5 replies to this topic

[mbsimmer17]

So usually I'd be happy to say that, "Hey! I took my last accutane pill yesterday!" but seeing as how I've had to return to this pill about five times for different cycles, I'm only nervous. First of all, the benefits of accutane are legit.

1) Not gonna lie, I don't have to wash my hair as often. Never gets oily so wooo, that's a plus.
2) Washing your face is the most relaxed thing ever. Cetaphil, day n' nite, all I gotta do, with some Cetaphil moisturizer in the morning.
3) I can seem like one of those people who has just been blessed with good skin, aka majority of my friends.

Now there are the negative aspects of accutane.

1) Fairly sure I've become hairier. This could just be random with growing up (?), but I really doubt it because I thought I was almost done puberty completely (17 years old).
2) You know, it does tamper with your hormones a bit. My period after accutane gets so sporadic and I have to wait for so long before it becomes regular again.
3) No waxing!

What have you all done, after accutane, to keep your skin from going crazy again? Because after accutane, I pretty much stick to cetaphil for dry skin, and moisturizer in the morning, but is that enough once my skin gets back to a somewhat oily pattern? I don't think it is.

Love to know everyone's experiences, with accutane during, and then after, and how their regimen changed.

[alexisc]

I have taken Accutane about 5 times as well. Maybe more from low dose trials. I agree with all of your pro's and con's, all of those things did happen to me too.
What you should try after Accutane (if your acne is coming back) is diet modifications. I was supposed to start another course of Accutane after this one had worn off over the past year and a half. I developed severe migraines and vertigo and when I took my first Accutane pill I knew I wasn't going to be able to take it anymore, it made things so much worse for me! With migraines you are supposed to start an elimination diet to see if it will help them. To my astonishment my skin started clearing up! Now I am clear as long as I avoid specific foods and it is also helping my migraines. I would have been the last person to believe that diet really played a big role because I had tried before with no results. I wasn't eliminating the right things though.

What I avoid is in my signature, I am going to be seeing a naturopath soon to find out if these are: allergy related, candida related or leaky gut related. If I'm not allergic I should be able to take supplements to strengthen my digestive health and then be able to eat these foods again. Just wanted to share my story because for the past 10 years I thought Accutane was my only answer. I still have to deal with oily hair and skin, but it is a small price to pay for having clear skin on my own.

[mbsimmer17]

Oh, wow. Looking at what you say to avoid in your diet, sugar, wheat, meat, caffeine, alcohol, and most dairy... that turns out to be the majority OF my diet. Hm. Do you know if all of that is actually linked to acne? Or is just for you?

Guess I'll be loadin' up on the veggies after accutane then. Probably better in the long run anyhow.

[jennifer36]

I find everything that alexisc listed causes me acne too! In addition I avoid high sodium foods, processed foods, all dairy, eggs, citrus and peanuts. I'm not sure if meat causes me acne though it's something I've avoided for a while before I started my whole acne diet, as I'm an ethical vegetarian. All of those other foods/groups definitely cause me acne though. I eliminated them and started introducing them one at a time, discovering that they all break me out. Citrus actually is new, I had a citrus binge on some delicious mandarin oranges a few weeks ago and broke out pretty badly.

You should check out the nutrition and holistic health section of the message boards, a lot of the users on this site have found that acne is triggered by certain foods. What alexisc and I listed are all very common triggers.

[alexisc]

I think a good way to start is to avoid it all at first when/if the acne starts coming back. Get to the point where you are clear, and then start adding things back in like Jennifer36 did. If something is going to make me break out it usually happens the next day, or the day after so I can pinpoint it pretty well. If I had to pick the worst things in that list it would be bread, alcohol, caffiene and sugar. That's just for me though. What breaks you out could be different, but these are the most common things among many people. Another thing that has really helped me is taking natural fibre either in supplements or powder everyday. Digestive health is the key to clear skin for many people. I'm a vegetarian as well so I can't say meat will have any adverse effects. I do eat eggs, cheese and nuts no problem, but for some people these foods really make them break out.

Jennifer36 - I have been following your log for a little bit but never commented. You have made such good progress, you look great! Glad you found your answer in diet modifications as well.

[mbsimmer17]

Do any of you know how long it takes accutane to be completely out of your system? I've heard varying answers.

To be honest, I have way too much milk anyhow. And just dairy in general. I've been reading some fascinating articles on milk and their correlation (not scientifically linked yet though) to acne. Absolutely staggering, you guys should check it out. http://acne.about.co...milkandacne.htm

It's all about how milk contains androgen hormones, which can "

through a complicated chain reaction, creates di-hydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT stimulates the

sebaceous glands

, creating an oilier skin that is more prone to pore blockages and, ultimately, pimples. Milk naturally is filled with hormones, including DHT. It's possible that milk contains enough hormones to have an effect on the body, including the skin. People who are genetically predisposed to acne breakouts may have a stronger reaction to the hormones in milk, according to some researchers."

Really cool to me. I wonder if it will limit my post-accutane breakouts which usually happen much later. Not only that, I wonder if having so much milk is related, if only by a small amount, to my hair growth? Haha can't believe I'm writing that. I'm much more hairy than my friends, although genetically my dad was quite hairy, so I'm going to see if it is in someway linked, perhaps only minutely.

Edited by mbsimmer17, 16 January 2012 - 11:00 PM.