Acne.org Products
Yeah, I would definitely go without makeup, too. If I looked as awesome as you do. I'm right there with you on the stress thing. At least you aren't getting married in TWO WEEKS in the middle of your IB! And really, you do look amazing. Your face LOOKS so smooth, and I'm sure what's left will go away soon.
Dear michellemac: I feel that we are experiencing the same with our skin! But i think your spots are going down quite quickly.. mine takes forever to go away.. the same old spots are still there even after 3 months... so sadddd.
But have faith ok! We will see light at the end of the tunnel 
michellemac- lol don't be silly. That's so embarrassingly sweet of you to say. I smiled when I read it! 
thanks. Seriously I have issues. Your way stronger. I'm a guy in my mid 90s and have trouble with my skin It actually looks pretty good lately no major new spots! Acne's mild, annoyingly unpredictable, nothing to cry about. What's upsetting is the stuff I missed using acne as an excuse. 
Gp even said last year to stop being so self conscious, Herbal docs assistant said I was v.pretty. I must be rubbish at taking compliments.
I had a really good time last night, after ages (I don't get out much 
).Someone's Surprise B-day at a restaurant. The fun part was when we slipped out the restaurant whilst waiting for the b-day person. Friend was swinging from lampposts flips on railings, being a monkey. Peoples reactions are just too funny! Someone at the restaurant was smiling at me I turned my head then looked back at her she was still smiling...unmoved maybe she was a pretty mannequin? I'm short sighted, my eyesight's pretty bad.In any case she should've gone to specsavers.
Your acne looks fab! It doesn't matter if someone has a lot or a few spots I can never look at them in a bad way. When it comes to me..forget about it! How's the wedding preps coming along? If it all gets too much then just stand besides a slightly open refrigerator or have a Calipso ice lolly. I just had one last night so orangey 
. Best wishes to both you & hubby.
Day 151
Things are looking up
I spent the weekend helping my fiance launch our boat and we had a fantastic time together. Plus I didn't have to wear a stitch of makeup arround him so I was all natural I felt a little uncomfortable a few times bc I knew my face was all red and blotchy but I got over it and I know he really didn't care.
Skin - still no actives, the peeling also seems to be under control for the moment. It's been extremely humid here for the last four days and I think it's really helpd out. My eczema is still around but definately not as bad as it was. My nose is also bleeding a bit less 
I'm ok going without makeup arround my fiance but for work this mornign I threw on some tinted moisturizer and concealer. It's really annoying actually bc it would be so much easier to put on nothing! But the patch of red spots on my cheek from where I picked is still way to noticeable. I feel like I would end up having to explain what's wrong with that side of my face. Plus I never realized it before (probably bc I was all painted up) but I flush blotchy red pretty frequently throughout the day! I hope it's just the accutane and it passes but I mean the tinted moisturizer seems to take car of most of the splotchiness and a bit of red doesn't look too bad.
Fingers are crossed that I stay clear I'm on my very last bubble pack ever! YAY!
RQ77 - thanks for your message when you write it has such a cheerful feel to it that it brings me up too! The wedding plans are going alright but I never realized how many little details we would have to worry about Thanks for the congrats!
fel_han - thx for your msg! I know what you mean about the spots taking forever! grr it's just so annoying I mean I'm clear but just not quite yet! oh well it's been this long what's a few more weeks of healing right! We can do it!
sareliz - thanks! I loved going without makeup this weekend I just hope I can work out to going out in public like that some day Don't worry about the wedding plans it will all work out and with the prednisone your IB will settle before your big day so no worries !
headtrip_honey - I think your right about life sucking and not the tane! I feel a thousand times better this week now that I've gotten a few things sorted out. It can just get a little overwhelming thx for your msg It's difficult to see the positive changes that I've made sometimes and when other ppl point out how stupid your being about it It can really open your eyes and be happy with ho far you've come! So thanks!
Take care everyone!
Day 152
Short update...
New "active" it's actually just an annoying clogged pore that is looking a little red but it's bumpy so I'm counting it.
I also decided yesterday in my "hey my skin isn't so bad" mood that I would take one of my extra tane pills ... so I hit my cumulative dose on May 20th... well I swore that I wouldn't after taking about 4-5 extras a few weeks ago (spread out of course every 2-3 days) and ending up with the hell I delt with ...
But I don't really learn lessons I guess lol whatever I'd rather deal with the shitty recourse now then relapse later... so extra pill yesterday (80 mg total instead of 40mg) = face peeling right the hell off today. NO REALLY... it's gross but I'm beyond caring...
YES WORLD I LOOK LIKE SHIT !! but you know what, I'm on accutane and I have an excuse! If you have a problem with that then good luck coming up with a reason for being so ugly INSIDE!...
thx all!
Day 154 - Week 22
Two weeks left!
Skin - same, two clogged pore/active thingy's are healing and are just red spots now. otherwise all is about the same.
Lips are killing me! I can't brush my teeth, talk to much, or eat without the corner of my mouth splitting wide open and bleeding.. ugh so gross
Good news though I got a new car yay ! but I picked it up over lunch so I didn't really get to play with it yet, but I will on the drive home!
Pics:
Take care everyone!
Day 158 - 10 DAYS LEFT!!!
hey everyone, hope you all had a great weekend!
Skin update - got a little clogged pore/blemish again on Sunday ... might have something to do with the thick makeup I put on to go out with Sat night... or the couple glasses of wine either could be the culprit really Otherwise things are pretty much holding consistent. I took an extra tane pill last night and I'm waiting to face the consequences of that today but nothing is too bad yet ...
On a fun note... I got to have a fun conversation with my father in law to be last night,
Apparently he was told (proabably by my oh too nosey almost sister in law to be who thinks she's a freaking doctor and expert on everything ) that I can't have kids for a mininum of three years after I've been on Accutane. ... So our convo went a little like this...
Dad - Mother's day is great, it's too bad you won't be able to celebrate it for another 3 or 4 years...
Me - HUH???
Dad - Oh ya we hear that your baren until you get those drugs out of your system
Me - ......... WHAT!!??!!
Dad - .... no?
grrrr... I can't believe I had to justify my reproductive abilities to my family to be (soooo embarasing!) they think I choose clear skin over making them grandkids in the foreseeable future... ugh. It's not like we even want kids for a good solid few years anyways but still... that was just way too much for a sunday afternoon.
take care everyone
michellemac: I think your post acne marks are healing pretty fast! That is really good!
Im counting down for u already! hehe~
I can imagine how the conversation between u n ur father-in-law to be.. LOLL.. it must be quite an awkward situation. Its funny, yet .. not so funny when u had to justify your reproductive abilities.
btw, is it true that we cant have kids for like 3 years after tane?? Serious??
My doc didnt tell me that!!
Day 159 - 9 days left
So that ridiculously huge blackhead on my cheek... I finally got it out! and omg this sucker was HUGE I didn't event hink it was possible for that much guk to come out of my face! Let alone one little pore! But YAY IT"S GONE!
I did manage to accidently knock off a little bit of skin too but with a little vitamin E that should be gone soon and the stupid gucky pore will no longer haunt me.... isn't it weird how much satisfaction I get from finally getting rid of that stupid thing ... oh well still feels good
Otherwise, I had another clogged pore/blemish yesterday. That's three in three days. I'm wondering if it's something new I'm using or if my skin is just doing it's final purge? I did take that extra pill on Sunday so maybe the little extra dose is pushing more crap out? I just hope it stops before my engagment pics in June!
On a side note... I ran 10 km with my fiance yesterday and OMG did my joints kill after that! Although I think he was pretty sore too but I think the tane didn't help much. But it's a crazy rush to be able to do that! usually I run between 3-5 km a day so 10 was amazing!
take care everyone!
Wow.
Total props for running like that.
My knees just can't take running, even when I'm not on a devil drug. I did a couch to 5k program last summer, and I just realized that I cannot run longer than 30 minutes without paying for it for days. And alas, I have to run slow for the same reason. I run about a 12 minute mile. Heh. I guess "run" is the wrong word.
Anyway, I really need to start exercising again. I've gained like 5 lbs on this drug and I feel all sluggish and gross. Last week I was being good about getting out and riding my bike for a few miles every day, but this week it's been rainy and cold. Booo.
Anyway, if you're still experiencing clogged pores after you finish your course, you could try using a BHA.
I adore this brand, it's almost always really high quality. And they have excellent customer service to help you out.
Day 161 - Week 23 7 DAYS TO GO!!! ... omg!
I'm going to try very hard not to panic about stopping the accutane. I don't know if it will work but I'm going to try. I'm also going to try not to panic about my fiance leaving for Aussie for three weeks just a few days after I stop the tane... I'm soooo worried that the stress of this stupid trip of his is going to make my skin decide to torture me and go haywire!
As it is I'm pretty sure I managed to give myself a mini IB this week. I though it would be good to get through a few extra pills so I hit closer to my max cumulative dose... STUPID ME didn't think that increased dose (every couple of days) = IB and that = more scars = shitty looking face for my engagment pics
So needless to say I am not going to take anymore extras in the next seven days. I'm ending off with four extra pills, which means I'm about 200 mg from my max cumulative dose. That's not very bad.
Skin update: well like I said, mini IB, I got two more of those clogged pore thingy's but this time they kind of got red and swollen on one of cheeks. Then the other side of my face where I removed the blackhead you can see the spot where I nicked off some skin and on top of that I got a nice little whitehead on my chin to contend with. The scars from these stupid little misakes seem to be lasting forever. So I'm excessively red and spotty this week and look worse then I have over the last couple of weeks. I'm hoping he healing will pick up a little after next week and the laser treatment the week after that should help significantly.
I also had three glasses of wine this Saturday and I haven't been very good with avoiding my diet coke addiction this week... so I'm thinking all of these things are having an effect on my skin. I also started to use a different moisturizer (Nivea soft) in the morning under my makeup bc the Cetaphil was making my face shinny... maybe it isn't agreeing?.. I'll stop and go back to my usual sunscreen and see if that and all the eliminations will help! I really have to stay vigilant in all of my efforts ugh so hard!
fel_han - thx for the msg and the countdown ! It isn't true that you can't have kids for 2-3 years after accutane. I did some research after mother's day and found that there are some ppl that take accutane for long periods of time, like years! and they are told by their doctors that they shouldn't get pregnant for 6 months - 2 years plus depending on how long they've been on the drug. People like us who take it for a relatively short period of time for acne don't have to follow that rule. We shouldn't get pregnant for a month after for sure but to be on the safe side my derm recommended about 6 months to get it out of your system. I hope that helps!
headtrip_honey - Thanks! I totally broke myself after that run. I did 10km at night and 7km the next day at lunch... then my knees threatened to up and leave me... so I took a day off Have you noticed the accutane causing any weight gain? or are you just tired more easily and can't be as active? because I swear I've been working my freaking ass off.... except the damn thing isn't really coming off lol I can't seem to get the pounds off at all no matter how much I do! grrr I don't know if it's the tane though ... hmm never read anything about that?
I look into the BHA thx! I really have no idea what kind of regime I should be following once I'm done! I'll have to pick my derms brain and figure out what is allowed. I really never want another drop of benzoyl peroxide near my face ever again but it might be nice to use a little sacylic acid as a spot treatment every now and again! Ugh it's like starting fresh all over again! I have no idea what's going to piss off my skin! oh well it will be a work in progress I guess. Thx for the advice!
Take care everyone!
Pics:
headtrip_honey - Thanks! I totally broke myself after that run. I did 10km at night and 7km the next day at lunch... then my knees threatened to up and leave me... so I took a day off 🙂 Have you noticed the accutane causing any weight gain? or are you just tired more easily and can't be as active? because I swear I've been working my freaking ass off.... except the damn thing isn't really coming off lol I can't seem to get the pounds off at all no matter how much I do! grrr I don't know if it's the tane though ... hmm never read anything about that?I look into the BHA thx! I really have no idea what kind of regime I should be following once I'm done! I'll have to pick my derms brain and figure out what is allowed. I really never want another drop of benzoyl peroxide near my face ever again but it might be nice to use a little sacylic acid as a spot treatment every now and again! Ugh it's like starting fresh all over again! I have no idea what's going to piss off my skin! oh well it will be a work in progress I guess. Thx for the advice!
Take care everyone!
Pics:
It's definitely me not being active. I've gained about 5 lbs (that's my guess...I'm not stepping on a scale for fear I'm wrong, hehe...but my clothes still all fit fine, so no drastic weight gain). Before 'tane I was pretty diligent about working out pretty hard 4-5 times a week...now, not so much. Heh. I'm lucky to go ride my bike.
For you, you've probably hit a plateau. Your body is happy at its current weight, so it doesn't want to budge. So to MAKE it budge, you either have to drastically reduce calories, or drastically increase exercise.
For me, I'd like to get back down to 125...I'm hovering up around 130 right now. Ideally I'd love to be at 120, but baby steps, baby steps...
As for BHA, it's something one should use continuously, not as a "spot treatment," cause it's preventative, not a treatment. It can keep your pores clear (or as clear as it can) and keep your skin smooth and even, but once you stop using it, you stop getting the results.
If you do decide to go that route, Paula's Choice has samples, so I would start with samples of the 1% lotion, since it's meant more for dry, sensitive skin. If you feel you can handle something stronger, or your face gets oily again, then I'd switch to the 2% gel (what I use). You just spread a thin layer on at night, it absorbs really well, and doesn't stain anything! (like BP, heh)
grrrr... I can't believe I had to justify my reproductive abilities to my family to be (soooo embarasing!) they think I choose clear skin over making them grandkids in the foreseeable future... ugh. It's not like we even want kids for a good solid few years anyways but still... that was just way too much for a sunday afternoon.
I feel your pain on this! My MIL asks questions about when I'll be able to get pregnant almost every time I see her ...I have NO PLANS to have children any time soon and while I understand she wants to be a grandma, I really don't think it's fair of her to be putting pressure on me when it comes to decisions about MY body. She says things like, "Well I heard doctors recommend waiting two years and I don't even want to TELL you what my other friend said..." "I understand why you went on it but it's such a TERRIBLE drug" "You know you're going to be dealing with dry lips for the rest of your life"...it feels like she's tries to scare me to get me to stop taking the drug sooner rather than later, she's not a doctor and has no idea what she's talking about and it gets on my damn nerves...
BTW your skin looks great, congrats on coming to the end of your course!
Day 165 - 3 Days left .... omg
Wow that little realization makes me want to be sick just a little... I can't believe how terrifying it is to be stopping. I know I should be excited. My fiance can't understand why I'm so anxious about coming off. He thinks it's fantastic because clearly that means I'm all better....
He's one of those guys that doesn't see acne, or a bad hair day, or an outfit that makes you look fat. He just see's you as you are and thinks your beautiful no matter what you do to yourself I'm really lucky to have him in my life ... although it can be frustrating when your all "ahhh a pimple" and he's like "there's no pimple!" lol there are worst things though.
I really hope everything is ok when I'm done. I don't even know what to do with myself though. Do I keep up the same regime? I'm lookinginto the BHA thing, and I'm suppose to email my derm on Thursday when I'm done to let him know what's up and to schedule my laser treatment for May 30th. I'll see what he has to say about the whole thing.
Other then my ramblings. Skin is the same. All my scars are still healing and there are a lot more of them after last weeks mini IB. I haven't taken any extra tane pills so no further breakouts. But there is this little bump on my cheekbone that's driving me crazy. It feels like a clogged pore but deep down. It's so stupidly tiny it shouldnt' bother me but it's literally the only uneven spot on my face! I may try a little sacylic acid on the spot to see if it will go away tonight.
Otherwise ran like a crazy person all week, I think I totalled 45 km in six days kind of proud of me... but my knee joints and hip joints are pissed right off... that won't stop me though I plan on running this week too hopefull I'll get some energy back after the tane is done. I literally go from running to needed to pass out right now!
headtrip_honey - I feel the same about my weight right now. It's just so hard to decrease the calories I like my food lol so I'm trying to run daily we'll see if it works Such a pain in the butt. I can't believe what a difference 5 pounds makes to me though. I can feel it immediately and now I need to work like crazy to get it off Hopefully coming off tane will make me motivated to do more!
squarielariel - ugh sorry to hear about your MIL. Don't you just love being pushed into procreating lol. My fiance and I have made it clear not to bug us about it for at least five years then they can start to nag. We got lucky bc his older brother is also getting married so we're hoping they'll nag him for grandkids first ! ... at least we hope! and as for the tane comments. Who cares You know it will work for you and it won't end the world lol so no worries! I think you just need to start using the age old tradition of NEVER listening to your MIL
take care everyone!
Michelle you look amazing!
3 days left, how exciting!
Your fiance sounds a lot like my significant other, I'm still "beautiful" when I wake up these days with a whole bunch of spots and so much dry skin around my mouth I look like I have a white beard and moustache lol.
Good luck post-Accutane! I was clear for nearly a decade after my first round of Accutane at 18, I'm now 28 and doing it again. I think 10 years of nice skin was not too shabby. Also, when you're in your teens when you first take Accutane the relapse rate is increased. When you are a bit older (as I believe you are?) it is more likely you will have lasting results. I hope this encourages you in some way! A lot of ppl are cured for LIFE
Be well!
Scarlett Skies - thank you so much for your compliments and your msg it is very reassuring to hear that! I am a bit older I'm 24. my fingers are crossed that it will stick... if anything I would like to just stay clear until after my wedding / honeymoon I still have a ways to go but I've been told the rest of my healing will be done off the accutane. What did you do for your skin in terms of your regimen when you were done accutane the last time?
I'm going to see if this will work for all my pics, I have to keep taking down old one's bc of the cap on size on the log... so let me know if I link this right...
PICS:
The guest password is : accutane
Hi Michelle,
The last time I didn't do anything special after completing treatment. It was 10 years ago and I didn't have internet at the time so I had no clue that certain supplements/regimens were even recommended. Just plain facewash and an OTC topical for the occasional blemish. No special diet/vitamins or anything! After about 9 years the pimples started creeping back up on me slightly off and on and I did use proactiv, change my diet, vitamins, many different regimens etc but that was after 9 years of clarity and very little maintenance!
Day 166 - 2 days left... 
Trying not to panic. I've been fighting off a pretty good anxiety attack since Sunday. I really hope I can calm down about this whole thing but omg I am sooo worried! I'm so close to my max cumulative dose ... it has to work right 
Ugh ... well on a good note. I was lying in bed yesterday on my stomache and my fiance looked at me and said "wow, your back is so clear!" I of course said ya sure as clear as you think my face is? and he said no really it's so smooth. He said I did have a few scars here and there but not really red spots more the white spots you get from having a pimple and getting a tan at the same time Once I get a tan for the wedding those shoul go away.
So that is at least comforting. I was planning on having my hair down and even considering extensions if that's what it took to cover every inch of my acne-mangled back. I was so embarassed when I went to get my dress in Feb I thought I was goign to die! I mean it's the owners and designers for my company and here I am... the up and comer.... with b-acne!
Face is the same. Trying to stay regimental with my scar therapy gel so I can get alot of my spots gone and so I won't need alot lasered next week.
Fingers are crossed!
On a side note: so I'm been running between 5 km - 10 km every day with ab work and weight training in there once or twice a week ... and I'm still loosing no weight So I've decide to go hardcore on my diet. Not in the restricting sense but just making sure I watch everything I eat. No processed stuff, no cheating with fun stuff like pasta (Mmmm), just good healthy food! ... which has totally freaking sucked so far lol I've had two chicken salads in the last two days and I never want to see a chicken salad again BUT if that's what it takes I'll do it.
Thanks for listening to my silly rants
Scarlett Skies - I'm hoping I can pretty much just keep doing what I'm doing and wash and moisturize and that will be enough but i guess it will be like the beginning of the accutane, you need to try different things until you find what will work with your new skin!
take care!
DAY 167ONE DAY LEFT!!!!!
omg... I need a paperbag or something... 🙁
I swear I feel like a drug addict right now afraid of my withdrawl... which is pretty much
exactly right...
ugh
Good luck!!!! Im sure you will be okay. I started my accutane again yesterday and im praying i dont get another inital breakout since i had been off 12 days! Hopefully its smooth sailing from here. Im also nervous if i stick this out for 5more mos it will come back after. But id rather take the chance then not. From what ive read more people stay clear after then not. Especially if you are not in your teens while taking it. Well best of luck! Dont stress!!
DAY 168 - WEEK 24 DOOMS DAY!
I took my last accutane pill this morning.
I'm not going to go into how incredibly nervous I am bc I already fee kind of ill about the whole thing. I'm trying not to think about it as much as I ca. I feel like I'm going to get the biggest zit of my life tomorrow for just thinking about this being all over... ugh knocking on wood!
So here are my pics from this morning. With and without makeup so you know I don't always look like hell and I can cover those red scars pretty well
and here's the link to my new fancy pants photobucket album It has all the pics from beginning to date...
password is : accutane
Pics:
