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Thanks juila 😉 I have a very weird question for you? Has your skin ever been oily and then if you put make up on it it flakes? I know this has to do with dehydration, its prob from years and years of using harsh products on my face, I hope a break from all of the products for six months will help my skin. I really hope its not dermatitis. I've asked my derm if it was and said no, it doesn't look like dermatitis. ;-/Day four
The day of side effects ;-). So I again awoke to that feeling of being so dehydrated, much like a hangover. That feeling stinks! I downed a bunch of water and then went back to bed. My entire body has become drier, right now I feel like a snake. My hands are the driest part but that's normal, I was them so frequently it just happens. Lips are def drying out but nothing chapstick can't take over. One thing I didn't take care of four days ago were my eyes. Man my eyes are dried out. Everything is! My hair appears longer because it isn't as wavy its just straight, which I don't mind, I have a lot of hair.
So a few weird things that I have noticed. Face is a little fuller I think its from just inflammation. And yesterday I downed a huge thing of water and I looked preggers for 2 hours and then all of the sudden that water vanished, I peed a couple times but nothing huge, and then I looked like a starving african child. It was very weird.
I also noticed some muscle tightness in my upper thighs but that could be from walking around in heals yesterday.
hey girly! are you asking if my skin was oily on accutane or just normally?
i swear my skin has been in every stage ever... sensitive, dry, super dry, oily, normal. on accutane, yes, make-up flakes off. well, not so much anymore, but if i try putting on any kind of concealer (liquid or stick or powder, WHATEVER) it pretty much always flakes off. so you just kind of have to live with that.
when i wasn't on accutane the only time i can remember my skin flaking off was when it was super dry... never oily. however your skin could have been oily because it was so dry it was overproducing oil? that happened to my sister and in that case, her make-up DID flake off.
here's my regimen and it's working pretty well (oh i'm also about to write a post about this, too)
AM:
- drink a ton of water
- splash water on my face (lukewarm. cold water shocks your skin and hot water damages it)
- apply laura mercier tinted moisturizer with spf 20
- apply chapstick
- lotion arms, legs, hands, etc. as needed
PM:
- wash my face with some random olay face wash i bought on sale. its blue and its listed for "sensitive skin" so its very gentle on my accutane face haha
- moisturize with laura mercier flawless skin mega moisturizer
- chapstick chapstick chapstick water chapstick!
i don't wash my face in the morning because its not really necessary. i read that in a beauty book somewhere. don't overwhelm your skin with unnecessary chemicals!
there was something else i was gonna say but my memory really really sucks lately... 🙁
good luck!! I'll be following 
Ok, I want to just lay into u atm...I feel like u r just making fun of us that actually have serious acne.
I hope u get the results u want, but imho u r delusional.
she's not making fun of anyone. just stop while youre ahead.
congrats lips btw, and good luck again!
im on day 26, and just got bumped up to 60mg for next month.
so far no new actives that havent gone away in a day in over a week!
hopefully you'll have little to no IB !
Why on earth would I make fun on anyone with seruois acne? I actually was trying to upload pictures and I didn't know how or If it was going to work. That is my good side. I will put up my left side with ny acne marks and arrives. I have blackheads on my forehead ad well.
Thanks for backing me up darkmstter. 😉
Babe, I'm not saying that u r. I understand the psychological effects more than anyone. I want u to be happy, but u should realize there are people here who would kill for skin like yours.
I mean it when I say good luck, and I do hope you get the results u want. Just keep it in perspective. From reading some of your other posts I would never had guessed u look as good as u do.
;-( I think the severity of the problem is masked by the redness. I have a huge problem with comparing myself to my younger sister. Her skin is literally flawless. When I look in the mirror I see a tired old looking 21 yr old. And I have these weird line things where i used to get chemical peels right under my eye, I'm sure they're permanent, I wish I would of never done peels.
Day five
Emotionally I broke down. I keep thinking why am I so obsessed with my skin? What if tane makes things worse? What if it's the answer? I haven't prayed in awhile and I've been asking god for signs whether accutane is right for me or not. Two omens occured in the past 3 weeks, strep throat and cutting my finger on a blender blade ;-( But then I think to myself what if it's just a test, what if all that are just my fears being projected into the world and the universe is giving me what I put out there. I don't know it's all very confusing. I have known about accutane since I was 16 and I wanted to go on it then but no derm would prescribe it to me. In a way I wish they had and in a way I'm glad they didn't, I wasn't taking care of myself the way I do now.
When I look at myself in the mirror I consider myself to have one of the worst cases of skin on the entire planet. This is no joke. In fact, if i'm out late where the sun may rise I tell anybody that I'm hanging out with that I have to go because I do not want anybody to see my in normal day light. It has taken over my entire being. I'm come to the realization, don't get me wrong not having spots on my face will seriously help put my mind at peace, but even after the acne is gone or lessened I will still find something wrong on my face. Huge pores, discoloration, scars, lines from peels, wrinkles.... just more more more. I told myself a long time ago that my skin was ugly and will always be ugly. My skin is my biggest insecurity and my greatest fear is looking like meth addicts. You know the ones with waxy texture and huge pits? I already feel like I have that waxy texture. I'm going to seek therapy. It's not normal to fixate on my skin the way I do. Even when my acne wasn't bad I thought it was the worst case I'd seen and I look back at photos of myself and I just regret not ceasing the day. I wish I knew what I know now then. What makes things worse is when people say youre so beautiful you could be a model or blah blah blah. In my head I'm just thinking are we looking at the same person? Do you not see my face? And then I feel like I have to live up to those expectations and mine. I know I could be way worse off and I should appreciate what I have and I do, but part of me wants to be better, can you blame me? I feel as if my youth has been stripped away from me and all of the sudden I look 30 years old. That photo of me that is not what I see when i look in the mirror, and that makes me feel insane. I feel like an insane 17 yr old in a 30 yr old body.
Side effects have become more intense than I would like them to be. I'm hoping accutane is like any other drug, there is an intial break in period, you float around for awhile and then you plateu and everything is easy sailing after that. I haven't had a bad headache since the first day I think that was from dehydration for sure. I've been drinking so much water that I just get full off of water so my appetite has greatly decreased. Sometimes I forget to eat. The dryness has gotten way more intense. My body is drying out, my hands have always been the driest on my body, lips are way more dry still using chapstick. I have the tane burn on the face I think you can see it in that picture, I hope its not rosacea I don't think it is. I do think I have a moderate case of SD. Since I started accutane the flaking of dead skin has drastically changed, I hope it goes away all together because that is one of my main concerns, putting make up on has always been a drag. A few new side effects is that I have muscle tightness, stiffness, I def have to get back into stretching.
Skin is good I guess. I had one actual real pimple a few days ago it had a head on it and I stupidly popped it and It actually hurt, it felt like a cystic one. Other than that I haven't really had any new actives. And the ones that I do have are either masked by the redness or just drying up. I'm praying for no IB. or even a small IB.
God help me
Day fiveEmotionally I broke down. I keep thinking why am I so obsessed with my skin? What if tane makes things worse? What if it's the answer? I haven't prayed in awhile and I've been asking god for signs whether accutane is right for me or not. Two omens occured in the past 3 weeks, strep throat and cutting my finger on a blender blade ;-( But then I think to myself what if it's just a test, what if all that are just my fears being projected into the world and the universe is giving me what I put out there. I don't know it's all very confusing. I have known about accutane since I was 16 and I wanted to go on it then but no derm would prescribe it to me. In a way I wish they had and in a way I'm glad they didn't, I wasn't taking care of myself the way I do now.
When I look at myself in the mirror I consider myself to have one of the worst cases of skin on the entire planet. This is no joke. In fact, if i'm out late where the sun may rise I tell anybody that I'm hanging out with that I have to go because I do not want anybody to see my in normal day light. It has taken over my entire being. I'm come to the realization, don't get me wrong not having spots on my face will seriously help put my mind at peace, but even after the acne is gone or lessened I will still find something wrong on my face. Huge pores, discoloration, scars, lines from peels, wrinkles.... just more more more. I told myself a long time ago that my skin was ugly and will always be ugly. My skin is my biggest insecurity and my greatest fear is looking like meth addicts. You know the ones with waxy texture and huge pits? I already feel like I have that waxy texture. I'm going to seek therapy. It's not normal to fixate on my skin the way I do. Even when my acne wasn't bad I thought it was the worst case I'd seen and I look back at photos of myself and I just regret not ceasing the day. I wish I knew what I know now then. What makes things worse is when people say youre so beautiful you could be a model or blah blah blah. In my head I'm just thinking are we looking at the same person? Do you not see my face? And then I feel like I have to live up to those expectations and mine. I know I could be way worse off and I should appreciate what I have and I do, but part of me wants to be better, can you blame me? I feel as if my youth has been stripped away from me and all of the sudden I look 30 years old. That photo of me that is not what I see when i look in the mirror, and that makes me feel insane. I feel like an insane 17 yr old in a 30 yr old body.
Side effects have become more intense than I would like them to be. I'm hoping accutane is like any other drug, there is an intial break in period, you float around for awhile and then you plateu and everything is easy sailing after that. I haven't had a bad headache since the first day I think that was from dehydration for sure. I've been drinking so much water that I just get full off of water so my appetite has greatly decreased. Sometimes I forget to eat. The dryness has gotten way more intense. My body is drying out, my hands have always been the driest on my body, lips are way more dry still using chapstick. I have the tane burn on the face I think you can see it in that picture, I hope its not rosacea I don't think it is. I do think I have a moderate case of SD. Since I started accutane the flaking of dead skin has drastically changed, I hope it goes away all together because that is one of my main concerns, putting make up on has always been a drag. A few new side effects is that I have muscle tightness, stiffness, I def have to get back into stretching.
Skin is good I guess. I had one actual real pimple a few days ago it had a head on it and I stupidly popped it and It actually hurt, it felt like a cystic one. Other than that I haven't really had any new actives. And the ones that I do have are either masked by the redness or just drying up. I'm praying for no IB. or even a small IB.
God help me
Ok , I am going to say this with the best intentions because you seem like a decent person and I don't want to hurt your feelings. But, do you think accutane is really the best answer for you right now? Although it's not proven, accuatne has been shown to be correlated with psychological issues, if you've already been experiencing them pre-acctuane, after several weeks/months on accutane it may get rough. I'm very worried for what would happen if you do have a "tragic" IB. I hope your derm is aware of everything that you just posted in this message and you are being monitored closely. If you think therapy would help, why don't you try and give it a chance while you are on accutane? Do you think maybe there is a good reason why none of your other derms would perscribe it to you? It also seems like you are overly worried about developing every side effect possible, or even convincing yourself anything that you feel in your body is a result of accuatane. Perhaps being able to talk to someone will lessen your anxiety, and believe me I understand anxiety because i've suffered from it since childhood (unrelated to acne/skin issues).
That being said, only you can decide if accutane is the right treatment for you. You know your skin better than anyone on this board. Severity is one reason to take it, but persistance is also another. Everyone's skin is different, even when it comes to accutane. Good luck with whatever you chose and your course!
Thanks you guys. Im scared too! But you know what I'm more scared if I don't stay on the stuff and see what the outcome is. I can not live my life in fear of breaking out again. And if that means having a month or a week or two weeks of break outs I will take it. I will no longer be a slave to acne. I will keep you guys updated with my emotions daily. Thank you for all your support.
i get the emotional stuff and the self doubting. i'm in the same boat with ya.
accutane can cause depression, so be aware of that. your skin my not be the worst i've seen on this site or in my life, but if you are uncomfortable with it and you have the means to change it, go ahead.
fear breeds doubt, so a lot of this could be fear talking. it's an intense drug to be sure, also remember that. everyone has wrinkles and weirdness to their face. don't stress about it. and my younger sister has always been prettier than me. her skin is flawless to! she's thinner and guys are falling over trying to date her... it's tough.
but all will be well. today was a rough day in general. i hope things smooth out soon for you.
ya know, I'm kinda thinking that you are in a panic because you are in a state of panic. You're more anxious because you're anxious. You are totally "normal" love. There is no such thing as a universal "normal" to measure anything off of. I'm am studying to become a speech therapist and one of the first things we are supposed to ask a potential client is how is it affecting them and their life. Someone could have the slightest hint of a lisp, barely noticeable, but if it's causing some type of despair then we need to do something about it. We all deal with things in different ways. We have different tolerances for things. You have a really low tolerance for imperfections on your skin, and if it is having a negative effect on your life, you need to do something about it. And you chose to do something about it. Your feelings are normal. Well in my opinion they are. I do think you're over thinking/kinda obsessing though.. lol How does your parents' skin look? Because chances are that if they don't look like meth addicts, you won't either.. unless you start living a really hard/rough/fast life.. If it ain't broke, stop saying it's going to break. You are not a physic (Unless you are.. lol) I noticed that you mentioned prayer and God. Know that He makes us all perfectly imperfect. He also gives us strength to handle anything that comes our way. And I know you have heard this, but to truly KNOW and believe this is what gives us the strength. So if by some crazy chance you do wind up looking like a meth addict or look 60 when you're 30, it's nothing you can't deal with (but gosh who would want that!?!). lol
Ok. I'm rambling. Keep me updated on everything because I'll be here.....waiting to be updated. =)
Day 6
Almost a week, so strange. Emotionally I'm still up and down. My fears are constantly questioning my faith. I fully believe if accutane will cause more harm than good something will show up on my blood tests. My only main concern is permanent dryness, worsening of sd if i do have it. There is nothing worse than having acne and dry skin.
Side effects, dry lips, dry eyes, dry body, my face is sometimes super oily and super dry. I had a few body aches yesterday. Oh and my bowel yesterday was not as smooth as it usually is, sorry if that's tmi.
Skin, is still weird. IT's dry sometimes and oily others. I got one active on my right cheek, which is not uncommon however this was a larger type of pimple. I have a few clogged pores on my forhead. And last night my skin was some what itchy is that normal? What is normal? This accutane thing, what a mind fuck. Sorry for my french.
Day 7
Emotionally I was tested again, still questioning this whole accutane experience and here's why, realistically my acne is not that bad, I will admit that I some how in the past few months have gotten it under control however, I am still prone to persistent break outs and it's heredity.. I'm not going to grow out of it any time soon (I know this, I have my mothers skin). So the question is continue with the course? Or say "screw it" and continue trying to find products that don't dry out my skin and leave it sensitive and raw.
I'm saying continue with my accutane course, everybody says i dont need it and I prob dont but to have to deal with it for this long, it's just become an annoyance. I'm pretty sure I have developed some kinda dermatitis from where I used to get peels done. I think on monday I may request to have my dosage lowered, if in fact I do have SD I don't know if such a high dose is a good idea.
Skin: Yesterday I was so damn oily but it was a kind of oil that just sat on top of my face. And by my nose, cheeks and mouth I could feel a pile of dead skin just lingering. So I spent 15 mins gently rubbing the skin off and my skin looked and felt so much better. Even today its smooth skin. I def think I have sd. I still have a few clogged pores on my t-zone and just one zit on my cheek. Considering I'm only using a simple wash and it's the first week of accutane, I don't think I'm doing half bad. 😉
hey lips, just read your post and thought that it sounded like you needed some encouragement! i was freaking out all day today because of side affects so i started googling my symptoms. instead of freaking me out it actually calmed me down. here's one of the websites:
http://www.wikihealth.com/What_to_expect_w...taking_Accutane
i thought it was pretty informative and helped me realize what to expect each month. everyone's experience is different so try not to compare everything to how others are doing.
also, what is SD? is it serious depression? if so, you should talk to me about it, i've been down that long looong road before so i'm very informed about it.
hope you feel better! things will start looking up 
(also, how often did you get chemical peels and such?)
Hey lovely! SD is seborrahic dermatitis, if you see times threads he talks about it. My theory is I used to have really really oily skin and then I started getting 10% salicylic acid peels and I think it sent my oil glands into hypo drive or something. For awhile my skin was looking really good but I had to manually get rid of dead skin all the time. It has gotten better since I've stopped all harsh products. I got a total of 7 peels over a period of two years. I don't know if thats enough time to do some serious damage ;-( I've asked all my derms, friends and strangers and they have no idea what im talking about they say its all in my head. All the peels were supervised however a couple times the skin peeled before it should of.
;-( Yeah and I am only really concerned of one major side effect, permantely dry skin I would rather be an oil slick and do two rounds of accutane than have severly dry skin for my entire life. ;-( the rest don't really scare me, I think a bit of them are hyped up and not to mention major paranoia causing the placebo effect. I think people may forget too that accutane isnt just about putting lotion on your face, you gotta take care of your body during the course which is why i think certain supplements are a must 😉
Oh and btw the way the side effects today are basically non existant. I had one headache and that was the first day. My face got dry for the first two days, and it semi peeled a bit last night. If this is the driest I will get I can def deal with it, I'm praying it is. The only major one that I've noticed is body aches. That's my fault though too my body is used to 30 mins of stretching every day and I need to get back into it 😉
How are things with you lovely?
Oh and btw the way the side effects today are basically non existant. I had one headache and that was the first day. My face got dry for the first two days, and it semi peeled a bit last night. If this is the driest I will get I can def deal with it, I'm praying it is. The only major one that I've noticed is body aches. That's my fault though too my body is used to 30 mins of stretching every day and I need to get back into it 😉How are things with you lovely?
Are you moisturizing and taking vitamin E to prevent acne scars?
Why on earth would I make fun on anyone with seruois acne? I actually was trying to upload pictures and I didn't know how or If it was going to work. That is my good side. I will put up my left side with ny acne marks and arrives. I have blackheads on my forehead ad well.Thanks for backing me up darkmstter. 😉
BTW, I really think you have what I have. It's called BDD, body dysmorphic disorder, it's where you obsess over flaws and see them as much worse than they are..