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Hi Everyone -
I've suffered with very mild/moderate facial acne off and on throughout my teens. My skin improved drastically for most of my 20's up until about age 26 when I started to develop cystic acne. Over the last 3 years I've been on BenzaClin, Epiduo Gel and Doxycycline. Over the last year my acne has become totally resistant to these drugs, and reached its worst stage. My occupation brings on a lot of stress, which I know is a major contributor. I switched dermatologists recently, and my new doctor told me that I would be a perfect candidate for Accutane. I was reluctant initially due to different things I've heard about it, but eventually agreed.. So here we go..
Start Date: May 3rd
Dosage: Started with 10MG, bumping up to an additional 10MG every 3 days.
Currently: Day 20 (Week 4), 40MG
Side Effects: So far only dry lips and itchy scalp. My skin is naturally oily, so I haven't overly dried out yet.
Products: Aquaphor for lips, CeraVe hydrating cleanser and CeraVe moisturizing cream (as needed)
Progress: During the first week, there wasn't much activity. By the end of week 2, all active pimples/cysts dramatically diminished and dried out. However, 4 days ago my initial breakout began and I've continued to break out up thru today. I have white heads scattered on my forehead, cheeks, chin and jawline. I have a HUGE oily pimple on my nose, and another under my eye. My face looks worse than it has in years. I'm trying to be optimistic, because I know this is a pre-req to the happy ending, but WOW ! I actually worked from home today so that I wouldn't have to go into the office. But hopefully things will calm down over the next few days..
Thanx for listening to me blab lol! I look forward sharing my progress and receiving advice from everyone.
Hey blah!
Your course sounds a lot like how mine went around that period, besides the improving part in the beginning haha. But around day 20 or so my acne was the worst it's been my entire life too, just hang in there!! I'm about to end month 3 and my face has improved greatly! I still have a lot of redness and some red marks from pre-existing acne since skin heals slower on this med, but it's part of the process.
If your acne starts flaring I would ask your derm about prednisone. It helped calm that nasty breakout I got big time in as little as a few days.
Best of luck!
Good luck to you! I am 30 years old, started Accutane at the end of February after dealing with acne for ten years. Had the worst breakout of my life last summer lasting into the fall with no end in sight and it was time to try something else. I was fortunate that I didn't experience an initial breakout but try to look at it positively: it means your body is responding to the medication and getting all that junk out of your pores so your skin can heal. Things should look very different in a matter of a few weeks/months. Also, we are always the most critical of ourselves. Others are not scrutinizing us nearly as closely. =)
Thanks Tyrean and everythingthatshimmers ^^^
Day 23, 40MG Update: Thankfully the big initial flare up that I experienced earlier this week has calmed down considerably.. Most of the white heads have dried out, as well as the oil pimples on my nose and under my eye. My forehead has cleared; just have a few little guys on my cheeks and chin. Also I have a couple questions..
1. Has anyone used toner while on Accutane? I usually use T.N. Dickinson's natural gentle witch hazel astringent as a toner, but I haven't since starting accutane.
2. Can I use a clay mask for spot treatments?
3. Which moisturizer has everyone has the most success with? (Granted everyone's skin reacts differently..)
I have not used a toner and I'm not sure about the clay mask...I've just been using a gentle cleanser (Cetaphil or CeraVe) and moisturizer. I've been using Cetaphil cream in the mornings and shea butter at night and have had good results. Shea butter is very thick but has been great for my dry skin and I think it has helped fade some of my hyperpigmentation as well. I would suggest using pure shea butter though, not just a moisturizer that contains shea as some of the other ingredients may be comedogenic.
I have not used a toner and I'm not sure about the clay mask...I've just been using a gentle cleanser (Cetaphil or CeraVe) and moisturizer. I've been using Cetaphil cream in the mornings and shea butter at night and have had good results. Shea butter is very thick but has been great for my dry skin and I think it has helped fade some of my hyperpigmentation as well. I would suggest using pure shea butter though, not just a moisturizer that contains shea as some of the other ingredients may be comedogenic.
Cool, thanx for the info.. My skin is super sensitive, so I'm always apprehensive about trying different moisturizers/lotions. I've been reacting well to the CeraVe gentle cleanser along w/the moisturizing cream so far, so I'll just stick it.
Week 5 (Day 28), 40MG Update: So... just as the crazy break out I experienced last week had 90% cleared, today I get smacked with a few new guys. Three cysts on my forehead, and a few smaller bumps on my cheeks, all of which are very sensitive. Over the last few days is the most dry my skin has been since starting Claravis, so I've been using moisturizer all over my face opposed to just spot-treating dry areas. Which makes me wonder if this is the cause of the latest break out. I've been conflicted about whether to stick with the Cerave moisturizing cream or trying the Cetaphil.. I just hope my face doesn't flare up as bad as last week. Other than that, I still haven't experienced any other side effects besides dry lips.
Week 15, 60MG Update: Hi Everyone. Took a 2 month break off from posting to really let the meds do their job.. But I'm happy to announce that I've been making great progress. This is hands down the best my skin has looked in well over 5 years. There was a point during the first two months where I was ready to give up on Claravis, because it seemed to only be making my skin worse. But over the last month, all of the initial breakouts finally ceased and my pores cleared drastically. I still get the occasional pimple or two, but they usually go away within 2 days. As far as side effects, I experience slight back pain here and there and of course dry lips. I switched to Complex-15 moisturizer which is like the greatest the thing on earth for my sensitive skin type. I'm currently up to 60mg. Based on my current progress, my doctor plans to have me finish by September. I'll post again in a few weeks with more progress.