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:

Today i finished my 5 ND A HALF month course of accutane!

Hi. I'm a 24 yr. old female and I have been struggling with acne since I was 14 yrs. old. I have tried everything i.e. topical treatments, antibiotics, facials, etc and nothing has helped. The latest medicine I used was Tazarac. It helped for about a month then the acne came back. After much consideration and research I have decided to try Accutane. I have a dermatologist appointment today for blood work and I will pick up my prescription on Monday. I hoping I will be able to start Accutane early next week.
I decided to do a blog to track my progress and seek advice from people who have used or are thinking about Accutane. I have read many blogs positive and negative. I'm hoping Accutane will get rid of my acne! Please feel free to post your comments and suggestions.

So, I know I am starting the log a bit late. I guess the first few weeks are pretty uneventful anyways so here I begin with a brief summary of what has happened until now.

I am 23 and will be 24 in 5 weeks.

Quick background

Got acne at around 20-21. I usually have 1-4 small-medium nodules at any given time and a few healing. Sometimes more. Sometimes a few pustules in addition. My face - especially my cheeks - is pretty crowded with red marks so without makeup I look pretty bad.

For the first year or so, I took only minocycline and topicals, which did not really work. Then at 22 and 23 I really became desperate and I tried everything - including spironolactone (did not work), every antibiotic and topical and home remedy. I sometimes worry that I have put to much rubbish in my body.
My acne remained mild-moderate and persistent.

I wish that my doctors had agreed to give me accutane sooner. I know there are many who have more severe acne than I do. Nonetheless, I has been pretty bad at times and it was absolutely devastating this past year when it reached its peak.

My dosage is an average of 60mg a day, alternating 40 and 80 every other day. That is a total of about 45 40mg pills per month.

Month 1- up and down, not miraculous but I looked better than i did before. There would be times that I thought " this WILL be my last pimple, and it will all be healing from now on". Not so.

I am now on month 2 and have about 19 more pills before my next pack. and I did slow down my dosage for a while just because I became paranoid that my joints were hurting. They are fine now so I should finish my meds this month on time with the proper average dosage. I don't know if I will have slowed down my possible results, I never took less than 40 a day (other than for three days between filling my script).

My doc told me to get two topicals, one is neo-medrol and the other is a custom compound involving a few things (antibiotics mainly). They have been good I think, I have not gotten another pustile since starting the compound; the neo-medrol helps keep the red nodules from becoming really red and inflamed.

SO

DAY 52


My overall tone is pretty good. Two or three days ago I got one papule/nodule on my jawline which may or may not stick around as long as its twin on the other side of my face. Its very strange how my pimples are usually concentrated on either side of my face at any given time and that they seem to crop up in similar places. I also have one hard nodule on my cheek which I am not at all happy about. Other than these two actives, I have some small healing pimples around my face.

Side effects: dry lips (whatever), mild headaches. I don't know if they are related or if I should be concerned.


I really hope the pimples I have now don't last forever, as they usually do, and that I dont get more! Still, I think I am doing better than I have on anything else I have tried. I like that you can actually feel accutane at work.

I have been reading all of your logs for ages and thought I would jump in! Been wishing you all well!

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, my name is Kc and I have been suffering with cystic acne since I was 15. It started with one bump on my neck, then another on the back of my head and from there it was downhill. I went to my dermo and he gave me antibiotics which controlled it for about two years. The past two years of my life have been stressful, BIG TIME and I started breaking out with regular acne on my face(which was new). Soon I developed a tollerance for my minocycline and cysts began to develop all over me. I had then on my head, neck, chest, jawline and other random places. This was especially frustrating, I was in pain 24/7 and I was embarrassed, they were more than noticable. The worst was when people would ask what was wrong with me, they would look and wonder what was on me. I never wanted to leave the house, I skipped work several times because I was too disgusted with my appearance. I didnt want anyone to see me, I became extremely depressed and suicidal. Anyone who has had cystic acne knows the pain, it is tremendous. Everything is painful, having them on your head gives you a continuous headache, its like having a brain tumor, the pressure and pain in your head doesnt subside until the cyst is gone. Sleeping is nearly impossible because laying on your side means pushing on the one behind your ear and laying on your back means pushing on the one on your neck. Simple things like wearing sunglasses or taking a shower become a painful chore because of the pain inflicted everytime your brush against a full grown cyst. I think the lowest point for me was pulling out clumps of my own hair that had died because of the scar tissue left behind when a cyst on my scalp finally decided to dry up. Trying to explain to someone why you have bald patches on your head because of acne is impossible. It hurts and it feels like every last bit of your dignity has been taken from you. I havent taken my shirt off or gone swimming in a pool in 4 years. My life is controlled by this and you cant blame me, if you have ever dealt with this im sure you can sympathize. Life becomes a desperate attempt to remedy the hopeless situation at hand. Spending hours in the bathroom with a needle trying to drain a cyst so that you can find some relief. Running to the store everyday looking for something, anything that will help the physical and emotional pain you feel. Spending thousands of dollars on dermotologists visits, high end products, proactiv, murad, clearasil, biore, cortisone injections, and anything and everything to bandaid the true pain you feel inside. Slavery is the perfect word, you no longer have control, you live as a slave to such a brutal master. Dealing with it on your own only makes it worse, have you tried explaining this to a friend? What do they say? "It will go away" "Its just a phase your going through" "have you tried proactiv?" Its horrible to hear someone minimize the deep pain you are feeling, I felt extrememly alienated from the rest of the world. I am an extremely social person and I had turned into a hermit. I constantly made excuses not to go anywhere with my friends because I was simply to embarrassed to be seen. I have missed out on so much, I sometimes wonder if I will EVER achieve what I want to or if my appearance will always hold me back. I was told 4 years ago that I needed to take accutane and I didnt do it. I was too scared, I heard the stories and I told my dermo no. 4 years later here I am, I have tried everything and I am tired of this life. I am on my second week of accutane (claravis) and I am hoping for a miracle. I am tired of being alone, I have looked at this website so many times and it has helped me get to where I am today. I finally decided to join, I need people who understand, I am tired of people ignorantly telling me to get over it. I hope to find and give support here on my journey with this medicine. I am crossing my fingers and saying my prayers that I make it through this and it is worth it. I wish that for everyone on it and everyone who ever takes it. This could be the start to a new life and a new me.

Day 14:
Dry Dry Dry.
My faces is dry and flaky. My lips are chapped and cracked. I think I started my IB about 5 days into it, its pretty bad but bearable. Im not sure if it will get worse or better from here. I am relieved to not have oily skin for once.

Sorry for the rant, but I really needed to get it out to someone that i feel understands.

After series of failures and wasting of time, money and nerves on various products and unfriendly dermatologists, I have finally found a great derm expert who is also a wonderful person.

I belong to that group of people who have had mild-moderate acne with extremely oily skin throughout the puberty and beyond and who didn't respond to any other conventional treatment.
Some dermatologists I previously went to were reluctant to prescribe Roacc. and I just thought I'd grow out of my acne, so I let this problem plague me for so many years (for which I feel so stupid now) and hadn't done anything to try and improve my condition (meaning get another derm willing to prescribe it and actually having lots of experience with it). That cost me a couple of scars that I have now and that are probably permanent.

Also, I myself was afraid of Roaccutane because of all the horror stories on the Internet etc. but also because of other doctors' negative opinions about it. After speaking to my new derm for more than half an hour I finally realised there's nothing to be afraid of, it's a medication like any other, having side-effects and risks like any other and if you are a good candidate for it, you don't sit for years and months thinking whether or not to take it while scars keep coming, you forget the risks for a while and let yourself go and be medicated and cured.

There's no hassle with any ipledge or anything where I live, so I was able to get a prescription and start Roaccutane the next day, which makes today my third day on it. I also got an injection (some steroid I think) which is supposed to help with the inflammation and possible IB during the first month.

The worst part of the whole process, but in perspective the best at the same time, was the process of coming to terms with how I look without make up. I was so shocked to see my photos without make up, in daylight, high res etc. I also started looking at myself in the mirror without make up after a very long time and it was painful. Also, the process of telling my friends and family (which I decided was the best thing to do) made me feel uncomfortable as if I was confessing some darkest secrets I had for ages. Thankfully, everyone's been really supportive. I still use make up when I go out, but I feel so much better about everything.

As for my skin on day three everything's the same as when I started. I had a bad breakout two weeks ago which left horrible red marks and it's slowly healing, I stopped with all other topicals, BP, etc. I also stopped picking. I don't think I have any active acne right now. I'm on 40 mg a day which is around 0.7mg per kg of my body mass, I weigh 58kg, which is around 130lbs.

Here are the pics of day 1
[attachment=21862:day_1.JPG]
[attachment=21861:day_1__2_.JPG]

I think i'll be able to get much better feedback on here than in the 'blogs' section-
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...logid=2421
that is my old blog and if you, for w/e reason, want to know what my last three weeks have been like you can find it there!

Anyway, today is day 22 of my accutane treatment. If you don't feel like looking at the blog I'll summarize everything - I have mild acne but everything started leaving red marks and minor scarring, but the fear was that I would begin to get bad scarring. Tried nearly everything - cyclines, retin-as, tons of other topicals .. nothing worked.. at least nothing worked well. I had really oily red skin on retin-a. I stopped taking it when I started accutane and almost immediately the oil on my face greatly reduced and so did my redness.

Fast foward a week -

blackheads blackheads blackheads - my tzone really exploded with blackheads. My chest is also covered with blackheads. It seems like they are started to dry up. I broke out last week and that is kind of going away .. I think this might be the 'IB', but I might just be slightly paranoid and blame any breakout I get on the IB.

As far as side effects, dry skin, dry lips, muscle aches at times.

Fast forward to today ...

Dry lips, a little tired. I shaved two days ago (been trying not to shave more than I have to) And I have some little bumps (not ingrowns) that are really hard to see. Wonder if this is irritation from shaving. I don't think I have ever gotten them before. I've been using my cetaphil cleanser as shaving cream because I am kind of afraid to use shaving cream as I think it might break me out. I did just get a new shaving cream that is supposed to be great for sensitive skin and dermatologist recommended (idk if that really means much)

My routine: Wash face in morning with cetaphil, apply moisturizer
Wash face after gym, apply moisturizer: Usually 6 hours after I wake

Now my dilemma is do I was before I go to bed which is usually about 10 hours after I go to the gym. Let me know if you think washing my face three times a day is bad.. my skin doesn't feel overly dry.

also, I'm on 40mg claravis and at the end of the month im going up to 80mg

About Me

I am a long time user of this website, but never posted anything and as I am just starting a course of Roaccutane, I thought it would be a good time to share my experiences. I am a 24 year old male from the UK who has suffered with acne for many years. I have tried lots of things in the past, antibiotics, creams, diet and holistic approaches but nothing has completely cleared my acne. The best thing I have found is a combination of diet and Dans regime. I have tried lots of cleansers, moisturisers and products containing benzoyl peroxide, but have found that Dans products are by far the best. It can be a little expensive ordering these from the UK but I would definitely recommend it. For my diet, I try to eat healthily including fruit and veg, good home cooked food, hardly any take aways or greasy foods and cut out dairy, wheat and gluten products. After being very strict with my diet and being on Dans regime for a good few months my skin looked the best it had done for years - I was not totally clear though. After being almost clear for a few more months, I then decided to go down the holistic approach to see if this would get me completely clear. I even went to see a homeopath, as nice and as helpful as she was, I regret this so much. I stopped Dans regime opting for a 'greener' approach, using natural products like tea tree oil face washes. I also took a couple of homeopathic remedies. Over the space of a couple of months this broke me out really badly and my acne just got worse and worse. I decided to see my GP and try to get a referral to a dermatologist, in the meantime I started back on Dans regime and started to see an improvement. I chose to go down the private route as I have health insurance, so I am partly covered although I have had to pay for the Roaccutane. I think it is worth it as within less than 2 weeks since my appointment with my GP I have seen the dermatologist twice, had a blood test and got Roaccutane. I have just had my first couple of tablets tonight and I am so excited. I really hope this works. I will stop Dans regime and have been trying to find what I should use as a face wash and moisturiser. My derm recommended aqueous cream so I will go with that as I have read about quite a few people using this. What do you think? What products would you recommend using?

Anyway, sorry for the long post and ramblings but this is just a snippet of what I have tried over the years and I have become slightly obsessed with my skin. I can't stop looking of different ways to treat acne and what products are best to use. In the past I have been put off from Roaccutane due to the possible side effects, but my acne started to really get me down so I felt I just had to give it a go!

I will post updates weekly with pictures to let you know how my skin is going, how bad the side effects are (if there are any) and how I am dealing with them. If you have any questions along the way or have any tips to share, just get in touch. I hate having my picture taken, but here I am before I took the first dose - acne looking very bad. (Sorry about the pictures by the way, the quality isn't the best).

[attachment=22946:Front.jpg] [attachment=22948:Right.jpg] [attachment=22947:Left.j
pg]

I don't know of anyone will read this but I decided to keep a log of my experience on accutane to help others that are just starting like me or wondering if they should take this 'acne cure'. First of all I'll give you a bit of my acne history. I'm 27 female and have been on many many different medications for acne: differin, minomycin, tetricycline, retin a, the BCP and more. Since none of these worked very well 5 years ago my dermatologist put me on Accutane 30mg a day as i had moderate severe acne and was really affecting me emotionally. I was sick of wearing makeup all the time (I even wore it to bed sometimes so my boyfriend wouldn't see it). The first time it got much worse when I first started taking it. It was the worst my skin had ever been and didn't start improving till the 4th month. I think I was only on it for 5 months but by the end my skin was perfect and smooth it had never looked better. It started to come back a couple months after stopping but now it's only mild to moderate so now im on my second course of 30mg a day and hoping it stays gone this time! I don't kow whay it came back. 30 mg seems low compared to what many people are taking? I'm on day 8 and so far so good. I've got a few more than usual but nothing I can't handle! I don't have any side effects yet but ive been moisturising from the start and using lip balm constantly. Anyway this is getting a bit long

Well, after a year I have finally started Accutane (okay, it's a replica brand called Clarus) but for simplicity I'll call it Accutane. It took me so long because I hate blood tests, but I finally found a clinic that works well for me. My Derm has started me on 40 mg.

I've been researching side effects for a while and I wanted to prepare myself. I am expecting severe dryness and so for the dry skin I got Avene moisturizer, to wash I have Cetaphil cleanser, and Vaseline is for the nose and lips. I'll be looking for something stronger for my lips.

So, before I scare anyone, I get horrible PMS and so I'm already moody, irritable and blue. So the last two times I cried I can't really say it's the Accutane, it could just be something else eusa_think.gif Had a nightmare that made me scream. I could just be over analyzing my behaviour because of my over research wink.gif

Reasons I started treatment:
- every month I breakout
- i am a popper and now i have red, purple and brown marks all over my face
- i am a blackhead factory
- i have these white bumps all over my face, especially on my chin that cannot be popped or extracted. i want them gone.
- i have back acne, and lots and lots of scars
- my forehead looks like a leather bag from value village

So, things that I'm worried about:
- the food I eat
- straightening my hair
- a moisturizer for my body after I shower

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!

I guess a good place to start would be how I got to where I am today, the "where" being day two of my journey down Accutane Avenue (okay, look, there's a reason I'm not a journalist). I can't remember how old I was when I started getting acne, but I imagine it was around the age of 13 or 14. I certainly don't remember it being an overnight thing, and nor do I remember it plaguing me in school like a promiscuous reputation (I didn't have that either, I'd like to think). I guess it started off fairly innocuous and manageable and continued like that into the first part of my teens. As a girl, you of course then discover the magic of concealer, which appears to be a small godsend not unlike finding a small wad of money on the ground when you're strapped for cash. And then, like some adolescent weed addiction, before you know it you're onto the hard stuff: foundation.

You start with the light gear at first and just apply more and more layers, and then soon even that won't do. You trawl the shelves in your local pharmacy for a foundation with better coverage and try a handful of different (and often expensive) products. Then the day comes when you realise that your head is bright orange and strangers have started circumnavigating you. By that time you're applying just as many layers of the thick, gloopy foundation as you did with the thin foundation. You go for a "colour adapt" brand in a vain effort to rid yourself of your luminescent citrus glow, and when you find one that makes you look like semi-reasonable-looking [albeit] pale satsuma but, on the good hand, doesn't cause you to peel or slips off your face after a few hours, you settle with it. For years. You don't let it go because it's about the 25th brand you've tried. Then you notice that your beloved high street foundation is in actual fact oil based (and probably part of a modern fascist movement as well) and that you're now 23, but you don't care and you stick by it like a loving parent of a murderous child (maybe).

Okay, so I've ranted somewhat, but foundation does play an important part of my life, as addictive, evil and exacerbating as it is to my acne. Hell, I'm so attached to it, I even get friends to bring me a hefty supply on trips to visit me since I emigrated from England.

Anyhow, as you can imagine, I tried all the usual topical and oral medications for acne. Some worked a bit, some didn't work at all, some seemed to work but the results were fleeting, some just kept it at bay and some were just useless. I was on tetracycline for the longest time, which had become annoying mostly because I'd been on it for so long that I didn't even feel there were any benefits up until the times I stopped taking it and my acne extended from scaring only people around me to also scaring animals.

I'll talk about the emotional effects that acne has had as well as its many practical implications another time, but all you need to know that after years of taking antibiotics, two dermatologists (one in Canada and one in England) agreed that accutane/roaccutane was for me.

And I agree, because why wouldn't it be? Until you've tried almost everything out there, you don't regard accutane with what I personally see as a desperation to go through anything and everything to achieve better skin. As I see it, bad stuff may well happen when I take accutane, but probably nothing too bad and nothing that I cannot handle. One thing is certain, however: if I don't take it, I will not know what it feels like to have beautiful skin or to live my life without the literally constant paranoia that comes hand in hand with this horrible ailment. So on balance, I do not for a moment doubt that it's a risk worth taking. If I don't do it, I'll definitely be miserable in this aspect, but if I do, I might just be changing my life for the better.

So, I've taken two pills now. I've briefed my boyfriend on a couple of things beforehand, namely that if I start to moan about having mood swings and fatigue, that's pretty typical of me at the moment anyway. Just today I ended up crying in private at work because I made a tiny, tiny mistake. It's stupid, but I doubt it's anything do with having then taken just my first accutane pill. I've also just started taking oral contraception, so no doubt my hormones are all over the place. I think this is an important issue, what with the potential mood swings and everything, because I agree with some of the people on here that have said it's easy to become more aware than usual of your behaviour and your body whilst you're on accutane, and then wrongly attribute these characteristics to the drug. I don't want to fall victim of that, because I know I probably easily could, so I've made sure the people close to me can remind me that I was definitely a bit crazy to begin with.

As things stand right now, I have two painful cysts on either side of my mouth, one on either cheek, about four older cysts by my mouth and on my cheek that are no longer painful, a couple of whiteheads and a generous sprinkling of red patches all over my face from blemishes gone by. I almost forgot to take into account the dozens of tiny spots on my temples because I'm just so glad they're always covered up by my hair.

*Sigh*

No results as yet, but then I've definitely seen no airborne pigs today either.

Hey everyone, I'm going to be doing a second course of Accutane. I did a log of my first course and it was really helpful, so I figured I'd do it again.

To start I'm alternating 40 and 80 mg/day for 3 months. I finished my first course mid-May 2009, and my skin stayed clear for a while but it's breaking out now. My doctor wanted to put and end to the breakouts before they get worse so she put me back on. Acctuane didn't work too well for me during my first course, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the second time will be smoother!

I got my prescription today and should be starting on Friday or Saturday. Wish me luck!

Name: Liz
Age: 24
Weight: 104
Height: 5ft. 3in
Treatment: Low dose "Isotretinoin" 10mgs to 20mgs a day for 6-9 months.

Okay soooo I first broke out when I was 20, and it wasn't even a "breakout" I had like 3 pimples. I went to a Derm and he gave me a BP wash (PanOxyl 5% bar). the pimples cleared up within a week. I contnued to use the wash and my face stood completely clear for 2 years not a single zit.

Then again after my 23rd birthday I started breaking out . It got worse and worse every month untill my cheeks and chin were covered with bumps. I went to a Derm and he gave me a prescribtion for 75mg of Doxy and Epiduo (a topical). The Epiduo burned the crap out of my face and made my pimples very angry ( huge, red and inflamed) . I used it for a month and had to stop, I just couldn't stand it. I continued to use the Doxy antibiotic and birth control. It took 4 months but the Doxy definitely helped my acne. All those pesky under the skin bumps went away, I was left with scars and red marks but my acne went from moderate to mild.

I have extremely, extremely oily skin (its really bad) so my derm (New Derm, love her) and I discussed a low dose treatment of Accutane. I will be taking 10mgs a day for 6 months. I took a pregnancy test, got my blood work done and initialed and signed my life away.

And now here I am!!!! Unfortunately for this month I will be taking 20mgs every other day. Iv'e been staring at my box of 20mgs (Amnesteem) for the past hour . I cant decide weather I should start today or tomorrow.

Fuck it, I'll start today.

I will be posting my progress every few days and since its my first day I'll start off by explaining my current regimen and the condition of my skin.

Day 1

I have about 5 little pimples around my mouth, 2 on my right jaw and 1 on my right cheek bone.

I wash morning and night with Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel. I apply 10% BP (only on problem areas: cheeks and chin) after washing (twice a day) and wipe with Glycolic acid/Salicylic acid every night. I take 4 capsules of fish-oil everyday and Ortho-Tri Cyclen BC every night.

I couldn't be more nervous about swallowing this pill right now. I want to post some pictures but I made the mistake in lending my brother my camera and the i-Cam on my MacBook for some reason makes my skin look flawless (love you i-Cam) so pictures will have to wait.

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

A big hello to all those who decide to read this , hopefully someone does . For those who care , my name is Gwen . I'm 16 and your average teenager . Unfortunatly , I've dealt with blackheads since grade 8 , and now , going into my 12th year of school , with graduation around the corner - my acne has only gotten worse . I have pimples , scars , deep pores , bacne (sadly) , whiteheads and yes , those damned blackheads . My acne is on my forhead and under the jawline (and the back) , and I have blackheads across my cheeks and chin . I have a few small pimples on my chest , but they're easy to cover up . The whiteheads are mainly forhead and back .

It's hard to see , as most of you probably know , all of your friends have smooth skin , free of blemishes and never wearing coverup and then you looking like you dunked for face in paint . Thats how I felt , and still do . I have to wear foundation , stick cover up and powder and you can still see the acne ! Most people say it isnt bad , but I know it's there and that's what upsets me .

So over the past few years , I've gone through antibiotics , topical creams , birth control and of course , much to my dismay , nothing worked . Many people say 'teenage acne' comes and then goes , but sadly , mine only gets worse . So I went to my doctor and she hooked me up with a dermatologist . Unfortunately , she said , it looked like I would have to wait until January . Lucky for me , my aunt had an appointment in late October and hooked me up with her instead .

So I went to the derm , and was told to go on Accutane . I expected I was going to , a few of my friends have been on it , and I had been researching it for a while . Plus , my doctor hinted she would probably put me on it . So I went for the blood work , and finally , today , I took my first pill .

I'm on 40 mg , for the first two weeks I have been told to take it every other day (to make sure I wont be allergic , or have any odd side affects) and once that time is up , I'm on it every day for five months . I believe that brings me to April of 2010 . So sadly that means I'm missing partying on New Years , and my birthday , BUT , by the summer , I'll have wonderful clear skin and that is my ultimate goal .

So after reading the man logs on here , I decided to join the troops and make a log , so maybe one day when I have wonderful success , someone who has been sad , angry and upset over their acne reads my log and can have as much hope as I do at this moment .

Day One

So , as you already know , I've taken my first pill . I swallowed it after eating a big breakfast and that was that . I'm on the road to victory . I noticed some people said getting side effects the first day , and I don't really have any except my cheeks are red . Either I'm just really hot , or maybe the Accutane is doing something . Time will tell .

I expect dry skin for sure , and for this I have the following :
La Roche - Posay Ceralip Lip Repair Cream ; made specifically for people with extremely dry lips as a result of medications .
La Roche - Posay Effaclar Face Wash and Spectro Face Wash ; stuff for dry skin and stuff .
La Roche - Posay Effaclar Face Cream ; made for people with extremely dry skin .

So , here I go , popping little yellow pills , to rid myself of the annoyance called acne once and for all .

Thanks to any of the people who actually read this , and good luck to everyone else out there !

It has been 11 days since I began my journey, and I suppose I am seeing a little improvement to the existing breakouts I had before I took the plunge. However, I continue to get new, little bumps occasionally which seem to go away quickly. As I have read in other blogs, and I feel the same way, these "little bumps" would probably amount to something more evil and grotesque had I not been on accutane, so I guess that's a way of looking at the glass as half full, eh?

Face and lips are extremely dry...I use Eucerin maybe twice daily and medicated chapstick all the time to keep things controlled...guess this is a daily routine I will grow to love.

Next, I have a few questions for you countless readers (if any at all.) One: Where did you get the impression that you can't drink at all? I specifically asked my derm if I could indulge in a weekend libation, and he said no problem, as long as I wasn't downing the pill with a beer. He was very nonchalant about the response, and it didn't seem to be an issue at all. I have read other blogs saying that their weekend life has been impacted by accutane, and I'm wondering why. Then again, I may get a blood test done next month just to find out the alcohol has doomed me!

Also, is there anyone else out there that was prescribed epiduo in ADDITION to accutane (claravis)? For some reason I feel like these two shouldn't mix. But thats just me.

More updates to come!

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.


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okay so im reece im 15 and have suffered from acne since i was 13 my dad also suffered from severe acne, it started off light and gradually got worse, ive tried clearasil/oxy/dove etc nothing worked and also prescription stuff aswell. my doc reffered me to a dermotoligist and today i take my first 30 mg tablet i will be taking this for a month then she will bump me up too 65 she says i have taken a load of pictures and will post them up as soon as i find the cable for my camera.



okay so week 1, not much seems to have changed still breaking out havent had the "initial breakout" hopefully i wont fingers crossed (YN) minor side effects dry skin and lips and hair but that means less washing my hair haha.

Hi! I'm Angela, I'm from Dominican Republic (so, sorry for my bad english sometimes) I'm 27 years old and I have mild acne, mostly comedonal, but I also get occasionally some painful cysts.
I have tried so many topicals and antibiotics with temporary success, but it always comes back...
My dermatologist consireded that my acne was slowly scarring my face, (and my soul too, my self-esteem is so low right now) so she decided to prescribe me Isoface (isotretinoin). She prescribed me a 20 mg a day dose for 6 months (I'm 114 lbs, 5'3). Is the dose too low? My derm said is perfect for the severity of my acne and for my weight, and I trust her, let's see...I'm very optimistic, only a bit scared about the side effects and IB, but I trust in God, my best doctor..

DAY 1

Well, I just took my first pill! I felt a mixture of emotions... fear, happiness,
By now, feeling very good!!
My derm recommended me the lipstick BABE, and Hydraphase XL lotion by La Roche -Posay. She also recommended the sunbloch Anthelios XL by La Roche -Posay. I"m using Dan's Cleanser right now, hope is gentle enough..I'll be updating soon!! Thanks for reading! I'll appreciate your advices and tips to make this journey easier!!

Hey everyone, I'm Dan, I'm 20 years old and I've had acne for about 5 years now. It's really bad on my back and shoulders, and quite bad on my face too. It's also, over the passed year, started to appear at the top of my chest too. It's never improved, only ever gotten worse.

I've taken so many different products from zineryt lotion to oxytetracycline antibiotics to freederm gel and clearasil lotions as well and I've had no improvement from any of them.

I've even tried a few remedies I've heard of such as using a mixture of lemon and salt, and also applying tea tree oil as well but I really have just been fighting a losing battle and my acne is just too strong and too severe to get rid of without really strong stuff.

In desperation, I booked an appointment with the hospital to go on roaccutane as I'd heard it's the strongest most powerful form of medication and will actually get rid of acne. At my first appointment my dermatologist said I needed a blood test so I had this done at my local doctors the next day and then waited for a letter to come through with my next appointment at the hospital on it so I could take my blood test results to my dermatologist. When it eventually came through, the next appointment wasn't for anther 8 weeks. I couldn't wait that long as I only needed to get the medication from the hospital so I managed to get it down to 4 weeks.

When I went back which was Tuesday of this week, my dermatologist asked where my cholesterol results were but I told him that the results I had been given was all they gave me so I had to have another unnecessary blood test at the hospital the next day so he could asses my cholesterol. Finally that was all fine and I have now been on the medication for 2 days now. I've been prescribed with 40 mg which is enough for 6 weeks and then I will get a repeat prescription with my next appointment in 6 weeks.

I have got E45 lotion which is a good moisturiser and vaseline for my lips in case they start getting very dry. I've also got some Bio Oil which improves the appearance of any scars that appear and causes them to fade.

So now I'm on it I thought I would start a diary to share with you guys my experience of being on it and what, if any, side effects I go through. I'd love to hear from you all about how you're getting on too so feel free to ask me any questions or share your experiences too.

Day 1

Nothing out of the ordinary, just pleased to finally be able to start it.

Day 2

Apart from a bad headache and feeling a bit sick, nothing else seems to have changed.

Day 3 (where I am at the moment)

My skin is starting to feel dryer than usual, am going to start moisturising twice daily now.

Thanks for reading my log! Note: I live in australia and it's called "roaccutane" here, but exact same drug, isotrenoin (spelling?)

Roaccutane 10mg log

Day 1:
I am SO EXCITED that I got prescribed roaccutane. I was worried that I wasn’t going to get it, since my acne is actually really good this week! I had an IPL facial with laser 2 weeks ago, to reduce acne, scars and freckles, and am now OK to begin roaccutane. The facial thing was really good! You can see in my photos, that from the “before” (2 weeks ago) and now, my skin looks smoother, and just generally more even. I love it, definitely recommended, although it’s expensive (not sure exactly how much) and you can’t leave the house for a week cos you’re face is literally RED and super photo-sensitive (sun sensitive). But I’m on roaccutane hoping to get rid of those sporadic few pimples.

I should also put in here that, I know my acne isn’t that bad, it’s pretty mild actually, but I have a disease where I’m not allowed antibiotics, so my doctors skipped over what they normally prescribe derm patients (eg. doxycyline, topical antibiotic lotions etc) and just went for roaccutane, but only 10mg. I’m also taking Yasmin (I’ve been on the pill for 5 years, didn’t help acne at all) and I’m 20.



Day 7: First side effects.

I guess I got my first side effects today. I didn’t put my night lotion on last night and woke up with my face feeling strangly tight. Kinda nice and different to the oily feeling I’m used to. Still oily, but you can feel a difference.

Oh and about 3 days ago, my right hip started peeling. Strange huh? It got really dry and flaky, but only my right hip! At least it’s not my face or lips (yet!)
And I’m showing the first sign of initial breakout! I have 3 really big and sore pimples coming up on my chin and right cheek. Normally I would try to pop them so soon, but I am really scared of scarring! I have a ball in 2 weeks and 6 days, please please please God let my initial breakout be gone by then!

I didn’t expect to see results (or side effects) this soon, since I am only on 10mg and most people start off on 40mg (I think).
My dermatologist told me to come back to him 4 weeks after I start the course, but I could only get an appointment 6 weeks after (because of my exam week). It shouldn’t matter, but I wonder if he’s going to put my dose up? He’s told me I’ll be on it for 9 months, which sounds like a long time for moisturising and limiting my drinking


Day 11:

Right corner of my lip has completely crack and peeled off, and the rest of my lips are just tight and dry. No other symptoms- no dry skin or dry eyes (especially cos I wear contacts I was expecting this). But just the lips….


Day 16:

Still no side effect apart from peeling lips. Exam time means my coldsores have come up (stress!) and I have about 5 coldsores thanks to the cracked lips! Its OK though, I can’t complain because I have no dry skin, no dandruff, no headaches… nothing!

I have 3 large but blind pimples on my chin, and one tiny whitehead thing on my left cheek, but apart from that I am pimple free!!! I’m still not sure if the initial breakout is coming, or if this is it (3 pimples?) or it’s gone and I’m home free. My acne was pretty sporadic before roaccutane, having horrific months and pretty clear months, and was in a clear month when I started… so I dunno if the IB is yet to come. We’ll see. Everyone says 2 months is when the results really begin to show, so I guess I’ll wait one more month and then assume the IB is gone!



Day 31:

My lips look like someone has grabbed them with a pair of pliers and ripped them off. They are painful and bleeding, due to constant peeling. It is so disgusting. I haven’t been using a lip balm cos I was waiting for my coldsores to go away (don’t want to infect all of my lips balms with the virus). Apart from that, still no side effects. The 3 blind pimples on chin from 2 weeks ago are almost gone, and one tiny whitehead on my right cheek, and then perfectly clear. Yay! Had my one monthly blood test yesterday, and seeing the derm in 2 weeks. Hopefully he’ll up my dose/reduce my course time.



Day 40:

Feeling a massive reduction in oil production (ha rhymes). My face feels like paper. I know that sounds strange but I never liked touching my face because even if you could find a pimple-free bit to touch, it still had that “slimy” feel due to oil. Now the only thing I can think to describe it is the feel of paper and I LOVE IT. Ate a pizza for dinner last night and would usually be feeling super greasy after but didn’t get oily at ALL. I tried to explain to my roommates the difference (after we finished the pizza!) and they had no idea what I was talking about. Dammed acne free people!



Day 48:

Went for my one month check up today (after 6 weeks oops) and blood tests were fine! He took my blood pressure which was really low and I’ve been fainting lately but the doctor just shrugged and said “not the roaccutane” pretty much saying “not my problem”. The only thing going on is still ridiculously dry lips: to the point that people in class pull out their lip balm and give me some without me even asking! They are chapped and bleeding all the time. But when I say “its because of roaccutane!!!” everyone says you can tell it’s really working, which of course is nice to hear. I have NO PIMPLES OR WHITEHEADS at the moment. One is a little scab on my cheek from a big pop 2 days ago, and one tiny red mark from one last week which is going away. It always amazes me how the derm says “oh so you squeezed that one!”.. how do they know!? But I felt a little victorious when he said “good on you for not squeezing this one” even though I secretly did hehe.

So the derm doubled my dose to 20mg, still very low but I’m happy! Course stays at 9 months
though, cos according to doctor: “you’d be on it for 2 years if I kept it at 10mg!” no thanks!
He showed me some really great high definition photos he took on my first appointment (no one wants to see high def photos of their acne, trust me, but since it’s clearing up now I can deal with it!). I’m hoping he’ll take some more at my next appointment (at month 5) and I’m wondering what his reaction would be if I asked him to email me the photos. They’ll be spectacular if things keep going the way they are! And I live far away from all of my friends and family so I want to email my mum my progress photos!!!

If it were up to me, I would prescribe roaccutane to every boy and girl who ever had acne. It is amazing. I have to stop myself from saying to pimply friends “You NEED to go on this! You’ll look so much better!”





I will upload weekly photos (I know: a bit over zealous with the photo taking!) as soon as I have 2 min to do so!

Hey,

So, I got prescribed accutane about 3 weeks ago from my dermatologist. He was very quick with explaining everything, including the whole iPledge program to me. He talked about the side effects, mentioned the doses I would be taking, along with the blood tests. He said that I would have a userID for the website, and he would give that to me on my next appointment.

As I was leaving, I set up my next appointment with the receptionist. She gave me a form to get my blood test done. She said to have it done 5 days before my next appointment, which is on November 23rd. Then she asked me what pharmacy I use, and she seemed to set up the prescription with my pharmacy. Everything seemed very quick and to the point, and I was under the impression that I had to get a blood test done before starting accutane. Is that true??

I didn't realize until I was reading through the iPledge folder. It said that once a prescription is sent to the pharmacy, you have 30 days to pick it up. Once it's not picked up, the pharmacist has to label it "Do Not Disperse"...

I can't believe I made such a dumb mistake. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to pick up the prescription right away, start taking it, and then when I was closing in on my next appointment, go and get the blood test done. He never explained it to me in that order...

Does anyone know from experience? I swear the dermatologist burned through all the info as if I had done all this before... When I asked the receptionist a question about the blood test, she gave me a very matter of fact answer like I was supposed to know.

So basically, is it a pain in the ass to get a new prescription and start from scratch again?? Or what if I were to switch to another dermatologist? Is it again difficult to register with iPledge under a different derm?? I'm calling first thing tomorrow to get the lowdown, unless someone can fill me in....

Thanks!!

Hey Guys!

So today was my first appointment with my new dermatologist here in Chicago. But before I talk about that appointment, let me fill you in on my experience with acne. I am 22 now, and I have had acne since I was about 15. It was really never super severe, but definitely detrimental to my self-esteem. In the last six months or so it has gotten a lot worse, with more breakouts at any given time and spreading from initially just being on my chin to my cheeks under my jawline and even down my neck a little ways. Super frustrating!!

I had previously tried tons of Retin-A, Obagi skin creams, Benzaclin, antibiotics, Levulan chemical peels (holy crap, painful!), Murad, Proactiv, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and every other OTC product available! My mom has suggested Accutane to me for a few years, just because she knew people that it worked well for, and she was tired of seeing me uncomfortable. But I had never really bought into it because I was nervous about the whole side effects thing. But after a trip home about a month ago, where my (previously non-emotional) dad mentioned to me that I am a "pretty girl" and I shouldn't have to deal with this, I had a minor mental break down and decided that I was going to do this.

So I made an appointment with a dermatologist one of my teachers (I am in Physician Assistant school) recommended to me in the North Suburbs of Chicago. Unfortunately I had to wait about a month to get into that appointment, so I scheduled an appointment with our school physician, had an acne consult, and started blood tests.

So today I finally had my first appointment with my new derm, and he was AWESOME! I am so excited! He was so nice, and understanding. I was nervous that as a new patient he might want to put me on other topicals or something first, but he said that I am the perfect candidate for Accutane. So I did my first pregnancy test, and I have to get one more blood test (they forgot to do one test) before my next appointment with him next month and then I'll finally get my prescription!!! I am super excited, I can't even tell you!!

So am hoping that the pictures I just reluctantly took will actually post....I have been trying to get it to work for a while now. But anyway, if it doesn't end up working I'll either repost or post my pictures in my profile for everyone.

By the way, if anyone knows how to post a link on here please help me. I have been trying to make my signature have the link to my log, but I can't figure it out!! Thanks!!

Adios!

Name: Darren
Location: Birmingham, England
Age: 19

- Sufferer of acne for 3 years
- Worst area on body: Top of my back
- Medication: Roaccutane (4 month course)
- Course start date: 10th November 2008
- Course finish date: 9th March 2009
- Dosage: 45mg first month. next 3 months 90mg per day (1mg = 1kg body weight)
- Side effects: Dry, cracked and bleeding lips. Dry patches on arms.

You can click on any of the photos to enlarge them if you so wish....



Outstanding results as far as I'm concerned. God bless Roaccutane!

Had acne all of my life but took accutane 4 yrs ago and my skin was fine until last year when i got off my bcp and hell broke loss! so this is my second course


so neways, i know im late but i been on accutane for now 4 months...the first month was fine until the end of that month i started to get these white cyst underneath my skin while in florida.
Its just so weird. then on my 2nd month all them lil sh*t started coming to surface and i looked horrible

Its month 4 and im seeing some clear up but yet now my cheeks are plurging. ughhhhhhhhh!!!

Its so bad i dont answer the door until im fully with make-up. I think i even scared the Verizon guy that came to my house to put in cable...lol...

In addition to that , I went to the derm yesterday and he used some little needle looking devise to remove the white cyst that was on my cheek!!! whyyyyyyyy? now it looks worse and next week is my bday! Im just so stressed out. I hope accutane is gonna help me cuz i just dont knoe how much i can take ..(yea yea ima cry baby)

This is ruining my life. I got so depressed that my mom took me to emergency and i had a medical leave from work for 2 months. so it is pretty serious.

this is how i was before =(


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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 there, I have been on Roaccutane for about 5 months now, started on June 22. My exp might be useful for those who are taking this drug.

Background: I used to have a very clear skin with good complexion. Until I turned 20 and started putting on makeups, I got whiteheads and inflammatory acne especially during my period. Also, I got skin bumps from block pores. Mild to moderate type of acne. Lots of them around cheeks area and left side of the forehead.

The derm prescribed Roaccutane for me since 3 years ago. I was on it for 2 times. The first time I couldnt make it to the end (6 months) and was on a very low dose (10 mg while I weigh 62 kgs). The drug didnt do any good on the first time and I was on it for only a month. It didnt do any good at that time.

When I decided to go on Roaccutane again this year, I began with 20mg once a day for the first two months. During this period, I didnt see much improvement on my face and I still got breakouts just like before. When I up the dose to 40 mg, the breakouts was even worse. I got painful cystic acne which I rarely got before. It would flare up on the spots that I usually got pimples during my period. When the cysts were gone, my face would look better for a while, then I would get cysts again.

During the 40mg dose, my face wasnt clear completely so I increased the dose to 60mg once a day from 3rd month. Then I got breakouts again...on the same spots!! It was the worst this time. Big cysts grouped up together and it was very very painful. I started to really lose hope during this time because I read some people's exp on accutane that they usually cleared up after 1-2 months. I thought about stopping the drug but eventually I decided to give it more time.

Since I was on 60 mg/day and went through the breakouts, my face improved a whole lot. I get smaller pimples which would go away in 1-2 days and leave less marks. Before I always have a face with bruises and acne scars but now it is a lot clearer. I am also using salicylic acid products...which help a lot as well.

In a nutshell!!

1)If you are prescribed a course of accutane, stick with it until the end along with advices from your derm. Dont lose hope...unless your health condition is not reacting to the drug well.

2)People have different kinds of initial breakouts. In my case, I broke out every time the dose is increased...and did not stop until the beginning of 4th month. The IB appeared mostly as the type of acne I rarely got...in my case...cystic acne.

3)Side effects: Dryness!! Very Very dry!! Chapped lips, cracked skin. I also got rash on my arms but after putting on body cream or baby oil for a few days it was all gone.

4)Exfoliation. Salicylic acid or AHA are good chemical exfoliants for every day use. After stopping Tane I will continue using these products as a way to prevent new acne. They work for whiteheads and block pores.

I have 2 more months to go (until Jan 22)...!! Hope to clear up even more!!

If you have any question, feel free to leave it here. I will come back later!