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you had great skin before accutane, and great skin after, CONGRATS!
Thanks! 🙂
That's awesome, Rachel!!!
Then can you or anyone else explain why I am still getting random clogged pores? I have a lingering lip zit that keeps refilling. It's pissing me off but I'm trying to ignore it so the stress doesn't make it worse.
I'm not sure why you keep getting clogged pores or why you have that pesky lip zit! 🙁 But hopefully someone has some advice... I don't think it's uncommon to still experience breakouts and such as this point, but I'm sure it's frustrating!
My nose is actually all tiny clogged pores still. My nose has always been like that though. Accutane hasn't helped it at all, which bothers me. It isn't noticeable, but I wonder if there's anything that can be done about it. Maybe a pore strip when I'm off Accutane...
Can you believe we're almost done?! Just a few more weeks! It still bugs me that I won't reach my cumulative dose, but I'm gonna stay positive.
Yay you're right. Sometimes there isn't a clear explanation. You're right that it's normal to still get little stuff now. Overall things are a lot better!
I was eating some candy and drinking coffee this week, which can worsen breakouts for me. I threw away the candy and switched back to tea and the inflammation is already going down. Skin and diet is so weird for me...sometimes I notice a different and other times, not at all...
Yay you're right. Sometimes there isn't a clear explanation. You're right that it's normal to still get little stuff now. Overall things are a lot better!
I was eating some candy and drinking coffee this week, which can worsen breakouts for me. I threw away the candy and switched back to tea and the inflammation is already going down. Skin and diet is so weird for me...sometimes I notice a different and other times, not at all...
It's weird... I haven't noticed food having any impact on my skin since starting Accutane. It would be nice to never have to worry about food causing acne, wouldn't it?
Hi, I have been reading your posts and I am going to the derm on Monday to try and get accutane and I was wondering what the cumulative dose was? I really want to be informed so when I go I can talk to her about this. PLease and thankyou! also any helpful information! 
Jessica
Day 141
Figured I'd pop in to say hello. It's been a rough past few days. I've been sick and my great-grandfather unexpectedly passed away, so it's been a lack of sleep and quite a few cups of coffee lately. Caffeinated coffee too, which is kind of surprising since I feel caffeine does nothing for me and sometimes caffeinated coffee makes me break out. Despite all this, no new zits. Just a very stressful time.
ALSO. INCLUDING TODAY, I HAVE 10 DAYS LEFT ON ACCUTANE. I know I need to have blood work done one more time. Do I wait until I've finished all my pills or go in a few days before the month ends, like usual? Do I have to sign into iPledge anymore?
Hope you're all doing well.
Hi, I have been reading your posts and I am going to the derm on Monday to try and get accutane and I was wondering what the cumulative dose was? I really want to be informed so when I go I can talk to her about this. PLease and thankyou! also any helpful information!
Jessica
Hi, Jessica. Sorry I haven't been able to get back to you. I'm not sure if your question has already been answered, but if it hasn't... It's recommended to get a cumulative dose of Accutane because it's believed you are less likely to relapse and have your acne come back. Your derm should know all about this. But in case she doesn't, this post explains how to calculate your cumulative dose: http://www.acne.org/...ccutane-dosage/
By the way, how did the appointment go?
Hi Rachel,
So so so so sorry to hear about your grandfather. Sending you loads of healing love and energy.
Coffee is weird for me, too, and usually makes me break out, but it hasn't been breaking me out lately thank god. It still makes me feel super jittery though. I should stop for that very reason alone, acne aside. I'm surprised it has no effect on you! I think our different responses are largely genetic, because there's just no other explanation. 
I don't know the iPledge response. I don't think you sign in again. I think your derm enters in your last negative pregnancy test. My derm said I could skip the last pregnancy test since I'll be out of the country. I think they're going to fudge the results for me. Haha! Even Derms hate iPledge, in my opinion.
I would also just do your last pregnancy test just before you reach 30 days after your last test, if you have that date written down or remember. As in, get your blood work done on the 28th day after you last had the test just cause it takes a few days to process it. I don't see the point in timing your pills with it, unless you feel a moral obligation to do it AFTER you've finished your pills.
Feel better, Rach. <3
Hi Rachel,
So so so so sorry to hear about your grandfather. Sending you loads of healing love and energy.
Coffee is weird for me, too, and usually makes me break out, but it hasn't been breaking me out lately thank god. It still makes me feel super jittery though. I should stop for that very reason alone, acne aside. I'm surprised it has no effect on you! I think our different responses are largely genetic, because there's just no other explanation.
I don't know the iPledge response. I don't think you sign in again. I think your derm enters in your last negative pregnancy test. My derm said I could skip the last pregnancy test since I'll be out of the country. I think they're going to fudge the results for me. Haha! Even Derms hate iPledge, in my opinion.
I would also just do your last pregnancy test just before you reach 30 days after your last test, if you have that date written down or remember. As in, get your blood work done on the 28th day after you last had the test just cause it takes a few days to process it. I don't see the point in timing your pills with it, unless you feel a moral obligation to do it AFTER you've finished your pills.
Feel better, Rach.
Thanks, Gina! Just a rough time!
So weird how coffee causes different reactions for people. I've never felt like caffeine woke me up or anything like that, so if I drink coffee it's usually decaf and because I want something warm. Just glad there aren't any coffee-related zits popping up!
Although, I did wake up to find a tiny zit on my left cheek this morning. So strange since I haven't had one in months. Not going to let it worry me though.
And thanks for the help! I'll go in early next week. I finish all my pills next Thursday. Kinda scary! Let's hope we all have good skin post-Accutane.
Day 150 - The End
Well, I did it. I finished my course on Accutane today. Five months of 40mg a day and I have clear skin.
I decided to recap my experience to help anyone who may be considering Accutane because it was the very logs on this site that helped me make my decision. So, here it goes...
When my dermatologist suggested Accutane, I was in shock. I had heard of Accutane, but all I knew was that it would make your skin and lips very dry. I thought it was only for people with severe acne. I didn't think my skin was bad enough to need such a strong drug. When I got home from that dermatologist appointment, I immediately started researching. I stumbled upon the plethora of negative experiences people have shared on this site. That freaked me out. Please, stay out of those threads.
I obviously decided to take Accutane, otherwise I would not be sharing my journey with whoever may be reading this. During the month-long wait to start Accutane (the joys of iPledge), I educated myself. Not with negative stories about crazy side effects, but with the logs on this site. Real people sharing their real experiences on a regular basis.
If you only read one thing from this post, let it be this: If you are contemplating taking Accutane, do your research. Read logs on this forum. Ask questions. Be prepared. For those of you who have any questions, please feel free to post here in my log or send me a message. I would be happy to help anyone who needs it.
Onto my course...
Because I took 40mg a day for five months, I did not receive a cumulative dose. A cumulative dose is recommended for the best results. (To calculate your cumulative dose, read this thread.) For me to have received a cumulative dose, I would have needed to take Accutane for a full six months. My dermatologist did not feel this was necessary, as my skin had been clear for quite some time when I last saw him, which was at the end of month four.
I feel I had a very easy journey on Accutane. I took doxycycline the month prior to starting my course. My skin definitely purged during that time, so I can't help but wonder if it resulted in my skin purging less while on Accutane. I did experience an initial breakout (IB) on 'tane, however, it was not bad at all. My last zit was a week ago, but it was very small and went away the same day it popped up, so it's barely worth mentioning. Prior to that, I hadn't had a zit in months.
When I thought of Accutane drying out the skin, I imagined something far worse than what I actually experienced. I imagined my skin being dry, tight, and cracked. In reality, I barely even moisturized. I only used a light moisturizer in the morning and would spot treat any flaky patches as necessary with a heavier moisturizer. My skin did not really feel dry, but I knew it was because I didn't experience the slight oiliness I used to get on my chin every day, I had a few flaky patches on my face, I developed rashes, I had very minor dandruff every now and then, and of course... Those dreaded dry lips, which weren't even as bad as what I envisioned. I was able to get by without moisturizing my face except in the morning. Now, this won't be the case for everyone, so be sure to find yourself a great moisturizer if you take Accutane.
I feel like I was probably the queen of Accutane rashes. I always had one it seems. I had a couple rashes on my thighs, a rash on my left collarbone, and little bumps on the backs of my hands. These rashes always took the form of a small patch of little, red bumps. Nothing too terrible. The most persistent rashes were those on my outer forearms. If you develop a rash, slather on some moisturizer. With consistent application, the rashes will go away.
I occasionally felt a little achy in my hips and ankles. I never felt any kind of joint pain though. I didn't experience any back pain other than what I have always occasionally experienced from my poor posture while sitting at my desk at work.
I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Accutane. I am 100% happy with my decision to take this drug and I firmly believe that it has changed my life for the better. I no longer wake up wondering if a new zit popped up overnight. I wake up and see only acne-free skin looking back at me. (I still have those pesky red marks though!)
However, stopping Accutane is terrifying to me, to be honest. And not receiving a cumulative dose is even more terrifying. I am sure many Accutane users can relate. Completing my time on this drug is bittersweet. I am thrilled to no longer be popping pills every day, happy that my lips will no longer crave constant lip balm applications, and completely ecstatic that my acne is gone. However, the future of my skin worries me. I will keep my fingers crossed that my acne never comes back.
To those who read this: YOU ARE AWESOME. I hope this log helps at least one person who is considering taking Accutane or who is taking Accutane. I'll continue to update every now and then on my progress post-'tane. And good luck to everyone on the journey to find clear skin.
Yay!!!! So happy for you Rachel! You will stay clear! I know it!!! Congrats!! 
I have 6 more days and I have completed my course of 7 months! Crazy! Im scared like you are though about what the future holds for my skin. I'll just keep thinking positive. Will you be using a topical at all?
Yay!!!! So happy for you Rachel! You will stay clear! I know it!!! Congrats!!
I have 6 more days and I have completed my course of 7 months! Crazy! Im scared like you are though about what the future holds for my skin. I'll just keep thinking positive. Will you be using a topical at all?
I sure hope my skin stays clear! Now I can't wait for my lips to go back to normal...
I'm glad you're almost finished! It's exciting to be done with this stuff, but at the same time, it's troubling. It just bugs me about not getting a cumulative dose! But I'll keep my fingers crossed that all of us stay acne-free for the rest of our lives! Lol.
I actually won't be using a prescription topical from my derm. He said he'll prescribe me something if acne starts to come back. So, I'm happy about that because I'd rather not have to use anything. I'll just have to wait and see what happens.
I started on May 17th 2012, my experience has been herrific. I am not clear! Underneath my make up ,my skin is raw red and i have purple acne marks on my cheeks. I have come down from 60mg to 40mg now and am waiting not to get a zit for a month then i may go down to 20mg or just stop. I cant believe your skin can already look like this 
Do you wear make up? You are sooooooo lucky. Wish I had your experience.
I started on May 17th 2012, my experience has been herrific. I am not clear! Underneath my make up ,my skin is raw red and i have purple acne marks on my cheeks. I have come down from 60mg to 40mg now and am waiting not to get a zit for a month then i may go down to 20mg or just stop. I cant believe your skin can already look like this
Do you wear make up? You are sooooooo lucky. Wish I had your experience.
Aww! I'm sorry you're having such a rough time. 🙁 I can't believe your skin hasn't cleared up by now, but I know there are some people who continue to break out until the end of their course. It just sounds like you haven't seen any good results at all. What does your dermatologist think about this?
I really don't wear much makeup. I didn't have any makeup on in the photos I posted. But when I do wear makeup, it's just a light dusting of Everyday Minerals foundation and Make Up For Ever HD concealer.
Hi Rachel!! Congrats on finishing your course and congrats on no acne!! Woo hoo! I finished a week ago and my lips are going back to normal which is bliss! Now I'm in that phase of hoping it works long term and being afraid that it won't. I ended up taking 10,800mg overall which when you look at it that way seems like that should have been enough to kick it in the butt, ya know? I'm glad to hear you're doing well!
34 Days Post-'Tane
I did recently have a little red bump pop up on my chin, but I applied some salicylic acid and it was gone the same day. Other than that, no acne. Skin is still looking great despite red marks that are left. I started applying Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair (the morning one, not the night one) on my red marks. Of course, Neutrogena claims you should see results in one week, but you can never expect that! I'll let you all know if it helps.
I've also decided I'm going to start using my Clarisonic again. I purchased it a little over a year ago and used it nightly for eight weeks, but it was just nonstop acne for me. So the device won't be a complete waste of money, I'm going to just use it once a week because it does make my skin look brighter and makes my pores look smaller.
Seriously, it just feels so good to wake up in the morning and not have to worry about acne.
Hi Rachel!! Congrats on finishing your course and congrats on no acne!! Woo hoo! I finished a week ago and my lips are going back to normal which is bliss! Now I'm in that phase of hoping it works long term and being afraid that it won't. I ended up taking 10,800mg overall which when you look at it that way seems like that should have been enough to kick it in the butt, ya know?
I'm glad to hear you're doing well!
Congrats on finishing! Hope you're doing well!
Hey Rachel! Thanks for the post updates, it's so encouraging to see you're still doing well. I thought once I'd finished I would feel in the clear but instead I just live in fear that it won't work long term. Every time someone posts that it's still working for them it makes me feel so much better.
I am 24 days post tane and still doing well. My body skin has returned to normal and all the cuts and scrapes have healed. My lips are feeling back to normal too and my eyes are less dry. My face has stayed clear so far. I had a few weird smallish bumps or really more like an inflammation come up but they went right down and every day it seems my face looks clearer and clearer. I sure hope it stays that way!! It's an unbelievable feeling! My muscles and joints are getting better too but at a much slower pace. My biggests issue is hair shedding. It started in the last month after I had upped my dose and is still continuing. I won't lie, it freaks me out but I'm sure it's just the shock of the medicine and will slow down and go back to normal (or so my derm says). I'm trying hard to stay away from any posts about permanent hair loss. I don't think anyone can tell but me so as long as it stops soon, I'm okay with it.
Glad to hear you're doing so well. I am thinking about purchasing a clarsonic to help keep my skin clear so make sure to post how it's going for you. Also, thanks for the recommendation a while ago about the everyday minerals. I really love it and have my daughter using it now too. It's great stuff!
Hey Rachel! Thanks for the post updates, it's so encouraging to see you're still doing well. I thought once I'd finished I would feel in the clear but instead I just live in fear that it won't work long term. Every time someone posts that it's still working for them it makes me feel so much better.
I am 24 days post tane and still doing well. My body skin has returned to normal and all the cuts and scrapes have healed. My lips are feeling back to normal too and my eyes are less dry. My face has stayed clear so far. I had a few weird smallish bumps or really more like an inflammation come up but they went right down and every day it seems my face looks clearer and clearer. I sure hope it stays that way!! It's an unbelievable feeling! My muscles and joints are getting better too but at a much slower pace. My biggests issue is hair shedding. It started in the last month after I had upped my dose and is still continuing. I won't lie, it freaks me out but I'm sure it's just the shock of the medicine and will slow down and go back to normal (or so my derm says). I'm trying hard to stay away from any posts about permanent hair loss.
Glad to hear you're doing so well. I am thinking about purchasing a clarsonic to help keep my skin clear so make sure to post how it's going for you. Also, thanks for the recommendation a while ago about the everyday minerals. I really love it and have my daughter using it now too. It's great stuff!
Glad to hear you're doing well! The hair loss can definitely seem scary, but it does appear to be a common issue. As long as your derm isn't worried, I'm sure you'll be just fine! 🙂 But it's so good to hear that your skin has remained clear since your course ended. It's such a relief, isn't it?
I think we all have the same fear that Accutane won't work long-term. We never know what could happen. But I think it's just best to take things one day at a time and remain positive.
I actually had a small whitehead pop up on my nose last week, but it was only there for two days and really wasn't a big deal. It did worry me at first because it makes me think more breakouts are on the way. But everything is fine now, so that's good!
If you do purchase a Clarisonic, I recommend easing into using it. I purchased mine last year and immediately started using it every night. Purging is normal the first few weeks, but unfortunately, my skin was just nonstop breakouts for the full eight weeks I used it. That's why I only want to use it once a week now. I do see benefits from using it only once as it does make my skin seem brighter and it keeps my pores looking small. I will definitely update on the Clarisonic use. Hopefully I won't have any adverse reactions.
I'm glad to hear you like the Everyday Minerals foundation! It's always been great on my skin. They have a new jojoba foundation now that I just got some samples of. I haven't tried it out yet since the lightest color seems a bit dark for me. (The jojoba shades are different from the other foundations.) But I did read some really good reviews on it.
Hey you! I also ordered some of the jojoba samples but I found the same thing with the colors - I couldn't find one that was just right. I'm still using the semi-matte and like it the best so far. If my oil returns full force I will switch to the matte type. Definitely do an update with the Clarsonic - I've always wanted to use it but for now I'm just washing and moisturizing until anything changes.
Hey you! I also ordered some of the jojoba samples but I found the same thing with the colors - I couldn't find one that was just right. I'm still using the semi-matte and like it the best so far. If my oil returns full force I will switch to the matte type. Definitely do an update with the Clarsonic - I've always wanted to use it but for now I'm just washing and moisturizing until anything changes.
I use the semi-matte base as well. I've never had any problems with it or the matte base. I stay away from the intensive base because when I first tried it years ago it made me break out. A lot of other people reported the same problem, so I've just stuck with the semi-matte since I know my skin is okay with it!
Have you noticed any oil returning yet? I've never had really oily skin, but my chin would always get a bit oily during the day before I took Accutane. It's coming back now, but only slightly. And I've already noticed that I can't skip washing my hair for a day anymore. Bummer! Although, even when I was on Accutane I always washed my hair every day. Whenever I did skip a wash my hair still looked fine the next day. Just not the case anymore. 🙁
Hey you! I also ordered some of the jojoba samples but I found the same thing with the colors - I couldn't find one that was just right. I'm still using the semi-matte and like it the best so far. If my oil returns full force I will switch to the matte type. Definitely do an update with the Clarsonic - I've always wanted to use it but for now I'm just washing and moisturizing until anything changes.
I use the semi-matte base as well. I've never had any problems with it or the matte base. I stay away from the intensive base because when I first tried it years ago it made me break out. A lot of other people reported the same problem, so I've just stuck with the semi-matte since I know my skin is okay with it!
Have you noticed any oil returning yet? I've never had really oily skin, but my chin would always get a bit oily during the day before I took Accutane. It's coming back now, but only slightly. And I've already noticed that I can't skip washing my hair for a day anymore. Bummer! Although, even when I was on Accutane I always washed my hair every day. Whenever I did skip a wash my hair still looked fine the next day. Just not the case anymore. 🙁
I can't skip washing my hair anymore either. Sad sad day