343 replies to this topic

[RainyDayAndrea]

So I have never joined a website like this before for anything but I feel a need to share my thoughts and feelings and don't know anyone in a similar situation as myself.

I am 23 years old and have had skin problems since I was very young. Throughout most of highschool until a few years ago my skin was more or less fine except for many barely noticeable but very persistant whiteheads that dominated my chin. Two summers ago I started breaking out insanely on my chin and then my forehead followed along. Since then it has been a constant battle with antibiotics, ointments and about 8 different birth control bills to try and keep the little buggers at bay. Well I'm sick of fighting everyday, waking up in the morning and shedding tears in dread of having to leave the house and face all my flawlessly skinned friends and co-workers. I have never had a friend with acne and nothing makes me feel worse then feeling like I am being judged, stared at and laughed at (mostly in my head I know, but my mind has a ...mind...of its own).

So on february 1st I started my first 40 mg a day accutane prescription.

I was so afraid, I have heard so many horror stories, the only thing I feared more than my acne was more acne. But I held brave and swallowed that first pill with fear.
7 days later I am feeling very emotional, fragile, and doubtful. Everyday over the past 7 days I am getting more and more nasty red pimples. My lips havn't dried out yet (I have been wearing carmex every day for the past couple weeks). My face is starting to dry out, flaking a little bit and I have a dry patch on my cheekbone. Also I had my first nosebleed about 10 minutes ago. My face feels very hot all of the time, my eyes are tired and I am having trouble sleeping, I am also quite thirsty all the time. But the worst is the breaking out part. From the journals I have been reading it seems like most people don't breakout right away. What does that mean for me? I am scared, what if accutane does not work, what if I am worse off than before. Do I still have an even bigger breakout to look forward too? I know, I know, its only been 7 days.

Well I just want to thank all of you out there who have posted your experiences of acne and accutane. I am a very private person and have trouble talking to people when I feel less than joyful. It has helped me so much these past few weeks, reading other peoples experiences and seeing other people who describe exactly how I feel.

I was wondering what people do for moisturizers when their skin (on the face) starts peeling/flaking? Is it better to let your skin dry out completely, or does using lotion help? I am worried that using any type of lotion will make me breakout more and oppose the effects of the accutane?

Andrea <3

[hi everyone]

Hey how you doing...I'm gonna try and answer most of your questions... It is normal for you to breakout this early...trust me, I did too! It sucked! I woke up one day with tons of whiteheads, and one hour later they were gone...while on accutane your going to go through some changes... DO NOT quit on it because IT WILL get better, I PROMISE...! You will have that beautiful 100% clear skin soon! And also when I first started taking accutane I couldn't sleep and for the first 2 weeks my face was always feeling hot and felt like it was pulsing! Do not over wash either; wash once or twice if you have to a day... Apply that carmex on your lips every hour... Most IMPORTANT thing is moisturizing your face...You should definitely be moisturizing ALOT while on accutane... Go out and get a moisturizer...I use oil of olay complete normal skin spf 15....you can use cetaphil moisturizer too, lots of ppl seem to like that! Good luck and hang in there...Anytime your feeling down just think that in the end you will be clear...Also if you ever need to talk just message me or whatever!

[kj1982]

welcome to the site. you will find some very nice people on here and we are all going through the same as you. hi everyone pretty much summed up everything for you. my face was hot and red for the first 8 days and since then i have not felt hot and flushed at all, im hoping this lasts. i broke out on my second day through to day 8. its stopped now and im hoping that its over and ill just clear mainly from here on in.
the worst thing im having is dry skin on my face and arms, but its better than big angry spots isnt it.
hang on in there, dont stop accutane, it wirks for so many people that thought it would not in the first cuople of weeks.
it may be hard now but just think clear skin at the end
good luck and keep us posted

[Happy Days Ahead]

Welcome!

I'll echo what previous posters have said... yes, it's not uncommon to break out right away and it will get better!!!

In my whole life I never had more than a handful of cystic blemishes... when I started on Accutane, the second day I started breaking out with cystic blemishes... big, red, painful ones. Add to that the fact that my cholesterol levels were already elevated in my pre-Accutane blood test and I was terrified the derm was gonna yank me right off the medication and leave me with those monster cystic blemishes! Well, luckily that didn't happen... and the breakouts really subsided toward the end of the second week. It's not unusual to be very thirsty... the Accutane is drying you out (not just your face). Be sure to drink lots of water (some derms recommend Gatorade, I've heard). And good for you on the Carmex so early!!! I did the same thing... and my lips haven't massively chapped up at all. Just a lil bit chapped like I've been outside on a windy day. You'll find lip balm is a very personal thing... everyone has their own favorites, likes and dislikes. Me? I don't like the waxy balms one bit. My faves right now are Neosporin Lip Treatment, Blistex Complete Moisture, Aquaphor and Smith's Rosebud Salve (though the last two have to be applied with your fingers and I find that to be messy). A good moisturizer is Cetaphil lotion which is available all over the place.

Hang in there, it's tough now but you'll find happy days ahead

[yoohoo422]

So I have never joined a website like this before for anything but I feel a need to share my thoughts and feelings and don't know anyone in a similar situation as myself.

I am 23 years old and have had skin problems since I was very young. Throughout most of highschool until a few years ago my skin was more or less fine except for many barely noticeable but very persistant whiteheads that dominated my chin. Two summers ago I started breaking out insanely on my chin and then my forehead followed along. Since then it has been a constant battle with antibiotics, ointments and about 8 different birth control bills to try and keep the little buggers at bay. Well I'm sick of fighting everyday, waking up in the morning and shedding tears in dread of having to leave the house and face all my flawlessly skinned friends and co-workers. I have never had a friend with acne and nothing makes me feel worse then feeling like I am being judged, stared at and laughed at (mostly in my head I know, but my mind has a ...mind...of its own).

So on february 1st I started my first 40 mg a day accutane prescription.

I was so afraid, I have heard so many horror stories, the only thing I feared more than my acne was more acne. But I held brave and swallowed that first pill with fear.
7 days later I am feeling very emotional, fragile, and doubtful. Everyday over the past 7 days I am getting more and more nasty red pimples. My lips havn't dried out yet (I have been wearing carmex every day for the past couple weeks). My face is starting to dry out, flaking a little bit and I have a dry patch on my cheekbone. Also I had my first nosebleed about 10 minutes ago. My face feels very hot all of the time, my eyes are tired and I am having trouble sleeping, I am also quite thirsty all the time. But the worst is the breaking out part. From the journals I have been reading it seems like most people don't breakout right away. What does that mean for me? I am scared, what if accutane does not work, what if I am worse off than before. Do I still have an even bigger breakout to look forward too? I know, I know, its only been 7 days.

Well I just want to thank all of you out there who have posted your experiences of acne and accutane. I am a very private person and have trouble talking to people when I feel less than joyful. It has helped me so much these past few weeks, reading other peoples experiences and seeing other people who describe exactly how I feel.

I was wondering what people do for moisturizers when their skin (on the face) starts peeling/flaking? Is it better to let your skin dry out completely, or does using lotion help? I am worried that using any type of lotion will make me breakout more and oppose the effects of the accutane?

Andrea <3

Hi Andrea,
Good luck on your tane treatment. I couldn't be happier to be given the opportunity to take it. Everyone seems to respond different, so its hard to say if you'll have another big breakout. Hopefully not, but I think they do get less and less for most as the treatment goes.

As far as moisturizer...yes! yes! yes! You need to moisturize. It'll feel weird....us pimple-heads are so used to NOT moisturizing, but otherwise your face will look so gross with flakes and it'll get real itchy. I highly recommend Cetaphil Cream (not lotion). It feels so good on your skin. I'm on month 5 ( ) and I just slather that stuff on at night....feels so good!

In my signature are the other things I'm using! Good luck! If you have any more questions, you can visit my log....I haven't been on here as much lately, but get notification when someone posts on my log!

[betty cherry]

Hey there!

Yes, I also had a major break out almost straight away. In fact, the first day brought me some new whiteheads and I was only on 30mg to start, which is really low! So, don't worry about the breakouts. I said this to someone else and it really helped them - the more you breakout, the better, cos it means all the crap under the surface of your skin is being forced out and the more that comes out, the more likely you are to end up with perfect skin!

It's really tough the first few weeks, but know that you're not alone! Most people on this site have been through it and come out the other side. It makes me so mad that derms tell you most people don't break out. I think they do it so you don't get disheartened, but then when you do break out, you feel like the only one going through it! If they just told you it was going to get worse before it gets better, I swear no one would mind!!!

As for the moisturising, I personally don't moisturise my face much - only when it needs it. If I am just staying in and not seeing anyone, I will just leave my skin alone. If it feels very dry or is flaking, I will moisturise very lightly. But, like everyone else, this is just my opinion based on my experiences of my skin. I think do what feels right for your skin. As for the rest of your body, moisturise it like crazy! it will really need it, believe me.

Best of luck and if you need some encouragement, take a look at my log. I am making real progress and there's a heap of pictures on there to prove I got a breakout!

BettyCherry xxx

[RainyDayAndrea]

Thank you all so much for your replies! I took the advice not to over wash yesterday. I always wash my face in the morning then put on makeup, then wash my face as soon as I get home from work because it is so oily. Then by bedtime my face is oily again so I feel I should wash it (3 times total). Yesterday I resisted the bedtime wash and today was the first day I woke up with no new pimples (since accutane). Coincidence? I think not!

So today is Day # 8 and I am feeling more positive than I have in a long time. No drastic changes from yesterday, a little more dryness, my lips are fine, my nose is dry, my body is itchy, I feel achy, I had trouble sleeping again, extremely thirsty and most importantly though I’m hopeful. Its easy to tell myself that its going to be okay, that I’m not alone, that I am too quick to doubt but it is so much easier to believe when it comes from someone else.

I considered documenting my experience only once a week like “Tuesday’s with Accutane� who I totally agree with it is unhealthy to obsess over something every day. But I am exactly the type of person to constantly fixate on every little detail about many things. Like with weight issues, I am one of those people who cannot avoid weighing myself everyday, I feel like if I don’t I’ll forget and let myself go. Or if I have been eating really well and working out really hard I want positive feedback everyday or I might lose sight of my goal. Just like this diary, I hope it reminds me to take my pill everyday, reminds me everyday that other people are going through happy and hard times and that there might be a wonderful light at the end of this long, cold and dark tunnel.
Thanks again for the advice everyone!
Andrea <3 <3

[SpeakEasy3d]

hey ! im almost done with month 2 now and im seeing vast improvements. all the symptoms you have listed are typical and i had them all too. i use the same body lotion as you and for face lotion i use eucerin regular once in the morning before leaving for school. i also wash once in the morning and then like every other night. i use purpose for that.

well alright...heres the thing - like you pointed out its good not to obsess over something but make sure you dont get caught up in the questions "is this gonna work?" - "am i gonna breakout again?" they will only bring you down. think positive thoughts and even though the first few months are rough, they will be well worth it. dont let doubt enter your mind.

you seem very smart in the sciences (me too !) so if you ever start feeling to stressed just let everything go and do what you like until you regain control of your mind, remember nothing is worth losing your peace and to enjoy your life to the fullest ! clear skin is just down the road...

also, do you have any pictures ? its good to keep track visually how far you are progressing

[K-Mart]

Accutane is the shit.

[RainyDayAndrea]

I agree, I vow to try to be positive from now on. I guess I am negative sometimes becaue if I imagine the worst I can't get too disapointed and then I am extra happy when things go well. Silly huh? Well I see people going through way worse times then me and still manage to stay hopeful. I now figure I should be able to do the same.
Right now I have no pictures, no digital camera, no webcam, no cell phone. Not a word of a lie. I have pictures of myself, like developed ones, but mostly before my skin got bad, or else me with lotsa coverup on. So for now I will have to use my logs to document my progress.
And yes I'm a lover of all things science. I love exploring the mysteries of the universe, well the mysteries of human disease and such. Lately I have been thinking alot about the science behind accutane and acne. I have actually been looking up articles on pubmed about Vitamin E with very discouraging results. If anyone is a stickler for scientic research I found two articles on how topical vitamin E can make scars worse and how oral vitamin E has no effects on accutane side effects. Nothing on oral vitaminE and scarring though. As such I will continue to take my 400mg a day until I find something that tells me not too.
So thanks for the reply, if you ever come across me being a downer in my log, mentally pinch me or something.
Andrea

[RainyDayAndrea]

Accutane Day # 9

Unfortunately for my topic title (and fortunately for me) I have no major frustrations to report today.
Except for the fact that my nose is being very bleedy which is wierd because I have never had problems before with a dry nose so I thought I would escape that side effect.
My face is getting drier, nothing extreme though. I did have to put lotion around and on my nose and on my old and crusting spots.
I currently have 3 large active zits on my forehead that I have not touched but they are slowly coming down, the rest are healing spots and red spots all over my forehead and chin (one on my cheek) which look terrible without makeup but if I wear my hair over my forehead and put makeup carefully on my chin I don't look half bad.
The best thing of all is that I actually had a great sleep last night so I am not wandering around with my eyes half closed.
Another wierd side effect I am having is soreness in my chest and abdomen area, not in my organs, but like on top of my ribs and the muscles (or lack of) in my stomach. Its sorta alarming since I've never felt this kind of discomfort before but it is not painful and I really do not think it is serious.
And most amazing of all is that my lips are still pretty soft, although I think they are slightly irritated from rubbing them with carmex so often, or maybe there getting ready to start drying. Who knows.
Its a gorgeous day outside and only one day till the weekend. What more can a girl ask for?
Andrea<3
Question: Does Anyone think the weather where they are living has a large effect on side effects? I think I'm living in the perfect environment where it just rains all winter so the air is pretty moist and it never goes below zero and is hardly windy so my face doesn't get irritated walking 15 minutes to the lab in the morning. Also the sun never comes out (except for the past couple days) so I don't have to worry too much about sun sensitivity. Whereas where I am originally from the winters are very cold and dry and the summers are unbearably (sp?) hot, both conditions probably very counterproductive for accutane users. Just a thought...

[dangermouse]

Hey Andrea, I'm 2 days behind you (Day 7) and I've had trouble getting to sleep recently too! Normally takes 2 hours or so before I finally nod off, very annoying.

Lips are starting to get dry now (although not ridiculously so) but I can't say that I've had any of that abdominal pain you mention...

[RainyDayAndrea]

Okay, Accutane Day #13
I havn't updated since there has not been many changes since the last time I wrote. My face has started to dry a little bit more around my nose and also my chin, but my forehead looks the same as it did 2 weeks ago, although I have noticed my face is no longer super greasy by the end of the day.

Saturday was a very emotional day for me. I went snowboarding with my boyfriend and his family and I havn't been in 4 years which was my first time and I had broken my arm. So I was pretty scared to say the least, but he's been pressuring me to go for awhile.
I woke up in the morning with a new fat white headed zit on my chin and I refused to pop it. I got out of the shower was dressed and was about to do my hair so it covers my forehead and then was going to put on makeup when my boyfriend (lets call him Bob) tells me we have to leave that instant.
I look disgusting, horrible, and am super frustrated at him but I don't say anything and get my coat on throw some makeup in a bag and we leave. So at that point I am extremely nervous about the day.
I have a girl from works 10 year old snowboard with snap in bindings, her 10 year old snow parashoot/hammer pants, my hair looks bad, I don't have makeup on and its an extremely sunny day so my acne is going to spotlighted on my chin all day. To top it off I am also worried because I know I shouldn't be out in the sun, because my skin is already super sensitive, even without accutane and I will have the wind blowing at my face and irritating my skin so I think the next day I will probably look like a monster. And I can't snowboard.
We get to the hill and I have been holding back (sorta) tears the entire past 3 hours. We finally get the lift tickets, get all geared up and "bob" who promised he would help me out and teach me all day forces me to get on a lift before I've even had a chance to get used to being in this oversized, ancient board.
I almost fall getting on the lift and I am terrified of heights so I am hanging on to the chair for dear life, trying not to look down and my board is so heavy its practically ripping my foot off, then we get to the top and of course I fall coming off the lift and then we realize my snap in binding is not secure so we have to tighten it and then Bob is ready to go, I'm strapped in standing at the top of the hill, tears in my eyes and I look at my hands and they are literally shaking. I was so scared I don't really know why.
I started down the hill and...it wasn't so bad. The day flew by with only one incident where I went into a tree, got stuck, Bob impatiently tried to talk me out of the tree and I started to ball my eyes out. He appologized for being a dick all day and we layed in the snow and that was about it except for I fell when getting off the lift every single time.
I tried not to think about my skin and other people looking at my skin although I could have sworn a group of people were staring at my chin and snickering. I hope they weren't.
So it turns out that my face was fine the next day, actually I feel like I have a healthy glow and I think my skin got dried out just a little bit more, enough to be helpful not harmful. The only really crappy thing is the way my body feels. Anyone would be sore after what I went through, but 2 days later I can barely lift my arms (I fell on them so many times) and the rest of my body screams whenever I move. I expected muscle soreness but not this much, especially since I spent most of the day on my butt. I think I will stay away from hard physical activity until accutane is done. That reminds me I have to call my derm to make an appointment.
I have a really big, deep under the skin cyst on my chin that has only gotten bigger which I am slightly worried about. I hardly ever used to get cysts and when I did they would usually go away pretty quickly if I left them alone. Other than that things are only getting better. Thank you accutane!

[RainyDayAndrea]

Accutane day#15

So I am halfway through my first accutane pack. 9 days until mu next derm appointment and 15 days until I am 1 month through. So how do I feel so far? Pretty good, I can definitely tell that accutane is working, I havn't had more than maybe 3 new pimples in the past week. Thats pretty amazing since I was getting new ones every day prior to accutane and like 4 a day the first week I started accutane. I have notice the texture of my skin is really wierd, like kinda bumpy as if i was sleeping with my face forhead pressed on a blanket...do you know what I mean? Anyway, my pores are also looking strange like all the crap is coming to the surface, draining from my pores but just sitting there waiting to become completely dry so they can hop out. Its really cool how the oilyness in my face has decreased, I love how I can touch my chin at the end of the day and not feel a thick pool of oil, I love that part, but my face still isn't really drying out. I'm finding I can put less makeup on in the morning without feeling really self conscious and having to eat my lunch in the shade of the lunch room with my back towards the window. I am so so so excited for 4 months to be over. I noticed that many prople say they will be on accutane for 5 or 6 months but I am pretty sure m derm said 4 months. I am not sure.
Summary of side effects:
Hair: Dryer than normal, not falling out
Eyes: tired and dry, probably from lack of sleep
Muscles: fully recovered from snowboarding trip and don't seem to have those wierd chest and stomach muscle aches I had last week.
Face skin: Way less oily, skin around nose and on chin drying but rest of face is normal
Body: itchy but no peeling, rashes, flaking. I was my hands a lot though because I work in a lab so they are getting pretty raw and have lots of little scratches.
Lips: still not to dry although I always have to have blistex on or they start to get really dry.
Nose: The worst, it is always bleeding, but I just bought some nose gel yestrerday, thats really gross because it gets all white and crusty and I feel like everyone can see it around my nostrils.

I really want to exfoliate my face because of all my wierd pores but I don't want to irritate my face too much because it is already quite red. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I could use that wont cause a break out and isn't too drying?

Andrea <3

[RainyDayAndrea]

Accutane Day 20

I guess I lost my drive to write every day, or maybe its time I lost. Before I seemed to have too much time on my hands and now I have nothing but rashes on my hands. Ha. And no time.

So things are going all right, I am doing (or was doing) homework, when I felt a new painful but small pimple on my temple. At least its in the hairline so no one should notice it.

I mentioned before that the texture of my skin was getting freaky and I was in dire need of some scrub so I dug out an old bottle of Garnier Pure Gel Scrub and have used it the past two nights with mixed results however I am predicting a not so great outcome so I won't use it again today, but Spectro gel sucks at taking off make up. So youre wondering what happened with the scrub arent you? Well it feels great right after I use it, my pores look clean and my skin squeaky clean but within minutes my skin tightens and itches and this morning my skin was mucho dry, probably due to the salicylic acid in the wash. But no breakouts yet so it is okay. We'll see over the next couple days. I feel like I have reached an accutane plateau, my skin hasn't gotten worse but its not really getting any better. Its like the zits and redness on my face have been frozen in time. I hope I don't look like this forever.

None of my symptoms have really changed since I last wrote except I have some crazy rashes on my hand presumably from wearing latex gloves and washing my hands 10 times a day (for lab safety not because I am crazy, well I am but not about germs), also my back is a wee sorer and lips are slightly more dry.

Thats it...I just wanna be beautiful...please accutane make me a star...or at least give me clear skin.
Okay back to work, still would love to hear exfoliating products that have worked for you
Andrea <3

[RainyDayAndrea]

Accutane Day 21
Holy SH*T I've made it throu gh 3 weeks!!!!

My face has been so red today and I have noticed that I have these red splotches on either side of my chin which is where I normally have my worst acne and where all my little deep white bumps are that I am doubtul will ever go away. Also my lips are getting really dry but I also have not been applying as much lip chap as normal.
So my advice for any one starting or about to start accutane, wear thick gooey, medicated lip chap every single damn day, every moment you think of it and every time it wears off, even when it doesn't feel like you need it, because the moment you stop your lips will start to get dry and irritated and you'll wish you would have listened to me.
I don't know if it works for people on 80mg. I imagine it might be difficult to keep moist despite all efforts in that case.
Anyhoo...My hands are still rashy, but better than yesterday
My legs are achy, but I walked around a lot today and I feel not so peachy. I ate too much junk food. Chips, chocolate, cake. Yucky. My dermatologist never really discussed my cholesterol or anything, all he said was "Are you healthy?". And I said "pretty much" and that was that. So...I wonder...I bet my cholesterol is getting pretty high because I have not been healthy lately. And I had the gushiest nose bleed today. I need to stop blowing (and picking-Ha! Just kidding, gross! or am I?Just kidding). Anyway, I'll try to grow up. I havn't been using the nose gel, its really gross but it works so I'll get back on that.
Man I cannot believe how hot and red my face is. I am never using that garnier pure stuff on my face again.
Oh I also forgot to mention that I have been using lotion on my face in the mornings now (as opposed to never before). Just in case you are interested.
Okay, back to homework.
Andrea ={

[RainyDayAndrea]

Accutane Day # 22

I feel crappy today, unhappy, worried, nervous, apprehensive, frustrated.
My face was doing so well!

Last night I was washing my face, rubbing in that damn spectro gel when I notice a new deep cyst growing on the side of my chin that was looking so clear before, and then I noticed a new pimple forming on my forehead right beside an old one that I was letting heal on its own (I never picked it, but I touched it a lot), and then I noticed bumbs forming around my nose and on my cheek and thats when I realized what I really hate about acne... its not how it makes me look, its not that it makes me feel ugly and like people are staring, its not that sometimes it hurts, it not that it makes me wanna stay home when every one else is going out and having a great time... Its how fricken helpless it makes me feel...you know when you notice new ones forming as soon as they start to grow and there isn't a thing in hell you can do about it. All you can do is stare at them and hate them and want to cry because you know that the next day they are going to be huge and its up to you to decide if you are just gonna let it grow and grow or do you have to pick it to make it look temporarily better so that you don't feel so freaky but you know that you are probably giving your self a permanent scar.
Like I said, it just make me feel so helpless. And the stupid companies sell their stupid products that guarantee to minimize pimples, make them disapear overnight, dry them out and all they do is make it look worse. I just want this shit to be over. Its not bloody fair.
Its such a tease to have things going so well and then go back downhill. I'm sorry for being so negative but I did call this venting frustrations so thats what I am doing.
I feel a little better already.
Maybe its becuase I used that garnier scrub, or maybe its because my period is coming up, or maybe I'm more stressed than usual because of work, maybe its because the sun is hiding behind clouds. Who knows.
Anyway. Hopefully things look better tomorrow
Andrea =(

[RainyDayAndrea]

[color=#FF6600]Accutane Day #23

Well things don't really look better today. I developed another huge whitehead since I wrote my last log. A really really painful one write under my lip that made the whole area feel swoolen (swolen?) Wow that word looks so wierd. Anyway I feel gross today but even though I have 4 new monster zits on my face the rest of my skin is looking nice. So I don't feel I should complain too much. I still have a long way to go. I guess I should be happy that I can tell accutane is working even though it hasn't cured me yet.

My problem is I know this girl who used to have mild acne and all she could do is rave about accutane and how great it was, she had perfect skin after and the only side effect she claimed to have was dry lips. She made it sound so simple and painless.
Why couldn't I be so lucky.
I also know of someones brother who was alergic and broke out in severe rashes all over his body.
Maybe I am luckier than I give myself credit for.

So summary of side effects today are:

FACE SKIN: breaking out for a second time but not nearly as bad as my first break out, getting really dry on chin and around nose area
NOSE: dry inside and bleeding often
EYES: not bad, I wear contacts but I havn't had a problem yet
HANDS: So dry and rashy
BODY: Not dry, started using NIVEA body lotion with vit E and almon extract, very thick but great
MOOD: Cranky, but nearing that time of the month
LIPS: getting really dry, red burning a bit, but not cracked or peeling yet. So far I am finding that CARMEX is very efficient at keeping my lips moister
SORENESS: ankles and knees very sore after a day of walking around alot, back sore from sitting at desk all the time.

Andrea <3

[TennesseeGrl]

hey girl! Just wanted to welcome you to the site as well! I am just a few days ahead of you and I can tell you for sure that you are GOING to clear up! There are some people (Foomph and Lara) who are on this site and have cleared up beautifully after accutane! Check out their pictures and it will help you keep some perspective while on this amaaaaaazing pill! Just keep your chin up. You'll get there soon!

[shunts]

Evening, thought I'd say hello as I'm checking out how everyone is getting on and hoping for some good news to pick up my spirits that have taken a bit of a beating at the hands of the 'tane the last few days. I know exactly what you mean about feeling helpless when you feel new spots forming and about feeling ugly. God, I hate that. And I can't even where make up. Well, I guess I could but it might not suit me. Or maybe I’m just scared that I might like it too much.

Anyway, keep your pecker up and things will be better before you know it. Just need to tell myself the same thing now!