24 replies to this topic

[Kat001]

May I just say, the person who sent you that message on facebook is the UGLY one, NOT YOU. There is something wrong with a person who has to be so mean because WHY? Just because they can?

Don't pay no mind to them. What you are doing takes courage and yes I know how you feel about your skin. I'm on round 4 accutane at the moment at the age of 32.... best of luck with it all, I hope this is the end of acne for you xox

[carmela584]

Kat001, on 21 January 2012 - 12:44 AM, said:

May I just say, the person who sent you that message on facebook is the UGLY one, NOT YOU. There is something wrong with a person who has to be so mean because WHY? Just because they can?

Don't pay no mind to them. What you are doing takes courage and yes I know how you feel about your skin. I'm on round 4 accutane at the moment at the age of 32.... best of luck with it all, I hope this is the end of acne for you xox

Thanks it just makes me wonder ... is that what most people think when they see me? Is that all they see is my acne? It just sucks how it get in your head "/ ROUND 4 ... WOW I hope this is your final time having to go through this and Good Luck!! Did it ever completely clear you and how long were you clear in between rounds?

DAY 23 -- so only a week left and I will have finished my 1st Month (30 days) !! Yesterday I was gone to a family members house a couple hourse away and left my lip balm ...AHHHHH ... going all day without it yesterday means today my poor lips are cracked and have skin just peeling off them OUCH and YUCK!! My face is FINALLY starting to get where it's not till the end of the day it feels oily, it weird, it's flaky and dry looking but to the touch it's not dry or rough feelnig ...IDK!! Still no headaches BUT my sciatic nerve has been bothering me the past 2-3 days, it hasnt bothered me since right before I got pregnant and during my pregnancy. Quick history lesson I have a degenrative disc in my lower back, the one between my L4 and L5; I also have a fracture on my L5. I was supposed to have back surgery to replace the disc and cement the fracture but 2 weeks before it I found out I was pregnant so it got put off. The doctor said I would need to have it around my son's 1st bithday since I would have have healed completely from childbirth and got my body and immunity all back in check ... well there is NO WAY I can be in a hospital bed for 4-6 days and then on bedrest with an active 16 month old!! So I'm thinking that my previous back problems are acting up again but I guess it could be the accutane ... IDK

Edited by carmela584, 26 January 2012 - 02:03 AM.

[PaulH85]

carmela584, on 21 January 2012 - 12:21 AM, said:

UGH ... decided to spill my shame and guilt so maybe I won't do it tomorrow!! After seeing these pictures I went to the minor and detroyed my face with picking/popping I hate that I do it, and while I'm doining it I'm telling myself I should stop but I just can't seem to!! Anyone elses compulsive about it, or am I alone?! Logically I know it only makes every bump 100x worse and then leaves an ugly red mark and scar which takes even longer to go away but the not so smart part of me is thinking that I just need to make it go away now {sigh} maybe I need hypnosis to make me stop...

Don't be so harsh on yourself and make sure to be kinder to you skin, too. Even if you're not happy with your complexion right now, the fact is that you're taking positive steps to fix things so give yourself credit for that.

Your skin will most likely become more sensitive and fragile on Accutane so picking and popping pimples will do twice as much damage. The best thing you can do is take care of your skin, be gentle with it and make the Accutane journey as comfortable as possible. I'm sure I don't need to remind you of that, but do try your best to avoid picking your skin and popping pimples if you can.

In terms of practical steps to avoid it, I'd suggest only using mirrors when necessary and stand arms length away so that you're not up-close and analysing everything.
I've always found that any degree of anxiety, nervousness or negative feelings I had towards myself caused me to head straight for the mirror. I'm not sure why, it's like there's some sort of release in doing so and perhaps it gives a false sense of control.
I've done it today actually. I want my skin to look as good as possible by Saturday as I have a date and, even though it was fine before, I've been looking in the mirror and checking it more these last few days. I woke up this morning to find a small pimple forming on my nose. Of course, the first thought to mind was, 'Oh no, I need to "fix" that by Saturday!' and now it's a red bump that's twice the size it was beforehand. I've come a long way with not picking and so on, or at least avoiding it as much as possible, but evidently I do still stumble at (the worst possible) times...
I guess what I'm getting around to is that if you can preempt those situations when you might be feeling one way or another which causes you to head for the mirror, see if you can handle those situations differently or perhaps even step out of those negative feelings completely and turn your attention to something else. If that reduces the number of times you feel tempted to pick, your skin is free to heal and it also reduces the potential for it to break out.

[carmela584]

DAY 36 --- Okay Y’all I’m apologizing J I know it’s been a crazy long time since I’ve updated but my life has been crazy … school has me busy busy busy, my son has me even busier L0L and I have now split from his father as it is what was best for myself and my son!! I thought with all this going on and the IB I thought my face would look be the worst EVER but that’s not so much the case … because I found a wonderful gadget …AHH it’s so amazing J so I’m going to share it with y’all!! It’s called the Clearisonic Facial Brush … it has been the most amazing thing with being on Accutane, the day I got it (almost 2 weeks ago) my face was flaking and peeling while my lips had scabs from all the dryness and cracking. Within 3 days of using it I had no flaking or peeling and my lips weren’t dry and the scabs were healings, on top of that, my red marks/HP are slightly light and I’ve only had 2 new bumps in 9 days!! My dermatologist said that it is gentle enough to use while on Accutane and would be great for use after as well. It is kind of pricey, I got mine at Macy’s and it was $110 American dollars … but for me it’s been worth it!!

Well I’m doing good so far (for the most part) I’ve not had headaches, vision problems, stomach cramps, backaches or anything else BUT apparently it is affecting me in ways I can’t feel L my blood work wasn’t too good, my triglycerides were high, really high, like 697 high!! So my doctor wants me to go down to 50mg a day instead of the 80mg a day … I’m sad bc I’ve been doing so good on it, and I’m scared bc I don’t want to have to stop but of course my health is most important!!

[carmela584]

left side, right side, forehead