78 replies to this topic

[mallory]

FML.

Hey i am thinking about starting my prescription of retin a .01. I was wondering how much you would apply and when. I know it is intended for night time use, so do you need to apply it a night to where it will stay on for at least 12hours before you shower in the morning?

Hey!

I apply a pea size amount. Not a lot at all. I seriously think this tube would last a lifetime! I usually just apply it whenever I washed my face at night... I didn't really have a specific time. I really don't think it would make a huge difference - unless you're going to be at 3am and waking up at 6am. My routine was usually around 9/10 pm.

Good luck and let me know if you have anymore questions!

Thanks for the response. Ya i am trying to convince myself to try this since my doctor prescribed it to me 2 months ago. I always get a few pimples on chin with the occasional cyst that likes to pop up and just didnt ever want to go through a worse before better. Then i read where it didnt work for some people like you menitoned and makes me not want to try even more lol...argh stuck between a rock and a hard place!!

I gotta try something though, diet is to much and not gettin the results i want. Id rather eat wht i want and maintain my acne at bay with something. Still convincing myself..........

Honestly, the IB for me wasn't any worse than some of the breakouts I've had before. And even though it didn't work for me, it's worked for lots of other people... that's actually why I decided to try it out. I think it's worth a shot, because I was clear for close to 5 weeks, maybe with you it will just continue to get better and better!

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide!

Edited by mallory, 28 October 2009 - 08:57 PM.

[mallory]

MIDDLE week 20

Well, I don't even really know how to describe my face right now. LOTS of red marks. lots and lots. which really sucks, but I'd rather have red marks than actives, no matter how much of a pain they are to cover up. I am getting cysts now.. I only have 2 active ones at the moment, but it's still really annoying. I am wondering if stopping my birth control a month ago is finally doing some work on my face. Anyone else have a timeline of when they started breaking out after stopping BC?

I am WAY too ready for Accutane... I'm becoming a bit obsessive about checking Accutane logs on this site... I'm not sure if it's a bad thing or not, though. haha I need to chillllllllllllll out.

I know I said I'd take some pics, but honestly... my face is a little embarrassing right now, and I'm just not very comfortable. I know that this site is for support, so maybe I'll work on getting myself to that point soon. I took some last night and got a little bummed out looking at the pics.

I haven't been going out with my friends much lately, and honestly it's ALL because of my face. I'm usually pretty social. I know it's vain of me to let this hold me back so much. I guess it's a good excuse to stay in on the weekends and not over indulge in beer and waste money, right? Plus, I'm graduating college (yikes!) in a month and REALLY need to work on my portfolio.

Okay, I'm starting to ramble...

Edited by mallory, 29 October 2009 - 09:50 PM.

[mallory]

hey insomnia, nice to see you again... for the 4th night in a row. ugh! i've never had a problem sleeping until recently. i'm not sure if it's due to stress or what. i AM graduating/moving to a different city in a month and have lots to do before that time, but i'm not necessarily -worried- about it.

soooo ANYWAY... my face. everytime i say it's looking better, the next day i have a bunch of cysts... but... i'm going to admit- my face is looking better today. it's not even like i'm not breaking out, because i am... but for some reason the texture is much better. some of my red marks are starting to fade, too... not sure why, because i'm really not doing anything for them at all. i figured i should take care of the breakouts first before i even begin to deal with that mess.

i just got done watching "my sisters keeper" and OMGGG do not watch this if you're emotional/easily stirred up. i don't usually cry a whole lot during movies, but i seriously think i cried about every 20 minutes. and they weren't just small little tears, either. it was kind of exhausting... i kind of regret watching it. i mean, it was good, but it really bummed me out! even though it's only a movie, kind of made me wonder why i'm bitching about my face and not enjoying life.

/end cheesiness.

time for bed! g'night.

[mallory]

WEEK 21

i don't even know how to describe my face anymore because it's so up and down! i guess its okaaaaay right now... the right side of my face is much better than the left. i only have two actives right now, but also some new red marks that succcckkkk.

i've used my RAM 3 nights in a row, which makes me nervous because when i usually do that, i'm very peel-y... but so far so good? sometimes i'll become peel-y days after my ram application, even if i stop using it for a few days... does this happen to anyone else?

anyway, still counting down until my accutane course! 22 days! that sounds like a really long time, augh!

[mallory]

WEEK 21

hm, i'm not even sure anyone reads this, but whatever!

my face is okay? i have a really small cyst on the top left corner of my face, which is annoying. it kind of feels like i got punched in the face ...not that i've ever been punched in the face before, but i think this is probably what the next day might feel like.

other than that, i really don't have any actives, just new bright red marks... my skin is a little dry, too.

i hope that my breakouts are starting to slow down a little. i'd really like to have a clear face when i graduate and around the holidays. all of my friends from home get together for "friend thanksgiving" and i remember last year i had the worst time because my face was all broken out. the WORST part of it, is that it's in my best friends basement.........WITH florescent lights. why did anyone even invent this kind of lighting, again? because it's terrible.

[mallory]

WEEK 22

same ol' same ol'. i have two actives right now but stupidly, i messed with them so they're a beaaaautiful bright shade of red! haha, i almost don't even care, though, which is very unusual. i think i'm getting to the point where i've been dealing with it for so long that i'm over caring about it. it's too much work! i'm counting down the days until accutane... exactly 2 weeks if all works out how it should.

oh, and i've been off of birth control for a little over a month now, and it's unbelievable how much BETTER i feel. and my skin is just... different. even though i have actives right now, they're not really that bad. maybe it's the bc that's been breaking me out all these years. anyone ever go through that? i also just feel a lot better emotionally, for some reason. maybe it's a coincidence, but whatever it is - i like it!

anyway, gonna watch a little curb your enthusiasm and off to bed i go!

[mallory]

WEEK 22 (tues.)

fml. breaking out again. whyyyyyyyyyy? remember how in my last post i said i was starting to get over caring if i'm broken out? haha, i take it back.

it's weird because my breakout is just a bunch of small little spots, but they're really noticeable. why am i dealing with this when i'm almost 22 years old? not sure, but accutane couldn't come soon enough.

[BRAZZY]

Hey girl!

We are actually about 3 weeks apart in our treatment. I am on week 19. I wanted to tell you the thing that helped me with dry skin and the redness was Head & Shoulders. Every cleanser I used broke me out even worse because my skin is so extremely sensitive, but the H&S instead of any cleanser has been great.

[mallory]

Hey lady!

Thanks so much for the advice, maybe I'll look into that. I'm not sure what the deal is because I never necessarily have DRY skin, but sometimes it's even oily and peeling. Do you have that? It's the weirdest thing! I'm about to go on Accutane so hopefully my skin will be semi-normal in a couple of months. *fingers crossed*!!!

Is RAM working for you?! I was so clear for with it awhile!

[BRAZZY]

Well for me the first 13 weeks were hell. We are talking like a face full of red inflamed pimples. When I would wash my face layers of skin would come off, but then in about an hour my face would get oily, especially around the t zone. Around 13 weeks, I started to clear up and by week 15 I had no active breakouts at all, just a lot of red marks. They are fading and are actually almost gone now. The only thing I had a problem with is the dry skin that still would get oily. So I started washing my face with H&S. Even though from the threads I read on here, everyone said to use the one without the conditioner I used the one with the conditioner, like the 2 in 1, an somehow it made my face super soft and actually controls how oily my face gets throughout the day.
EDIT: Good luck with the Accutane!

Edited by BRAZZY, 10 November 2009 - 10:13 PM.

[aprilmay]

hi mallory!

i just read your thread since youre taking retin a micro, i thought i was great! i definitely know what to (kind of) expect in the future. I just started taking retin a micro .04 and im feeling the the start of the IB. i just hope i can stay patient with it...... i got my first rudolph the red nose reindeer pimple on my nose the other day and its testing my patience already. i hate being 20 and having to deal with zits when all my friends have great skin!

if you have any advice about retin a micro id appreciate it alot!! im having some trouble keeping the whitehead/clogged pores from turning into moster zits. ive heard bp in the morning? best of luck to you with accutane!!

[mallory]

Well for me the first 13 weeks were hell. We are talking like a face full of red inflamed pimples. When I would wash my face layers of skin would come off, but then in about an hour my face would get oily, especially around the t zone. Around 13 weeks, I started to clear up and by week 15 I had no active breakouts at all, just a lot of red marks. They are fading and are actually almost gone now. The only thing I had a problem with is the dry skin that still would get oily. So I started washing my face with H&S. Even though from the threads I read on here, everyone said to use the one without the conditioner I used the one with the conditioner, like the 2 in 1, an somehow it made my face super soft and actually controls how oily my face gets throughout the day.
EDIT: Good luck with the Accutane!

Ahh.. good to know! That stuff is pretty cheap, too, so maybe I'll go get some tomorrow and use it up until Accutane. Might be a good way to get me through these next couple of weeks! Thanks again. So glad RAM is working for you!!!

[mallory]

hi mallory!

i just read your thread since youre taking retin a micro, i thought i was great! i definitely know what to (kind of) expect in the future. I just started taking retin a micro .04 and im feeling the the start of the IB. i just hope i can stay patient with it...... i got my first rudolph the red nose reindeer pimple on my nose the other day and its testing my patience already. i hate being 20 and having to deal with zits when all my friends have great skin!

if you have any advice about retin a micro id appreciate it alot!! im having some trouble keeping the whitehead/clogged pores from turning into moster zits. ive heard bp in the morning? best of luck to you with accutane!!

Hey! Glad it's helped you... I honestly don't know how I'd decide what to do if I didn't read people's logs on this site!

I know all about having friends with great skin... it's the most annoying thing ever! Not that I wish my friends would all start breaking out like crazy, (because that would be sort of mean of me, ha) but damn... at least a pimple here and there?!?! I think I'm probably just getting enough for everyone.

Hm... advice... The one thing that helped me "get used" to the process is letting my skin tell me what to do. So, in the beginning when my face was burning and tomato red, I'd just skip a day or two until it could recover. I didn't feel like layering RAM later after RAM layer each day was doing anything but hurting my skin/making me look like a weirdo. I also don't have any experience with BP... I'm EXTREMELY allergic... if I even put a dollop on my face I will wake up looking like a hammerhead shark (seriously) because my eyes will be so swollen. haha! It's sexy! What worked for me best during my IB was plain ol' neosporin (i prefer the cream over the ointment) with a bandaid over the spot. It's DRASTICALLY would bring down redness and inflammation if I caught a spot early enough. Other than that... it just takes time, but lots of ppl have had success with it... Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great!

[mallory]

WEEK 22 (thurs)

Well... not much new to report. My face sucks right now. It's pretty discouraging. I'm not really getting new cysts at the moment, but every little spot turns BRIGHT red, even if I don't mess with it! Maybe because it's November and I'm pasty white... haha. I'm trying to stay positive since I'm going on Accutane shortly.

I'm wondering if all the stress is breaking me out. I have finals in 3 weeks and I am moving out of my apartment during the same week... Ahh! Talk about overload of things to do. I also am having a really super hard time in the relationship department. I won't go into it here, since I'm sure no one wants to hear my pms-y rants... but... lets just say it's adding fuel to the fire. (:

I got home today, took a look in the mirror and yikes. I was like an oil slick! My makeup was all over the place. It was a little embarrassing considering I had been talking to people all day and had no idea that I was splotchy and gross and an oily mess. Oh well.

Whoa, what a depressing post! I promise I'm not really that sad right now... hahaha. On that note... bed time!

[mallory]

WEEK 23 (monday)

surprise!

still breaking out! i start accutane in a week. thank you, jesus. haha. i really don't have much of an update, but i like to update anyway, because i have nothing better to do. yay for you guys. i have a PRETTY stressful next couple of weeks. wanna know my schedule?

personal rant:

fri- drive 5 hrs home.
sat- interview clothes shopping, whatever.. not so bad.
mon- dr. appt, dentist apt. orthodontist, apt (Yeah, i lost my retainer.. geek.)
tues-drive back to chicago, finish projects.
wed-give a MAJOR presentation, drive BACK to indy for thanksgiving.
thurs- family stuff all day, i'm sure.
fri- friend thanksgiving that i have to make lots of food for.
sat- BACK to chicago to clean my apt that i'm about to move out of.
sun- move out. hired moving guys, so, eh, not so bad.
mon- class, finals
tues- catch up day
wed- finals, MOVE HOME.

how will i have time to breathe? not sure. lets hope that my skin will cooperate with all the stress.

[mallory]

week 23 (thurs)

well, my skin has been kind of reasonable the last couple of days, which is surprising considering the amount of stresssss i'm under! i really only have a couple of spots that are bothering me and they aren't really active - just healing and kind of awkward looking under make up.

i suppose i'll be retiring this log starting monday since i'm supposed to be starting accutane next week.

[dave611]

Hey mallory, just read through your log and im sorry to hear it really hasnt worked out for you. I went to the derm last week with my sights set on demanding accutane. When i brought it up she left the office came back with two other derms and they went on some rant about all the side effects (which i already knew) and tried telling me that topical retin-a was basically the same thing. Somehow i ended up leaving with a perscription of retin-a and clindamycin which i am extreamly pissed about. Anyway sorry to go off on that little rant, guess i just wanted to ask if you have noticed any improvements overall and any tips of what helps going through this treatment, and of course good luck with accutane im sure you're going to love the results im very jealous right now haha.

[mallory]

Hey mallory, just read through your log and im sorry to hear it really hasnt worked out for you. I went to the derm last week with my sights set on demanding accutane. When i brought it up she left the office came back with two other derms and they went on some rant about all the side effects (which i already knew) and tried telling me that topical retin-a was basically the same thing. Somehow i ended up leaving with a perscription of retin-a and clindamycin which i am extreamly pissed about. Anyway sorry to go off on that little rant, guess i just wanted to ask if you have noticed any improvements overall and any tips of what helps going through this treatment, and of course good luck with accutane im sure you're going to love the results im very jealous right now haha.

Ugh, I'm sorry they won't let you be on Accutane. That HAS to be frustrating. Honestly, not to say that RAM won't work amazingly for you, because it might - but have you ever considered going to a different dermatologist? I ended up switching after RAM didn't work for me because I felt like she was just wasting my time. My new derm is young, an ex acne sufferer (so she's definitely understanding), and is known to be really realistic when it comes to Accutane. The first thing she asked when she walked in the room was if I'd ever heard of Accutane. She said that there are lots of derms who won't prescribe it because they're stuck in their ways - but she's not - and that's why she'd be monitering my blood levels every month, so if it wasn't working for me, then she'd just simply takes me off. Anyway, sorry for rambling, haha, I know that's not really what you asked.

Some tips for retin-a... hm... the moisturizer that worked the best for me was Olay for Sensitive Skin. BUT... since I started Accutane yesterday, I went and bought CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and I'm kind of in love with it. It feels gross and heavy in your hand, but it literally goes on Matte. It's great.

Also - my skin was really flaky in the beginning... What helped with that was a washcloth in the shower... I wouldn't rub TOO hard, but it definitely helped exfoliate the flakes (ew, i know.) and was a little more gentle than a scrub.

With the Clindamycin...mine was the dab on solution, not sure what you were prescribed, but I used it everyday for awhile, then I'd just use it to spot treat. I felt like after awhile it kind of wasn't doing anything but drying me out even more. But it definitely works as a spot treatment.

Other than that... I just waited it out. Anyway, I'll stop typing a novel now, haha. Good luck with everything, and I really hope it works out for you! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask

[mallory]

retiring this log! if anyone has any
questions about my ram/differin experience,
feel free to send me a message.
lots of luck to everyone with their treatments!