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My dermatologist also seems to focus on other skin issues. Skin cancers and stuff like that. I always feel so bad when I am in the waiting room and the person next to me has a oxygen tank and is in 3rd stage cancer, and I am there to get rid of acne. They must think that I am so trivial and vane. I know I feel that way when I am there sitting next to cancer patients.
They are pretty damn huge in that photo. I think mine are clogged pores. ugh I hope the just disappear because that is going to be a mess if they surface. 
Oh, wow! I'd feel so bad. 
Obviously, what we deal with is nothing compared to what they're going through.
At my derm's office I mostly just see middle-aged people and elderlies. I've never encountered anyone there with obvious skin problems though, so I often wonder what brings other people to the office. Moles or other conditions that aren't visible, I guess.
My dermatologist also seems to focus on other skin issues. Skin cancers and stuff like that. I always feel so bad when I am in the waiting room and the person next to me has a oxygen tank and is in 3rd stage cancer, and I am there to get rid of acne. They must think that I am so trivial and vane. I know I feel that way when I am there sitting next to cancer patients.
They are pretty damn huge in that photo. I think mine are clogged pores. ugh I hope the just disappear because that is going to be a mess if they surface.
Same with my derm... I think he specializes in other skin disorders. But he's had a good amount of accutane cases in the past and knows about cumulative dosage, though he explained it as "You're supposed to have 1mg of accutane per kg of weight for 150 days." He was surprised that I didn't have an awful IB when I met with him last week, telling me that normally people's skin don't look good until well after the second month. I didn't bother explaining to him about how I already had a bad IB when I was taking pathothenic acid... I'm sure he wouldn't have any clue as to what that was! I definitely think that we know a lot more than most derms.
Same with my derm... I think he specializes in other skin disorders. But he's had a good amount of accutane cases in the past and knows about cumulative dosage, though he explained it as "You're supposed to have 1mg of accutane per kg of weight for 150 days." He was surprised that I didn't have an awful IB when I met with him last week, telling me that normally people's skin don't look good until well after the second month. I didn't bother explaining to him about how I already had a bad IB when I was taking pathothenic acid... I'm sure he wouldn't have any clue as to what that was! I definitely think that we know a lot more than most derms.
Yeah, I guess acne is pretty minor compared to what some other people are going through.
I'm curious to see what my derm says when I see him next week. But you're right, I do think in some cases we know more than the derms do!
Same with my derm... I think he specializes in other skin disorders. But he's had a good amount of accutane cases in the past and knows about cumulative dosage, though he explained it as "You're supposed to have 1mg of accutane per kg of weight for 150 days." He was surprised that I didn't have an awful IB when I met with him last week, telling me that normally people's skin don't look good until well after the second month. I didn't bother explaining to him about how I already had a bad IB when I was taking pathothenic acid... I'm sure he wouldn't have any clue as to what that was! I definitely think that we know a lot more than most derms.
My derm also has a good amount of accutane cases under her belt. She says she's been prescribing it for 10 years and acted like she has prescribed it a million times over. Her nurse also acts like she knows a lot about tane so I am sure she has a lot of patients on the meds. Speaking of her nurse last month when I was there her nurse walked past me at the check in counter and was like Hi Betsy... Kind odd makes me think I am there too much if they remember my name. haha oh well. Fix my face and i'll stop coming!
I can say that I have never done with whole mega dosing of B5. I didn't want to take 20 pills a day lol, something about that doesn't seem right. You are lucky to have that out of the way though and just be able to move forward instead of taking steps backwards like I did. I wasn't on anything besides retin a topical for almost a year before starting my accutane course. I had given up on my skin for awhile. Which is probably why my skin has so much shit to purge.
Yeah, I'm not sure how many times my derm has prescribed Accutane. I'm kind of curious though...
Betsy, that's something I was wondering about before I started Accutane. I was taking doxycycline up until a few weeks before Accutane. That seemed to clear my skin up at first and then it started breaking out in random places. So, I was hoping because of that my skin won't have much to purge on Accutane. I guess I'll find out. Yikes!
Since some of us discussed mosquitos the other day... There's one in my office at work and it's biting me! *runs away*
Im curious to how many courses my dermatologist has prescribed. She seems like she knows a lot about it though. So that makes me feel better. If people trust her to get rid of cancer and stuff then I trust her with my accutane course!
When I was taking doxy it worked okay for my skin too. I was getting less breakouts and stuff, but I was still getting new acne still. So that wasn't cutting it for me. Not to mention the huge side effects of not being able to walk thanks to the cycline family of drugs lol. I remember when I decided to stop taking the doxy though it was a easy decision because it wasn't helping my face anyways. Part of me wishes I would have never started seeing my derm because when I started seeing her it was for very mild acne. I swear all the antibiotics and topicals made my skin worse. Anyone else feel like that?
Hopefully you streak of no huge breakouts happening continues! I know you are getting zits here and there still but if you keep going without a huge cluster of zits coming in then I would think the doxy probably purged a lot of what you had under the skin already. Like you said you will find out though. I've read a few logs where people were actually able to continue taking the antibiotics for the first month while also on tane so avoid the IB. Seems like they had a lot of success with that.
When I first saw a derm, my skin was definitely a mess. My acne was still moderate then though. I don't think it's ever gotten like that since. I go through cycles with my skin where it's fine for a few months and then it breaks out like crazy. I don't remember how any antibiotics effected me since it had been a long time since I had taken once before doxy. Retin-A Micro and BenzaClin worked wonders for my face though. Although my acne came back after a few years, it hasn't been as bad as it once was.
I actually stopped taking doxy once it got closer for me to start Accutane because I read doxy and Accutane can cause brain swelling. I was a little afraid of having doxy in my system still. Fortunately the only big breakouts I've had since starting are two that I have right now. I'll keep my fingers crossed that's it and there's nothing major from here on out.
Day 24
The zit near my chin is slowly shrinking in size, but the one on my cheek isn't budging yet. The tiny bumps on my left cheek seem unchanged. I used the Cure Natural Aqua Gel last night, in hopes that would make a difference. It hasn't effected them yet, but I'm sure it'll take some time for them to go away.
The rash on my thigh is looking better. I'm trying to make sure I apply Cortizone a few times a day so I'll stop scratching the damn thing.
I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but the swollen lymph node behind my right ear is gone. The last of it disappeared either Monday or Tuesday, so I had it about a week. That's how long I normally have them. Yesterday I noticed I now have a lump in the spot where my right earlobe connects to my face. I have had lumps here before. It's already going away though.
A while back I mentioned dealing with dried blood in my nose. I've been using Simply Saline every so often to keep my nose moisturized and that's definitely helping.
Damn cheek zits! They always take forever to go away. Mine is hanging around still too from last week and a new huge one from 3 days ago. I wish things healed up faster on this stuff. It surfaces things quickly and I feel like they develope pretty quickly too. The problem is getting rid of them once they are surfaced. I have a scab on my left cheek for 2 weeks ago that is pretty small but isn't changing at all. Weird. I can't wait to have normal healing time back.
I get those little balls in my ear lobes from time to time. Hard little balls so weird, I wonder what they are? They always go away but I am curious where they come from anyways.
Damn cheek zits! They always take forever to go away. Mine is hanging around still too from last week and a new huge one from 3 days ago. I wish things healed up faster on this stuff. It surfaces things quickly and I feel like they develope pretty quickly too. The problem is getting rid of them once they are surfaced. I have a scab on my left cheek for 2 weeks ago that is pretty small but isn't changing at all. Weird. I can't wait to have normal healing time back.
I get those little balls in my ear lobes from time to time. Hard little balls so weird, I wonder what they are? They always go away but I am curious where they come from anyways.
I seriously hate cheek zits! They're so noticeable. 🙁 And of course they want to linger on your face for ages. Damn things. You would think as fast as things happen on this drug that zits would go away sooner. Oh well... But then again, before I started Accutane, it was taking forever for zits to heal. When I was on Retin-A Micro, zits stuck around maybe three days. That's it. I miss that! 🙁
I'll have to ask my derm what the lump is in the earlobe. I've had some that really hurt before.
Hi Rachel! Thank you for the nice post you made on my log this morning. 
I kind of feel like I have to say those things, even though people (here) thus far have been supportive.
Anyway, I was lurking your log and your skin looks great, and you're only on your second month of Accutane, right? There's already such a noticeable difference from your baseline pics. Congratulations. 
Also- we have really similar acne in terms of location of breakouts/severity.
Hi Rachel! Thank you for the nice post you made on my log this morning.
I kind of feel like I have to say those things, even though people (here) thus far have been supportive.
Anyway, I was lurking your log and your skin looks great, and you're only on your second month of Accutane, right? There's already such a noticeable difference from your baseline pics. Congratulations.
Also- we have really similar acne in terms of location of breakouts/severity.
Yeah, there are a lot of supportive people here. It's great to be able to talk to people who can relate! It's good to know someone else has acne similar to mine, too!
And thank you! 🙂 I'm just finishing up my first month. My second month starts next week. I can't believe it's already almost been a month! It's crazy.
Day 25
The zit near my chin is mostly gone. There's still a bump, but it's flatter, so it's nothing major. The one on my left cheek doesn't look smaller, but it isn't sore anymore, which I figure is a good thing. It did have a bit of a scab on it this morning that fell off though. Okay, maybe I kinda sorta picked it off¦ Despite that, it's still fine. The other day, I mentioned a zit on my scalp on the left side of my head. That's still there, but slowly going away. And guess what? I noticed another one on the left side of my head today. Woo! What is going on with the left side of my body? Jeez. The good thing? It's my damn scalp... No one can see them! The blackheads are still in full force on my nose and chin. Thankfully, they're small and I'm probably the only one who will ever notice them.
Overall, I think my skin is looking good. My main issue is the red marks, which I've been treating with this Sudden Change Scar ZoneA Acne Treatment & Scar Diminishing Cream. I purchased a few tubes of this via Amazon a few months ago after reading great reviews. It worked a little before, so I figured I'd give it a shot again. I hate the smell though.
I think I might be catching a cold. My nose has been rather sniffly today and I pretty much feel like crap. Hopefully I'm feeling better by tomorrow because it's going to be super nice this weekend and I'd rather be in the pool and not sick in bed.
Since I've been on Accutane for almost a month now, I will be seeing my derm next Wednesday. I'm glad it worked out that way because I will take my last two pills for month one on that day. Anywho. That means I'm getting my blood work done tomorrow. I'm kind of nervous. The last time I had my blood drawn (which was before starting Accutane), I thought I was just taking a pregnancy test. My derm's office didn't tell me to fast. So, my blood was drawn right after I ate lunch. My cholesterol level was high. I'm hoping I don't have any issues with that or anything else this time around. I don't need to be taken off Accutane! And I'm hoping I don't pass out either because I've never fasted and then had blood drawn. I don't even weigh enough to donate blood! Lol!
You are using scar fading cream while on accutane? I wanted to do that too. I was told it was a big no no though by my derm. She told me to wait until afterwards. I was looking at ambi fading cream. Also Black and White makes on I was looking at too. My face would look 80% better if I didn't have all these red marks. They are horrible. I can't wait for them to fade..
You are using scar fading cream while on accutane? I wanted to do that too. I was told it was a big no no though by my derm. She told me to wait until afterwards. I was looking at ambi fading cream. Also Black and White makes on I was looking at too. My face would look 80% better if I didn't have all these red marks. They are horrible. I can't wait for them to fade..
Eh. I didn't ask my derm if I could or not. It's for sensitive skin and has green tea in it. I haven't had any adverse effects, so I figure it's fine?? Lol.
Here is a link to it on Amazon if you want to check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Scar-Treatment-Diminishing-Sensitive-0-5-Ounce/dp/B000NSRX1S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1339184266&sr=8-2 That's for a pack of three though. They do sell a single pack. It seemed to work okay when I used it before. It's certainly not a miracle product. The only thing I ever used that got rid of my red marks was a prescription of Biafine my derm gave me years ago.
Active Ingredient: Salicylic Acid Usp (2%). Inactive Ingredients: Purified Water, Isohexadecane, Dimethicone, Polyacrylamide (and) C13-14 Isoparaffin (and) Laureth-7, Glyceryl Stearate (and) Peg-100 Stearate, Caprylic-capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Glycerin, Squalane, Polyethylene, Trisodium Edta, Allantoin, Bht, Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Potassium Sorbate (and) Hexylene Glycol, Potassium Hydroxide.
Biafine hmm. I am going to write that down. See if my derm would prescribe it. Did yours prescribe it for acne marks?
Yep! He prescribed it for acne marks. It's the only thing that's ever completely worked. And it worked quickly, too. He also prescribed Prutect once, but that didn't work.
So. I was sitting here, surfing the forums... Scratching away at a mosquito bite on my leg. Then I looked at my leg and noticed some skin was flaking up. The next thing I know, it was stinging and I had scraped the top layer of skin on my leg.
I wasn't scratching it hard or anything. I guess it just shows how fragile the skin can be on Accutane. I put some Neosporin on it though.
Moral of the story? Be careful how you scratch.
Day 24
The zit near my chin is slowly shrinking in size, but the one on my cheek isn't budging yet. The tiny bumps on my left cheek seem unchanged. I used the Cure Natural Aqua Gel last night, in hopes that would make a difference. It hasn't effected them yet, but I'm sure it'll take some time for them to go away.
The rash on my thigh is looking better. I'm trying to make sure I apply Cortizone a few times a day so I'll stop scratching the damn thing.
I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but the swollen lymph node behind my right ear is gone. The last of it disappeared either Monday or Tuesday, so I had it about a week. That's how long I normally have them. Yesterday I noticed I now have a lump in the spot where my right earlobe connects to my face. I have had lumps here before. It's already going away though.
A while back I mentioned dealing with dried blood in my nose. I've been using Simply Saline every so often to keep my nose moisturized and that's definitely helping.
I get those hard bumps where my earlobe attaches to my face also! They are so weird. They flare up, are a little sore at first but they do nothing and then eventually go away. I don't have any of the millia you guys are talking about but I do have some small bumps on my forehead that my derm said were overgrown oil glands - they have to be lasered off if I ever want to get rid of them.
I actually go to one of the physician assistants at my derms office but I love her, she's really open to what I have to say and any research or info I bring her. She has been prescribing accutane for awhile and is pretty knowledgeable about the basics but did not know about cummulative dose. The actual derm had both her sons on it at one point and really believes in it and one of her sons is doing a research something or other regarding accutane and fish oil. I do feel we on the boards here are more informed than the doctors sometimes. I did have to search and search for a derm that was actually willing to work with me regarding my acne - most just want to treat skin cancer. I was only on retin a for a year before trying this - everything I had read and researched said that women my age would think retin a was the bomb but it didn't do shit for me. It mostly just irritated the crap out of my skin. I tried doxy too in the past and it worked for a while but I knew I couldn't stay on it forever and eventually I'd get a yeast infection and then I was just trading one problem for another.
So. I was sitting here, surfing the forums... Scratching away at a mosquito bite on my leg. Then I looked at my leg and noticed some skin was flaking up. The next thing I know, it was stinging and I had scraped the top layer of skin on my leg. 🙁
I wasn't scratching it hard or anything. I guess it just shows how fragile the skin can be on Accutane. I put some Neosporin on it though.
Moral of the story? Be careful how you scratch.
I agree my skin is so sensitive too! I rub up aganist something and it scratches me. I can't believe all the scrapes and cuts I have now that I am on this stuff. Also if I scratch my arm or anything like if I have a itch it feel so or irritated afterwards, turns red and almost feels like its burning for a short while. If I moisturize my body everyday that seems to go away though. I go through fazes where I don't think I am that dry and then I let up a bit on moisturizing and it comes back the next day. I'm not used to being sooo careful with my skin. I treat it like baby skin at this point.
So. I was sitting here, surfing the forums... Scratching away at a mosquito bite on my leg. Then I looked at my leg and noticed some skin was flaking up. The next thing I know, it was stinging and I had scraped the top layer of skin on my leg.
I wasn't scratching it hard or anything. I guess it just shows how fragile the skin can be on Accutane. I put some Neosporin on it though.
Moral of the story? Be careful how you scratch.
I agree my skin is so sensitive too! I rub up aganist something and it scratches me. I can't believe all the scrapes and cuts I have now that I am on this stuff. Also if I scratch my arm or anything like if I have a itch it feel so or irritated afterwards, turns red and almost feels like its burning for a short while. If I moisturize my body everyday that seems to go away though. I go through fazes where I don't think I am that dry and then I let up a bit on moisturizing and it comes back the next day. I'm not used to being sooo careful with my skin. I treat it like baby skin at this point.
Me too!!!!