I'm on month 3 and last week was the first time I had a bad breakout since I started. Not sure if this is just a delayed IB? But yeah I'm in the same boat as you guys, hopefully this subsides in my last 2 months.
It could be, especially if you recently started a higher dosage...
Day 28
Hanging in there... not much in the way of new breakouts, mostly just waiting on old pimples to run their course... although I have gotten a couple tiny red ones right next to my lips, and I hope they don't get bigger, just because lip acne and the red marks they leave behind are so noticeable. I already have ton of hyperpigmentation around my lips and I don't want more.
Dermatologist tomorrow... then bloodwork Saturday hopefully.
I'm on month 3 and last week was the first time I had a bad breakout since I started. Not sure if this is just a delayed IB? But yeah I'm in the same boat as you guys, hopefully this subsides in my last 2 months.
It could be, especially if you recently started a higher dosage...
Day 28
Hanging in there... not much in the way of new breakouts, mostly just waiting on old pimples to run their course... although I have gotten a couple tiny red ones right next to my lips, and I hope they don't get bigger, just because lip acne and the red marks they leave behind are so noticeable. I already have ton of hyperpigmentation around my lips and I don't want more.
Dermatologist tomorrow... then bloodwork Saturday hopefully.
Yeah about a month ago I got bumped up from 40 mg a day to alternating between 80 mg and 40 mg. Any thoughts on going back down to just 40 everyday?
I'm on month 3 and last week was the first time I had a bad breakout since I started. Not sure if this is just a delayed IB? But yeah I'm in the same boat as you guys, hopefully this subsides in my last 2 months.
It could be, especially if you recently started a higher dosage...
Day 28
Hanging in there... not much in the way of new breakouts, mostly just waiting on old pimples to run their course... although I have gotten a couple tiny red ones right next to my lips, and I hope they don't get bigger, just because lip acne and the red marks they leave behind are so noticeable. I already have ton of hyperpigmentation around my lips and I don't want more.
Dermatologist tomorrow... then bloodwork Saturday hopefully.
Yeah about a month ago I got bumped up from 40 mg a day to alternating between 80 mg and 40 mg. Any thoughts on going back down to just 40 everyday?
Well, the thing is, if you've already broken out, then bumping back down is not the best idea because the higher the dosage, the faster the breakout phase will be over... so I think it's best to just stick to what your derm prescribed. From what I've read, people who start on high dosages tend to experience scarier breakouts at first, but they go away faster, whereas if someone breaks out on a lower dosage (like me), then things take much longer to sort themselves out.
Ok cool thanks.
I'm on month 3 and last week was the first time I had a bad breakout since I started. Not sure if this is just a delayed IB? But yeah I'm in the same boat as you guys, hopefully this subsides in my last 2 months.
It could be, especially if you recently started a higher dosage...
Day 28
Hanging in there... not much in the way of new breakouts, mostly just waiting on old pimples to run their course... although I have gotten a couple tiny red ones right next to my lips, and I hope they don't get bigger, just because lip acne and the red marks they leave behind are so noticeable. I already have ton of hyperpigmentation around my lips and I don't want more.
Dermatologist tomorrow... then bloodwork Saturday hopefully.
Yeah about a month ago I got bumped up from 40 mg a day to alternating between 80 mg and 40 mg. Any thoughts on going back down to just 40 everyday?
Well, the thing is, if you've already broken out, then bumping back down is not the best idea because the higher the dosage, the faster the breakout phase will be over... so I think it's best to just stick to what your derm prescribed. From what I've read, people who start on high dosages tend to experience scarier breakouts at first, but they go away faster, whereas if someone breaks out on a lower dosage (like me), then things take much longer to sort themselves out.
Day 29
Derm appointment today, also got bloodwork done. The derm office should have my results Tuesday, and hopefully I can pick up my next 30 pills that evening.
Not too happy with my skin atm. Lots of red bumps everywhere, as well as whiteheads and clogged pores and other nonsense. No huge cysts at least. Also the Aveeno moisturizer keeps leaving this annoying white film on my face that's almost impossible to scrape off.
Day 29
Derm appointment today, also got bloodwork done. The derm office should have my results Tuesday, and hopefully I can pick up my next 30 pills that evening.
Not too happy with my skin atm. Lots of red bumps everywhere, as well as whiteheads and clogged pores and other nonsense. No huge cysts at least. Also the Aveeno moisturizer keeps leaving this annoying white film on my face that's almost impossible to scrape off.
Same here.. I got around 10 new pimples... lol... big ones too.
Day 29
Derm appointment today, also got bloodwork done. The derm office should have my results Tuesday, and hopefully I can pick up my next 30 pills that evening.
Not too happy with my skin atm. Lots of red bumps everywhere, as well as whiteheads and clogged pores and other nonsense. No huge cysts at least. Also the Aveeno moisturizer keeps leaving this annoying white film on my face that's almost impossible to scrape off.
Same here.. I got around 10 new pimples... lol... big ones too.
It seems to be common for people to start seeing dramatic improvement around the middle of the third month / start of the fourth month. So I'm looking forward to that... but I also realize that it's so different for everyone that there's no way of knowing. Right now I'm just trying to take each day as it comes, not let breakouts get to me too much, and deal with the side effects as best as I can.
Day 30
Didn't take a pill today because I'm saving it for tomorrow. Acne is same old... also I might be officially done with Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, because the white waxy film it leaves on my face is just too annoying to deal with. It's a shame, because other than that it was a really nice, creamy, shine-free moisturizer.
Day 33
Haven't gotten new pills, nor do I even know the results of my bloodwork yet. Bloodwork was Friday, last pill I took was Sunday.
Still breaking out of course, but nothing too crazy. Pimples and hyperpigmentation look REALLY red though, I'm guessing it has something to do with sun exposure and not enough sunscreen. Lips are kinda dry, there's one patch that keeps peeling. Had some major dandruff yesterday, especially in my sideburns, so today in the morning I just conditioned my hair, no shampoo. Eczema is staying away though, so that's good.
EDIT: Well, just got a call from the dermatologist office. They told me my bloodwork was okay and I can pick up my prescription... however, when I called the pharmacy, they told me the Accutane would be ready in three days. So... have to wait til Friday. That'll be four or five consecutive days without a pill, and 5/6 total. Oh well... shouldn't be too bad.
Day 34
Well... although they told me my accutane would only be ready Friday... I called today and they had it! So I stopped by in the afternoon, picked it up, and took my first 40mg pill a couple hours ago! Heck yeah... playing in the big leagues now! I'm interested to see what the next couple weeks will bring.
Day 35
I'd say my face looks worse than it has in a while. Got some new pimpletons; a couple red ones on my left forehead, a painful one right between my nostrils of all places, a small but REALLY red one in the middle of my moustache area, and a big old red cyst on my left cheek.
The past week or two on 20mg, any new pimples I got had been healing really slowly for some reason, so I hope 40mg speeds up the process somehow.
My face still has a LONG way to go, but my back is doing nicely. Literally no active cysts at the moment, just small comedonal stuff... Hopefully that keeps up.
Day 37
Look and feel pretty horrible at the moment. They are just a couple cysts, between nose / cheeks on either side, but they are SO large, red, unsightly and painful. Also couldn't resist the urge to pick tonight and that just caused a lot more redness and irritation, plus some dark red spots. I was feeling pretty upbeat these past two weeks but tonight is quite the opposite.
Day 40
Breakin' out... big old cyst on my forehead... the older stuff is looking a bit calmer. The one new area that's bothering me is right below my lower lip... a big massive pustule formed and was leaking all through the night... then this morning it looks like it's left two or three friends in its wake. I hope they don't swell up and leak everywhere like their dad. I hate pimples near lips because everyone always thinks it's herpes.
Hey I'm about to finish up my second month. Since the start of accutane, my skin has stopped being super oily and it looks more civilized. I'm still getting whiteheads here and there, but they are much much smaller and go away quicker than they used to. I attribute the acne I do get to my diet. I've been trying to keep a lower-sugar, low-dairy, low-glycemic diet, but it can be difficult when there isn't anything healthy to eat around. I just learned that the granola I've been eating for the past couple of weeks has a ton of sugar. Bleh. Really the only things I'm allowed to eat are chicken, turkey, fish, veggies, fruits, and nuts. It sucks to eat like a caveman but unfortunately I have to or I will break out. It's so dumb that I can't even eat bread without breaking out (because bread has such a high glycemic load) -_- My overall redness and irritation is almost gone. I've heard from most people that around after the 2nd month is when the initial breakouts end and throughout the third month is where they see the most drastic improvement. Fingers crossed!
btw I would recommend using sunscreen. I can link you to a couple of good products if you like
Hey I'm about to finish up my second month. Since the start of accutane, my skin has stopped being super oily and it looks more civilized. I'm still getting whiteheads here and there, but they are much much smaller and go away quicker than they used to. I attribute the acne I do get to my diet. I've been trying to keep a lower-sugar, low-dairy, low-glycemic diet, but it can be difficult when there isn't anything healthy to eat around. I just learned that the granola I've been eating for the past couple of weeks has a ton of sugar. Bleh. Really the only things I'm allowed to eat are chicken, turkey, fish, veggies, fruits, and nuts. It sucks to eat like a caveman but unfortunately I have to or I will break out. It's so dumb that I can't even eat bread without breaking out (because bread has such a high glycemic load) -_- My overall redness and irritation is almost gone. I've heard from most people that around after the 2nd month is when the initial breakouts end and throughout the third month is where they see the most drastic improvement. Fingers crossed!
btw I would recommend using sunscreen. I can link you to a couple of good products if you like
If you could, that would be great!
As a side note, a red ring has developed around the area where last night's pimple was. A red, raised ring. It looks like ringworm. No idea where it came from... I'm so cheesed off though, having to deal with this AND facial eczema AND constant cysts is going to be a major pain in the butt.
As a side note, a red ring has developed around the area where last night's pimple was. A red, raised ring. It looks like ringworm. No idea where it came from... I'm so cheesed off though, having to deal with this AND facial eczema AND constant cysts is going to be a major pain in the butt.
These two are the sunscreen/moisturizer combos that have been successful for me, though personally I prefer chemical sunscreens:
Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture SPF 35
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Neutrogena-Oil-Free-Moisture-SPF-35-2.5-oz/14967684 (chemical suncreen)
Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer with SPF 15
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Olay-Complete-All-Day-UV-Moisturizer-with-SPF-15-for-Sensitive-Skin-6-fl.-oz./888149 (physical sunscreen)
There's an article somewhere on acne.org explaining the difference between chemical and physical sunscreens. There's only about a 4-5% difference in protection between SPF 15 and 35, so no need to worry about that.
I use Cerave Moisturizing Lotion as my moisturizer; it was recommended by both of the dermatologists I've been to. It's awesome. Goes on smooth, isn't greasy, and I can combine it with my suncreen if I'm feeling dry. It comes in a big bottle too so I use it on my arms to prevent the eczema (dry skin) I get from taking accutane. Here's a link to that as well:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/CeraVe-Moisturizing-Lotion-8-fl-oz/23600992
As a side note, a red ring has developed around the area where last night's pimple was. A red, raised ring. It looks like ringworm. No idea where it came from... I'm so cheesed off though, having to deal with this AND facial eczema AND constant cysts is going to be a major pain in the butt.
These two are the sunscreen/moisturizer combos that have been successful for me, though personally I prefer chemical sunscreens:
Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture SPF 35
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Neutrogena-Oil-Free-Moisture-SPF-35-2.5-oz/14967684 (chemical suncreen)
Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer with SPF 15
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Olay-Complete-All-Day-UV-Moisturizer-with-SPF-15-for-Sensitive-Skin-6-fl.-oz./888149 (physical sunscreen)
There's an article somewhere on acne.org explaining the difference between chemical and physical sunscreens. There's only about a 4-5% difference in protection between SPF 15 and 35, so no need to worry about that.
I use Cerave Moisturizing Lotion as my moisturizer; it was recommended by both of the dermatologists I've been to. It's awesome. Goes on smooth, isn't greasy, and I can combine it with my suncreen if I'm feeling dry. It comes in a big bottle too so I use it on my arms to prevent the eczema (dry skin) I get from taking accutane. Here's a link to that as well:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/CeraVe-Moisturizing-Lotion-8-fl-oz/23600992
Thanks! I think I will need a sunscreen sometime soon, so I'll look into those. As for CeraVe, in my experience it's always given me a reddish / flushed look, so I've been using Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion instead.
Day 41
Well the thing next to my lip might not be ringworm after all, because it seems to have responded pretty well to plain old moisturizing and hydrocortisone lotion. I think it might be discoid eczema.
Still breaking out... got some pain on my right chin, where it looks and feels like a cluster of pimples is about to erupt, all next to each other. Kinda bummed out because I thought I'd seen the last of my chin acne.
Also, a lot of the pimples on the rest of my face seem to have come to heads between yesterday and today... I'm trying to avoid touching / picking / popping as much as I can though.
Thanks! I think I will need a sunscreen sometime soon, so I'll look into those. As for CeraVe, in my experience it's always given me a reddish / flushed look, so I've been using Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion instead.
Day 41
Well the thing next to my lip might not be ringworm after all, because it seems to have responded pretty well to plain old moisturizing and hydrocortisone lotion. I think it might be discoid eczema.
Still breaking out... got some pain on my right chin, where it looks and feels like a cluster of pimples is about to erupt, all next to each other. Kinda bummed out because I thought I'd seen the last of my chin acne.
Also, a lot of the pimples on the rest of my face seem to have come to heads between yesterday and today... I'm trying to avoid touching / picking / popping as much as I can though.
Yea people have different experiences with different products, so I understand. I just had my 3rd dermatologist appointment after finishing my 2nd month. I'm going to start taking 80mg a day rather than 70mg. I haven't had any particular flares in the past few days because I've been really watching my diet, and I'm feeling pretty good. I hope by the end of month three I can start to see some real improvement as far as the marks on my cheeks and chin go. I used to pick at my chin so the red and brown marks are really visible, but I luckily I haven't scarred very much. I'm just waiting for the color to go away on those.
Day 45
Same old... a couple new-ish ones, but mostly just older stuff taking its time to push out.
My face has been kind of shiny recently, and I honestly can't tell if it's oil or just moisturizer. I'm leaning towards the latter though, because it doesn't really rub off onto my fingers the way oil does.
Day 46
Had some kind of strange stomach / lower abdominal pain late yesterday evening. It went away within a couple hours though. I think it may have had something to do with dehydration, as I've really been neglecting water consumption lately. In fact, I've really only drunk tea with milk and soda. Unless the pain becomes chronic, I don't think it's anything to worry about.
My acne is pretty lethargic at this point. It's not coming and going at the crazy rate it was during my first 2-3 weeks on the drug. In fact, I think it may be taking even longer than it would if I wasn't on Accutane. Also, old red marks have been looking redder, and any new acne looks really red and as well, I guess because of how fragile Accutane makes the skin.
Also been getting mad dandruff lately, on scalp and in eyebrows, as well as dry peely skin around the area between my nostrils. No eczema or rashes though, so that's good. And the ring near my mouth that I thought was ringworm seems to have dissipated... pretty happy about that.
Day 52
Whoa, the days are going by really fast now. I guess I've just been busier.
Anyway, still breaking out everywhere. All kinds of acne too, from big deep cysts to tiny little whiteheads. Can't tell if skin is dry or not. This morning I wiped an oil slick off my nose (but the sides of my face were dry). In the evening though, whole face was dry.
I keep hoping the Accutane will finally kick in and I'll stop breaking out, but that also means with each new pimple I get more and more discouraged. I think I need to stop expecting results NOW and focus on expecting results ONLY at the end of my course. That way I won't be disappointed all the time.
Day 52
Whoa, the days are going by really fast now. I guess I've just been busier.
Anyway, still breaking out everywhere. All kinds of acne too, from big deep cysts to tiny little whiteheads. Can't tell if skin is dry or not. This morning I wiped an oil slick off my nose (but the sides of my face were dry). In the evening though, whole face was dry.
I keep hoping the Accutane will finally kick in and I'll stop breaking out, but that also means with each new pimple I get more and more discouraged. I think I need to stop expecting results NOW and focus on expecting results ONLY at the end of my course. That way I won't be disappointed all the time.
I am on 60 mg day 60 and i am in the same position as you. Expecting results now is wishful thinking, the major positive at this stage of accutane is mainly your skin being less oily and minor improvements to your acne. From what i have seen month 4-5 is the turning point in most cases.