7 replies to this topic

[tboy098]

Hey Guys,

I am an 18 year old male in college, and I have been on accutane for probably around a month a few weeks. I am on 60mg (30mg 2x a day) I am using Cetaphil at night only, and splashing my face with water in the AM. My face hasn't showed any major signs of improvement and is really really red and splotchy. I also am continuing to get new breakouts at almost the same rate I did before accutane.


I have multiple questions that have been in the back of my mind that I haven't had a chance to ask my derm, so I thought I'd ask them here.

• I have always wondered, what food is accutane best taken with. I try to space my pills out exactly 12 hours a part, and often times I only take my evening pill with a cereal bar and water. Is there a food group that I should take it with, and does spacing every 12 hours make a huge impact?
• I take a hot shower and then right after, wash my face with Cetaphil. Could this make my face worse or redder than it should be? My complexion is all messed up, and really red and spotty. I'm thinking of ditching Cetaphil for something different.
• Does the way you sleep make a difference? I try to sleep on my back, to prevent laying on either side of my face. When I lay on my side, which is more comfortable, I fear that it causes acne.

So yeah, these are very specific questions, so if anyone has any answers or suggestions, let me know!
Thanks a lot (:

[thefloydfan]

Isotretinion accumulates in your body over time. Spacing out your 60mg does will not make a difference.

My skin is too sensitive for hot water, I use lukewarm water on my face. I use cetaphil as a soap subsitute for my face, so I use it in the morning rather than just water.

I wish your pillow causes acne theory was correct, as acne wouldn't be a problem. It doesn't matter, however if you have cystic acne you could be putting pressure on them which could exasperate the problem.

For those allergic to dust mites though, I would recommend anti-bacterial/anti dust mite pillows and covers. Since a greater amount of the skin on your face is flaking off, theres is more food for the dust mites. Its actually their faeces which are prone to triggering an allergic reaction, not them themselves. A tell tale sign you are allergic to dust mites is if you sneeze 8-10 times or more upon waking up.

Edited by thefloydfan, 03 April 2012 - 05:56 AM.

[leopard1]

my derm told me to take the pills w/ grease because accutane is basically vitamin A which is soluble in fat and can therefore be stored in your body unlike some other water soluble vitamins. which is why fat soluble vitamins can also reach toxic levels, which is sure thats what we are all doing w/ accuane. i usually take my pill with milk because it definitely has fat it in. if i eat a greasy meal i'll take the pill then but i usually dont eat that much "grease" i guess because its not healthy for you and i'm trying to watch my cholesterol, so it's kinda counterproductive, which is annoying but i hope milk is enough. it just says on the package to take w/ food. i wish they were more specific. hope that helps

[twigecheese]

MY daughter has been on it 4 months and did not see any improvement ( it got worse for a while and I was wondering if she would be the one person it did not work on) until about halfway through the 3rd month. Her forehead started clearing first then the rest. Once it started clearing it went really fast. Her skin is flawless now

[Alexis Little]

Hey Guys,

I am an 18 year old male in college, and I have been on accutane for probably around a month a few weeks. I am on 60mg (30mg 2x a day) I am using Cetaphil at night only, and splashing my face with water in the AM. My face hasn't showed any major signs of improvement and is really really red and splotchy. I also am continuing to get new breakouts at almost the same rate I did before accutane.


I have multiple questions that have been in the back of my mind that I haven't had a chance to ask my derm, so I thought I'd ask them here.

• I have always wondered, what food is accutane best taken with. I try to space my pills out exactly 12 hours a part, and often times I only take my evening pill with a cereal bar and water. Is there a food group that I should take it with, and does spacing every 12 hours make a huge impact?
• I take a hot shower and then right after, wash my face with Cetaphil. Could this make my face worse or redder than it should be? My complexion is all messed up, and really red and spotty. I'm thinking of ditching Cetaphil for something different.
• Does the way you sleep make a difference? I try to sleep on my back, to prevent laying on either side of my face. When I lay on my side, which is more comfortable, I fear that it causes acne.

So yeah, these are very specific questions, so if anyone has any answers or suggestions, let me know!
Thanks a lot (:

I can't help with the first part of your post because I stopped breaking out when I got on Accutane. I get a tiny white head here and there but no more outrageous pimples or cysts.

I have one large meal during the day and take my Accutane with that. I just try to pick foods with high fat content because the Accutane is fat soluble. I don't think a cereal bar is enough to fully absorb the Accutane and get the best results.

I plead the fifth on the shower part... I refuse to give up my hot showers. Maybe washing your face while in the shower would be less irritating. No need to use your hands to wipe the lather off if you have running water Another odd thing I will add, I use paper towels to pat my face after washing. Dirty towels *cringe*.

I hear sleeping on your back is better but not a lot you can do about that if you move a lot while you're sleeping. Change your case a lot is all I can say. Dirty pillow cases gross me out, especially while taking a medication that causes you to have more dead skin cells on it. I have a lot of pillow cases so I change my pillow cases a lot. Laying on the side with cysts isn't good though. I've woken up and had cysts rupture (gross) on the side I was sleeping on. I learned how to avoid that embarrassment quickly.

[tboy098]

Thanks for all the advice. I actually regret not asking some of these questions earlier.

As far as food, I have a pretty routine meal schedule here at college, so there isn't much variability. I don't usually have a breakfast, but for my lunch/brunch (at 12pm) I take my first pill with Einstein's bagels with cream cheese, and either an orange juice or a little smoothie thing. My second pill, I used to take at midnight or later with a cereal bar or hot pocket, but instead I'm now taking it now with a chicken wrap or subway, and a drink (occasionally a Starbucks Frap). So yeah, I'm not sure if that really explains much, but that is how I take my pill basically every day. I used to occasionally eat pizza, but since accutane I have cut that out completely.

In regards to hot showers/redness, that is my biggest problem. I am getting pretty clear bump wise, but it seems that anywhere that I've had a spot in the past couple months will be really red and inflamed almost. I am switching face washes and will try to tone the heat down to see what happens. I may also pick up a moisturizer. After I am out of the shower for about an hour, my face starts to improve slightly in regards to the redness. weird ish.

A few more questions-

• Diet/Exercise/Sweat. My diet isn't the healthiest, but I wouldn't say it is the worst either. I, for some reason, fear dairy products, thinking that they will break me out. I've tried to cut out soda, excessive dairy, and other misc foods, but sometimes I wonder if it is really worth it. I wouldn't want to skimp on good foods if they have no effect. As far as exercise goes, I don't do much of it at the moment because I am pretty occupied with school.
• Shaving. I also shy away from shaving (my face) on a more regular basis because I worry that the process could add to irruption.

So yeah, if anyone has anymore input it is greatly appreciated. Thanks to the previous input on the pill spacing I've already changed my routine and I will hopefully see better results.

Thanks a lot (:

[jasmonia25]

has the colder showers helped? I'm curious as I get redness on my face and spots after them