between my eyes, and that has actually gone down a lot which surprised me because those usually last soo long. Most people say that their faces break out a lot in the beginning, and I haven't gotten that yet (fingers crossed!).
I'll try to update as much as I can, mostly so that I can physically see that something is actually happening to my skin (I'm pretty skeptical) and I hope that this will be the end of my acne for good! I'm going to post pictures from this summer when my acne got really bad, and more recent ones in my next blog.

Hello everyone. I've been lurking these forums for awhile now to see everyone's progress with their accutane treatments. I finally decided to join because i'm sure i will have questions, since i've been on accutane for just over a month now.


Today is my 34th day on accutane, and honestly, it's not going well. My face looks like it's to the point of no return. It's worse than what it started out as!

Can someone please give me hope. How bad did your acne get? And how long did it take for the accutane to work for you guys?

Thanks!


**Edit: This wasn't going to be my accutane log at first, but now i'm making it my accutane log, because i love hearing feedback! Read a few posts below to get my first log.

Who wants to read a 10,000 word biography of me?! ... I wouldn't either! Here's the brief:

I'm 21. I'll be graduating college in 2.5 months (midterms of my last semester right now, wow!). That's a bit misleading, though, as I'm staying in school. First to get my M.B.A. and then hopefully my doctorate after that. In fact, just this morning I took the GMAT! I scored a respectable 610, which will easily get me into the university I'm currently in. I'll need to retake it to get in the high 600s low 700s later though.

Anywho, I've had acne since I can even remember. Probably late middle school or so. It's been really cyclical. Sometimes it's terrible, other times it's bearable. But it's never been very clear. I also got two big keyloids, one on my chest, one on my shoulder. The one on my chest is pretty flat now, thanks to injections. The shoulder scar is still coming down, but it was way bigger. My back acne is generally worse than my face acne.

The derm started me off on 80mg (40mg twice daily), and I'm only 155-160 lbs, so it should be pretty strong. He said I would be on it for 5 months. I'm sooo ready to have clear skin though. I hope my scars aren't too bad afterwards.

Oh, I have a prescription discount card, but it wouldn't pay for any of the pills. I ended up switching pharmacies and making them order in the cheapest generic they could get, and it'll be $300 a month. Better than $600+ a month, but meh.

Here's the starting me, don't poke fun.

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