Well, so far my skin is still pretty oily. Although I think I am feeling a bit dry-skinned... I am highly sensitive to sunlight so I don't know what I'm going to do besides bathe myself in sunscreen. I still have a huge zit on my forehead which came to a head and hopefully will heal. I have some other spots around my mouth. I tend to get them on my forehead and around my mouth, also the nose... Well, I get acne pretty much everywhere on my head but those are the places I usually have it.

If anyone doesn't know, I've had acne for 5 years now, every single day not once has it gone away. I don't know why it started or why it won't go away. I have been on several different antibiotics and tried so many different things but nothing has worked. So I finally decided to take the plunge and go for Accutane. I really don't know what I'll do if this doesn't work. It sucks.

Anyway... here's to success.

Good luck to you! I just started myself 2 weeks ago (third course), and I'm also experiencing the horribly red face. Coworkers are swearing I'm tanning. I've also been using the sunblock every day, because I am outside a lot -- I go to school and am outside walking to classes or hanging out, and it's spring here (Eastern America). I'm beginning to think, since I'm using a lot of sunblock, that the red face isn't because of the sun. Hoping it will lessen for both of us soon.

Thanks! Yea, I am in the same situation, I go to OSU and have been dreading walking around campus! Although the semester is about to end. I am slightly worried about the summer because I don't want to sit inside all day but I also don't want to douse myself in the sunblock every time I step outside and I don't want to burn up in the sun! I already burn because of my pasty Irish skin, so this is not helping my battle with the sun.

I still continue to get pimples. So far this is my 11th day of treatment and I haven't noticed much change to my complexion. Although I might possibly be noticing that I am not getting as many blackheads in and around my nose, so that might be a positive. I currently have another huge zit on my forehead that I think may be even bigger than the last one. It seems like whenever I take acne medication I tend to get cysts a lot more than normal. I also had a bad breakout around my mouth which is finally healing. I think my lips may have gotten a bit sunburnt, too.

So far I don't seem to experience any side effects from the medication. I just wish my fucking acne would go away once and for all. It has really altered my behavior and I hate it. I am kind of banking on this medicine to fix me (sadly) so I really hope that it succeeds where others have failed. I have only been afforded temporary relief from antibiotics in the past, I just don't know why I get pimples every day no matter what I do. Sigh...

Don't worry, accutane is the mother of all acne medications. It will work. Try not to obsess about what's happening every single day and stare in the mirror a lot. Just take your pills every day, and you'll look back in a month or so and realize how much better you look. You'll look back in 6 months and go, oh my god I look amazing!

My semester is ending soon too. I'm just going to go the route of dousing in sunscreen. I got a moisturizer with SPF 30 from Eucerin, and I just moisturize with that in the morning on my face... not every morning, but especially school days, or days I know I'll be out in the sun. It cuts back on redness some.

Actually I'm less red last couple days. I think I'm starting to not look like I'm on Accutane, which is great. So I'm going to try to take my own advice and not obsess on a daily basis, but it's hard.

And yes, it gets worse before it gets better... just keep swimming and you'll be great!

Thanks! I wanted to check-in and write about my progress because I'm feeling pretty good about it!

I'm about halfway through my 30 days of Accutane/Isotretinoin/Claravis and I am finally feeling pretty good about my skin! Although I do have a sizable cyst on my forehead, it is currently the only pimple on my face (whereas I would usually develop a new pimple just about every day).

Also, and this is a big deal, for the first time in a long time I am not constantly oily! Holy crap. I can't believe it. For the past year or so my face has just been sooooo unbelievably oily and I don't know why. No matter how many times I would try to sop it up or wash it off, my face would continue to ooze oil throughout the day. I would wash in the morning and by the time I got to school I would see oil starting to shine out of my larger-than-life nose pores. I know this sounds disgusting but the truth sometimes is.

So now my face is not a shiny, disgusting mess all the time, and on top of that it does appear that my pores seem smaller and I am getting less (or smaller) blackheads. THIS IS A MIRACLE for me. Also my complexion looks more even and I think that some scars/red spots are clearing! According to my doctor I have rosacea and several of the red lines (arteries?) on my face are not even noticeable right now! Right now I am so fucking happy with how this is working that I just had to log on and write about it. I just hope that this continues to work and that my acne doesn't come back with a vengeance once I am done.

I don't seem to be experiencing any of the side effects of Isotretinoin, which is great! At first my skin felt kinda dry but it doesn't seem like anything right now. My lips are sometimes kind of dry but that's what chap stick is for. I feel like I can finally trim/shave around my mouth without having to worry about having a damn family of pimples showing up for a week.

Anyway, this is the best decision I have made in my whole acne riddled existence! I hope that this works for everyone because I know how awful and nerve wracking this disease is, and I don't even have it as bad as others. I am going out tonight with a small band aid over the cyst on my head, but I don't feel too bad about it. I'm going to see Dillinger Escape Plan here in Columbus, weeeeee!

Are you planning to go up beyond 40mg? How long are you taking it for?

Are you planning to go up beyond 40mg? How long are you taking it for?

Hmmm well I guess that's up to my doctor to decide, I have a followup appointment on the 15th. I have only been taking 40mg once a day and it is a 30 day supply. So i'll be done right when I go in for my appointment and I'll see what she says.

I am looking to go out in the sun today so I am hoping I can grease myself up well enough with sunscreen that I don't turn into a hot mess! I wish I would have done this during the winter It's alright, though, because my face is not an oily mess right now!

The benefit of not doing it during the winter is that your skin won't be as dry with the higher humidity

I just started the last 10 pack of pills I have. My skin seems to be dry and is flaky in some parts but I am ok with that as it is better than being oily. Also I got a new pimple on my forehead which is kind of small, I have a couple really small spots that have formed as well. The cyst on my forehead is currently healing although I don't know how long it will take to be completely healed (it was pretty big).

My lips are kinda dry but I have been using Blistex on them. With only 9 more pills/days of treatment I am really hoping that this works. I will find out what my next step is when I go to the doctor on the 15th. So far every antibiotic and acne treatment has failed me. I have high hopes since everyone seems to have success with Accutane.

Hey man good to hear someone is in the same boat as me...

I have persistant mild-sometimes moderate acne and I know EXACTLY how you feel, in my group of friends everyone has perfect skin and I often get angry and wonder why god gave ME the bad skin... and no matter what I do , its like my skin is being a bastard and decides that its just gonna put a nice big group of pimples right over there by my mouth or cheek and theres nothing I can do... well on my profile I am logging the success of my 10mg/day Accutane "micro"dose , go take a look at it, I am about a month in and I thought you might like to see the progress, don't be scared off when you see there are no positive results yet as it has only been one week and it often takes a while longer to see results

Thanks! Yea, I am in the same situation, I go to OSU and have been dreading walking around campus! Although the semester is about to end. I am slightly worried about the summer because I don't want to sit inside all day but I also don't want to douse myself in the sunblock every time I step outside and I don't want to burn up in the sun! I already burn because of my pasty Irish skin, so this is not helping my battle with the sun.

I still continue to get pimples. So far this is my 11th day of treatment and I haven't noticed much change to my complexion. Although I might possibly be noticing that I am not getting as many blackheads in and around my nose, so that might be a positive. I currently have another huge zit on my forehead that I think may be even bigger than the last one. It seems like whenever I take acne medication I tend to get cysts a lot more than normal. I also had a bad breakout around my mouth which is finally healing. I think my lips may have gotten a bit sunburnt, too.

So far I don't seem to experience any side effects from the medication. I just wish my fucking acne would go away once and for all. It has really altered my behavior and I hate it. I am kind of banking on this medicine to fix me (sadly) so I really hope that it succeeds where others have failed. I have only been afforded temporary relief from antibiotics in the past, I just don't know why I get pimples every day no matter what I do. Sigh...