45 replies to this topic

[wshewfelt]

Well I've tried "everything". Yeah I know, everyone says that lol. I started off at age 11 like everyone else with all the over the counter stuff. Facewashes, creams, etc. Then at 14 it got more serious and I started Dan's Regimen. It was very tough, but after a year on the DK Regimen, I eventually got clear skin. After a while though, I just got sick of putting so much cream on my face twice a day, wasting so much of my time doing it, always being flaky from BP, blowing all the money on these temporary cream fixes, and tons of other things. I slowly began stopping the regimen, and breakouts got worse. So I went over to the Diet/Holistic section of the website and I began researching like crazy for months. After that, I became VERY convinced that your lifestyle (sleep, diet, stress, exercise) have everything to do with your acne. In fact, I'm still convinced about that. People like to think that diet has nothing to do with acne...NOT TRUE. But that's another discussion. The problem was I didn't want to have to change my diet and lifestyle. I tried the paleo diet, countless vitamin regimens, liver cleanses, etc. Eventually, I was fed up with that too. That brings me to this year. I decided that I needed accutane and wouldn't be persuaded. I didn't want to change my lifestyle nor did I want to keep lathering harsh creams on my face indefinitely. So I talked to my general practitioner 2 months ago about accutane and she wouldn't even consider it. She wanted me to go on retin-a, tetracycline, and use more BP. She was basically your typical "accutane kills" type doctor that wanted me to try everything under the sun. I was pretty pissed . I knew these creams weren't going to work...and if they did, it was only temporary and it would never make my skin look like I wanted it to. So I basically threw her crap away and told her it wasn't working . She scheduled me for an appointment with a dermatologist and I knew this was my chance to get accutane. So I basically begin scouring the internet for what I should tell a dermatologist to get accutane. I began eating junk food and my breakouts got really bad. That brings me to today. I went into the derm's office with a nice face full of acne everywhere , and along with my statement, it worked out perfectly!

So I'm picking up some generic oral isotretinoin tomorrow and I'm ready to get going on accutane. Wish me luck!
Btw, I'm 145lbs, about 5 foot 9.

Edited by wshewfelt, 07 November 2011 - 09:31 PM.

[whatamihere4]

I think you might just be a little bit psycho making yourself purposely breakout to get a risky treatment you probably didn't even need.

Edited by whatamihere4, 07 November 2011 - 08:28 PM.

[wshewfelt]

Haha psycho. No, not really. Just weighed the pros and cons and made a reasonable decision that's in my best interests. And I definitely need accutane. My acne fits the mold.

[whatamihere4]

Post a pic?

[wshewfelt]

I'll probably post one tomorrow before I take the first pill. But trust me, I'm not that person with five pimples and otherwise flawless skin who wants to go on accutane because their friends did. I've done my homework on this and I'm very confident about my decision.

[ihatemynose]

Congraz on getting accutane haha, It will make a life change for you.
But I should warn you that you're only 16, it is strongly not recommended on taking accutane because your body is still developing. I'm not saying this just to piss you off but taking it at a young age will make you prone to many side effects. I'm not talking about dry skin because who cares right? I'm talking about muscle pain, growth stun, joint pain and back pain and damn. the hair loss.
I just think it might be better if you wait two more years, yeah I was pissed too when my derm told me that at 16 lol. But I am really glad I took it ( almost 19 now ) and I'm 2 month in!

[wshewfelt]

Well I definitely understand where you're coming from. I can wait, but to be honest, the psychological effects acne has already had on me and what it's done to my social life and self-esteem, no way am I gonna wait any longer. The longer I wait, that's just more emotional stress, miserable days, and scars accumulating. But thanks for the concern!

[ihatemynose]

Yeah I get what you mean, the psychological effects are unbearable. Well, you have my support Check out my log for anything you can relate to and if you got questions about accutane, feel free to ask!
When you do take it, you will get a breakout on the first week or second week and it will last for a while.. DO NOT PICK AT YOUR SKIN haha because the goal of accutane is to stop oil production, which makes healing extremely slow. If you pick, if you get scarred~
Good luck dude.

[wshewfelt]

Not picking's gonna be very tough, but I'll take your advice. Thanks bro, I'll check out your log!

[tim12]

Hey wshewfelt! Saw some of your posts, thought I'd stop by your log.

Don't forget to stock up on tane essentials since you're on a higher dose, most people like aquaphor especially for their lips! What kind of acne/skip type do you have? Best of luck buddy!

[wshewfelt]

tim12, on 07 November 2011 - 09:59 PM, said:

Hey wshewfelt! Saw some of your posts, thought I'd stop by your log.

Don't forget to stock up on tane essentials since you're on a higher dose, most people like aquaphor especially for their lips! What kind of acne/skip type do you have? Best of luck buddy!

Thanks man! I've got oily skin with whiteheads, blackheads, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, lots of normal pustules and some cysts. I'll probably get a couple of pics up tomorrow. So yeah, I'm pretty screwed up right now! lol I won't let it get me down though

[Shannon S]

Hey! Good luck with your course, I'm just starting month 3 out of a 6 month (maybe 5) course!

P.s. I noticed your avatar, are track/field, or xc ?

[wshewfelt]

Shannon S, on 09 November 2011 - 12:54 AM, said:

Hey! Good luck with your course, I'm just starting month 3 out of a 6 month (maybe 5) course!

P.s. I noticed your avatar, are track/field, or xc ?

Well I did xc freshman year, then switched to sprinting in track and field for the rest of high school. Good luck to you too!

Edited by wshewfelt, 09 November 2011 - 11:28 PM.

[wshewfelt]

Day 1: Ok so this morning I took my first Claravis 40 mg pill. I'm only taking 1 a day. Obviously no side effects. My back is always kinda sore thanks to deadlifts and my lips are usually kinda dry so I wasn't concerned. I've read about how isotretinoin is absorbed much better when taken with a high fat meal and all I really have in the morning is a bowl of cereal, so I bought some fish oil and vitamin e capsules and decided to take those along with the claravis to hopefully improve absorption. Lol so as I took my "before" pics, I was actually a little surprised. I had no idea my face looked that bad haha. I'm not to worried about the IB. If it happens, big deal. It's just more acne, it'll go away. Very much looking forward to results eventually though.

if you'd like a good laugh...my before pictures
http://i1180.photobu...pg?t=1320903296
http://i1180.photobu...pg?t=1320903281
http://i1180.photobu...pg?t=1320903262

lots of gross whiteheads, some hard lumps you can't really see, oiliness, and some hyperpigmentation. I can only imagine what my "after" pictures are gonna look like

Edited by wshewfelt, 09 November 2011 - 11:59 PM.

[Shannon S]

Your skin is usually the type that responds very well to accutane, because it's mostly superficial blemishes. I think you're going to have great success.

I asked about running, cause I've been running since I was 14, now i'm 22 and still running. I just ran my first marathon last year actually!

[wshewfelt]

Congrats on your first marathon! Which was it? I've always thought about running the Boston Marathon as a bucket list kinda thing, but I'm in no type of shape right now to do any distance. I'm in good sprinting/explosive shape, very bad endurance shape.

[Shannon S]

wshewfelt, on 10 November 2011 - 12:15 AM, said:

Congrats on your first marathon! Which was it? I've always thought about running the Boston Marathon as a bucket list kinda thing, but I'm in no type of shape right now to do any distance. I'm in good sprinting/explosive shape, very bad endurance shape.

Lol, yeah, it's definitely not an easy feat and takes a lot of endurance, like you said.. And it was last year NYC marathon. You should definitely try one out if you really have the desire to, it's an incredible experience. It might however hurt your short track training, but it's worth it in my opinion!

[TheBigLebowski]

Good Luck my dude! I just finished my frist month at 80mg and am doing pretty well. The worst thing I experienced was a dry itchy scalp that lasted for 10 days. Just watch your side effects and you'll be good! The only regret I have is not starting treatment sooner .

[wshewfelt]

TheBigLebowski, on 10 November 2011 - 01:25 PM, said:

Good Luck my dude! I just finished my frist month at 80mg and am doing pretty well. The worst thing I experienced was a dry itchy scalp that lasted for 10 days. Just watch your side effects and you'll be good! The only regret I have is not starting treatment sooner .

Thanks bro, I haven't noticed anything yet, but I'm definitely staying alert. I'm hoping it doesn't affect my strength, apparently one side effect is sore muscles...

[wshewfelt]

Day 2: No side effects, just oily/itchy feeling skin. Thinking about using emu oil to help with my red marks. Any thoughts on that?

Edited by wshewfelt, 11 November 2011 - 12:32 AM.