39 replies to this topic

[irishlassy]

Hey All,

I am 30 years old and I started having cystic acne problem when I was 27. Basically the only thing I could link it to was coming off the pill (Cilest). It could be just a coincidence but something to take note of.

Anyway, for the first year it was manageable and well gradually it got out of control. I visited a dermatologist and over the course of the last year I have tried the following

- Tetralysal - this worked, only had one break out but once I stopped, acne came back
- Minocil - this worked, cleared skin up perfectly but when i stopped the acne came back
- Differin - made no difference
- Nicam - reduced inflamation

Basically, antibiotics were not a long term solution for me and well I refuse to pump my body with antibiotics for years.

So I was sent on my way for a liver test. Bloods came back clear. I have a complete Cholestrol of 4.6. I am now on Roaccutane 30mg a day for the first month (I weigh 47 kg). I have also started on Yasmin as birth control.

Here goes:

Day 1
Well my skin at the moment is a disgrace. I only have cysts on my chin and the rest of my face is clear. The pain is killing me. I have applied concentrated Tea Tree gel on the area and now it's throbbing. I have been taking Yasmin for the last 8 days and well I am guessing I have an initial breakout from that. My skin is very oily - I almost have a constant waxy feeling to my skin.

Edited by irishlassy, 07 October 2010 - 09:19 AM.

[NK20]

Another Irish Roaccutane user!!! Your skin will look amazing after this treatment - it looks really good as is. The areas where you don't have a breakout are so clear. Good luck on your course! There's a wealth of advice and support on these boards so never hesitate to ask a question or vent your frustrations on here. There will be people listening

[irishlassy]

Hey there Niamh thanks a million.

Had an awful evening this evening - complete cry fest!! There's a gland under my chin that's really sore and i feel like a have a slight sore throat. I'm so upset i'm not going to work tomorrow. How weak!. The pain is crazy .. I just feel like a have a huge mass on my chin .

[irishlassy]

Day 2


Well it's day two and I took some frozen chips to my face last night to reduce some of the inflammation - anything is better than nothing. I'm going to be proactive!.

So today, I woke up and the inflammation wasn't as bad . I still look a bit like Jimmy Hill (worth googling - if you fancy a laugh). I needed a quick trip to the super market and of course I put on some makeup. I have mates calling over so i'm a bit paranoid.

Overall I feel ok. Still have a touch of a sore throat which could be a coincidence. I have noticed that my skin isn't as greasy and that my spots are starting to shrink. I'm awaiting the initial breakout that everyone is talking about.

I have included a picture with makeup .. when i take my makeup off later i will show you the results.

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Edited by irishlassy, 14 September 2010 - 06:19 AM.

[KatiKat]

Wow you are so beautiful!

I completely understand not wanting to go to work because of this. There are days I would be embarrassed to go to the hospital because I would fear my patients' reaction to my face. But now with accutane you know that this is temporary and all you need is patience.

Best of luck with your treatment

[Del!]

Best oif luck with your course! I hope it goes well for you! Dont worry too much about the IB..mine hit just after 2 weeks I think and it was just the stuff that was already there, all the little bumps, and they came out one by one! some people don't even get one!

[irishlassy]

Day 3

Hey all , well it's day 3 in the big brother house and I woke up with a crazy pain in my stomach. My skin is still swollen but I can see that the acne that's there is drying out a bit. I covered my chin with nicam gel last night to try and speed up the process.

Other than that nothing else to report. My lips are ok so far and everything but my chin is looking good. No initial breakout yet ..

Thanks so much all for the comments of support xxx

[irishlassy]

Day 3 - continued

Well today was a good day - I walked around Dublin all day shopping with the biggest crustaceans on my face. It's funny - I have stopped caring . One thing I noticed is that today I felt alot colder than usual. I'm usually going around with a vest and light jumper but I just felt like I had the chills all day.

Anyway, find below a picture after shower this evening. The inflamed part of my chin has turned into a gigantic pustule with a white head. I've never seen the likes of it before... it's shocking and i'm so tempted to get rid of (or pop) it because its making my chin sore and big on one side. Advice anyone Some say ice it, some say use a hot towel. Who knows. I'll do nothing for now.

So far, No dry lips and no initial breakout.

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[cleanskinplease]

omg i totally wish i had your skin! good luck on your course!!! 47 kilos!! you're teeny tiny!

[irishlassy]

@cleanskinplease - thanks a million, wow I had a look at your log and you are one pretty girl .. I hope everything goes well for you. xx

Day 4

Days are flying by and today I feel great - I had a really itchy scalp last night but it seems to have disappeared after having a shower. I wash my hair with tea tree shampoo and conditioner by the way and I use sea buckthorn soap (I'm paranoid about demodex mites.. worth a google). I have noticed that my hair is alot dryer than usual. Was quite surprised that my hair didn't really need to be washed. Usually I wash it every day. I might change this to every second day from now on to prevent any dryness. I know this seems to be a common side affect.

Other than that I don't have any dryness in the face or lips. My face is definitely less greasy but dryness is not a problem for me at the moment so i'm not doing any extra moisturising. I'll let my body do as much as it can on its own.

My acne is drying out fast. I resisted the urge to pick at my face last night - happy that i did. I didn't put any nicam on my face last night .. makeup free day today. We'll see how it looks tomorrow . <--- P.S where can i get a ninja hat .. it might come in handy ..

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[irishlassy]

Day 5

Hey All,

Well I'm back and it's Day 5. Today is the best i've felt about my skin for a couple of weeks.

I decided to "drain" the massive cyst i had on my chin last night and covered it with Nicam before bed. Turned out to be the best damn thing I did all month! No more pain and it's finally starting to heal!.

So today I feel great, I've noted a few things though

- increased thirst (very unusual for me)
- tiredness (could be coincidence)
- really itchy scalp (for the second time )

My skin isn't too dry, it's producing less oil but i'm still not putting moisturiser on my face or lip balm on my lips. Fingers crossed.

My mood is great - I'm not suffering from any headaches or joint pain.

Here's a picture (with makeup). you can see my lips aren't dry and my skin is fairly ok. My makeup is a bit caked where the cyst was but the inflammation is completely down. Thank God!!!

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[irishlassy]

Day 7

Well it's day 7 and my cystic chin is dying a slow death .. but it's dying. So far no new spots to report. I've been using tea tree concentrate gel and nicam on the area which is keeping everything down. I haven't been moisturising at all. My lips are a small bit dryer but lip gloss so far is doing the trick.

I haven't noticed any crazy side affects. Yesterday I was extremely tired so I went to bed at 3.30 for a couple of hours and last night my scalp was insanely itchy!.

I'm still wearing makeup on a daily basis. I would be lost without it!. Happy with the progress though.

I'll keep posting pics anyway .. find below one this morning with makeup and without makeup..

XX

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Edited by irishlassy, 19 September 2010 - 08:25 AM.

[irishlassy]

Day 8

Well today has been a great day. On a personal level, I've had trouble with my IT band in my left leg for some months. Today I managed to do an hour boot camp session with no pain . WOOP! Over the moon with that - first bit of exercise in a long time.

The only side effect i've had today is dryness of the lips and face. It's starting to get on my nerves a bit but I have to say, there is a great improvement overall in the texture of my face. The cystic area on my chin is no longer inflamed and sore and the red marks are fading really quickly.

I'm conscious that some people are going to look at this log and say that I probably don't need roaccutane but I have to tell you that after 3 years fighting this sudden crap, lying in bed at night crying, looking at my face every minute of every day and pumping my body with antibiotics I had enough. Over the last three years this condition gradually got worse. We all have a limit and although i am a strong personal mentally, this condition has tested me more than any bad relationship (and boy have they tested me). Your self esteem and your confidence is important. It's not about vanity.

Good night all xx

[rocket2010]

You're a beautiful woman and I hope you will see total clearing soon. In just a few short weeks
you will be able to live your life around you, not your skin.

Best of luck to you. Hang in there, the first 2 months are the worst in my humble opinion.

[X3Kell3X]

i totally understand why u wanted to go on accutane. no one should have to deal with that. and if u have tried everything else than accutane is a logical last resort option.

ur eyes are so pretty! big and brown

best of luck with ur course!

and i agree. confidence is important. and although we hate to admit it, skin defiantly effects our moods. well i know it effects mine. im like a depressed loner when my skins awful.

u should see great results!

[irishlassy]

@Rocket - Thank you so much for your kind words of support.

@Kell - Thank you - we will get there eventually

Day 9

Well today was a nightmare with regards to dryness. My lips are seriously dry and I have a terrible habit of licking my lips as a result.. grrr... baby oil with aloe vera seems to work a treat though. Had to come home today to moisturise my skin, it's so tight and annoying ... grrr. Can someone tell me if this eases after the first couple of months? My scalp is very flaked also. I thinking i should probablybuy some T-gel tomorrow or something. Any advice.

Well peeps! Time for bed.. exhausted. I feel a little new cluster of spots coming at the side of my mouth. I'll post a picture tomorrow xx

[irishlassy]

day 10

Time is flying but I still can't drink alcohol until February ... (i'm Irish) I've decided! To celebrate coming off Roaccutane.. I'm going to host a party and organise a snowboarding trip ! How sad, but something to look forward to .

Anyway, today was ok . Surprisingly my skin was less irritated/dry that yesterday. That said, I drank alot of water today (in between a Zumba class and a 3km run). I have started moisturising though as my skin isn't able to do it's job any more so I am using La Roche Posay Rosaliac.

I'm much happier with my acne today. I don't have any new spots but i seem to be noticing a few more bumps under my skin. Not cystic by any means. They look more like little whiteheads about to surface.

My mood today is still great and for anyone that is worried about depression as a side affect , so far so good!.

I have attached a picture without makeup. It's a bit noisy and you can't see much of the redness but I hope you will be able to make a comparison between this one and the others. The only noticeable spot is that fricken laser beam in the middle of my forehead ..

Big shout out to Steve (my non member follower)

Over and out.
Ali
XXX

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[irishlassy]

Day 11

Hey Mr. Blog,

Well it's day 11 already and all is going well. My skin seems to be adjusting and isn't as dry. My lips though are still very dry and very annoying. I'm not sure what i'm going to do on the makeup front tomorrow as even with moisturiser, my skin starts to look very very flakey at around midday. The last thing I want it a face full of flakey makeup. Tomorroo , maybe just mineral based powder!.

With regards to the spots. I don't have anything new to report. My skin is still healing. I ordered some BP 2.5% gel from Amazon and that delivered today but I'm not sure whether i should be using anything like that while i'm on Roaccutane.

My mood is still great. I was extremely tired in work today though. It's not healthy to be so tired! I was fit to fall asleep at 3pm. I still managed to get a manicure and book a trip to London though! Not bad! Off to see Lykke Li! WOOP!

Anyway, it's time for bed here in Ireland. Peace All!

[axtine8]

Hey! Congrats on starting Accutane! It really does do wonders, and don't even let people try to tell you that you shouldn't be on these meds. Almost everyone on these boards knows firsthand how acne messes with self-confidence, social lives, relationships, etc. It's 110% worth it, in my humble opinion.

And by the way... acne doesn't make you any less beautiful.

Take care!
Amy

[irishlassy]

Day 12

Well this morning really felt like "Ground Hog" day. Woke up - covered my face with moisturiser, tried to do something with my really chapped dry lips and went to work.

I called into the chemist at lunchtime and she recommended Aqueous Cream. Unfortunately we can't get Aquaphor here in Ireland (I do see it on amazon though).

I had a quick read about using BP whilst on Roaccutane and although i bought two tubes of it i'm not going to risk it. Apparently the Aqueous cream only contains oil and water so it won't thin out the skin. The last thing I need is to lose any vital nutrients from my skin.

Its funny - my hair seems alot thinner, not sure if that's just paranoia from reading all of the posts about hair loss but hmmm, I won't talk much about this until it's definitely an issue!

I spent the evening playing soccer on a 5 aside pitch and I feel great for it. I'm completely wrecked though. It's the first week I have been back after a three month injury. It's probably not the best time to exercise but it keeps me sane and relaxes me so why not. My mood is great, feeling a little anti-social lately with the dry skin issues but I don't hide the fact that i'm on Roaccutane with my friends. It's good that they know!

Not really much more to report. I was looking at Amy's log today and I noticed in her first week she did alot of sneezing. I've noticed that also Never for one second thought it would be related to Accutane. Could be a coincidence. Who knows

Over and out peeps!

@Amy

Thanks a million for posting. You hit the nail on the head with what you said. Relationship wise i've recently learned that it's better to be single than be with someone that doesn't support you. I'm a happy girl. Off to read your log now