your skin looks so lovely now! a really huge difference in a short span of 5 months! am really happy for you! (:

At my one mark of roaccutane, I can only hope for sucha result. Just a qns, did you have any stubborn/deep pimple that doesn't seem to come to a head? I have some pimples that I could feel the head at the very beginning, but the use of retin-a prior to roaccutane seemed to have made it go under the skin with a dark mark and I'm wondering if they'll be resolved by roaccutane

Congratulations, your skin looks perfect. I'm 4 1/2 months in and I still look like your before pictures

Wow what a result! Congratulations!

your skin looks so lovely now! a really huge difference in a short span of 5 months! am really happy for you! (:

At my one mark of roaccutane, I can only hope for sucha result. Just a qns, did you have any stubborn/deep pimple that doesn't seem to come to a head? I have some pimples that I could feel the head at the very beginning, but the use of retin-a prior to roaccutane seemed to have made it go under the skin with a dark mark and I'm wondering if they'll be resolved by roaccutane

Thanks!

I don't think I had the kind of pimples you're referring to so I'm not sure. I guess you'll just have to wait and hope. Roaccutane seems to help all kinds of acne from my research. Sorry I can't be more helpful but good luck with the rest of your course

Congratulations, your skin looks perfect. I'm 4 1/2 months in and I still look like your before pictures

Thank you Charlie Stick with it, it must be so frustrating but it's extremely rare for people to see no improvements by the end of your course. It could be to do with your dosage but I have no idea about the details of your course. Have you spoken to your doctor about your lack of improvement? Feel free to message me, just what ever you do, don't give up

Wow what a result! Congratulations!

Thank you so much!

The skin look amazing. How long did it took for your red marks to fade away?

The skin look amazing. How long did it took for your red marks to fade away?

Thanks Um, they've just gradually faded throughout the 5 1/2 months that I've been taking Roaccutane. I've been using Bio Oil and Palmer's Cocoa Butter on my face so these may have helped them fade so fast, I'm not completely sure.

Wow, your skin looks amazing! Reading through your blog gave me more hope that my skin will eventually clear up as well! I really hope it happens as fast as yours. I just went through the IB and I really wanted to quite accutane since my skin was worse that it had ever been before, but I now I just have to be patient and wait for my skin to clear up. Also, did/do you ever wear makeup to cover up your acne? If yes, what kind/brand? I'm having a hard time finding a foundation to cover everything up and that is also suitable for dry skin.

Just wanted to let you know I've sorted my makeup out. I've been using Garnier BB cream, you can buy one specifically for dry skin. It evens out my skin tone and completely covers the last few red marks I have, I'd definitely recommend it Hope everything is well with you

2 Days After Finishing Roaccutane

I thought I'd keep this going with my post-accutane log too.

So far, no changes at all in the dryness of my skin, lips or eyes.

6 Days After Finishing Roaccutane

I had a nosebleed night, which is odd because I didn't have one nosebleed when I was actually taking Roaccutane..

Still no changes in dryness, I'm not complaining though, I still feel awesome.

I've had a few tiny spots appear under my hairline, nothing drastic and they disappear so fast that I'm not worried. However I am concerned about the possibility of my acne coming back, any suggestions about topicals that I can get without a prescription to keep the acne away?

Hi, I'm so happy for you and your skin, I've read so many accutane (isotretinoin) logs so I'm feeling optimistic about the treatment. I've had acne since I was 15, eventually I started developing papules, pustules and some cysts, that I (stupid) decided to pick, NOW, I'm 17 and I have, papules, pustules, comedones, RED AND BROWN MARKS, and some cysts every now or then, all over my face and back. My dad and my older brother suffered of acne, My brother is now clear with some brown marks left but nothing so bad. I've been put on so many pills and creams and different treatments that I was giving up on this. Last month, I went to an appointment with my derm and She told me that I needed Roacutan (the name for accutane here in Venezuela) I had my bloodwork done last week and I will be showing it to her on Tuesday. As I said, I've read A LOT of logs so I'm feeling good about it(if my bloodwork doesn't make me able to the treatment it will be the biggest dissapointment of my life) However, if its good, I'm scared that it doesnt work because my acne is so bad and also have some genetics againts so, its sad. Anyway, I have some questions for you:

Would you see Accutane as a cure for acne? For cure I mean a long lasting effective treatment...

Could you rate your side effects (1-10)?

Did you experience an initial breakout? How bad and when it was?

That's all for now, sorry if this is long and annoying, but since I have nobody to talk to about my acne without feeling embarrased, I think this website is the best... I will be waiting for the answers.... Thanks for your time and for giving me some hope!!!

Hi Whatdoesthefoxsay (great name by the way!),

For some people, Accutane is indeed a cure for acne. However the acne does sometimes return after Accutane but it's normally not as bad as it was before.

If you have the information booklet that comes with the pills, it should have the exact percentages of how many people's acne returns after Accutane (but don't forget it may be a little biased when you consider whose written it..).

My side effects...

Dry lips- 6 (they suck but you do eventually become used to applying lip balm so often)

Dry eyes- 8 (itchy, sore and generally unpleasant)

Back pain- 7 (hurt a lot but the pain came and went)

Dry skin- 9 (the eczema that this caused me was unbearable)

Dry nose- 4 (it was painful but I used a saline spray up there that helped a lot)

Mood swings- 3 (I didn't suffer too badly from these, but I really feel sorry for my family who had to put up with me when I did!)

I think that was all my side effects, looking back, I guess I was really lucky

Yes, I had an initial breakout around the end of the first month. It felt horrible at the time, it was quite bad but the breakout generally stayed on my chin. I'm so glad that I pushed through that though and kept going.

It's not long or annoying at all! I'm happy to help

2 Weeks After Finishing Roaccutane

So my lips are feeling a bit more normal, still dry but they don't bleed any more. My eyes are still dry, I had to apologise to someone the other day because they thought I was winking at them when I was just trying to blink to moisten my eyes!

I have some tiny spots down the sides of my nose and in my hair line but they're not really visible unless you look closely.

Still feeling amazing

whats your skin care routine right now? and what was it on roaccutane? intrigued about the bio oil/cocoa butter. Could start clogging your pores as your oil production returns back to normal hence the small spots around your nose/hairline

whats your skin care routine right now? and what was it on roaccutane? intrigued about the bio oil/cocoa butter. Could start clogging your pores as your oil production returns back to normal hence the small spots around your nose/hairline

My skin care routine is still the same now as it was on Roaccutane because my skin is still so dry. I appreciate your concern, but I used these two products before Roaccutane as well because they help with PIH and scars so I'm not sure if this is it.

If mt skin gets any worse I'll look into changing this so thanks for your advice

 

whats your skin care routine right now? and what was it on roaccutane? intrigued about the bio oil/cocoa butter. Could start clogging your pores as your oil production returns back to normal hence the small spots around your nose/hairline

My skin care routine is still the same now as it was on Roaccutane because my skin is still so dry. I appreciate your concern, but I used these two products before Roaccutane as well because they help with PIH and scars so I'm not sure if this is it.

If mt skin gets any worse I'll look into changing this so thanks for your advice

this is exciting!!!!!! i have both of these products and i loved them when i tried them on my face but i wasnt sure if they broke me out at all. will definitely dust the old puppies off and give them another go

hey guys...need help! I am a 25 yrs old female. I was suffering from normal pimples..not cystic acne though..for about 3 years! i neglected them..and used only some topical medications until september 2013. this month was the starting of my horrible nightmare and i started breaking out intensely with cystic nodular acnes on my cheeks..which i never saw or ever experienced. i am finally on accutane 40 mg/day and got my testosterone levels checked. they were a little high than they should be..so my gyn has put me on yaz pills too. i am on accutane for about 10 days only and yaz for about a week. since yaz i am breaking out more..and really tensed. some1 plz tell me that is it necessary to be on both medication...can i stop yaz after completing one cycle..i am now even scared of getting off yaz as i will break out more...but i cant take it for lifetime. plzz i am new on accutane and yaz both.so i need sugesstions from ppl who hv been on accutane, yaz or both.

hey guys...need help! I am a 25 yrs old female. I was suffering from normal pimples..not cystic acne though..for about 3 years! i neglected them..and used only some topical medications until september 2013. this month was the starting of my horrible nightmare and i started breaking out intensely with cystic nodular acnes on my cheeks..which i never saw or ever experienced. i am finally on accutane 40 mg/day and got my testosterone levels checked. they were a little high than they should be..so my gyn has put me on yaz pills too. i am on accutane for about 10 days only and yaz for about a week. since yaz i am breaking out more..and really tensed. some1 plz tell me that is it necessary to be on both medication...can i stop yaz after completing one cycle..i am now even scared of getting off yaz as i will break out more...but i cant take it for lifetime. plzz i am new on accutane and yaz both.so i need sugesstions from ppl who hv been on accutane, yaz or both.

Sorry, I can't be much help, I've never been on yaz.

However you were probably prescribed yaz as a form of birth control pills because when you're on accutane you have to use 2 methods of birth control. Have I misunderstood what you meant? If you were prescribed yaz as your form of birth control then you must take it throughout your course and for 1 month after you've finished. Sorry I can't help more but good luck, Accutane will clear you eventually

2 Weeks and 1 Day After Finishing Roaccutane

Today, I had two complements about how good my skin's been looking. How amazing is that?!

first of all thank you for ur post. and congratulations on ur new skin :). i really appreciate that u did all this and shared photos. It gave me a hope that i will b fine one day. My gyn gave me yaz bcoz of higher testosterone levels which i checked later after starting accutane. Have u been on any birth control pills during ur accutane course? did it have any affect on your skin when u started it or stopped taking it? I jus wanna know that if at all i am having initial breakouts due to yaz then can accutane cover for it ? and what will happen when i leave yaz....will accutane course be strong enough that it wont let any acnes come up due to yaz . REALLY WORRIED

first of all thank you for ur post. and congratulations on ur new skin . i really appreciate that u did all this and shared photos. It gave me a hope that i will b fine one day. My gyn gave me yaz bcoz of higher testosterone levels which i checked later after starting accutane. Have u been on any birth control pills during ur accutane course? did it have any affect on your skin when u started it or stopped taking it? I jus wanna know that if at all i am having initial breakouts due to yaz then can accutane cover for it ? and what will happen when i leave yaz....will accutane course be strong enough that it wont let any acnes come up due to yaz . REALLY WORRIED

Thanks, you will have great skin soon too

No, I wasn't on birth control pills for contraception when I was on Accutane because I'm not sexually active. However, up until I started Accutane I was taking Dianette (BC) and my derm didn't want me to stop this right before starting Accutane in case stopping it made me break out and she didn't want me to be hit with this and the initial breakout from Accutane at once.

I stopped taking birth control pills around month 3/4. By that point my skin was doing so well that Accutane stopped me from breaking out so I didn't suffer from stopping BC.

Don't worry, yes your skin will get worse before it gets better but that's just the rain before the storm. Before you know it you'll be sitting here writing about how clear your skin is like I am. Just keep going

Hey thanx alot! Thats precisely I wanted to know . Now I will leave my yaz after atleast entering third month of accutane..and just hope that I dnt breakout by stopping it. I am still having breakouts..i know its too early to expect nything to work ( 15 days of accutane ) ... But I really cant wait to see each and every acne of mine...drying and fading away..they s**k and give a lot of pain...cant even sleep on one side

Hey!

My skin currently looks like how your's did before you started Roaccutane and I am 72 days (20 first month, 40 half a month, 60 nearly a month) in. Just wondering when you actually started to see it improving as mine just keeps getting worse and worse at the moment with no signs of improvement. I am sure it will work eventually but I just want it to hurry up as I am nearing the halfway mark.

Also, did you find that going on holiday helped your skin? I have the option to go to Australia for a week where its nice a sunny but I am not too sure how it would affect my skin. In the past where I had mild/moderate acne it helped quite a lot, but being on medication it might be different.

Any insight would be great!

Hey!

My skin currently looks like how your's did before you started Roaccutane and I am 72 days (20 first month, 40 half a month, 60 nearly a month) in. Just wondering when you actually started to see it improving as mine just keeps getting worse and worse at the moment with no signs of improvement. I am sure it will work eventually but I just want it to hurry up as I am nearing the halfway mark.

Also, did you find that going on holiday helped your skin? I have the option to go to Australia for a week where its nice a sunny but I am not too sure how it would affect my skin. In the past where I had mild/moderate acne it helped quite a lot, but being on medication it might be different.

Any insight would be great!

Hi Dan!

I saw improvements around month 3 but some people don't see this change until month 4/5. Have no fear, you'll get there

I'm not sure. During my course of Accutane I spent 3 weeks in Madrid (it was August and we had 40 degrees c' heat). I don't think the heat really had much affect on my skin but it was hard to tell because I was at the end of my IB when I went.

My skin always used to get better when I was on holiday, for me I think it was to do with not being stress levels.

If you do go, you will need SUNCREAM!! Don't underestimate how much of the stuff you'll need. I also found the heat worsened my other side effects like dry eyes and my dry nose (but I know Madrid is much less humid than what I'm used to here) but I didn't really care because I was having so much fun

25 Days After Finishing Roaccutane

Yesterday my doctor told me I have Blepharitis. Blepharitis is a recurring eye condition with no known cure. It means my eyelids become red, swollen and painful.

It is unsure whether this condition (which I had no symptoms of before) was caused by taking Roaccutane although I have my suspicions.

Anyway, it's not all bad. Blepharitis is a bit of a pain, but is not at all serious and does not affect your actual eye sight.

Therefore, as shallow as it sounds, I'm happy to put up with this eye condition in return for my clear skin.

Skin wise, still dry but my lips are almost back to normal (which feels amazing!). My back pain is gone too

Still getting a few small spots down the side of my nose but nothing more to worry about. I've stopped using the Cocoa Butter and have swapped from washing with Aqueous Cream to using a Neutrogena face wash (which is what I used pre-accutane) in case this was causing the spots.

Hi! Hope all is going well for you on accutane...

I was on 50mg for about 5-6 months and it helped me amazingly, I had terrible cystic acne and it completely went. However now after about 2 months - in the past 2 weeks I have had some consistent spots that have been really annoying and it's not actually getting much better. I'll wait it out but if it gets much worse I may have to go back to my dermatologist and see about a second dose. To be honest I hope it doesn't get to that but i'd rather that than watch is progressively get worse like last time. good luck!

Hi! Hope all is going well for you on accutane...

I was on 50mg for about 5-6 months and it helped me amazingly, I had terrible cystic acne and it completely went. However now after about 2 months - in the past 2 weeks I have had some consistent spots that have been really annoying and it's not actually getting much better. I'll wait it out but if it gets much worse I may have to go back to my dermatologist and see about a second dose. To be honest I hope it doesn't get to that but i'd rather that than watch is progressively get worse like last time. good luck!

Hi!

It's great that accutane cleared you up but awful that it came back so soon, I'm really worried about that happening to me too. Let me know how you get on, I don't know if your derm will suggest topical treatments or anything before putting you back on the 'tane, that'll be interesting.

I'm so sorry your acne returned but I wish you all the best with destroying it again

 

Hi! Hope all is going well for you on accutane...

I was on 50mg for about 5-6 months and it helped me amazingly, I had terrible cystic acne and it completely went. However now after about 2 months - in the past 2 weeks I have had some consistent spots that have been really annoying and it's not actually getting much better. I'll wait it out but if it gets much worse I may have to go back to my dermatologist and see about a second dose. To be honest I hope it doesn't get to that but i'd rather that than watch is progressively get worse like last time. good luck!

Hi!

It's great that accutane cleared you up but awful that it came back so soon, I'm really worried about that happening to me too. Let me know how you get on, I don't know if your derm will suggest topical treatments or anything before putting you back on the 'tane, that'll be interesting.

I'm so sorry your acne returned but I wish you all the best with destroying it again

hey was not expecting such a quick reply but yeah, to be honest it's not too bad, what's come back is quite small and not nearly as bad as before. just a few here and there, not even that visible at the minute but just annoying to feel, especially as they are a little more consistent.

My Dermatologist told me that around 65% of all people who take the treatment never, ever receive an acne spot again in their life, and the remaining have a few small ones here and there - the majority being teenagers. So.. honestly I can live with it.. as long as it doesn't get much worse (then I will be straight on the phone organising an appointment to the derm) haha but I can tell you for sure that it will never be as bad as when starting accutane for the first time, that's the miracle of it.

I'll let you know what happens but my advice for you is just not to worry for the minute about the acne coming back. Take it one step at a time and just embrace the amazing feeling that accutane gives to you of clear skin because they (for me at least) were one of the most fee months I've had (and still having) for years ..

 

Hi! Hope all is going well for you on accutane...

I was on 50mg for about 5-6 months and it helped me amazingly, I had terrible cystic acne and it completely went. However now after about 2 months - in the past 2 weeks I have had some consistent spots that have been really annoying and it's not actually getting much better. I'll wait it out but if it gets much worse I may have to go back to my dermatologist and see about a second dose. To be honest I hope it doesn't get to that but i'd rather that than watch is progressively get worse like last time. good luck!

Hi!

It's great that accutane cleared you up but awful that it came back so soon, I'm really worried about that happening to me too. Let me know how you get on, I don't know if your derm will suggest topical treatments or anything before putting you back on the 'tane, that'll be interesting.

I'm so sorry your acne returned but I wish you all the best with destroying it again

hey was not expecting such a quick reply but yeah, to be honest it's not too bad, what's come back is quite small and not nearly as bad as before. just a few here and there, not even that visible at the minute but just annoying to feel, especially as they are a little more consistent.

My Dermatologist told me that around 65% of all people who take the treatment never, ever receive an acne spot again in their life, and the remaining have a few small ones here and there - the majority being teenagers. So.. honestly I can live with it.. as long as it doesn't get much worse (then I will be straight on the phone organising an appointment to the derm) haha but I can tell you for sure that it will never be as bad as when starting accutane for the first time, that's the miracle of it.

I'll let you know what happens but my advice for you is just not to worry for the minute about the acne coming back. Take it one step at a time and just embrace the amazing feeling that accutane gives to you of clear skin because they (for me at least) were one of the most fee months I've had (and still having) for years ..

Thank you for your encouraging words, I love your positive attitude All the best with everything Chris

hey, i'm disappointed to tell you that i've now in the process of arranging a consultation again with the dermatologist. My acne has been as i guess it was a few months before it got very serious. One day it would be okay, then the next around 5-8 pimples would pop out, mainly on my nose and forehead. Today a massive one has come out on my forehead above my right eyebrow and I have a handful on my nose and one down on my chin, also a couple popping up on my cheek. So yeah, I tried to put it off because over the past week it's been okay, i think at one point for one day I had no spots, but i know just like last time it's getting worse and worse until it will probably get to a similar point to before.

I'm not sure what the derm will give me; it may even clear up a bit by the time i see him as that's what it normally does but it has been getting worse so I don't really know. The stuff I've used hasn't worked, maybe help the spots a little bit but hasn't actually prevented them from coming out still.. my skin is very oily... it just takes one wash of the face to feel how oily it is in comparison to before.

I can honestly say I hope to be back on accutane and maybe even a higher dose than before so I can just get rid of these things once and for all. They are really annoying me haha. But yeah I'll keep you posted