16 replies to this topic

[zhfac]

Well, today is my first day on Clarus (generic Accutane), hopefully all goes well in the next few months. I've been a member here for a while, but I mostly just lurk and whatnot. I don't really check in that often to be honest. Anyways, I haven't really felt much yet understandably, but we'll see how the next few weeks go. I'll be taking some pictures along the way to monitor my progress. I hope it doesn't get much worse than what it is already is. The dermatologist has started me on 40 mg/day. I think my acne is worst at the jawline and cheeks, so I decided to take a picture showing probably one of the worse spots. I know some people might think that my acne isn't that bad, but that's becuse when you look directly at a person you don't really see their jawline. Also my bad on how blurry the camera is.

Short History:
- Had acne since age 13-14
- Mild acne up until age 19, then it became cystic
- Tried Minocycline, various penicillins, clindamyacin, benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil; they all worked for a short while, and then the acne would be back
- Acne has gotten much worse in the last 6 months; cysts would drain and get fluid everywhere

I've actually been wanting to go on Accutane for a while; I've literally been counting down the days till I started. I'm bloody tired of this crap and just want to be able wear clothing without staining it, without worrying how many times I should wash my face in a day, and etcetera. I think acne has definitely affected how I interact with people; I tend to look away, or just try to avoid being in group pictures and such. Looking at most of my friends and how great their skin is, it's just aggravating.

Anyways, I'll probably update this once a week or so. Also feel free to post random music in this thread, I love finding new stuff.
Here's one of my favourites:

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Edited by zhfac, 05 November 2012 - 04:56 PM.

[chloelauraa]

Good luck!! I'll be following your log

[zhfac]

Thanks! Good luck to you as well!

[xCharliex]

Good luck mate, I'm sure you'll be clear in no time!

[zhfac]

Day 5
Well today is Day 5 of my Accutane run. I haven't really had any sideffects at all, though maybe it's still a bit early to tell. Good news is that many of the major cysts on my face are now calming down, but I think I'm having some of the initial breakout. I am using Fucidin to help with that, so hopefully there won't be any more new cysts/pimples etc.

The major cyst on my right cheek has pretty much disppeared, which is great. But how do you guys deal with the red marks (hyperpigmentation)?

Have kept my diet pretty much the same, though I've reduced the dairy and I try to get as many vegetables as I can. I take a multivitamin (is this a bad idea?) as well. Any other vitamins you guys would recommend?

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Edited by zhfac, 09 November 2012 - 09:38 AM.

[chloelauraa]

Just make sure the multivitamin doesn't have vitamin A in it! I take milk thistle to help with liver function, vitamin B sometimes to help with hair and nails and stuff, probiotics for digestion, ummm....oh yeah, fish oil for joints! Just make sure nothing has vitamin A in it I would recommend the milk thistle and fish oil the most, because I think they're the most important!

[zhfac]

Just make sure the multivitamin doesn't have vitamin A in it! I take milk thistle to help with liver function, vitamin B sometimes to help with hair and nails and stuff, probiotics for digestion, ummm....oh yeah, fish oil for joints! Just make sure nothing has vitamin A in it I would recommend the milk thistle and fish oil the most, because I think they're the most important!

Thanks, I've been taking some Vitamin B and D, but my derm said that most multivitamins don't have enough Vitamin A to really affect you, so I dunno. Are you taking any probiotics? I've been taking a fish oil caplet everyday and it seems to help. I remember the second day I started having aching joints, but it's been all good since then.

Anyways, today is Day 12:
Major cyst on my right cheek is gone now, but areas near my jawline which were clear flared up with cysts again. The bad part isn't that, it's when they start bleeding/draining that's the worse. Hopefully everything starts calming down soon. I guess this is the initial breakout phase. Really hoping all these red marks go away in time. I'm almost kicking myself for not starting Accutane earlier so that I wouldn't have all these red marks, but can't do much about it now.

As for sideffects, I think my lips are finally starting to get a bit chapped, but I can't tell if it's due to the cold weather or the Accutane. I haven't had dry eyes, I think, and I wear contacts. Also first nosebleed yesterday, crap. I guess I'll have to bust out the humidifier soon or something.

One positive to end this log with is the fact that my skin seems to have gotten a lot less oily, which is great. I don't have to wash my face like 4 times a day. Anyways, thanks for reading!

[zhfac]

Day 19:
All the cysts that randomly appeared in the last week seem to have gone done, so that's great. A few whiteheads have appeared, but nothing I can't deal with. The area around my eyebrows seems to have acquired some mini-cysts, but these seem to come and go really fast. My lips finally seemed to have started getting dry, but I've been using lip chap since I started. So things are looking pretty decent right now; I haven't suffered any side effects besides the lips getting dry. I hope there aren't any more major breakouts, because it bloody sucks (literally).

Loving the fact that my face (particularly forehead) isn't oily as heck anymore. I only wash my face twice a day now. Anyways here's a picture of the progress, not much of a camera person so please excuse my serious face. Also new haircut.

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Edited by zhfac, 21 November 2012 - 09:29 PM.

[zhfac]

Day 28:
Cysts to come and go, but overall things seem to be improving which is nice. Lips are finally getting really chapped, and I've started to use some moisturizer as well. Have some Aquaphor on order thankfully. However, in about the last week or so, I've been getting some very mild chest pain on the middle-left area, and I'm not sure why. It's not extremely noticeable, and sometimes I really have to focus to feel it. I'd describe it as a dull ache, and most of the time I don't notice it. My only concern is that it feels as if it's on the side of chest where my heart is, which is disconcerting. I see the dermatologist next week, so hopefully he can figure something out, maybe lower the dosage? Skin isn't oily anymore which is great. anyways, thanks for reading.

[zhfac]

Day 46:
I was bumped up to an alternating dose of 40 mg one day, and 80 mg the next. I guess this is normal? Not sure. Chest pains or any other side effects seem to have totally disappeared, and all I have left is just dry lips, which are easily manageable by using Aquaphor. Cysts seem to come and go, I wish they would just stop at some point. Having to wash my pillowcases constantly is getting annoying. The cyst on my right cheek keeps "healing up", then gets worse again. But in general it seems my complexion has gotten much better, and I don't get any minor acne anymore. Amount of oil on the skin has been severely reduced. I've been taking Vitamin E, Omega 3 Fish Oil, and Vitamin D to supplement my diet, as well as drinking a lot of water. I think my next post in a week or two I'll update with a picture to see how much change has happened since Day 19. Thanks for reading.

[zhfac]

Day 65: I think my cystic acne is finally clearing up. This will be the start of my third month; my dermatologist has bumped my dosage to 440mg/week. I’ve had no side effects from this point on except dry lips; the random chest pains have totally disappeared. I’ve been drinking as much water as I can, and I take some fish oil, and Vitamin D/E every day. Most of my face is clear now, except for some areas along the jaw line. I hope this is the end of the initial breakout; I didn’t think mine would be too bad but it ended up being quite terrible. My dermatologist prescribed some Fucidin cream to deal with the areas that are still inflamed, so I hope by my next appointment I’m pretty much clear of acne, though the scarring will still be around. Thanks for reading!

[cfoam]

Awesome, I'm glad to hear you're seeing results!

[zhfac]

Day 79:
Not much else new to report. All major cysts have basically disppeared, but I'm getting a fair amount of minor acne on my forehead and cheeks still. This is probably due to my terrible sleeping schedule, so I'm trying to fix that now. My next appoitnment will be in about a week and a half, so hopefully I see more results as I get closer to that date. I'll be starting my fourth month soon, so I'm really hoping that the clearing up will be drastic within the next month or two. I'm kind of sick of the blood tests, not to mention the dry lips. Apparently my eyes have been dryer as well, which doesn't help with contact lenses.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and yes, I know I don't look terrible enthused in my picture.

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Edited by zhfac, 20 January 2013 - 11:54 AM.

[Brarei200]

Looks better, good luck. I'm almost done my 2nd month and still getting some as well.

[zhfac]

Day 98:
Saw my derm twice in one week; the cysts came back around my jawline unfortunately, and have been a nuisance (as they always are). However, after being prescribed some antibiotics (Biaxin XL 1g/day, and Fucidin Cream), the cysts and any other acne have gone down quite a bit, even in just one week. All the acne on my forehead has basically disappeared, but unfortunately the stuff on the cheek/jawline takes a long time to heal.

 

I've found that getting a good 7-8 hours of sleep a night really helps with the healing process. I found that when I did get a good night of sleep, the cysts "went down" much more than when I didn't. Unfortunately with a university schedule, that can't always be done.

 

My derm has upped by weekly dosage to 500 mg/week now. To be honest, I don't feel like the Accutane has done as much as the antibiotics, other than reducing oil. Does it take this long to see any effects from Accutane?

 

Thanks for reading!
 

[zhfac]

Day 129:

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. Unfortunately, not much has changed, and in fact, may have gotten slightly worse. I'm really hoping that in the next month or so that everything clears up, but as of right now my hopes aren't too high. I've been on about 3 weeks of antibiotics in conjuction with my Accutane, and I just started another 10 days as well. I don't know why my cystic acne is so stubborn; I've already cut out as much dairy as I can, but it still sticks around. I found that the areas of my jaw just directly below my ears are probably the worst when it comes to cystic acne. My cheeks aren't too great either.

 

I just realised I'm wearing the same sweater as I when I last took my picture, so I guess I'll take another just to show progress (if any :/)
Thanks for reading.
 

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[Brarei200]

Any updates?