182 replies to this topic

[phil_b]

YEEAAY

errr i think the lips get better. It was nearly 3 years ago now but i seem to remember mine getting real bad the first couple of weeks but then they seemed to 'adapt' quite a bit. Or i just perfected my maintanence techniques more or summat...
Thing is with yer lips, i found after about 20 mins i had always licked off the balm, never found anything that soaks in and keeps em hydrated very long.

[punkrockprincess]

hey katie, best of luck with the tane! ive been following your journal cause my acne's sorta like yours, a lil worse probably, and im likely gonna be going on accutane in the near future, i cant wait! problem is im getting over mono so my doctor wanted me to wait a bit before making a decision..plus my mother is sooo paranoid about this stuff, but im doing everything i possibly can to make sure i get on it by mid september! two years with mild-moderate acne is ENOUGH for me, lol, ive tried a crapload of things just like u, and now i want out! so yup, ive done all my research, read a whole bunch of other journals, been talking to some drs, as well as the acne clinic that i go to (i dont go to a derm, i sorta hate those guys, only one i went to sent me away with a script for tetracycline and some differin..yea thanx! that one did absolutely nothin!) but yea, your journal so far is awesome, you have such a great attitude about this stuff, and its nice to be able to follow along w/ you as you begin your course. oh, i also have a question for you, if you dont mind answering: what kinds of tests did you have to take before going on the tane, and how long till you actually got started on your course? the reason i ask is because my mom refuses to give me a definite answer for another two weeks or so, cause my doctor advised us "not to make a decision because youre still coming off mono, blah blah wait a few more weeks till your body fully recovers"..but of course, I wanna get on the tane as quick as i can, lol, so i wanted to know how many pregnancy tests and how many bloodtests you have to take before you can get a prescription and have it filled. as a side note, ive been on orthotricyclen OC for a year now (supposed to help my face, did nothing) so i dont know if that makes a difference. thanx a mil, and take care!

[afizzle702]

people still drink while on accutane wtf?!?! i thought it was lethal or somethin, my doctor made it seem that way heh.. waste of 5-6 months with no alcohol

[Number1nerd]

[Number1nerd]

DAY 7 : *official week one!* Time is just flying by! So... here's the scoop - lips are very dry, and i'm starting to feel it now... and unfortunately, I have this nasty little habit of licking and nibbling dry or flaky lips, and that is just irritating them even more. Shoo.

The blemish on my chin is healing, and it's still pretty small. I got one on the left side of my cheek today - its nice and RED too. Baaah. Not a huge one though, so it's not too bad. OH and I think i'm sproutin' one on the corner of my NOSE! Whoaaa, haven't gotten one there in years! Again, it's an uber-small one... Just weird.

HEY! As i'm sitting here writing this, I see out of the corner of my eye a commercial on tv for this thing called "Vichy skin cream" or something by Normaderm - what caught my attention was this gorgeous model... WITHOUT makeup, and she had ZITS and splotchy skin! It wasn't bad, but it was still SO NICE to see someone with REAL skin on tv! The cream said it was for acne prone skin and stuff (and then it proceded to show the model with beautiful skin). What I liked about the commercial is that it wasn't like a proactive commercial or anything - it looked like something for L'OREAL or Almay! Haha, raise your hands for seeing more models with zits!

Peace!
- kt

[Paul86]

Hey Katie, I think you have beautiful eyes!

Good luck with your treatment. I know that acne of any severity can really hurt your self esteem.

[punkrockprincess]

Hey hey Katie! thanx for your quick reply to my question, it helped out a lot, wow what a process! sucks about your dr. not signing your packet..not cool! but yea, thanx again, and i hope everythings going well for you with the tane!

[adamm53]

Katie don't worry, if u start to get bad side effects just come off of it. IF you do not then go through with it and say good bye to acne. And yes you are pretty and you do have nice eyes. But what most ppl missed was that u do lots of Pilates, this means u got the whole package. I bet when u walk down the street your a real head turner

[cynic]

Hmm. I'd hit it.

[Number1nerd]

Hahah you guys are too much... lmfao i'm crackin' up over here! Thanks for all the compliments, gentlemen - you guys are awesome

[Number1nerd]

DAY 9 : I was gone for the weekend to visit my college (move-in day Sept 30th!), so i didn't really get a chance to take any pictures of week one...

Ok, thats a huge lie. I actually DID take pictures, but, uh, I was really tired when I took them, and... and I look like poop. So I refuse to post them... But chances are I'll change my mind tomorrow.

Anyways, skin is still normal. No new breakouts, old zits going away, blah blah. Got a lot of compliments on my skin this weekend... uh, all from my mom. LOL but it's still good, cuz she is the most critical of my skin. I think it's because of this *new* makeup I bought from Almay! Its a tinted moisturizer/bronzer with shimmer in it, and it just gives you that GLOW. It also hides imperfections while being lightweight like a moisturizer (wait... it is a moisturizer)! I LOOOOVEEEE it, and it even has SPF 15! Alright i'll stop advertising now...

Lips are doing a ton better, mainly because I got the system down pat. I bought this new clinique "superbalm" tinted gloss, and it's amazing. If you're a chick, I highly reccomend it! It's glossy and tinted, but it's a super awesome lip conditioner. I've found that just using my regular regimine of applying lip gloss all the time (no matter what kind) has just kept my lips soft.

I've also screwed what the doctor has forbidden me to do. I've been using Klaron lotion morning and night, along with Neutrogena Acne Wash cleanser. My skin is perfectly fine too, and just to be on the safe side I try and wash with Cetaphil in the mornings and midday. LOVELY!

So... that's about it. For now.
- kt

[somehopeleft]

I think you might be using too much stuff on your face. It's going to get more and more irritated the more products you use as time goes by.

[Number1nerd]

DAY 11 : Well... nothing new to report. I have a few little pimples here and there, but no huge breakouts or anything. It seems the zits go away very fast - not sure if it's always been like that (i can't really remember) or it is the accutane making them heal faster.

Lips are annoying, but definitely bearable. I'll get moments here and there where I start to nibble on my lips to try and tear little pieces off (ew... thats sounds a hell of a lot worse than it is!) - but I usually stop myself and apply some gloss. Not too dry yet - my clinique and burts bees are doing me well!

Everything else is just peachy! I hardly feel like i'm on a medication at all - and its really nice to not have dry patches on my face like I used to from spot-treating with tazorac. My skin isn't as oily as before, so that's good... but it still gets oily to a certain extent. I guess it's a good kind of oil.

I haven't been drinking a lot at ALL for the past few weeks, but that is mostly due to the fact that all my buds are away at college (and i'm stuck here until Sept 30th!) There are a few weekends where I went to visit them and i've drank, or i'll have a beer or glass of wine with dinner, but... well, that isn't that much, right?

Ta ta!
- kt

[Number1nerd]

DAY 11 : Same. Nothing new - lips are basically fine, just need to apply a little more gloss than usual (pre-accutane). Face isn't dry - still using klaron lotion morning and night, and switching cleansers depending on my mood Neutrogena if i'm feeling oily and gross, cetaphil when I have no makeup and I don't have a lot of zits, and then every few days I exfoliate with "St. Ive's Apricot Scrub for sensitive skin". My skin is softer than it's ever been

Bad news though - a new pimp popped up today on the left side of my mouth, a little bit on my chin. Poo. It's not too bad though - fairly small but... but it'll spring a nasty little whitehead by tonight, guaranteed. There is also one inbetween my eyebrows that is very small but it's still there. The ones on my left cheek are going away quickly, so thats good! Other than those little ones... everything is clear besides red marks!

Drank a bit last night at my brothers... I'd say about 3 cans o' beer. Uh, that isn't too bad, right? Oh well.

Until next time...
- kt

[Bond_007]

All good. Looks like you wont be getting an initial breakout also.

[Number1nerd]

Owww. My back has been hurting a TON when I lay down - and this not only includes sleeping, but when I do my pilates exersizes. It's almost getting to the point where i'm not enjoying myself because all i'm focusing on is the back pain! It only happens directly after i'm sitting then going right into a laying position - and it only lasts for a few seconds... But it's enough to be throwing me off-track. Baaaah! Well, hopefully it will get better as the days go on. If not, the next derm appointment i'm going to talk to her about it.

Anyone else have back pain like that? And did it go away after treatment?
- kt

[Johnjoz]

ya my back KILLED FIRST 4 WEEKS well it started 2nd week and went on to 4th week. Like i couldnt bend over or when i layed down there were these 5 seconds of the worse pain my back ever felt. Its all good now i dont feel shit


my acne is exactly likes urs btw

[Clowey]

hey katie.... From the many upon many accutane journals that i've read, brief back pain when first laying down is a hugely common side effect. I've only just started accutane a few days ago, so I haven't personally experienced it yet (and hopefully i won't at all). but it seems that most people do recieve this side effect and, from what i've read, all those people stopped experiencing often during the treatment and, if not, then directly after it was over.

[phil_b]

i still get that actually, ive been off the stuff for 2.5 years. but its usually after ive been at my comp for ages as my chair is the worst ever.

[jjjjjj]

I'm pretty much on the same day as you Katie and I'm getting excrutiating pains in my back when I lay down and when I try straighten back up after being bent over. It's like a cramp feeling for a second or two then the pain comes along. I find it quite annoying.