21 replies to this topic

[torbosk]

/*
Hi, i'm Jay, 20 yo, 1m90 and 81kg (6 foot 3, 180 lbs}.
I have moderate acne, but very persistant. Mostly clogged pores, whiteheads all over my face. I have tried a lot of topicals (bp, differin, SA, other shit}.
Two months or so ago i had a bad allergic reaction to some Aloe-product.

I think i may have permanently messed up my skin by using all this stuff.
Its more red than normal and a bit drier. My eyes are dry too. I feared that i had rosacea.

I went to the derm and she said i didnt have it. i have some couperosis (vains close to the skin}. She gave me accutane 30 mg a day for my acne.
*/

I'm afraid of the side effects, especially redness and dry eyes. Where can i find some usefull information to counter this? Do you have some usefull links for accutane users?

Maybe i should take lighter doses? Like 20 mg a day? I have some fish oil and vitamin e. I've read the "general warnings". I'm also thinking about bulking up a bit, gaining a 10 pounds or so during the next two months. Is there any problem with this (for you cholesterol/liver} ?

Out.

[torbosk]

Ok, third day. Havent seen anything special yet. Maybe a bit clearer than normal, but this is probably placebo-effect.

Should i start moisturizing so i wont get dry/flakey/red????

[torbosk]

Ok, day 4 : not much zits, no new ones today. Am i clearing up? Maybe this is just a coincidence. My skin is flaky cause i applied some sulphur creme yesterday. No more of that. I want to get that moisturizer, but my dad says i have to wait till week 6 till he gets it!

[torbosk]

Day 6: My skin is itchy, especially around the mouth. My skin is dry too, and my lips are a bit dryer than normal. The itchyness quite irritating. Had two whiteheads this morning. Overall it looks decent. I'm a bit scared that things will get worse. I'm not really afraid of an initial outbreak.

[stee]

my breakout happened during the first week so it might be the start, good luck with that my face is already horrible to begin with so a breakout is nothing

[torbosk]

my breakout happened during the first week so it might be the start, good luck with that    my face is already horrible to begin with so a breakout is nothing 

Haha, well good luck to ya. I'm not too worried about an "initial breakout" either. I've had acne for 8 years, i'm sure i can handle a couple more weeks. My main concern is the redness/dryness/itching.
That really worries me. Especially the redness. I'm a little red already, and the itching is quite bothersome.

[torbosk]

Day 9: skin is still itchy but its better, cause i've been using moisturizer. Not as flaky anymore too. It is looking red, and i woke up with a lot of whiteheads around my mouth. I just hope the redness goes down.

[torbosk]

Day 14 : i still have some whiteheads around the mouth. But when i touch them slightly some of them break open... I have some redness in my face and skin is a little dry/itchy. Not that bad. My skin is much more fragile/thin i've noticed. I have to stop picking cause it fucks up my skin.

My back acne/ acne on arms and chest has improved a bit already i think...

Up till now i've only taken 10 mg/day. I'm starting now with 20 mg/day.
Golden tip: moisturize!!! It helps so much with the itching/dryness. My lips are a bit dry too, but ok with chapstick.

[Old Zit]

Day 14 : i still have some whiteheads around the mouth. But when i touch them slightly some of them break open... I have some redness in my face and skin is a little dry/itchy. Not that bad. My skin is much more fragile/thin i've noticed. I have to stop picking cause it fucks up my skin.

My back acne/ acne on arms and chest has improved a bit already i think...

Up till now i've only taken 10 mg/day. I'm starting now with 20 mg/day.
Golden tip: moisturize!!! It helps so much with the itching/dryness. My lips are a bit dry too, but ok with chapstick.

HI there

Good luck witht the tane. I am in my fourth week now (starting) and still no signs of reprieve yet..

The old marks before the Accutane are refusing to go away...

Hang in there and hang tough.. we are in this together

Old Zit

[torbosk]

HI there
Good luck witht the tane. I am in my fourth week now (starting) and still no signs of reprieve yet..
The old marks before the Accutane are refusing to go away...
Hang in there and hang tough.. we are in this together
Old Zit

Thx. Takin the accutane itself aint such a burden to me. I just hope that it will work eventually and that there'll be no permanent side-effects.
I spoke to a friend of mine and his acne only stopped after about five months...
Hope it wont take that long . Take care.

[torbosk]

Day 18, slight progress. Less whiteheads. Still some redness. Dryness/itching under control with moisturizer. Still taking 20 mg/day.

This is the moisturizer i use:

ROC PURIF-AC
(SOOTHING REPARATOR}
moisturises-soothes-protect
http://www.pharmaprix.ca/english/beauty/pr...n_care/roc.html

third product

[torbosk]

Day 22 : less and less whiteheads are popping up. Redness is still there. This sucks the most, i think it'll stay there. I've been picking a lot too, but not much serious harm. Healing still seems to be going ok, i just have to moisturize enough.

[torbosk]

Day 34:

Oilyness: 80-90 % gone (compared to before) -> i can see this clearly because when i press some paper on my forehead, no oil comes on it, and before it used to be clear

Acne: 70-80% gone. Still have some small stuff coming up, and some pores which are clogged, but a lot better than before.

Dryness: some, but when i moisturize its ok. My lips get dry really REALLY fast, but when i use chapstick every 1-2 hours its ok. My skin has gotten really thin, so if i pick now, i scrape off layers of skin. A lil bit of itchyness now and then. My skin has become "smooth".

Redness: some, not beet-red, but i can see its more red than normal. This really bothers me. I am so afraid it will be permanent. I dont know what to do about this...

I have been taken 20 mg/day. I'll probably start taking 30 mg/day in a couple of weeks. If you have suggestions/remarks, please let me know. Take care

[guerillabrown]

didn't your derm say to use 30mg. you should have been using that, i suggest start it now. you shouldnt lower your dosage on your own

[smileinyoursleep]

I agree. If your derm gives you a specific dosage you should follow trough with it, they know whats best. 30mg isn't really that high of a dosage at all.

[torbosk]

Hm, i agree with you, i advise everybody to do what their derm says.

Acne 90-95 % gone. I rarely think about my acne any more. That feels good, just waking up and not having to count the zits around my mouth. Side effects are bareable. Still some redness. And dryness of lips, and skin, but not much of a problem. Things are going good.
YAY!
Haha, i'll be glad when all this is over. I used to come here and read EVERYTHING, now i barely come here and i'm not even interested to read threads. Guess this is positive.
Take care guys, don't lose hope. Remember: it's just skin, be proud of the things that truely matter.
(Haha, when i had acne i would probably gotten mad if someone said that, but now i'm clearing up i'm starting to think different too.)

[torbosk]

2 months +/-

Ok, i'm probably 95%-98% clear now.
Still 2-3 zits on my back, face is ok now.

My lips and skin are still dry, but with moisturizer its ok. Not much flaking.
Still have some redness though... I don't really know what to do against this. If anybody has some info/tips against redness, please give...
Cu.

[Solipsist]

hi! thanks for commenting on my thread. for the redness issue, i know that eucerin makes an anti-redness moisturizer that a lot of people swear by. there's a thread somewhere around the forum that contains a couple moisturizers you can use for redness, though i can't remember where i saw it. try looking in the accutane faq at the top of the prescription forum. good luck!

[torbosk]

Still 98 % clear.

Redness maybe went down somewhat.


Thx for replying, i believe the moisturizers you are talking about only "hide" the redness because they have some "green" ingredient in them. Those two cancel each other.
I dont want to walk around with make-up or a "green" layer.
I was looking more for a "cure" against this, but it seems that there is very very little you can do against it.

I guess i'll just have to wait and see. If it disappears when i stop using accutane than i'll be happy, but my biggest fear is it wont...

[torbosk]

3th month completed

Face : clear, body : pretty much clear.
Still on 20 mg, still some redness. But i guess its not THAT bad (havent had any comments on it), and it sure as hell beats having acne.

Were are the days that i spent hours in front of the mirror fucking up my face?? The daily whiteheads, the dreaded red spots, the insecurity when somebody looks you in the eyes...
The constant worrying about "the causes of acne". Trying to change my diet, cold showers, irritating creams and enless cleansing...

Thats all over now. Just some moisturizer and chapstick now. Takes 2 mins. I guess its better now. Its not like my life has been ten times better, but its changed for the good. Its one less thing to worry about. Now i have to get my mind in the right direction and start making some positive changes in other areas as well.

I had a big whitehead today. Right on my forearm. Around a hair follicle. I was kinda surprised actually, it was a long time ago that i actually popped a pimple. Kinda evoked memories. Not so long ago i had stuff like that on my face every damn morning.

Damn, i'm melodramatic ... Better go to bed.
OUT