Home
It seems like starting Accutane is a pretty big deal, so I'm starting my own log. Even if no one reads it, it'll be a good way for me to keep track of my progress. FYI, I am on Claravis and at the time of this writing, I am on my second day.
My stats:
I'm a 25 year old Asian male. I'm 5 ft. 6 in. and 138 pounds. Modesty aside, I'm pretty healthy and an undeniable gym rat. I do lift a lot of weights, so I am concerned about potential joint pain from the Claravis. My diet is pretty healthy - I rarely indulge in high-fat, high-carb foods.
My acne:
Let me start off by saying that my acne is not bad at all right now! So, why am I taking Claravis? My acne started 11+ years ago. I've never really had blackheads; my acne consisted mostly of comedones and pustules on my cheeks and forehead, and the occasional cyst on my cheeks.
What I've tried and how my acne has fluctuated:
From the ages of 14-25, I've tried almost everything worth trying over the counter: 5-10% benzoyl peroxide creams and gels, salicylic topicals, benzoyl peroxide face washes, salicylic acid toners, and salicylic acid face washes.
I went on a three month course of Differin when I was 18 - it had no effect whatsoever, so I gave that up.
From the ages of 18-24, I probably had anywhere from 5-7 pimples, and if it was a really good time, I would probably have about 2-3; in short, I was rarely, if ever, pimple-free and pretty much always had some sort of scarring that I was recovering from.
So, now we arrive to 25: I moved to a place with high humidity and it was nightmare on my skin (coupled with the stress of starting graduate school, it was just all sorts of bad). Starting in June of this year, I started a 90-day course of doxycycline. After 2 weeks, I saw no changes and started Differin on top of that. My initial breakout with Differin was BAD and it lasted a few months. When I finished the 90-day course of doxycycline, I decided not to continue with another round as I thought it had no effect whatsoever. After 3 months with Differin, my breakouts were continuing, so I threw in 10% benzoyl peroxide on top of that and voila! My skin started clearing up, and after about two months of that, my breakouts were down to about 2-3 at any given time. I tried to remove the benzoyl peroxide from my routine for about two weeks, but my breakouts tried to flare up with a vengeance, so it was added back in the mix.
My skin right before starting Claravis:
I had two lingering breakouts on one of my cheeks, two on the underside of my jawline. Under certain lighting, you can tell that there are about 3-4 pimples forming under the surface of my skin. My forehead was completely clear. My skin was extremely oily, especially in the humid environment. All in all, not bad at all. I even had the pharmacist look at me and wonder if the Claravis was really for me.
So, why did I want to start Accutane?
Above all, my skin was EXTREMELY oily. This was never really a problem before, but I believe it became worse after starting the Differin-BP cocktail. I was blotting several times a day and everytime, the blotting sheet would be completely soaked (not soaked, but you get the idea). Furthermore, I hated that I was COMPLETELY dependent on slathering a cocktail on my face every night to get my face to an acceptable level. I had bleached several pillow cases and was completely over it. The prospect of breaking free from the oiliness and the products so that I could just use normal products (if any) and just have healthier skin that didn't need to be degreased landed me here.
Second day on Claravis.
So, I haven't noticed any real dryness. I have noticed that I am thirstier, but I drink a lot of water all the time anyway, so this isn't a huge concern. My main hope is that because I've been on Differin this entire time, my initial breakout won't be really bad. I haven't noticed any real decrease in the oiliness of my skin, but we shall see.
I will try to update my log at least bi-monthly. If anyone has questions, fire away!
Edited by Jon333, 30 December 2012 - 03:42 PM.
