218 replies to this topic

[Gutterflower]

Elle's Cleverly-Titled Accutane Log

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A little bit about me...

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I'm 22-years-old (close to 23), I've had moderate acne since I was 11. During my teenage years, I thought it was just a normal thing, until everybody else's bad skin disappeared and mine decided to haunt me. My acne consists of dozens of papules, pustules and clogged pores, blackheads that have been my unwanted friends since forever and two or three nodules at a time. There is not a clear patch on my face that hasn't been hit with the acne stick. I also have hyperpigmentation that covers most of my face and some deeper scarring that will likely be more visible once I'm clear...

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Sure am lookin' forward to that.

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What I've tried so far.

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Everything.

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No, really. Doxycycline, Spironolactone, Yasmin, Diane 35, every OTC topical, every wash, every toner, cream, magical acne-fighting celebrity-endorsed miracle to come onto the market, all to no avail. Nothing worked. Yeah, yeah... woe is me.

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My dermatologist experience.

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It wasn't scary. He let me speak, I didn't need to plead my case or beg. If you need Accutane, you will get Accutane. If you're thinking about it, all you can do is try. And if there are other options, try them first. If they work, then you don't need Accutane, which is great. If they don't work, then you need Accutane, and you will get it.

I was given my prescription and a care pack by Roche with samples of different cleansers, moisturizers... stuff like that.

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My dosage...

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20mg a day for the first few weeks to see how well I tolerate it, then I'll have my dosage reviewed and see where things go from there. I'm in no hurry to drown myself in a high dosage to start off with.

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I'm also on Yasmin in conjunction with 'Tane. Y'know, to stop the babies and stuff.

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What about iPledge?

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I'm in Australia. We don't do that here. We also get our prescriptions dropped off to our shacks... by kangaroos. Seriously though, we are told not to get pregnant. Thoroughly. I'm sure my dermatologist would personally break my kneecaps if I did.

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In conclusion...

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I don't think I've missed anything here. I really just wanted to make this blog for my own entertainment and tracking purposes. Even though I'm roughly the ten thousandth person to make a log here, I'm happy to answer any questions or respond to banter. I haven't even taken my first pill yet, because it's just after lunch and I'm waiting until dinnertime, but I'll update every few days or when I need to vent, when I think something's wrong or when I generally just get bored and I've got nothing better to do with my life...

[PaulH85]

Ah, cool, that answers my Facebook question. I should have known you would already have stopped by here to share the news!
From what I've read in other logs, seems 20 is the best place to start to try and keep things from going totally crazy.

Like I said earlier, totally behind you and wish you all the luck in the world, and I know everyone else will check in to support along the way. Maybe there will be breakouts and tough moments, but just keep your goal in mind. You deserve it, and I know you can do it.

[Gutterflower]

Of course! It's more for myself than anything, just to keep me grounded. Thank you so much for your support, I really appreciate it. And I imagine I will really need it if this gets hard. It's hard to actually comprehend that it won't necessarily be an easy road, especially since I'm on my first day and I won't see side effects for a while, but I guess that's the idea of the log.

[accushame!]

Hi Elle! Just wanted to drop by and wish you good luck, I also started on 20mg a day and it was smooth sailing Your log is super entertaining, you're a great writer! You'll def have lots of readers

Gutterflower, on 26 September 2011 - 12:34 AM, said:

I'm in Australia. We don't do that here. We also get our prescriptions dropped off to our shacks... by kangaroos.

[sd85]

I am on my first day as well. I am starting at 30mg. Hopefully everything start's clearing up soon!

Edited by sd85, 26 September 2011 - 02:08 PM.

[Gutterflower]

Accushame: Thank you! I hope things stay smooth for me, I'm not hugely looking forward to having my face potentially flake off. I also figure I might as well take a light-hearted approach to it, otherwise I might go insane.

sd85: Good luck! The worst part is being patient, right?!

[Gutterflower]

It has nothing to do with the 'Tane but I seriously hate Yasmin. It makes me feel sick. Stupid birth control! Unfortunately, they all make me feel like this. A necessary evil, I suppose...

[sd85]

Yes, the worst part is definitely being patient. I keep thinking about all the stuff that I have to do between now and the time when I MIGHT be starting to see some results....that just makes me tired.

[tim12]

Good luck Elle! You're a smart gal, so I'm sure you'll be taking care of yourself and whatnot. Don't forget to stock up on tane essentials like lip balm, vasaline, etc. etc.!

[Gutterflower]

Thanks Tim! I'll most definitely take care of myself. I have most of the stuff I need for the 'Tane already, I guess that's the beauty of having terrible skin. I spend so much money on products. I want to buy some Aquaphor but I have no idea if we even have it here... or what our equivalent would be. I'm on a low dosage at the moment anyway so I probably won't have too much trouble until it's increased, but it's always nice to be prepared.

[Gutterflower]

Day 2

Okay, so obviously there's not going to be any difference at all at 20mg after 2 days, but I wanted to post this attractive photo of my skin to give you guys an idea of what it looks like at the moment. I've only got this one because none of the others would fricking come out clearly (it's 10PM here and the lighting's a bit dodge... sorry!) but this is basically what it looks like all over my face, chest and back. I know, I know... sexy. This is straight out of the shower, so it looks kind of dry, but half an hour on and it's already an oil slick.

The more pronounced spots are nodular and they've been there for a long time. There are a few indentations from suckers like those. A lot of my acne is nodular, but not huge, so thankfully I've avoided some deeper scarring, but I've been politely informed by Dr Ooi (best surname ever) that I'll be able to see more of it once the acne is gone and the PIH fades. EXCELLENT!!1



This is what it looks like when it flares up... generally every second week. For no. Frigging. Reason.



Yeah.
That is why I am on Accutane.

[PaulH85]

That second picture always hits home to me, Elle. Saddened me at the time that you went through it. I could just see in your eyes how you felt about it and I know how hopeless it seemed for you at that moment in time. One day soon, that will all be gone.

As silly as it may sound, I've got a good feeling about this, it doesn't seem it's going to be really hard to clear. If a nice, steady start to the course helps to minimise the initial breakout, I wonder if the Accutane will get to work on the current stuff sooner than it otherwise would. Let's just be super positive about it and hope you're spared a harsh initial breakout.

And even if your dermatologist does have what is perhaps the greatest surname ever created, he can't guarantee for sure what will be left at the end so don't worry yourself about that now. Either way, as long as the Accutane stops those cycles and gives back control because you're no longer having to wonder why it breaks out time and again - I've had that for years, mine are like clockwork and I hate it - that's the main thing.

[SavedByGrace1]

Good luck on your journey! Is this your first time on Accutane??

[accushame!]

Hi Elle, I have to agree with Paul on this one, as bad as it may seem right now I think you'll have awesome success with accutane. Your type of acne seems to have the best results, I give it 2 months before you see noticeable improvement! You're gonna do great I just know it

[ahasegawa]

Elle,

I am so glad to see you start up a log! Its so great that someone similiar to me in almost every way has started a log so we can share our journey together! I am not going to lie that I am slightly jealous of you being able to start so soon Darn American rigid guidelines!!!

As far as birth control goes- have you ever thought of getting an IUD? Its just as effective as the pill if not more annnnddddd once you get it you are covered for minimum 5 years! I hated the BC pill as it made me loopy. But the IUD is great!

on 23 days more to go before my 1st accutane pill!!! Yeee!

[faithinhim]

Just wanted to wish you the best of luck on your accutane course!

[Gutterflower]

PaulH85, on 27 September 2011 - 08:09 AM, said:

That second picture always hits home to me, Elle. Saddened me at the time that you went through it. I could just see in your eyes how you felt about it and I know how hopeless it seemed for you at that moment in time. One day soon, that will all be gone.

As silly as it may sound, I've got a good feeling about this, it doesn't seem it's going to be really hard to clear. If a nice, steady start to the course helps to minimise the initial breakout, I wonder if the Accutane will get to work on the current stuff sooner than it otherwise would. Let's just be super positive about it and hope you're spared a harsh initial breakout.

And even if your dermatologist does have what is perhaps the greatest surname ever created, he can't guarantee for sure what will be left at the end so don't worry yourself about that now. Either way, as long as the Accutane stops those cycles and gives back control because you're no longer having to wonder why it breaks out time and again - I've had that for years, mine are like clockwork and I hate it - that's the main thing.

Thank you, Paul! Yeah, it wasn't a great time for me in the second picture, that took so long just to get it back down to a normal level, and the PIH I have from it is still really dark, especially the three big ones on my right cheek.

I guess I can only be patient and hope things turn out well. So far I am fine, I don't feel any different, but I suppose I will need to wait a few days for that.

SavedByGrace1, on 27 September 2011 - 09:16 AM, said:

Good luck on your journey! Is this your first time on Accutane??

Thank you! Yes, this is my first (and hopefully only) time on Accutane.

accushame!, on 27 September 2011 - 11:35 AM, said:

Hi Elle, I have to agree with Paul on this one, as bad as it may seem right now I think you'll have awesome success with accutane. Your type of acne seems to have the best results, I give it 2 months before you see noticeable improvement! You're gonna do great I just know it

Aw thanks! I hope so!

ahasegawa, on 27 September 2011 - 12:43 PM, said:

Elle,

I am so glad to see you start up a log! Its so great that someone similiar to me in almost every way has started a log so we can share our journey together! I am not going to lie that I am slightly jealous of you being able to start so soon Darn American rigid guidelines!!!

As far as birth control goes- have you ever thought of getting an IUD? Its just as effective as the pill if not more annnnddddd once you get it you are covered for minimum 5 years! I hated the BC pill as it made me loopy. But the IUD is great!

on 23 days more to go before my 1st accutane pill!!! Yeee!

It's crazy how lax they are here with it, I was expecting to have to wait ages for mine and I started the day I saw the dermatologist.

I've thought about different methods of birth control but I'm worried about different side effects from each one. I actually really hate taking it and the only time I've taken it in the past is for my acne (which obviously didn't work). I am scared it's going to make me fat too.

Good luck to you when you finally get to start! At least once you've started, that's it, you know? A little bit less than a month and then after your course you won't have to worry about it ever again. That spins me out a little bit...

faithinhim, on 27 September 2011 - 03:55 PM, said:

Just wanted to wish you the best of luck on your accutane course!

Thank you!

[Shannon S]

Hey Elle,

First off, congrats on going on accutane, I've been on it for 3 weeks today, and so far so good. My acne is mostly cysts though, which obviously is the hardest to get rid of. I've noticed some improvement since I've started, but I feel like the blemishes I did have before I started up are LINGERING! Those that have gone away were replaced by red, blotchy, hyperpig..

I hope things go better for you though. I noticed you were on yasmin, how long have you been on it, and side effects? I wanted to go on that bc because of the 'skin benefits' but I was too afraid with all the lawsuits with death and blood clots and all; I'm on OTC Lo...

Xo

Edited by Shannon S, 27 September 2011 - 09:20 PM.

[Gutterflower]

Shannon S, on 27 September 2011 - 09:19 PM, said:

Hey Elle,

First off, congrats on going on accutane, I've been on it for 3 weeks today, and so far so good. My acne is mostly cysts though, which obviously is the hardest to get rid of. I've noticed some improvement since I've started, but I feel like the blemishes I did have before I started up are LINGERING! Those that have gone away were replaced by red, blotchy, hyperpig..

I hope things go better for you though. I noticed you were on yasmin, how long have you been on it, and side effects? I wanted to go on that bc because of the 'skin benefits' but I was too afraid with all the lawsuits with death and blood clots and all; I'm on OTC Lo...

Xo

Hey Shannon! Thank you! I'm glad things are going well for you so far, sorry that you have to deal with the cystic stuff. I don't get huge cystic spots but the some of the ones I do get are quite deep and don't come to a head, so I know the pain of that at the very least. Even though the ones you've got seem to be clinging on for dear life, at least it'll stompinate any new lurkers that come about.

As for the BC, I've been on Yasmin before just for my skin and I didn't like it, but I've been on a few different types of BC and I didn't like any of them. I hate messing with my hormones. Everything just seems to go on the fritz. But I didn't experience any really serious side effects (and obviously I didn't die... ). I experienced a few annoying ones, lowered libido (like I don't have enough problems) and water retention, never regulated my period regardless of how long I was on it. But aside from that, it's not such a big deal. It didn't clear my skin obviously since I'm on Accutane now, but I don't think it made it any worse in the process. I really don't think it's a common thing for people to develop serious side effects. As far as I'm aware, most birth control pills carry the risk of causing blood clots/DVT/what have you.

Bit of a digression, but my spots are so itchy today... I just want to scratch my face. I cut all my fingernails off last night. But I've got some big mean ones that just itch like crazy, and I don't generally have that problem. Aaaaaugh.

[jennifer36]

Good luck with your accutane course! Right after mine I had flawless skin for a few months, and it was amazing! Waiting is definitely the hardest part but at about 2 weeks I saw results. The best advice I can give you is to be super consistent taking the accutane.. I missed one day once about a month into my course and it messed up my skin for like 3 weeks!