53 replies to this topic

[FrankieBGirl]

So, we all know one thing. We know acne really is a 4 letter word. It sucks. And Accutane is my last ditch effort to kick the ever-loving shit out of it... This is my life, and my experience with acne and accutane.

[b]Day 1, Baby!

So, Here I am. 22 years old. I've had acne for about a year and a half, but suffered from occasional breakouts since about the age of 11 or 12. It seemed to have gone away for a long time, and suddenly reappeared (and uninvited! Acne is So rude!) just in time for my 21st Birthday. I thought it was attributed to stress and a certain birth control pill. But, here I am at 22 and still with acne. Cystic acne, no less. And let me tell all of you non-cystic acne sufferers.. It is a Bitch. Sometimes they get SO big... Or they will form colonies on my chin like a little pilgrim family (awww, how sweet it is). Whatever way they rear their ugly heads, they suck. I want them gone for good... So, I downed my first Accutane pill at 7:19 pm on Cinco De Mayo! (I think it's a fantastic day to start, dont you?)

I have nothing to really write about as of yet- but I figured I would give yall the lowdown on my journey. I will update regularly (Because I'm a nerd), and I will include things you will probably skip over- but I will put them in my journal because I can. Just about life, and nothingness. You know, like a Seinfeld episode but in a blog-type setting. Sorry, Kramer fans- there will be no fantastic entrances.

Oh yeah.. I wanted to mention one thing. I completely had a meltdown before taking my pill. I seriously felt cold and shakey, and sick to my stomach. After taking it (they go down the hatch pretty easily because they are gel tabs.. How convienient)- I felt ill. Like, I psyched myself out sooo bad. I thought "I'm having trouble breathing. My stomach hurts. My head is going to roll down the hallway..." haha.. It has since stopped, and I'm going to go watch movies with my lovely sister who stayed home on a Friday night to hang out with me and my big Accutane fears. I decided against going out because I thought about my head rolling off, and that is not the latest dance craze in the clubs, ya hear me? So, I will be writing again soon. I hope I have an interesting and entertaining log for anyone who's new or exploring the idea of Accutane. I will try to post pictures but I am vain and the thought of my acne on the interest makes me want to bury my head in a cement hole. We shall see. Oh yeah, and my eyes feel dry. (((plays Garbage.. *I think I'm paranoid!!!!* )))

Later Babies!

[Jen121]

Hey Girly! Wow you arent kidding we have alot in common... you are 22 too! Relax about accutane... its not that bad.. moisturize and slab on lip balm and your fine I was on it 4 years ago and im still alive And look at the bright side.. im a week ahead of you.. so it can give you a heads up of what to expect.. ill be the guinea pig i dont mind haha... Well I just wanted to write in your log and wish you lots of luck

BTW: Random question... but do you have my space? if so, we can be friends
Here is my page>>> http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...iendid=17235715

[hydro341]

hey guys i started accutane about a week ago too. its not too bad other than the fact that my acne is getting worse and im not sure if its going to get better but hey whatever. and im only 17 haha. i can probably be another ginea pig too even though im a guy. but ill let you guys know. until then later.

[FrankieBGirl]

Jen- No I don't have Myspace! I think I might be the only person left on the planet without a myspace.. but I just can't get into it! haha- I laughed at the guinea pig comment. You are sort of my set of headlights in the darkness that is Accutane. LOL Now we are gettin' deep.

Hydro- Hell yes you can be a guinea pig even though you are a guy, lol. I welcome it!! I need all the support I can get, and I'm sure you do, too. I think it's pretty cool that we are all starting around the same time.. It makes you feel a little less alone.

[FrankieBGirl]

DAY 2~

Well, I had an interesting night. After taking my first pill I felt okay. Later on in the night, though- I swore I heard weird noises going on. In the morning I told my mom and she was laughing at me. LOL I swear though, it was weird. I kept my tv on all night because Im a jackass. My dad asked me if I noticed the arm growing out of my head. LOL He's like, "You okay? You know there's an arm growing out of your head? Accutane is strong!" Hardy,HarHar! It made me laugh though- and that definately made me feel better.

Anyway- I took my 2nd pill with dinner tonight... So far, I'm okay. No side effects as of yet- except I have a bit of chest pain right now. I can't decide if it is accutane related, or from my big pizza and garlic rolls dinner.. LOL I assume it's the dinner, but I'm just being extra cautious right now. I also had a slight headache all day long, but it seems better now. Besides that I have felt good. My skin is pretty much the same except the 4 cysts that I had actually popped. That *never* happens.. so it has to be the accutane. I also developed a small cyst on my cheek- but I think it was beginning to form before I started the treatment anyway.

I guess my log will be pretty boring for the next few weeks because nothing really should change until then, I assume. haha, but ya know- i've heard that day to day Accutane changes your skin.

I also wanted to note that on Friday a friend of mine was telling me about this restraunt called Mai Kai, and it has polynesian shows and it's supposed to be so much fun. She said it's absolutely beautiful, and the food is great. You can get all dressed up and make a night of it, basically.. Well, I made a mental note to myself, knowing that I would be starting Accutane that same night- that when I finish this treatment and my skin is clear- that is going to be my celebration, LOL! I hope that my skin starts to clear soon so I can go with some of my friends. It just sounded so fun, and I havent had any fun for a long time because of acne. I want Accutane to work so badly. I miss getting all dressed up and going with car loads of friends to places and just partying til 4 AM. I haven't done that in FOREVER. I hope this clears my skin!

[celebration]

Hi Frankie~Congrats on starting accutane and your new log! You've got lots of great support here. Take care of yourself and it will all work out!
~Tina

[FrankieBGirl]

Tina~ Hey hun, Thanks for the support!! You are such a sweetheart. You know those words are so helpful! It's so nice to hear someone say things will be okay and work out, haha. They will, though! I have to be positive!


DAY 3~

No oil today. Weird, because I've only taken 3 pills so far... But I'm telling you, my skin looked really nice today. It was pretty much what I imagine "Normal" skin to be like. I applied make up, and it looked sort of satiny instead of makeupy. Then, hours upon hours later (I would estimate about 10 hours) I had no oil, and no sliding off. I hope it remains this way forever! However, I would like the zits to clear up forever even more. I don't have anything really bad, but there's a couple on my chin, and a few on my cheek. Nothing new has popped up, but I am living in fear of the initial breakout. Yikes!

I had a bit of a neckache today.. but it wasn't too bad. I used a heating pad and it seemed to have gone away for the most part. I could attribute it to sleeping on the couch the other night because it has really high armrests and I always feel out of wack when I do that. I can't blame accutane for anything concrete, because there's always something else it *could* be. Plus, I never pay this much attention to how I feel, haha! Right now I have myself under a microscope.

Anyway- That's all for now.

[FrankieBGirl]

DAY 4-

Nothing to report, really- Except this weird sensation in my ears.. mostly the right ear. It's kind of like pressure, but not bad at all.. I can tell a difference from normal, but it's nothign that hurts or anything. Im keeping an eye on it and I just hope it goes away! Im scared of tinnitus or hearing loss! I always had earaches as a kid, so I had a bad feeling the accutane might mess with my ears! I hope it doesnt. Im nervous as hell, though- which probably makes it worse!

As for my skin- not much of a change, but I was a bit more oily today than yesterday. I got a couple new small cysts that feel like they might become scary monster zits... But I can just pray they stay little. They are all on my chin area (worst area for me). The cysts I had before starting the tane have dried up, but are still there... they are just dry patches of redness that look fantastically pretty. Dontcha love acne?
After my shower, my whole body felt drier. I had to blow dry my hair and my arms feel like I lifted weights, ugh. I did work overtime today, though- so I bet that didn't help my situation.

*it's a little lonely in this log* haha- Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms!!!! Haha, my sister used to sing that when she was a baby if my parents ignored her. Bustin out the golden oldies!

[CharlesInCharge]

Yay for tane! I hope you don't get a IB! That would be oh so nice!

[FrankieBGirl]

CharChar- Awww yay! THanks for the support! I think it's starting, though- Ive got a couple new friends on my chin. Bah!


DAY 5~

As my thought of the day.. ya know, just something for us to ponder together in this full room of people (ehhem! haha) I wanted to know why people in an office setting... lose their minds the minute they put headphones on. I mean, the purpose of headphones is to listen to music without pissing everyone off around you... but somehow, somewhere- this gets lost on my co-workers in La-La Land- and in the transmission of music to ear... they decide to sing along, Out LOUD. What The HELL! I would rather you blast the hell out of R.E.M's "Losing my Religion" than hear your own f'ed up acapella version. That drives me nuts.. and as life's playful nature graces my presence- It turns out that there's only two of these offenders in my office. But, OF COURSE- they both sit near me.. so I get to bask in the ambiance of their screeching. Woohoo for American Office Idol.


Yeah, so my neckache went away. I didn't really have it at all today- but right now I've got a slight headache again. I still have that weird feeling in my ears, haha!! What...the...fug?? Only me! But, it hasn't gotten worse, and it doesn't affect my hearing as far as I can tell. I might go to see my primary doctor and see if it's an earache.. cuz that is possible. I used to get them ALL the time. It's really, really getting on my nerves though because I haven't really had ANY other side effects and I don't want to stop this medication. I really want to go through the whole course.

Anyway- enough about that mess. My skin is weird. It's dry but still oily..My arms were red today- sort of like if I was hot or sunburned, but I wasn't. It went away halfway through the day. And I got this weird irritated spot by my upper lip. It looked like something stung me, but then it went away it seems. I have NO idea what the hell that was, and I hope it doesn't come back. Oh, and I've got a couple new cysts coming in on my chin which sucks. Is this the Initial breakout?? They feel weird, though- they are definately deeeep cysts. I was hoping that Id get some whiteheads instead of cysts. I know alot of people say that when you have cystic acne before tane, you usually get whiteheads as your initial breakout but I dunno. So far, not the case for me.. But I think I am a freak. My back is ALL broken out, too.. I usually have a few at a time on my back, but whoa... They are all coming out for the goodbye party.

[TennesseeGrl]

Hey girl! I just wanted to tell you that I don't have myspace either! I refuse! All these people ask me to get it and I don't want to No way!

Sorry you are all broken out! I love the idea that you have about them coming out for the goodbye party.. I think that is so cute! Haha!

And the dryness/oiliness simultaneously is totally normal! My skin got extremely oily then started drying out so it really was combination skin at its worst! But you'll start drying out soon, DON'T WORRY!

Hope everything else is going well for you! You have a fantastic attitude so I hope you clear up soon, you deserve it!

[FrankieBGirl]

Tenn- Hey sweetpea! Aww you are so lovely. Thanks for the support and advice! Haha, I know right- I'm like Helllouuuu Where is the dryness!!!! I can't wait to go get stronger moisturizer! Im so glad you don't have myspace either! Yayyyy! I think we are alone on this, though. I just can't seem to get into it... I dunno!
I hope everything is going well for you, too! I'm sure it is, you also have a great attitude! yay!

[Jules70]

Congrats on the tane & good luck to ya!!

[TennesseeGrl]

FBG, you really are the sweetest ever! Awww, I heart you!

And I am so glad you have accutane! It's just such a great feeling! Clear skin, here we come!

Stay sweet!

[beentheredonethat]

I have arrived to stalk Frankie!

Oh, and I've got a couple new cysts coming in on my chin which sucks. Is this the Initial breakout?? They feel weird, though- they are definately deeeep cysts. I was hoping that Id get some whiteheads instead of cysts. I know alot of people say that when you have cystic acne before tane, you usually get whiteheads as your initial breakout but I dunno. So far, not the case for me.. But I think I am a freak. My back is ALL broken out, too.. I usually have a few at a time on my back, but whoa... They are all coming out for the goodbye party.

Ugh, this is always the worst part. I wish i could tell you that my cystic acne magically turned to only pustules, but it'd be a lie. On the other hand, the cysts that make themselves known this early in the treatment should heal much more quickly than normal since your healing response isn't slowed yet. What products are you using?

[koala]

good look mate

i ve started on may 9 and i ve cystic acne too so maybe we will be clear at the same time hehe

feel free to visit my log, im breaking out to on day 3..

FIGHTTTTTTTTTTTT!

[dollyapples]

Good luck Frankie. You'll be loving this medication real soon! I love it and I'm afraid to get off of it really. I'm afraid to say too many nice things about my skin because I really feel I'm a jinx to my own happiness sometimes, but this medication has done wonders for my skin and the gross oil! You'll be loving the matte look your face will have really soon.

Before Accutane---- I would have to apply a moderately heavy foundation, either a liquid with a concealer and pressed powder, or a covering powder with concealer and pressed powder to cover my *flaws.* On top of that, I would look like a greaseball an hour later, and like you said earlier in your post, my make-up would sort of *slide off* because of the oil, so my pimple friends would expose themselves much better.

On Accutane- no more oil! Yay! my skin looks really matte, very nice. My make-up looks really nice and fresh. Plus, I don't have that dirty oily feeling, like I needed to just take off my make-up and feel reborn again. I have no zits, hoping they'll never come back ever again. Everything is great. I don't have flaky skin either. The only dryness I'm experiencing is my lips, and my eyes. I don't like to apply visene everyday, but I've been needing to do that more often now since my eyes seem to be getting more dry.

But all is well. Yay for Accutane/Amnesteem... which ever one you're taking. Your skin is on the road to beautifully clear success! And you'll get your confidence back to be out on thw town, partying with your friends until 4am again.


PS. What's your dosage? Mine is 40mg's of Accutane for 6 months, possibly 7 months.

Good luck!

[FrankieBGirl]

Jules- Thanks!!!

Beenthere- Hey you!! Yayy Im glad you stopped by! Ugh, I know- I was hoping for some easy whiteheads, but so far..no. This one cyst on my chin is so big and it finally popped today but it's still sitting there in it's own red glory. Hooray for Accutane LOL! I am currently using Biotherm face wash (it's a foaming cleanser but it's for dry skin and it is pretty good so far.) along with a few different moisturizers (one is from Biotherm, one is from clinique) and then I am spot treating with neosporin and cortizone. Any suggestions!? I'm open to anything!

Koala- Good luck to you, too! I hope we do get clear soon. That sounds good to me. Haha, I can't believe how soon this stuff starts working. I've noticed that Im alot drier, and the existing spots I had have dried up.. but then I got new ones.. Grr!

Dolly- Hey girl! Thanks for stopping by! I enjoyed reading your post because it was uplifting. I definately can't wait for the matte look. I have had it more and more each day, though. Today my skin didn't get oily at all, but it was sort of like...dry with a little bit of sheen.. I dont know how to explain it. It feels strange, but I dont mind. I just want to have clear skin!! You are lucky to have no flakiness. I've had a little bit so far. What are you using? Yep, I am on 40 mgs too. I should be on it for 6-7 months as well, unless she ups my dosage. My derm said I could go to 120 mgs (which I think is insane because I am only 105 lbs!) But she is liberal. LOL


Alright.. Now- I haven't updated in a few days because nothing interesting happened. Haha But, it is
Day 8~

Dryness!Dryness!Dryness! It is coming my way, my friends. I am sort of dehydrated (like..my skin feels dry and parched) but it's slightly oily at the same time.. without being OILY like shiney. I guess that's normal, I dunno. I Have one insane cyst on my chin that really ruins my mojo. Haha! I got 2 on my cheek near my nose area (they are kind of hidden) and my forehead is kind of bumpy. My back is all broken out still- it sucks.

Side effects, you ask? Well, I have an itchy scalp that I cant tolerate much longer, lol- along with dandruff for the first time in my LIFE! It's not bad- but I've never experienced this, so it's really weird. Thank god my hair is light blonde because you can't see it. I tend to analyze it because I am a part time hairstylist and It's just in my nature, haha.
My lips are dry, but I slop on the balm, baby! yeahhh! SO they aren't too bad. Also, my neckache is still hanging around, but not bad. It was wicked yesterday, but today it's better. My body feels dry, and tired. I'm most annoyed by the itchy scalp! It's driving me crazy, damn it!

[appletime]

Hey Frankie! Good luck with your 'tane journey. We started on the exact same day so I'm gonna check your log out everyday to see if our progress is similar to each others.

M x

[dollyapples]

Hi Frankie,

Don't worry about the scalp itch. It's normal. I had it very bad! It got to the point where it kept me up at night for several days. I scratched my head all night, all day to the point I felt some sort of burning sensation. I also got horrible dandruff, something I've never had before. It was so bad that I actually contemplated going off the medicine because my scalp was horribly itchy. I couldn't imagine going possibly 7 months of having scalp itch hell. But it all subsided shortly after. I'd say within a week. The dandruff lingered around for several weeks but it'll subside as well. Your body is just adjusting to the med. Try not to scratch too much, although I know that's really hard!

Use Head and Shoulders shampoo. That helped me out with the scalp itch as well as the dandruff. it's Ph balanced so you can use it everyday if you'd like. I don't really need it anymore. So, don't worry, everything will be alright! You'll be loving this medicine so soon!