210 replies to this topic

[brownbag]

Jesoli, no I only apply Eucerin lotion when I feel the rash coming back. The hand-sock treatment sounds fun though; it'll look like I have kitten paws.

Pill 149.

My back is starting to bother me a bit more and I feel more tired during the day. Face is doing fine except for the gigantic pores and the puffy old zits. I honestly hope my pores will shrink when I'm off this medication or else I will end up like one of those old people with craters on their face.

Those pimples I thought I was getting the other day were false alarms so I guess I haven't broken out in a while, maybe 2 months. I do ocassionally get those non-inflamed clogged pores/nugget looking type thingies but I don't count those as pimples.

Makeup Section

I tried Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer today only to find it non-comparable to my bb cream. The Hourglass settled into my pores emphasizing their notable size and was actually thicker than the bb cream even though it's a tinted moisturizer. The little shimmers did make my face look sparkly but I'll have to pass for now until my pores shrink.

Lancome Rogue in Love lipsticks are overrated but I found Clinique chubby stick moisturizing lip balms to be kind of awesome.

Still a bit too early to tell but I do believe Naruko Magnolia serum is making my skin brighter.








Legs and taxes

[Jesoli]

I can't wear the Illusion TM either. I tried it last Spring. It looked nice, especially when I mixed it with the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, but it was so hard to wash off (I used Cetaphil at the time)! I kept seeing glitter on my face and would wash again...needless to say, it made me break out. I still adore the Veil primer and wear it every day. Now I just mix a 1 or 2 pumps of it with the Clinique City Block Sheer SPF 25, put concealer where I need it and my face is ready for blush, eyes & lips! When I wear foundation, I mix the primer with it instead of applying it first and it makes it blend in better and faster for me.

Is the Clinique chubby stick balm tinted or just a lip moisturizer?

That picture makes tax time look like a lot more fun that it is in reality Some of your pics look like they could be in Vogue magazine. I swear the lonely android one could be straight out of that magazine.

[brownbag]

Jesoli,

Interesting, I'll try mixing the primer with my bb cream. The clinique chubby stick is a tinted lip balm but it's not like others on the market that I find to be too sheer and slippy (like I just had chinese food). The chubby stick feels like the lighter rendition of a lipstick which is perfect for daily use if you find lipstick to be too intense/severe.

Here are some swaches of the sticks. They may look sheer but the color is opaque enough to give you the perfect "my lips but better" color.
http://www.temptalia.com/clinique-chubby-stick-moisturizing-lip-colour-balm-swatches-photos

Pill 151.

Still no new zits. My back still hurts a bit but I'm not experiencing any joint pains from my run. Lips are moderately dry with a lot of peeling going on.

One weird thing I've noticed is how slow my eyebrows are growing. I've only had to pluck them maybe once or twice (and when I did it was only a few hairs) on the 5 months I've been on Accutane.

Can't wait to wax my armpits again; I really hate shaving.






Kateryna

[brownbag]

Pill 152.

Hmmm I think I might have a cyst growing on my chin...I'm not sure because sometimes I can feel a twang of pain but when I try to look/feel for it, I can't spot anything. How very curious indeed.

My back is hurting more and I'm prone to sudden naps.

Sometimes I feel like my red marks are fading but in certain lighting they look just as gross as ever. Went into a restroom at gas station today and decided that I hate them. The flourescent lighting makes my face look like shit and brings out all the red marks on my skin, even with makeup on. I think I'll just pee in the bush from now on.

Makeup Section

Finally got the mac palette I've been desiring for a while now, along with some eyeshadows and brushes. I took the tray out so I can fit more than 15 eyeshadow pans in the palette (plus it looks cooler). Taking the tray out was super easy but depotting the eyeshadows took forever and a day. I only got through 5 before reaching the conclusion that I am bored.

[Jesoli]

I feel ya with the fluorescent lights. I have to deal with them all day at work. In my bathroom at home I look good, then I get to work, see mirror and I'm like "Oh, not so good ".

[brownbag]

Jesoli, if only we could have department store lighting everywhere we go. Usually the makeup they apply on me looks so awesome at the counters but at home it seems like I can never achieve the same look. Curse those bright lights.

Pill 154.

Ow my back. Woke up this morning with a super sore back as if I have been working out or something. If I do another month I will ask to be lowered to 60mg.

My bf saw my face today and said it looks super nice and glowy. This is without makeup. Yay.




big ben

[brownbag]

Pill 159.

Fuckk I was on set the other day and forgot to put on sunscreen. It just happened to be on a day when we were shooting outside and yes, it was incredibly sunny. I went home that day and layered on as many lotions and potions as I could to save my skin. It was only a bit red the next day.

Overall though my skin is looking fabulous. I only have to apply some bb cream on my cheeks to cover up the red marks and then a light layer of pressed powder to mattify my face. I finally purchased the Guerlain Meteorites in no. 1 which is supposed to help with redness and I'm loving it so far. The effect is very subtle but it gives my skin enough of a sheen to look almost airbrushed.

A shot from yesterday. Fake rain in LA.

[brownbag]

Pill 161.

Still no new zits. =) Accutane is such a brilliant drug. So nice to have something that actually works and pretty damn well too.

The red marks on my face are definitely fading and I have my skincare regime to thank for that. Of course it's partly the accutane too but I really do think the Naruko serums and night gelly are brightening my face and evening out skin texture/tone. I honestly feel okay going outside without any foundation on but I normally put on a bit anyways just to make my skin look flawless.

I'm taking 2 40mg pills everyday at dinnertime instead of one in the morning and one at night, and it's been helping my back pain quite a bit. I don't know why I can handle it better this way but I won't question it.

Still waiting on that annoying bump to come to a head and flatten out. It's been forever!!

[brownbag]

Pill 166.

My skin is getting better by the day. Month 6 totally rocks. I recommended that everyone does 6 months or longer if they can get away with it.

I was in NY for the weekend and it was so cold that the eczema on the back of my hands itched and ached even with lotion. I had to resort to slather on some neosporin at night just to keep it moisturized. I'm back home now so Eucerin will do just fine.

My next appointment is this Friday and I just know my triglyceride is going to be quite high. Was kind of busy this month so I didn't really get to run regularly. =(

[Quiescence]

Hi love are you left with any scarring? Im on day 104 and havent had a spot for a week or so (woop!!) but noticing as my PIH fades I'm left with lots of shallow scarring x x:( wondered what you have found in month 6? x x

[brownbag]

Hi love are you left with any scarring? Im on day 104 and havent had a spot for a week or so (woop!!) but noticing as my PIH fades I'm left with lots of shallow scarring x x:( wondered what you have found in month 6? x x

I have some old scarring so they're still there unfortunately, but my new scars are definitely filling up, getting smaller, and fading. My skin texture is starting to look like it did freshmen year in college when my acne was not so bad. Yay. Don't worry, your shallow scarring should be gone too.

[brownbag]

Pill 168.

Face is good. No new zits still. Red marks are still there. It's weird but sometimes I feel like they're almost gone while other times they look as red as ever. Doesn't matter, my skin still looks awesome.

On a different subject-- I got into USC film school. Yay. It's a major deal and I'll be ready to face all the challenges with my clear skin. =)

[lnymphl]

SUPER CONGRATS on getting into USC!!!

Edited by lnymphl, 29 February 2012 - 04:26 AM.

[Jesoli]

Congratulations! I'm so happy for you getting into the film school!!! You must be so excited

My red marks do that too. Some days I feel like I can go without foundation and others days I look blotchy and need foundation. I ordered some Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF20 to try so I have something in between. Have you ever tried that one? I chose it because it's a good one for sensitive skin.

It's so nice to finally be clear isn't it?! Have you looked back at the beginning of your log? You were miserable about your skin (we all are if we need accutane), and now you can say you're skin looks awesome! Hooray!

[brownbag]

Congratulations! I'm so happy for you getting into the film school!!! You must be so excited

My red marks do that too. Some days I feel like I can go without foundation and others days I look blotchy and need foundation. I ordered some Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF20 to try so I have something in between. Have you ever tried that one? I chose it because it's a good one for sensitive skin.

It's so nice to finally be clear isn't it?! Have you looked back at the beginning of your log? You were miserable about your skin (we all are if we need accutane), and now you can say you're skin looks awesome! Hooray!

Thanks, Jesoli! I'm still in disbelief I got in. I had an interview at Columbia University as well so there's a chance I might get into there too. Wouldn't know which school to choose.

No, I haven't tried that yet but I'll be sure to get a sample of it. I'll definitely miss all your beauty tips and advice. Can't believe you're almost done! Today is your last day right?

Haha I try not to look at the beginning of my log because I'm embarrased by how whiny I was. Accutane has changed me into a much happier and lively person. I can go outside now without makeup and still be confident. I don't think it was ever really about other people's opinions about my face (most people are too busy worrying about themselves to notice anything) but how I felt about myself. Definitely feel very comfortable with myself now. =)

SUPER CONGRATS on getting into USC!!!

Gracias, lnymphl!

[Jesoli]

Tomorrow is my last day because I had to skip a few days to recover from a cold.

It's been really fun exchanging makeup recommendations with someone else with the same skin issues as me. I swear I'm the only person I know with an acne problem, which made me feel like a freak. It's so nice to have our confidence back isn't it?! I prefer to wear makeup, but if I can't for some reason, it isn't the total tragedy it used to be.

I can be called in at any hour of the day or night for work and it was utterly humiliating when my acne was at its worst and I was called in in the middle of the night. I have 30 minutes to get there from the time I'm called, so there was no time to hide my face. Now I know I won't look my best, but no one will notice because, like you said, most people are more concerned with themselves anyway.

[brownbag]

Pill 172.

Entering my 7th month!

My derm is keeping me at 80mg for another month because I'm responding so well to the dosage and my blood work came back awesome. I don't know how but I managed to lower my triglyceride back down to 229 despite not running regularly and not really watching my diet during my travels. I might give my body a little break though and take only 40mg for 2 days just so my lips can stop being super annoyingly peely.

I did a quick scan of my logs to see when my last breakout was and found it to be the begining of November. I haven't had a cyst for 4 months? Incredible! I still get some tiny clogged pores/grain-sized bumps around my period time but they're flesh-colored and go away quickly so I don't really count them. They really, really are not a big deal at all but I think it's important to mention them for future reference.

It's been 6 months already so I suppose my treatment should be done by now but I wanted to do another month on 80mg to help my skin from having a relapse. I will start to taper off in the next month making my grand total a prolonged 8 months. Why am I putting myself through 8 months of this medication when I've been active free for 4 months? To quote Hunter S. Thompson, "Anything worth doing, is worth doing right." Accutane is definitely not something I want to half-ass.




West Papua, Indonesia

Edited by brownbag, 04 March 2012 - 03:54 AM.

[brownbag]

Pill 177.

So every since that cold, dry weekend in New York, my skin has been super dry and is still recovering. I've always had a rash on the back of my hands but after being in the cold it started to spread all the way up my arms. Eucerin just did not cut it anymore so I had to ask my derm to prescribe me some 2.5% hydrocortisone lotion which worked great! My rash/ dry patches went away in one night.

I'm kind of concerned about these small little pimples(?) I'm getting. I'm not sure what to call them because they are not like the normal red, lingering, sometimes painful pimples you get. No, they look more like clogged pores that just needs to be squeezed out(I don't touch them though), not red or even noticeable, just a tiny, tiny bump. I only get them around my period time so I know it's related to that but shouldn't accutane get rid of those too? I'm worried that once I'm off the medication these tiny harmless clogged pores will turn into real zits. The horror.

[Jesoli]

Those bumps you are talking about might be dryness/irritation bumps. Your skin has been more dry, so that is probably what it is; don't panic! Be extra gentle with your skin and moisturize generously to see if that helps calm it down. I know that seems like the opposite of what you want to do, but try it. You have been on 'tane for awhile and are on a high dose; I highly doubt those bumps are acne. Mine had a weird flareup on my chin a week before I finished my course and I nearly freaked out, to be honest. I figured out that I had an irritation reaction to a bad tube of sunscreen I bought (it was separated, I never should have used it). I put some Vanos (prescription, sort of like a strong cortizone cream) on it and it went away quickly.

[brownbag]

Those bumps you are talking about might be dryness/irritation bumps. Your skin has been more dry, so that is probably what it is; don't panic! Be extra gentle with your skin and moisturize generously to see if that helps calm it down. I know that seems like the opposite of what you want to do, but try it. You have been on 'tane for awhile and are on a high dose; I highly doubt those bumps are acne. Mine had a weird flareup on my chin a week before I finished my course and I nearly freaked out, to be honest. I figured out that I had an irritation reaction to a bad tube of sunscreen I bought (it was separated, I never should have used it). I put some Vanos (prescription, sort of like a strong cortizone cream) on it and it went away quickly.

So nice to hear from you! I thought you had left us and won't be back for a while. Yea, I'm going to be super extra gentle to my skin and maybe just use cerave only instead of all the Naruko skincare stuff. I suspect it might be doing more harm than good. Less is more when it comes to skincare.

How is your skin doing so far? Is it weird not having to take accutane anymore?

I just tried Nars Lhasa eyeshadow and it's great. Perfect for the socket or doing a cut crease look.