DAY TWENTY
After santas present arrived on my face yesterday, things were not so good this morning.
The cyst like thing was huge. It had a head to it, i tried popping but only a bit come out. A few spots on the left side where calming down a little. The right side isnt so bad, although still a few small ones.
Compared to the photo last week there is a huge difference. My mum even told me its the worst its been in ages! At least she is honest.
I was gonna hide away in the house but i thought sod it and went to see some friends, and im glad I did. I really should mention im on the drug just incase they are wondering why its getting bad.
After dinner today I stuck an ice cube on the cyst and a bit of tea tree oil - by the time i got home tonight the size has dropped considerably! Im hoping tommorrow it will have gone done even more.
Really hoping this was my IB..
Pics! (you can see the cyst on my left cheek, just under jawline)
Ah wondered what you meant about Buffy till i rechecked the photo 
Yeah I pretty much smoke daily. I don't find it makes any difference or anything. I am however gonna try my best to give it a break in the new year. Ill see what happens.
Ive just woke up and its calmed down a bit. Cyst is still there, but its reduced in size a lot. Just a lump really.. the other spots are still there but I can see them fading away over the next few days. Just the damn red marks!
Buffy rules, ok now that that's out of the way.
I saw you post on another forum for smoking showing up. I was worried about that also. Do you smoke daily?
Well I'm sure this is your "IB" or whatever. I have had one break out since going on accutane and it's the end of my second week, so I'm sure I have an IB to face soon.
I'm sure yours will heal fast, did your other IB heal fast?
DAY TWENTY ONE - DAY TWENTY TWO
Well what can I say? My left side has cleared a bit since xmas, but my right side has got several bumps. It seems to be like this - left side gets clear, right side nasty... right side clears, right side nasty.. well it seems like that at the mo.
It probably doesnt help that Ive been staying up to 2-4am everynight over xmas and waking up at midday.
Ive had a lot of chocolates etc, i usually refrain but ive got to the stage where i just cant be bothered with so called diets.
Side effects are generally minimal. I assume my dosage will be upped to 60-80mg next time i see my derm. Face generally doesnt burn anymore, i dont think it seems as red either although that could just be me getting used to it. Dryness.. its there although usually as long as i use moitsuriser and sorts it for the rest of the day.
Lips are still dry so use my lypsyl all the time.
Im not convinced its properly working at the moment though.
DAY TWENTY THREE - DAY TWENTY FOUR
Yesterday wasnt so bad, but i did have a few active spots on my right check that really stood out. Apart from that nothing too bad. I dunno if this stuff is messing with my mind or not but i kinda had some mood swings, well my mum said she thinks its down to accuntane but who knows. I have other family problems at the moment which is probably causing it.
Today though isnt so bad. The few spots have reduced size, to hardly nothing. I had a couple of small whiteheads but they are now gone and i would say pretty much clear besides red marks. So different to the same day last week when I had my worst breakout in years!
Have had a couple of nights of hard drinking, this will probably be my last drinking session for a while though.
Happy new years all.
DAY TWENTY THREE - DAY TWENTY FOUR
Yesterday wasnt so bad, but i did have a few active spots on my right check that really stood out. Apart from that nothing too bad. I dunno if this stuff is messing with my mind or not but i kinda had some mood swings, well my mum said she thinks its down to accuntane but who knows. I have other family problems at the moment which is probably causing it.
Today though isnt so bad. The few spots have reduced size, to hardly nothing. I had a couple of small whiteheads but they are now gone and i would say pretty much clear besides red marks. So different to the same day last week when I had my worst breakout in years!
Have had a couple of nights of hard drinking, this will probably be my last drinking session for a while though.
Happy new years all.
DAY TWENTY FIVE, TWENTY SIX AND TWENTY SEVEN
Been a few days! Been busy and wasnt any major differences so I left it a bit.
Had a good NYE, got very drunk! Ill calm down a bit now that the festive season is over.
Anyway, its been improving I guess. No huge difference, but the fact Im not getting any active spots is a good sign. I had a few whiteheads appear a day or two ago, but they cleared quick. Have a spot developing on my forehead though which Im a bit worried about but will see what happens.
Annoyingly, the corner of my mouth is so dry it has cut and opening to eat can be painful. I slap on as much lypsol as I can though. My skin does feel really nice and smooth though.
Coming up to the first month then - has flown by. Start work again next week, so hoping no nasty outbreaks will develope like over xmas.
DAY TWENTY EIGHT, TWENTY NINE, THIRTY
Was slightly emotional day today as had relatives down to see my dad who hasnt got long left because of cancer. It was good to see them, and im glad they came down as it probably will be the last chance they see him.
Im back to work tommorrow, so hopefully will keep me occupied a bit more.
Anyway past few days have been okay acne wise, no major breakouts infact hardly anything except one little spot on left check and a little cyst thing on the right side of my cheek which isnt a bad place to be so im not too worried.
I do seem to have the top parts under my jawline a bit red, like a rash - bit annoying but better than a bunch of spots i guess.
Skin seems a bit healthier, it will be good to go back to work like this without the constant worry of massive breakouts all over my face.
As always pics included. I do think the flash of my camera makes things look a bit better than what they actually are... who knows.
DAY 52
Wow, its been a while since the last update!
As my previous post said, i stopped writing logs because my dad died and i just didnt feel like logging anything. His funeral was earlier today so I decided i would now try and keep up with my logs.
Acne wise its been a mixed bag. The day after my dad died (Day 35) i started to get a huge cyst in my bottom lip. It was awful - my lips were very puffy and I couldnt eat or drink properly. It took a good week to go down. Around this time, my neck was getting some kind of rash like appearence but it didnt worry me too much.
From Day 42, the rash on my neck started to get worse and worse. It was mainly on the right side (all under my jawline and down my neck). It was very red and blotchy. It got very dry at times (all the skin was cracking) and itchy. I had next to no acne on my face, besides a few cysts under my chin. One nasty spot appeared on my right cheek that lasted neary a week from day 42 though.
Anyway this rash started to concern me. I went back to work and i was trying to not let anyone see it because i personally thought it looked nasty as hell. Looking in the mirror just upset me so much, it looked like serious acne even though it wasnt. I was waking up about 2-3 times a night and having to reapply E45 to stop it itching. 
One day it got so bad i went to the doctor and he gave me some cream to use. The instructions said not to use on acne flare ups but i used it anyway (it wasnt really acne , more a rash as i said). As of day 48 it pretty much cleared up completly. I was so happy 
I dont know if it was anything to do with stress, or just a reaction to the accuntane - who knows. Ill make sure to tell me derm when i see her in just over a week or so.
Anyway then - Day 52 - my dads funeral and whilst perhaps selfish, i am happy as my face is pretty much completly clear! I was worried i would be seeing all relatives and his old work friends and having a face full of acne, but i didnt and it made me feel so much more confident talking with all these people that he knew. It was a good day all round, i was worrying so much last night about the funeral and wake but it went much better than I thought it would. Infact most of the day was a bit of a blur..
So yeah no acne on face really, and whats more the cysts under my chin are pretty much all gone too. Dryness has its ups and downs - the same as the nose bleeds really.
2 Months to go..
Thanks it sucks about my dad, but have to get on with life i guess =/
I dont think a sore nose is weird, by day 12 my whole face seemed bright red and sore to me. Use a lot of moisturiser, it really does help a lot.. i am hopeful as 7 weeks in and my face is pretty much clear, although i got a small spot this morning but nothing major hopefully gone by tommorrow.
Its quite weird cos my confidence over the past few days has shot up... its when it gets worse and my confidence goes back down, it really messes with me..
Good luck! Ill update my process again soon as I dont think its worth doing dailys at the moment since not much to report on!
DAY FIFTY NINE
Well been a week since last update. Nothing too major to report on.
Pretty much all week I have been clear. I dont think i got any new spots at all until today, but even so they are under my chin and it doesnt bother me too much (think you can see in one of the pics below).
My lips are still doing my head in, they are dry, sore and bleeding a lot of the time. Nose bleeds again have been a hit and miss. The rash on my hand also came back over the weekend, although slowly going.
So yeah pretty damn happy! Even had enough confidence to pull a girl over the weekend, something i would not have done before!
I have blood tests in a day or two and then my 2 month visit to derm on friday. Don't know if she will increase my doseage but i expect not if its pretty clear as it is?
Anyway some pics included..
Going back over some of the older pics.. wow its really improved a lot!
DAY 74
Been a while since the last update. A few after my last update I had my 2 month derm appointment. Blood tests were apparently fine.
The derm was pretty happy with what was going on. She wasn't too keen on me staying on the drug as my dad had died during this period and said it could make me feel even worse. In the end she kept me on it at the same dosage and said if i want to come of it sooner then just let her know.
She did tell me my eyes looked very dry and red, which they had been a bit i just never really thought about it. I started using eye drops now and it seems better now.
Anyway, i would pretty much say ive been clear for about a month now
The only spots I seem to get is under my chin now. Nothing major as I can deal with that. But other than that I just had a tiny whitehead on chin and that was it!
Side effects - well good news is i havent had a nose bleed for a couple of weeks. My lips still get very dry though which is really annoying. I've also had constapation real bad for a few days, which was nice.
Is it just me or do other people feel extreme soreness on their body whilst taking this drug? My chest in particular recently has been very tender and aches a lot, especially if i have a sudden movement or leaning up in bed. I'm not too worried, but i hope its nothing else!!
I've been a bit bad though because I've been pretty much getting drunk most weekends. I'm hoping im doing no damage - i assumed my blood tests would show if anything was wrong, and they were fine. It's just since being clear ive had a lot more confidence and actually wanting to go out and party to make up for lost time! Unfourtunatly i am also eating a bunch of junk food to make up on lost time as well.. seem to be putting on a few pounds..
Anyway, personally very happy. I am scared it will return after treatment finishes, but it will be awesome when the red starts to fade from my face.
Pics as always.
DAY 100
Just realised I have gone into triple figures now so thought i'd update.
I only have a few weeks left on treatment. I probably have enough pills to last another couple of months though - i know I shouldnt but im kinda tempted to continue with my course for another few weeks even if i get taken off it? Bad idea?
Anyway since my last update nearly a month ago, I have not got any major spots. I have probably had a few - i did get one or two late last week on my left jawline but it didnt bother me. Maybe one or two whiteheads on the corner of my lips as well.
My lips have been really annoying lately - very dry, bleeding etc (mainly cos i keep picking at them!). Nosebleeds have reduced DRAMATICALLY. Facial dryness is something im dealing with ok.
I still get a lot of aches and pains, this is one thing ill be glad to go when im off the treatment.
I also sometimes get the weird rash back on the right side under jawline. I think it shows a bit in the pics below as well. Urghh.
Ive been feeling a bit down lately, whether its to do with the drug or not i dont know. Generally im happier that my face doesnt look nasty most of the time though like it used to. My confidence has increased and im certainly more outgoing.
Im just hoping it doesnt return after my course has finished because ill be devastated! (Im sure most people would be, especially after being on this rollercoaster).
Pics...
Hi all
Have not updated in a while so i thought i would update.
Anyway i was supposed to finish at end of March, but i still had 3 weeks left of accuntane and even though my face was clear i finished it off, i believe end of april.
My final derm appointment was supposed to be early april but it got cancelled and I actually have the appointment tommorrow now! I tried to cancel because i didnt think i needed to go in, but they said come in anyway.
Anyway, from memory i dont think ive really had a spot since feb now. My skin is very clear, the only thing is sometimes get red blotchy on my neck but nothing major (not like acne or anything but perhaps a side effect from accuntane as i never had that before i started).
When i finished accuntane a few days after i had a BAD MOFO migraine. Ive never really had them before so it must have had something to do with coming off accuntane.
Also felt sick for a few weeks or so, was sick on one or two occasions but at least my pains went in my chest.
Unfourtunatly i have been drinking/eating crap since my spots went!! Put on a stone or so.. making up for lost time not drinking soda or eating chocolate!!
Anyway very happy so far, touch wood it doesnt come back!!
Ill upload pics if anyone is really interested.
Hey all , if anyone remembers reading my updates ..
4/5 years on and the acne never returned. I still get the occasional small spot but rarely anything that doesn't go in a day or so .
So accutane did appear to work and keep things abay . I'm not sure if I got some long term side effects but who knows . Certainly it sorted the acne at least.
Good luck all and merry Xmas.
