It's been a while since I've been on Acne.org. Acne hasn't been one of my concerns for a long time now, and it feels wonderful. I'm so grateful. I find myself wondering why I waited so many years to seek this treatment. It's been an absolute godsend. I've been clear for months, and I'm now used to my new routine. It's simple: I wash my face at night with Dove, put some Cetaphil moisturizer on. In the morning (when I REMEMBER wash my face), I use the same dove soap, and Eucerine sunscreen. That's it. Three weeks ago I got rid of my topical acne medications. I even bid farewell my favorite acnefree product that has been discontinued. My younger cousin was pleased to have all of my products though! These steps are monumental. As mentioned previously, I go out without makeup on, I'm no longer paranoid about my skin, and I am overall more confident and happy.
As for any lasting side effects? Not much. My lips are no longer so chapped. I rarely need to use chapstick, and my hair is more oily than it had been on accutane. While I can no longer go 5 days without washing my hair, I can get away with 2-3. My skin is nowhere near as oily as it was prior to accutane, but it isn't terribly dry either. I can go an entire day without my face looking oily. Marvelous.
When I tell people that I was on Accutane, they balk. I can't count the number of times that people have exclaimed "but you don't have acne!" I always tell them that I don't have acne BECAUSE of the Accutane. So many years I wasted fretting over my skin when the solution was so simple. I look back on all of the school I missed, the work I missed, and the tears I cried because of my acne. No more of that! I have nothing but good things to say about Accutand and my dermatologist. Both have worked miracles.
SendMeAngels,
I just found your Accutane log and it was awesomely helpful!
I have you beat: I'm 45 and still dealing with acne and have been on Spiro for about 5 years. The Spiro keeps me clear, but I hate the side effects. So now I'm finally trying to decide if I should jump off the cliff and try Accutane. Would you mind answering a few questions for me?
1. How much Accutane did you take each day in total? The first derm I spoke to wants to put me on 80mg a day, and that seems high for moderate acne.
2. Are you still on Spiro? Will you ever go off it?
3. Would you take Accutane again if you had to? Was it worth it?
I'm lucky that Spiro has controlled my hormonal acne, but I'm just so sick of drinking water all the time and going to the bathroom so much that people think I'm a junkie . I've also gained some weight and I'm having muscle soreness that I never had after working out now. Spiro is my main suspect. Any insight would be most appreciated.
In closing, I grew up in San Diego and lived there for 25 years. It's a great place!
Thanks,
Samantha