Heather, congrats on 2 weeks! I am on day 4 myself, so not far behind! I'm seeing a trend with headaches from other people and I've experience them too. Not sure if it is a side effect or if increased water intake will solve it.
~bodyandsoul
Thankyoooou! It felt like the first few days went by so slooowwwwly, but now that I'm used to popping these pills in the morning things have started to speed up. Yeah I've been getting headaches, had the worst one yesterday and it seemed to linger for ages. It is definately a dehydrated feeling so just keep drinking lots of water. And for some reason ibuprofen is helping the headaches better whereas paracetamol was usually my pick of choice.
Good luck with your course! 
Have you experienced any breakouts yet?
Thankyoooou! It felt like the first few days went by so slooowwwwly, but now that I'm used to popping these pills in the morning things have started to speed up. Yeah I've been getting headaches, had the worst one yesterday and it seemed to linger for ages. It is definately a dehydrated feeling so just keep drinking lots of water. And for some reason ibuprofen is helping the headaches better whereas paracetamol was usually my pick of choice.
Good luck with your course!
Have you experienced any breakouts yet?
I am getting new breakouts, but this morning I woke up to see some of the cystic acne that had been around for months, GONE! That was a surprise. Please feel free to check out my log too
I have a question for someone who has finished their course of accutane or are quite far on in their course - besides getting rid of spots, does accutane improve the general appearance of your skin? I have quite oily skin which has visible pores and blackheads, and some redness in areas. Will the accutane help with this also?
Unfortunately no, in my experience my overall skin appearance in terms of scarring actually worsened - although that was largely down to the initial breakout. You scar WAY easier on accutane so if I was to have one word of advice it would be DO NOT PICK DURING THE INITIAL BREAKOUT. I did, I somewhat regret it now.
In terms of visible pores though, accutane will help, not in actually decreasing the size (that's a myth I believe), but since your skin won't be oily they won't be anywhere near as visible. Some solace at least lol
Enjoy the ride anyway, it gets better eventually..
Thanks for that, peck. Yeah I didn't think it would help with scarring, if only eh lol. I'm just hoping it helps in the overall appearance of my skin. When my skin is relatively free of acne I still can't go out without make-up because my skin still looks horrible. That's given me some hope anyway, thanks.
Day 16
Not much to report, have a bunch of new very small spots that seem to dry up really quickly, got a beast on my forehead though
I woke up to get ready for work today and brushed my teeth as usual and when I spat into the sink there was a fair bit of blood. The back of my gums are feeling abit tender today aswel. Any advice on why this is happening and how to stop it?
Day 22
Feeling VERY fatigued lately, just want to sleep all the time. 
Bought ome good mouthwash to try help with the bleeding gums, and since then I've not had and bleeding like that. Although I'm now starting to think this was due to my wisdom teeth pushing through as they have been very sore the last few days.
No new spots or anything, have I just been lucky with the IB or is the worst still to come? I wonder.
Wish I could just stop feeling tired! It's 7.15pm and I'm contemplating going for a nap lol!
It should be day 27 but I was drinking last night so didn't take them yesterday or this morning, will go back on them tomorrow. Hangovers don't seem so bad when on accutane, strangely enough. Thought I would be dying today.
Anyway my skin has started getting REALLY FRIGGEN DRY!!! Mkae-up is harder to take off because it clings to the dry skin and yesterday, after only a few hours of having make-up on, I could see cracks in the make-up where the dryness was, horrible. So glad I checked in the mirror before I went out!
Apart from that I haven't got many spots but my skin in general looks bloody AWFUL!!! It's a huge porey mess 
Is this meant to happen? Other logs I have read don't seem to mention this. Actually felt really bad about myself for the first time since taking accutane. Since I started, whenever I would break out I wouldn't get as annoyed as before but right now its my skin thats just icky. Horrible, horrible, horrible!
Heather,
I can appreciate how hard it is to get makeup off now (I'm on Day 19). I'm on a quest to find something new and gentler. Last night I had to use a wash cloth to get it off and it opened up several bumps that started to bleed
Try to stay positive - it's still very early. Deep breaths!
Heather,
I can appreciate how hard it is to get makeup off now (I'm on Day 19). I'm on a quest to find something new and gentler. Last night I had to use a wash cloth to get it off and it opened up several bumps that started to bleed
Try to stay positive - it's still very early. Deep breaths!
Yeah, it's really annoying too because you don't want to iritate the skin more! I know, woke up today and feel a little bit better about it. Still feel very annoyed at the people I see with flawless skin, if only they knew how easy they had it!
Thankyou so much for your support x
Day 30!!! Wooo month one DOWN! Went by so quickly.
Had my derm appointment today, was expecting to have to get another blood test but she said that it's every 8 weeks a blood test is needed BUT for some reason, they didn't test my lipids (I think that's what it's called, to do with your cholesterol anyway) last time but test loads of other stuff that they didn't need to :S So I did need to get another blood test. Everything from the first blood test came back fine though Strange how the NHS seem more laid back about accutane compared to stories I read from people in America etc.
I was going to ask her to put up my dosage to atleast 50mg but ended up coming away with a months course of 70mg per day. CHUFFED! Lets get this ball rolling! I asked about cumulative dose and she said well we put you on the maximum dose for four months and if you haven't seen maximum improvement they put you on for another month. I was worried incase I wouldn't reach my cumulative dose but whilst waiting for my prescription I calculated it and after the next four months I will have completed more than my minimum dose, so happy happy happy
I'm guessing the side effects will really become noticable now, will wait and see. I mentioned to her about ym skin in general looking horrible and porey, she said that will clear up too eventually, thank god Was so much more cheery and relaxed at this appointment compared to the last, where I burst out crying lol! The derm musta been like please don't cry, please don't cry 
She is so nice though
Feeling good again after a slight meltdown last weekend. Four months doesn't feel that long away
Day 38.
Noticing dryness of my skin quite a bit more, make-up is quite hard to wash off, my nose is quite dry etc. What I failed to mention in my last post, and I don't know how because it is bloody HUGE, is a cyst inbetween my eyes, not in the centre, thank god, but to the side. I have had it for about a week and a half and man it's huge, and that;s it about half the size now. I wasn't too bothered about it, just thankful that it wasn't in the usual place on my cheeks where the scarring is. Went bowling for my friends birthday 2 days ago and one of my friends asked "what is that on your face?" in front of everyone, "a spot" I said, and she pinted and laughed right at me. That really hurt because I was already desperately blasting it with benzoyl peroxide days beforehand to try reduce it's size before I went out. I can't really blame her though, she doesn't know I'm on accutane. After that I just started making jokes about it- "I should draw a face on it, it's that big".
Anyway, my second head has started to go down. I was a bad girl that night and really hit the booze to try give myself more confidence, and I can honestly say that once again the hangover wasn't as bad as they used to be. I made sure to drink plenty water when I got home though.
I'm starting university in a month and a half so I've been looking into some scar creams to try and improve their appearance, because obviously you can't have anything like dermabrasion or laser therapy when your on accutane. I've used revitol and bio oil in the past, revitol turns out to be a total scam and I despise the feeling of bio oil on your skin, and I don't think it worked for me anyway after persisting with it for some time. I had read about kelo-cote before and after reading some customer reviews on it I'm thinking of trying it out. Has anyone out there (if anyone's even reading my posts lol) ever tried kelo-cote and had a reasonable experience?
Would just like to say to any girls (or guys who like lip colour) out there that I bought Nivea Pearly Shine Lip Balm today and it if fabulous! It keeps your lips soo moisturised, it tastes great and it gives your lips a nice pinky shine. Nivea really has been the best in terms of lip balm while I've been on accutane. I had bought vaseline too and was using that when I ran out of Nivea but omg that stuff is RUBBISH! I had never bought it before in my life but the stuff just sits on your lips and slides off very easily! Why is that stuff so popular? I felt like I had to apply every 5 minutes!
Anyway, sorry to anyone who has read this for the rant haha. Have a new active today on my cheek, not on the scar area and it seems like it's just going to be a whitehead anyway. Think I've been quite lucky so far in terms of breaking out. Hopefully it stays this way
Day 41.
Damn cyst between my eyes just wont go away! Put some BP on it last night but it's not went down at all. Why is it when I get cysts they seem to get cosy enough to sit there for over a month, sometimes longer???? Grrrr! Spot on my cheek has gotten a bit bigger but I'm not too worried about it turning into a big cyst....touch wood.
Have been noticing some back pain over the last few days, nothing major, I guess that's down to my dosage increase. Anyhooooo... just glad I've not got any new actives... yet.
I'm a few days behind you and today was the first day I noticed a decrease in blackheads on my nose! Pores still look crummy though.
Hope that cyst goes away soon!
Yeah the blackheads seems to get worse then better, then worse again. My pores are still quite visible too although not as bad as they were a few weeks ago. How are you coping with the dosage increase? My backs been feeling rather tender and sore when I lie down at night time and amke-up is soooo hard to take off due to the dry skin! I dread taking it off at night lol but know I have to.
Day 43.
OMG!!! The best newsssss!!! The cyst has decreased in size!! Looked in the mirror there and it had come to a head, well 2 heads actually LOL, disgusting I know but so relieving! Washed my face and one of them burst and now I feel soo so happy Its smaller and nowhere near as red and angry looking. Strange because when I get cysts they NEVER come to a head and take weeks and weeks to reduce in size. I actually feel a massive weight has been lifted and I can stop hiding out in my flat. Very depressing.
Apart from that, no other news, just had to post my excitement. Face has been feeling tighter and smoother in certain places.
WOOOOOO!!! 
Yeah the blackheads seems to get worse then better, then worse again. My pores are still quite visible too although not as bad as they were a few weeks ago. How are you coping with the dosage increase? My backs been feeling rather tender and sore when I lie down at night time and amke-up is soooo hard to take off due to the dry skin! I dread taking it off at night lol but know I have to.
Day 43.
OMG!!! The best newsssss!!! The cyst has decreased in size!! Looked in the mirror there and it had come to a head, well 2 heads actually LOL, disgusting I know but so relieving! Washed my face and one of them burst and now I feel soo so happy
Apart from that, no other news, just had to post my excitement. Face has been feeling tighter and smoother in certain places.
WOOOOOO!!!
My blackheads on my nose are finally going away and the pores seem to be shrinking too...let's hope they stay that way! No new side effects with the dose increase so far, with the exception of my eyes feeling a drier. I'm still wearing my contacts.
Glad to hear about your healing!!
Day 45.
Wow this has gone by so quickly. Quite happy because I have had no new actives of late and the ones I did have are healing nicely Found a new nivea creme when I was at the shops today (I love nivea!), it's just normal nivea but it also has jojoba oil and vitamin E in it. I've read lots of good reviews about jojoba oil and vitamin E is good for your skin so I bought a tub. Quite looking forward to lathering it all over my face later .
Only thing that's been bothering me lately is the general lethargicness and the back pain. The back pain isn't painful when walking or doing general day-to-day things but when I lie down I can reaaally feel it. It's a strange pain, but after lying down for a while it goes away. I'm hoping the back pain isn't something my derm will be worried about at my next appointment.
Day 48.
The cyst is getting ever smaller! DING DONG THE CYST IS DEAAAD!!!
Have a small cluster of spots on my cheek, nothing major! Can feel one growing on my jawline too, but I don't mind them there as they're less noticable! The blackheads have made an unwelcome return! I was getting used to them being non-existant too...ahh well.
The back pain is still there but it hasn't gotten any worse thank god I've been experiencing headaches recently, mainly when I stand up I get that rush of pain in my head, like when your ill and you stand up. Again, not unbearable but I'll mention it to my derm at my next appointment.
You know... I was sitting thinking today, I knew about accutane YEARS ago. When I was like 18 I had gotten a referal from my doctor to see a dermatolagist, and I was going to ask for accutane. But I chickened out. WHY THE HELL DID I DO THAT!!! I know I'm on accutane now and all but if I had got the accutane the first time round I wouldn't have the horrible scarring I now have. And I'm not talking about red marks, I mean proper skin texture change SCARRING!
Sorry that just really annoyed me today, it's just quite sad to think that had I done this back then I would be so much happier with my skin, alot happier than I will be once I've finished this course. Ahh well....bottoms up.
Day 49.
TANE-BURN ALERT! TANE-BURN ALERT!
Just went into the bathroom to do my make-up there and my god my face is RED! Thank goodness for my awesome high coverage make-up, I look like I just had a chemical peel! The skin itself is not dry, just red! Lovely.
Anyway I was taking out all my make-up I will use to cover this new look I have aquired and thought I would share with the lovely people on here what I use. I have seriously spent YEARS trying to find foundation that covers well, doesn't make me breakout (no oil) and lasts all dayyy! After spending hundereds of £ trying pretty much everything I could get my hands on, I finally found my perfect foundation and powder combo!
So the liquid base foundation I use is by Estee Lauder and is called Doube Wear (NOT Double Wear Maximum Cover, I cannot stress this enough, the stuff is very very high coverage BUT it looks like you have just painted your face and you can feel it allll day. It is very very difficult to blend this stuff). Double wear spreads on your face perfectly and gives a very high coverage but does not make you look fake, if you get what I mean. I find this to be the best coverage foundation for acne prone skin. Afterwards I use Clarins Everlasting Compact powder. This stuff is AMAZING! I use a foundation brush by Avon to put this stuff on as it goes on alot better than using the sponge thing you get with it. I put this all over my face and it covers the pores and makes your skin look silky smooth. Although the skin does look lovely after applying these foundations, it can look a bit like a blank canvase. So I use Lancome's Star Bronzer Pinceau Magique. It is a bronzer that comes inside a brush, and you just pump the end of it to release more bronzer as desired. I brush some of this on parts of my face to give it more definition and a sun-kissed look (cause obviously us accutaners can't get a sun tan ).
I know this isn't exaclty relevant, but I just need to recommend Lancome's Hypnose mascara. I absolutely LOVE this stuff!!! So many times I've been asked if I'm wearing false lashes because of this stuff, it's that good. They also have a "Doll's Eyes" version that I've not tried yet but it's meant to be less dramatic than the Hypnose.
All of these products are a tad pricey but when you're as self conscious about your skin as I am, it is sooo totally worth it!
Hooray! I'm glad to hear the cyst is shrinking! It'll be gone before you know it!
I've never tried that Estee Lauder foundation, but I've heard good things. Sounds like it works really well for you! Just think, soon enough you won't even need a high coverage foundation!
Thankyou!!
I knowww, it feels surreal to think that I won't need to put so much male-up on in the morning Maybe even none!
Hope your course is going well