13 replies to this topic

[acnegirl2712]

So today is day 41 on accutane-20 mg everyday for 5 months (22 female/55kg). I have not skipped any pills since coming back from college. So far my skin is VERY smooth but raw. I have not had the dreaded IB. I mean I have broken out and gotten like a few pimples on my cheeks that would go away in 2-3 days. Since I am not breaking out, my skin is finally starting to heal. I have all these REDMARKS from my old acne. And outta no where, I have these shallow icepick scars on my right cheek that are very apparent. Before accutane, my cheeks would just have red-marks, and the skin texture was not smooth at all. After 41 days of accutane, I have shallow ice-pick scars (not caused by acne because of accutane but from my old acne). I don’t know if it is the medicine just thinning out my skin, making my scars very apparent. I don’t expect to come out of this treatment unscathed and I do expect some scars…but it just bugs me. Lol I really am PRAYING that it would go away in time. If not, I would probably seek out some scar treatment like chemical peels later down the road (post tane 6months to a year).
I am also taking vitamin-E/B supplements. As for the side-effects, I have not had anything crazy besides the dry lips/dry eyes occasionally. My skin does not produce any oil but it is not super dry or flaky. I also wash my hair 2-3x a week instead of everyday.


Anyway enough of the boring details…I shall post pictures now and will keep you all updated.

The first 3 pictures were taken on June 29th (I'm NOT wearing any makeup). The last two pictures compare the same spot in a span of 2 weeks. The one where you dont see the ice-pick scars was taken on June 10th and the one where u see the scars was taken today. So you can see my ice-pick scars came outta nowhere LOL! Or that my skin is finally healing and the scars are finally showing up. Anyone have a similar experience?

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Edited by acnegirl2712, 08 February 2013 - 11:15 PM.

[AuguriesofInnocence]

hi!
Your skin is looking very good already )
Im going to start accutane too, I am convinced that 20 mg is the right amount for me and it looks like youve had great results so far. I just want to get rid of the pimples and oil. Glad youre not oily anymore!
I wish you the best of luck in getting completely clear, and dont worry too much about scrs after accutane you can take care of them with various methods.
The most important thing is get rid of the acne.

Keep on thinking positive!

[acnegirl2712]

hi!
Your skin is looking very good already )
Im going to start accutane too, I am convinced that 20 mg is the right amount for me and it looks like youve had great results so far. I just want to get rid of the pimples and oil. Glad youre not oily anymore!
I wish you the best of luck in getting completely clear, and dont worry too much about scrs after accutane you can take care of them with various methods.
The most important thing is get rid of the acne.

Keep on thinking positive!

Thanks! My skin is VERY oily and 20 mg is enough to keep it at bay. I don't have to blot my skin AT ALL during the day. It's amazing! I just want the scarring to get better! It's so hard not to think about it.


Good luck with your treatment too! When do you start?

Edited by acnegirl2712, 30 June 2012 - 11:56 AM.

[Summer5150]

Looks great! I'm enouraged you have gotten such good results with 20 mg as I really don't want to increase. I think we see our skin as so much marked/scarred then others do and I know how hard it is to not think about it all the time. Your skin really looks lovely though. Hang in!

[AuguriesofInnocence]

hi!
Your skin is looking very good already )
Im going to start accutane too, I am convinced that 20 mg is the right amount for me and it looks like youve had great results so far. I just want to get rid of the pimples and oil. Glad youre not oily anymore!
I wish you the best of luck in getting completely clear, and dont worry too much about scrs after accutane you can take care of them with various methods.
The most important thing is get rid of the acne.

Keep on thinking positive!

Thanks! My skin is VERY oily and 20 mg is enough to keep it at bay. I don't have to blot my skin AT ALL during the day. It's amazing! I just want the scarring to get better! It's so hard not to think about it.


Good luck with your treatment too! When do you start?

hopefully, tomorrow! I have the appointment. did you start moisturising the first day or wait until it got dry?
Im scared but thinking positive. Remember scarring is very unnoticable its the big red bumps which are the biggest problem.
Best of luck and I hope you get clearer until your skin is perfect )
I look forward to NOT being oily! Yay.

[acnegirl2712]

hi!
Your skin is looking very good already )
Im going to start accutane too, I am convinced that 20 mg is the right amount for me and it looks like youve had great results so far. I just want to get rid of the pimples and oil. Glad youre not oily anymore!
I wish you the best of luck in getting completely clear, and dont worry too much about scrs after accutane you can take care of them with various methods.
The most important thing is get rid of the acne.

Keep on thinking positive!

Thanks! My skin is VERY oily and 20 mg is enough to keep it at bay. I don't have to blot my skin AT ALL during the day. It's amazing! I just want the scarring to get better! It's so hard not to think about it.


Good luck with your treatment too! When do you start?

hopefully, tomorrow! I have the appointment. did you start moisturising the first day or wait until it got dry?
Im scared but thinking positive. Remember scarring is very unnoticable its the big red bumps which are the biggest problem.
Best of luck and I hope you get clearer until your skin is perfect )
I look forward to NOT being oily! Yay.

I used my regular moisturizer(Aveneno's Clear Complexion). I still do. The funny thing is my skin isn't dry at all. It just doesn't produce that much oil. I also currently live in the tropics so the humidity also helps. But if it feels a little dry, I use cetaphil's moisturizer, which does the job. My scalp is definitely dry though. Before I used to produce so much oil that I had to wash my hair everyday. Now I wash it 2 or 3 times a week, which is like a record for me. I also massage coconut oil before I wash my hair to prevent it from getting brittle/dry.

Don't be scared. I was terrified of taking accutane. I would spend so much time researching it, and all the negative reviews just scared the living shit outta of me. But at the same time not living my life to the fullest and being scared of looking into people's eyes because of my acne was seriously no way to live. I really wanted to do something about it. Also, I think there are many positive reviews, but people just don't write them and move on with their lives. I believe as long as you are getting the proper care and getting blood-tested every month, you really will be fine. Listen to your body, eat healthy, and be active. If your body is telling you that the medicine is wreaking havoc on your system, just stop taking them. That's what I am doing...if I notice anything peculiar, I am going to stop taking it. I definitely do not want to jeopardize my health.

Good luck with yer treatment and keep us updated!

Edited by acnegirl2712, 02 July 2012 - 07:39 AM.

[AuguriesofInnocence]

Thanks for the encouragement, I will probably get ittoday or tomorrow depending.
I definately definately want it to work.
best of luck to you too!

[redhead rachel]

Your skin is really looking great!

I'm on day 49 now, so we have close start times. I still have red marks as well. I can't wait till they're gone!

Edited by redhead rachel, 02 July 2012 - 02:38 PM.

[acnegirl2712]

I thought I would do a little update. So today is day 51. My skin has been alright. I haven't noticed a drastic improvement. I have a few actives on the left-hand side of my cheek, but my right is clear. YAY! My red marks look worse under a certain light and better in others and thats the same with my shallow-icepick scars. I would like to mention some of the side-effects I have been experiencing. I been feeling tired quite often. I work from 8-6, which drains all my energy. I usually pass out after work and then on the weekends I just want to sleep in. I don't have the energy to do anything that requires leaving the house. lol. Also I've become really anti-social and get irritated easily. I've noticed some stomach issues. I am contipated quite often.....lol sorry for the graphic detail. But I don't poop as much as I used to. Also I've noticed white mucus around my poop and sometimes the left side of my stomach hurts. It's not painful, but mild discomfort. I don't think its normal. I don't know if its attributable to the antibotics I took in April (I took a pretty high dosage of antibotics in April for an UTI infection) or whether it is accutane related. ... I've done some research, and there are a lot of studies indicating that accutane can cause ulcerative colitis or crohn's diease. I really hope I don't have it...I am seeing my doctor in a week for blood tests and will mention this. I don't know whether I should stop taking it until I see my doctor? Anyone have a similiar experience? Any suggestions? I am drinking at least 1-2 liters of water everyday, eat yogurt, figs, and prunes..lol you name it.

Your skin is really looking great!

I'm on day 49 now, so we have close start times. I still have red marks as well. I can't wait till they're gone!

THe progress has been slow but steady! I just can't wait to be done with it! What is your dosage?

Edited by acnegirl2712, 09 July 2012 - 01:17 AM.

[acnegirl2712]

Wow! It's been a long time. I wanted to update you guys. I'm on 8th month of my accutane journey on 20 mg everyday. I think I will do one more month. My skin has improved a lot!! I mean I still have red marks and few scars, but I am hopeful it will disappear over time. My pores have gotten big on the left side of my cheek whereas my right side my pores are literally nonexistant. It's weird. My skin doesn't look as young/fresh sometimes but I am assuming because accutane dries you out.  As for the side-effects, I haven't had anything crazy. I had some stomach issues which resolved eventually. I have had some neck pain, dry lips, bit hair loss, and dry eyes. Well this one is embarssing but I've had some issues with my butthole....it gets dry down there, so I get cuts easily. So I'm applying some vaseline on the area. I hoping these side effects are not permanent. I think taking accutane was the best thing I had done for my acne. The only regret I had was not taking it earlier so I could have avoided some scars. I was just so afraid of taking this drug because of all the hype associated with, and I sure hope to god I don't get anything bad later down the road. I will also do an update at the end of my journey. But those of you trying to decide whether to take this drug and have bad acne, DO IT. You won't regret it, and I think as long as you are monitored by a doctor and get regular blood test, it will be fine.

 

 

Okay I can't seem to upload my picture...but here's a link

 

http://postimage.org/image/3se05fp0v/

Edited by acnegirl2712, 08 February 2013 - 11:42 PM.

[lemonworld23]

Wow! It's been a long time. I wanted to update you guys. I'm on 8th month of my accutane journey on 20 mg everyday. I think I will do one more month. My skin has improved a lot!! I mean I still have red marks and few scars, but I am hopeful it will disappear over time. My pores have gotten big on the left side of my cheek whereas my right side my pores are literally nonexistant. It's weird. My skin doesn't look as young/fresh sometimes but I am assuming because accutane dries you out.  As for the side-effects, I haven't had anything crazy. I had some stomach issues which resolved eventually. I have had some neck pain, dry lips, bit hair loss, and dry eyes. Well this one is embarssing but I've had some issues with my butthole....it gets dry down there, so I get cuts easily. So I'm applying some vaseline on the area. I hoping these side effects are not permanent. I think taking accutane was the best thing I had done for my acne. The only regret I had was not taking it earlier so I could have avoided some scars. I was just so afraid of taking this drug because of all the hype associated with, and I sure hope to god I don't get anything bad later down the road. I will also do an update at the end of my journey. But those of you trying to decide whether to take this drug and have bad acne, DO IT. You won't regret it, and I think as long as you are monitored by a doctor and get regular blood test, it will be fine.

 

 

Okay I can't seem to upload my picture...but here's a link

 

http://postimage.org/image/3se05fp0v/

 

Thanks for the update! Your skin looks great!! I noticed you had said you had some ice pick scarring, did it get any better over time?

[acnegirl2712]

Wow! It's been a long time. I wanted to update you guys. I'm on 8th month of my accutane journey on 20 mg everyday. I think I will do one more month. My skin has improved a lot!! I mean I still have red marks and few scars, but I am hopeful it will disappear over time. My pores have gotten big on the left side of my cheek whereas my right side my pores are literally nonexistant. It's weird. My skin doesn't look as young/fresh sometimes but I am assuming because accutane dries you out.  As for the side-effects, I haven't had anything crazy. I had some stomach issues which resolved eventually. I have had some neck pain, dry lips, bit hair loss, and dry eyes. Well this one is embarssing but I've had some issues with my butthole....it gets dry down there, so I get cuts easily. So I'm applying some vaseline on the area. I hoping these side effects are not permanent. I think taking accutane was the best thing I had done for my acne. The only regret I had was not taking it earlier so I could have avoided some scars. I was just so afraid of taking this drug because of all the hype associated with, and I sure hope to god I don't get anything bad later down the road. I will also do an update at the end of my journey. But those of you trying to decide whether to take this drug and have bad acne, DO IT. You won't regret it, and I think as long as you are monitored by a doctor and get regular blood test, it will be fine.

 

 

Okay I can't seem to upload my picture...but here's a link

 

http://postimage.org/image/3se05fp0v/

 

Thanks for the update! Your skin looks great!! I noticed you had said you had some ice pick scarring, did it get any better over time?

Thank you! The scars are very diminished...It literally looks like a tiny dot and you can notice it only if you're really close to my face. I think when I stop taking accutane, it should improve some more or at least I hope so!

[Omnivium]

Wow your skin looks perfect. I know it's been a while, but do you remember how long it took for the accutane to get rid of the excess oil? I've been on 20mg for almost 7 weeks and I'm still oily, although my oil has decreased.

[acnegirl2712]

Wow your skin looks perfect. I know it's been a while, but do you remember how long it took for the accutane to get rid of the excess oil? I've been on 20mg for almost 7 weeks and I'm still oily, although my oil has decreased.

 It took me at least 2 months and I was pretty dry. It's different for everyone though.