Week 11
Well I wanted to put pictures up but it keeps telling me the file size is too big even though I did the same thing as every other picture I've put up. Oh well, I'll try again during the week.
Anyway, my face has been doing really well this week. This is the first time I stayed in the single digits for new spots only about 8 new ones. Hopefully things continue to gradually improve. Next weekend will be about my halfway point so overall I'm very pleased with the results so far. Next week is my dr appointment and I'm not sure what she's gonna do with the dosage because my triglycerides have been going up with the dosage so we'll see.
My lips have been getting drier and drier but right now they aren't that bad. Some days are worse than others. The past week or two I have been feeling pretty lethargic but that could be due to a shift in my work hours. Not a huge shift but enough for me to miss most of my day sleeping instead of just half. I don't recommend working nights at all. I'll hopefully go back to my normal hours soon but anyway, yeah I'm not gonna blame that on the drug just yet.
So that's it for now, I'm gonna try and figure out this upload thing soon.
Week 12
Well this was another good week, only 3 new ones! I still have some clogged pores around my chin/mouth area that have been there for I don't know how long and my forehead isn't smooth but it has calmed down so much in the past couple of weeks and it was never really smooth anyway.
Had my 3rd check up today and my triglycerides are back to normal so she upped me to 80mgs but I may need to spread those out because I might be leaving the country around the 10th of next month for up to 7 weeks for work which is really inconvenient for the course but it's too good an opportunity to pass up so I'll have to make due. I'll have 15 extra pills due to being prescribed 80mg this month and only taking two pills every other day instead of every day which should help.
As far as side effects go, the headaches have pretty much gone away and my lips are still annoyingly dry but some days they aren't too too bad. I think the fatigue has been more due to my work schedule shifting, but we'll see what happens next week when I go back to my normal hours.
I really want to put up pictures because I feel like I've made a lot of progress over the past two weeks but for some reason my iPad pics are too big to fit so within the next couple of days I'm going to try using my desktop or my phone. I'll figure it out.
Anyway that's it for now, I hope everyone is doing well
Week 13/ Month 3
So I figured out that you only get so much memory for posting pictures which was the reason I couldn't upload any for the past couple of weeks. I had to go back and delete a few to make room so I should be good for a few weeks at least.
I'm pretty happy with my skin right now, the pictures make it look worse i think (please excuse the random patches of facial hair) it's now mostly scarring and hyperpigmentation. As far as new ones, I've only gotten two this week and one was barely anything. The other was a wonderful upper lipper as you can see, but I can't complain because it came to a head within 24 hrs and it was one of the ones I'd been waiting to surface for a while so I can finally put it behind me now. I still have a few more I'm waiting on so well see what happens. I have another from last week on my left sideburn area that has taken forever to come to a head which I'll be extracting today.
The month three total came to about 40 which is down from 65 in the second and 80 in the first, pretty steady progress which I'm really happy about. I hope to get it down to 25 or less for the fourth month.
Side effects have improved as far as the fatigue but my lips are still incredibly dry some days. I also had some eczema on my wrists which went away with the CeraVe and I wasn't even diligent about it. I still have a minor patch on my right tricep but that should go away soon enough.
I'm expecting a minor flare up with the 80mg per day but nothing serious and once that is done I'll probably be pretty clear from there on out. I can't help but worry about the acne returning once I'm done but it's pointless to think about that, all I can do is enjoy every day that my skin is not the bane of my existence. I'm not fully there yet, but I can feel it coming and it's a fantastic feeling.
That's pretty much all I got for now, have a great weekend everyone.
Week 14
This week I got 7 new ones which is a lot more than two but I knew it would be more than last week so it didn't bother me too much, plus none of them were really stubborn or too big. The one on my lip from last week has been healing but it's a slow process because that area is so dry. I still have some clogged pores that will eventually turn into pimples that I kinda want to try and extract but well see.
I haven't had any more side effects with the 80 mg's so far which is good but I do think this weeks little flare up was due to the increase. I'm glad I'm finally at my max dosage, I think the progress will be really good by the end of the 4th month. I'm really happy with my course so far, my face looks soo much better than when I started and the ones I do get don't hurt nearly as much or last as long.
I think I finally found the best lip treatment for myself. Jack Black intense therapy natural mint lip balm, I have to apply it fairly often still but not as much and I feel like it actually does something instead of just cover my lips. They don't crack anymore and the peeling is way down. It's by far the best thing I've tried so far. They sell a couple different flavors too if you're not into mint but I feel like the mint ones work so much better.
I'm not going to post pictures until next week, I'm gonna try and do it probably Tuesday before I leave the country for 10 days. I don't think I'll have much Internet access over there so I probably won't be posting anything during that time.
So all in all it was a pretty good week, have a great Labor Day Weekend.
Week 15&16
These past two weeks have been pretty good, I finally had 2 clogged pores near the corner of my mouth come and go which is good but they left that area so dry and peely. I currently only have one active one which is on its way out, plus the hyper pigmentation. The dryness around my mouth is the biggest issue right now as I'm out of the country and I didn't bring my CeraVe for whatever reason (dumb) my lips are still extremely dry but I'm not going up in dosage for the last two months so I don't think it will get any worse. No other side effects really to speak of.
Week 15, I had 3 new ones and 16 brought me 4 which is good progress. I'm on pace to get about 20 in the 4th month which is great, finally down to averaging less than one a day. I still have a few clogged pores I'm waiting on but they aren't in very bad spots so hopefully in the next week or two I'll be able to put them behind me.
That's pretty much it for now. I'll update again next week after my dr appt.
Read through your log. Amazing how much your skin has changed - progressively over the weeks. I'm just starting my second course and doing a log too. My acne predominately is on my neck, although my jawline also can be problematic. Good luck for your final couple of weeks!
Week 17
Thanks Wilson, good luck to you too.
This was a really good week, only one new one and it was small. I may have one coming in near my eyebrow but even if it does, I don't see it being too much of a problem. I still have some annoying clogged pores near my mouth but they are slowly surfacing and getting taken care of. The dryness on my face has gotten much better since being able to use the CeraVe while I sleep. I haven't done any masks in a while but I will soon just cause I liked doing them. I ran out of the dickinsons face wash, which I liked but now I've been using the Lerosett acne wash which has 2% SA. My face hasn't reacted to the SA at all so ill stick with it for now at least.
My lips are still extremely dry but it's still somewhat manageable. The Dr told me today that I was gonna do a full six months and kept me at 80 mg's which I'll stay at for the last two months. I'll upload pictures next week or this weekend maybe.
Week 18/ 4th month
Thanks Whitney, yeah the 80 mgs is working great for me I'm glad I'm not going up any further because I don't think I could deal with my lips being any dryer than they are right now lol.
So the 4th month saw 10-12 new spots which is great progress, the past two weeks I've only gotten two new ones. Still have a couple clogged pores that will eventually surface but I don't see them being too bad when they do. My lips are the only thing that bother me at this point, they can be really bad at times but still manageable. I can't wait to have somewhat normal lips. The redness and scarring is slowly fading as well which I'm happy about but hopefully that speeds up once I finish.
Other than that everything else is going great. Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Tim714: "Okay so I'm starting this log to keep track of my 2nd course of accutane which starts today 5/23/2013."
richard db: "I'm the same age as you, on my 3rd round"
Oh my God..... im planning to take Accutane, I have never tried it before....
I feel depressed to read the word "2nd course" and "3rd round"
per course last for 2 years only (i thought it would be for the rest of our life)
So until how many round we will be permanently stay away from acne?
Wow its so hard then.......
My life sucks since the first time i got acne in 14, im now 28
Yeah it's rough but it was definitely worth it, most people have more success and don't need a second course. It only seems like a common thing because the people who have trouble getting rid of it are more likely to come to this site. It's a strong drug but don't worry too much about it.
Tim714: "Okay so I'm starting this log to keep track of my 2nd course of accutane which starts today 5/23/2013."
richard db: "I'm the same age as you, on my 3rd round"
Oh my God..... im planning to take Accutane, I have never tried it before....
I feel depressed to read the word "2nd course" and "3rd round"
per course last for 2 years only (i thought it would be for the rest of our life)
So until how many round we will be permanently stay away from acne?
Wow its so hard then.......
My life sucks since the first time i got acne in 14, im now 28
Yeah it's rough but it was definitely worth it, most people have more success and don't need a second course. It only seems like a common thing because the people who have trouble getting rid of it are more likely to come to this site. It's a strong drug but don't worry too much about it.
Tim714: "Okay so I'm starting this log to keep track of my 2nd course of accutane which starts today 5/23/2013."
richard db: "I'm the same age as you, on my 3rd round"
Oh my God..... im planning to take Accutane, I have never tried it before....
I feel depressed to read the word "2nd course" and "3rd round"
per course last for 2 years only (i thought it would be for the rest of our life)
So until how many round we will be permanently stay away from acne?
Wow its so hard then.......
My life sucks since the first time i got acne in 14, im now 28
When your acne returned (after Accutane the 1st course), is it worse or better acne? (I mean comparing with your acne condition before you even know Accutane)
Thank you 
Yeah it's rough but it was definitely worth it, most people have more success and don't need a second course. It only seems like a common thing because the people who have trouble getting rid of it are more likely to come to this site. It's a strong drug but don't worry too much about it.
Tim714: "Okay so I'm starting this log to keep track of my 2nd course of accutane which starts today 5/23/2013."
richard db: "I'm the same age as you, on my 3rd round"
Oh my God..... im planning to take Accutane, I have never tried it before....
I feel depressed to read the word "2nd course" and "3rd round"
per course last for 2 years only (i thought it would be for the rest of our life)
So until how many round we will be permanently stay away from acne?
Wow its so hard then.......
My life sucks since the first time i got acne in 14, im now 28
When your acne returned (after Accutane the 1st course), is it worse or better acne? (I mean comparing with your acne condition before you even know Accutane)
Thank you
For me it was much milder.
Week 19
So I probably have about six weeks left and its working great. This week I only got one again and it wasn't bad at all. My lips are still extremely dry and its really annoying but I'm coming up on the home stretch so it's definitely manageable. No other side effects at all thankfully and that's pretty much it, steady progress.
Month 5
Sorry for the delay but I wanted to wait until the 23rd so I can do an update exactly five months after starting. One more month to go and I'm extremely satisfied with the results so far. The last two weeks I've gotten maybe 4 new ones and none of them were bad at all. The entire month I've gotten less than ten which I'm very happy about.
Lips are still pretty much the only side effect still but they are pretty bad. So everything is going well for the most part, in the home stretch now and hopefully acne is never a problem for me again after this. I'm going to post pics soon too, I know it's been a while.
Till next week...
On 2/14/2019 at 11:07 PM, sweet_sunshine said:Hey! I know it's over 5 years later, but if for some reason you see this message I wanted to check in and see how your skin is doing now? Any thoughts on long term health concerns after being on the medicine twice? I'm considering starting my second round next month.
Hey, wow havent been on here in so long but yeah, the second round was much needed and helped immensely. I didnt really have any adverse effects other than the dryness either time and no issues since then so as long as your blood comes back normal I would say go for a second round. Since finishing the second round my skin has been way better, not perfect by any means, though I am hyper aware of anything that pops up from the bad years. Still usuing a lot of the same products and i never get more than 2/3 at a time and they are much more manageable so overall the second round was a massive success. Hope this helps,let me know if you have any other questions.