Day 0
Hey everyone, I'm Dan. I'm 19 years old, and I've been battling acne for 5-6 years. I started off fighting it by using benzoyl peroxide (Clindoxyl), which worked well for a few years. It got worse after a while, and after going through retin-A/stieva-A and tetracycline pills to no lasting effect, I felt like something needed to be done. I have dry skin, especially on my face, and am prone to getting pimples around my eyebrows. In the past few months I've also been getting neck acne, which seems to be here to stay now.
What I'm most frustrated with though, is my nose. I have really huge pores on my nose that become soaked with oil, and has given me large, infected pimples that have left unsightly red marks all over. You can see in one of my pics how horrible it gets (this was from a few hours of forgetting to pat down my nose). My chest has also suffered a lot recently; it's better now but the scars might be here to stay.
I finally decided that I would give accutane a try, so here I am now. I'll be going through a 4 month regimen starting tomorrow, and I'll be taking 40mg once a day. I weigh ~170 lbs, and from what I've read, 80mg would be acceptable for my weight but I guess my derm is playing it safe to start. I've read a lot about horror stories from people taking accutane, and that really put me off until now. I don't think it can get much worse anymore, so I decided I might as well go for it.
Well, that's about it for now. I'll see how often I'll update this, depending on how drastic the changes are (for the better, hopefully?). Wish me luck!
Hi Dan...WELCOME! You're definitely in like company. We all can relate to how frustrating and annoying acne can be, especially after years and years of trying different things.
I may be starting a similar course tomorrow if my derm gives me the go ahead so maybe we can support each other through our logs.
Some advice (as i have done 2 courses at incorrect doses):
moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Find a rich moisturizer that has non comodogenic ingredients (don't rely on the label non - comodogenic as many times those labelled as such have ingredients that will clog your pores). Even if you don't feel dry, moisturize
don't use anything on your skin except a basic cleanser and moisturizer (sunscreen in the day is highly recommended)
drink a ton of water as accutane drys you out
mentally prepare for the initial breakout (it can be brutal but try to see past it to the light at the end of the tunnel)
limit your drinking as tane is already hard on the liver
eat healthy - limited processed foods and processed grains, more fruits and veggies and whole grains.
A lot of time accutane is not a cure as it only shuts down your oil glands and once you stop taking it, they return to normal size. This means that eventually you'll have to address the root cause (hormones, food intolerances, etc) While you're on accutane, maybe do an intolerance test, play around with diet and see where it takes you
Hope this wasn't too much info
Good Luck!
Thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to moisturize and apply sunscreen, although I've never burned before so I don't know how susceptible I'll be to that lol.
Day 1
I stared at the innocent-looking yellow capsule, unsure of how such a small pill would completely control my skin's appearance for the next few months. Having second thoughts, I hesitated as the numerous horror stories that I've read online flashed through my mind. I realized that for better or for worse, things were going to change. After a few minutes, I finally decided to bite (swallow?) the bullet. So it begins...
Day 2
Got a solid 7 hours of sleep. Didn't doze off in my cubicle today; that's a change . Skin looks a bit better; no new actives in sight. Must be that placebo effect kicking in. I'll always wonder that if I got more sleep on a regular basis, I might've avoided this whole acne problem.
Day 5
Most of my face is looking stable right now. No new actives on my forehead, cheeks, and forehead since I started. The only place that's breaking out is around my nose. I don't know what's wrong with it; I never get regular pimples on it. Whenever I get them on or on the sides of my nose, they always swell up to skittle-size, fill with loads of pus and take forever to drain/heal (and usually scar).
Day 6
It's finally friday. This felt like the longest week ever, having had a 3-day week just before this; I'm glad to be able to finally catch up on my sleep. Lips are starting to dry out a bit. My nose feels like crap; pimples around and inside my nostrils have made it quite sore. The oil doesn't seem to be slowing down either. The rest of the face is looking good though, just 1 new pimple on the chin. Update pics coming soon!
Day 7
So it's pretty much been a week since I started. Overall, nothing too drastic in terms of changes. My forehead has stayed dormant, and my neck has cleared up. My nose is still really oily, and all the pores have gross blackheads. I had gotten a huge pimple on one the side of my nose...when it popped I tried to drain as much as I could but it's still a really large hard lump now. Hopefully that will go away somehow. My lips have really began to dry the past 2 days, so I'm hoping my Vaseline will help carry me through that. On the bright side, I haven't experienced any joint pain, nausea, or headaches. I've also begun taking fish oil pills after hearing a lot of good things about them. Anyway, on to week 2!
Day 12
The last few days have been a struggle. I think accutane is affecting my sleeping patterns; I've been waking up 3-4 times per night and it's absolutely killing me during the day. I've also started breaking out.on my forehead and above my upper lip, and my nose is a disaster. I have a nearly dime-sized cyst on the side of my nose; I've had one before in the exact same spot and I had to get it drained in the end. My entire nose is covered in blackheads. Overall, it's horribly red and swollen 
Day 13
I got a random nose bleed yesterday. I can't remember the last time that happened.
Another night of bad sleep. I really wish I could just go into hibernation for a few months.
On the bright side, no joint pains so my lifting hasn't been affected (knock on wood x 100000)
Brother, you are still in your beginning stage. Be expecting even worse for the next 2-3 months. Back pain, nose bleeds, and breakouts were severe for me up until my fourth month. You have to push through it. Your skin will be perfect, you have my word. You just have to be emotionally and physically strong, it's a hard drug. Stay hydrated and you'll get a better sleep. It will all be said and done with before you know it. Good luck, stay strong.
Day 18
Haven't updated in a while! Things are looking better. My face has pretty much stopped producing oil. It's pretty awesome not having to wipe my face down every few hours. My nose is still completely clogged with blackheads, but I can tell that the pores are shrinking. They're almost like raised bumps now; I hope they get squeezed out soon because it looks really gross up close. The rest of my face feels nice. It's dry, but not flaking or peeling. I was expecting worse since I've always had dry (and oily) skin. I haven't used sunscreen at all during my treatment, since there's hardly been a sunny day lately and my skin doesn't burn easily. My lips are dry, but it's quite manageable. The sides of my mouth are splitting so I try to avoid opening it too much, but luckily my lips haven't peeled.
Day 20
It feels awesome to wake up to a face without a single speck of oil on it. I'm still waiting for the superficial improvements, but at least it doesn't feel disgusting on the inside anymore . My nose has changed a lot in the past week or so. My giant pores completely closed, and now they protrude from my skin in a way somewhat akin to a poppyseed bagel =P
How many times do you guys wash your face per day? I've reduced it to once per day, and I feel like I'm better off minimizing the irritation that comes with multiple cleansings.
Hi! thank you for sharing your experience.
you said that your pores on the nose are completely closed, do you mean they are shrinked? Will you be able to post a picture of that, if you don't mind .. because i will beggin an Accutane treatment and I hope to see my pores unclogged and shrinked.
I am french vso sorry for this bad english 
Hi! thank you for sharing your experience.
you said that your pores on the nose are completely closed, do you mean they are shrinked? Will you be able to post a picture of that, if you don't mind .. because i will beggin an Accutane treatment and I hope to see my pores unclogged and shrinked.
I am french vso sorry for this bad english
Yes, they've shrunk a lot since I started. They used to be big indents in the skin, and now it seems like the blackheads are being pushed out from the inside as they smaller. It feels like braille when I rub my finger over my nose, haha.
As you can see, it's very gross at this stage. I really really really hope it'll get better soon.
Hey, just noticed your log. I'm from Ontario as well! I just started accutane today, so I guess I won't be seeing much until a week or two from now. Your nose doesn't look the greatest now, but i'm sure it'll start getting better soon enough. Can't wait to not have oily skin, I hate constantly seeing all the oil on my forehead.
Day 24
Nearing a month now into my treatment, and things are looking alright. My skin is oil-free and never feels greasy/dirty anymore, which is nice. My upper lip and chin have begun to flake a bit, but nothing drastic. I'm currently washing and moisturizing my face only once per day at night to minimize irritation. I have some big actives around my eyebrows, but the rest are drying out. As I mentioned, the pores on my nose have shrunk a great deal. All side effects thus far have been minimal; the biggest inconvenience by far has been the nose bleeds.
Day 26
So today when I was moisturizing my hands, the top of my right hand (opposite the palm) suddenly got really itchy. I started to panic and I noticed that the hair follicles in this area were suddenly really red and sensitive. The itchiness went away, but now I'm left with a bunch of crusty dots. What in the world just happened...I really hope it's just dry skin or something.
Day 28
A few cystic pimples scattered about my forehead, but not much else. I love the way my skin feels right now; it's dry and practically free of oil, but not peeling.
Some of my blackheads are starting to fall out now. Awesome!
On that note, my nose is starting to get a bit oily again. Time for a dosage increase, perhaps?
Day 30
I'm moving from 40mg per day to 80mg starting tomorrow. I'm praying this won't cause too many problems! Seems necessary though given my weight...
Mate how much do you weigh? And whose putting up your dose?
I weigh 73 kilograms, roughly, and I am on 40mg/day. The recommended dosage is between 0.5-1mg/kg/day. The dosage only affects the length of your treatment, once within the previously mentioned range, not the effectiveness of the treatment. I am not saying you can't take 80mg/day, just it's not something you have to do, if you are concerned about the side-effects you might experience on the higher dose. Just thought I would mention this seeing as you appear to be concerned about going to a higher dose, either way good luck with your course.
Day 30
I'm moving from 40mg per day to 80mg starting tomorrow. I'm praying this won't cause too many problems! Seems necessary though given my weight...
Mate how much do you weigh? And whose putting up your dose?
I weigh 73 kilograms, roughly, and I am on 40mg/day. The recommended dosage is between 0.5-1mg/kg/day. The dosage only affects the length of your treatment, once within the previously mentioned range, not the effectiveness of the treatment. I am not saying you can't take 80mg/day, just it's not something you have to do, if you are concerned about the side-effects you might experience on the higher dose. Just thought I would mention this seeing as you appear to be concerned about going to a higher dose, either way good luck with your course.
I weigh 80kg, so it seems pretty normal for my weight. On one hand I'm worried about increased side effects, but on the other I just want to get this over with as soon as possible.