Summer when in college sucks, but not this one!

A brief history. I started getting acne when I was 12, and at that time it was pretty mild. It ranged from mild to moderate throughout high school, but at that time I used differin. It dried my skin out, but it also cleared my acne for the most part. Eventually it stopped working and instead of going to the derm, I went a few years using every over the counter product and every home remedy. Nothing cleared my acne completely, and only lasted so long.

So I started going to the derm again, and they put me on differin .1 and minocycline. It seemed the differin was doing nothing this time around. I didnt dry out, didnt get red, and my acne was still there. So they changed me to .3 and solodyn. Same thing. While my acne was improved, I was still getting a couple cysts a month and sometimes the size if marbles. Not to mention my face was extremely oily, it made it look worse.

Im 24 now, and enough is enough. I look at my friends and see clear faces. No oil, no pimples, and at their worst, maybe 1 or 2 small dots. I talked to my derm about accutane, and she agreed I was a candidate, but she wasnt registered to prescribe accutane. The lead derm would have to do that, and I wouldnt be able to see him until September. So with the advice from some members here, I checked out some other local dermatologists, and got in less than a week later.


My Regime. I weigh 170 pounds, and plan on taking 60mgs for 5 months. I would like to do a 6th month, but we will see when that time comes. I started June 3rd, so its been 2 full weeks now.

My effects. I was actually the clearest Ive been in a while the day I started, and stayed clear for the first 2-3 days. For a week after that I broke out in a few large cysts and my oil was practically dripping off. The past few days have been good again. I hope I continue to improve. I have minimal oil, and I dont have to blot my skin every hour. Maybe every 5-6 hours. I have dry lips, but no dry skin. Im really happy about that. I have felt really tired, and sleep for at least 7-8 hours a night, and feel like I could take a nap during the day. I have some slight joint pain, but that might be from work.

Today I got hit in the nose at work. It swelled up for a couple hours, and left a scrape. The hit gave my first nose bleed, but it may have been just because of the hit. That led me to create this blog. I would like to chronicle the healing process on that, as well as my skin.

Ill try and do daily updates, but will only do pictures maybe once every week or two. It would be pointless to do pics every day.

Personal. Im 24. I play guitar and enjoy sports. Jesus is my hero, and I try to live by his word. Im a bit shy probably because of the acne I had, but I get a little crazy after I get warmed up to you. I am in college for accounting, and wish I could stay here forever. Summer work sucks, and I love being in school. I hope to go back with clear skin this september. I should be going into my 4th month by then.



And some pictures. You can see the scrape on my nose in this one. Im not touching it, so I dont know if it hurts yet. I also have a cyst on my forehead from the week of breakouts. My jaw line and lower cheeks are awesome. My upper cheeks, around my mouth, and chin are my problem areas. Pimples are sprouting and disappearing daily in those areas. I look tired and feel tired in these pictures. You can also see the red tint in my skin.
Picture One
Picture Two
Picture Three

Minocycline Side Effect?

For the past 4 months, I have been using either minocycline or solodyn (another form of minocycline). A month and a half ago, I starting getting a tingling sensation in my upper cheek. It felt almost as if it was swollen, but it wasnt. I thought maybe it was the medication, so I stopped using it last week. The tingling feeling went away, and I only get a few moments of tingling now. Has anyone else experienced this?

How hard is it to get on accutane?

I have had mild to moderate acne since I was 12 or 13. I am now 24. I have used retin-a, differin, minocycline, and every over the counter medication there is. I am currently on Differin .3 and 100mg of minocycline twice a day. It has helped, but I am still getting random cysts and breakouts. My skin has always been extremely oily. I could wash my face, and within an hour, there are dots of oil coming out of my pores on certain parts of my face. I currently have 1 cyst, one cyst that is fading away, and one cyst that is forming. Along with maybe 6-7 small pimples. It doesnt look bad at all, but the current cyst is painful. I am beginning to think that accutane is my only option. Before I went on differin and minocycline, my doctor mentioned accutane, but claimed I would have to go through some tests. I just had a blood test 2 weeks ago because of the minocycline, and everything turned out fine. If I go to the dermatologist, how hard would it be to get on accutane? What kind of hoops do I have to jump through? And do you think I would eligible?

Hello!

I have lurked here for a few months now, but only today signed up. I am a 24 year old male from Wisconsin, and have been suffering from acne for 12-13 years. I have tried a lot of over the counter medication, as well as some prescription medication. I am currently on Differin .3 and 100mg of minocycline twice a day. I have been on this regimen for 3 months now. It seems to be helping, and I now get only a few marks at a time. I still get the occasional cyst, and my skin has always been extremely oily. Its frustrating to be at this age and still worry about acne. I am considering accutane to control oil and help acne, but my acne is only mild. The cysts are painful though, and thats the hardest part. I dont know if the dermatologist would put me on accutane. My current doctor wanted me to try these medications first and see how I respond to it. I have responded well, but Im not fully clear. I dream for perfect skin.