Acne.org Products
My name is Stephanie, I'm an (almost) 23 year old female.. birthday is this Thursday I have just started my first course of Accutane.. my acne would be considered mild/moderate but very persistent. I have comedonal acne on my forehead that feels like it has been there my whole life, with pimples popping up around the center of my face, mainly my cheeks on either side of my nose. I also have chest and back acne which really lowers my self esteem during summer time, especially living in South Florida.
I've decided to start an Accutane log because I have learned so much from others' logs and have really enjoyed reading them. I hope to help fellow acne sufferers, as your logs have helped me.
Today is day 5 for me.. I am normally pretty oily and look very greasy by the end of the day but I have already noticed a significant decrease in the amount of oil on my face. I don't need to blot or re-apply powder at all and I still look fine at the end of the day. It's great! Redness on my face seems to have gotten a bit worse, and my lips are pretty dry. Applying chapstick makes it manageable. I have scholiosis so back problems are nothing new to me, but I am starting to experience lower back aches, especially at work today (I stand all day). Feel more tired than usual, but nothing a good espresso won't fix. I remember taking a 4 hour nap immediately after taking my first pill from feeling so tired. I will update again soon.
Week 2.. Face is starting to flake a bit, but nothing too bad. Still feeling tired some days. It varies though, some days I feel so tired that all I want to do is sleep, other days I feel just fine. Redness still seems to be getting worse and I'm not used to the feeling of sun screen on my face so it feels extra greasy and gross. I know this is just a part of the process though..
I've noticed that I'm a bit moodier these days, I get frustrated very easily. Lips are still slightly chapped, and having chap stick on hand is a must.
Week 3/4...
I had been nearly symptom free up until this point. Today my face is very red, and burns. I started to feel a burning sensation whenever I would apply moisturizer and it seems to be getting worse. Not sure if this is due to the thinning of the skin or what, but it hurts! Feels like my face is on fire for a few minutes.
My lips are also very chapped. No cracking or anything yet, but yesterday when I tried to apply lipstick it just gobbed up into little balls and looked horrible so I had to take it off. I've been applying chap stick like crazy but if anyone has suggestions for excellent chap sticks or things that restore moisture that'd be great.
No joint pain, which is something I was concerned about. Everything else is smooth sailing... It's just the redness and burning that has been soo bothersome.
Forgot to mention-
4 or 5 zits popped up a few days ago and were gone within a day or two. If that was the extent of my IB then that's great news. I've had small comedonal bumps on my forehead for as long as I can remember and they are all gone. The skin on my forehead is smooth for the first time in my adult life. The skin on my chest has also smoothed out in the same way.
I have only been on accutane for a month and am already seeing incredible changes. I'm so glad I took the risk..
I won't get ahead of myself though... we shall see what happens with time