I personally did not change any of my habits before beginning Accutane. I've been on 40 mgs for a month now and it really isn't so bad! (knock on wood) With Indiana winters, the air is dry, and my dry skin is completely unnoticeable with just a little moisterizer. My NP recommended Vanicream Lite Lotion and it is incredible. Very gentle, no irritants, and is not oily. My lips are dry, but they have been worse. I was also recommended Dr. Dan's CortiBalm and this stuff is great. It has 1% hydrocortisone and is the only chapstick that has that, and it works very very well. Only downside is the expense, but it's worth it. I'm starting to get some moderate back pain though. Yesterday was pretty tough but today has been better! My only real concern is my hair though... It's much thinner now and shedding a bit 
Oh and I forgot to mention that I got some Genteal eye drops. I was outside for a few hours in the 20 degree winter winds and could hardly keep my eyes open after an hour due to dryness.
I wouldn't go out and "stock up." You'll probably end up buying way more than you need. All you really need is a good chapstick, moisturizer, and maybe eye drops for starters then just buy stuff as you need it.
I personally did not change any of my habits before beginning Accutane. I've been on 40 mgs for a month now and it really isn't so bad! (knock on wood) With Indiana winters, the air is dry, and my dry skin is completely unnoticeable with just a little moisterizer. My NP recommended Vanicream Lite Lotion and it is incredible. Very gentle, no irritants, and is not oily. My lips are dry, but they have been worse. I was also recommended Dr. Dan's CortiBalm and this stuff is great. It has 1% hydrocortisone and is the only chapstick that has that, and it works very very well. Only downside is the expense, but it's worth it. I'm starting to get some moderate back pain though. Yesterday was pretty tough but today has been better! My only real concern is my hair though... It's much thinner now and shedding a bit
Oh and I forgot to mention that I got some Genteal eye drops. I was outside for a few hours in the 20 degree winter winds and could hardly keep my eyes open after an hour due to dryness.
I wouldn't go out and "stock up." You'll probably end up buying way more than you need. All you really need is a good chapstick, moisturizer, and maybe eye drops for starters then just buy stuff as you need it.
Thanks for the advice Goirish! I'll keep your product recommendations in mind. I am a little concerned about my hair too - I already have super thin hair...le sigh.
Ahhhhh you better do a log, megtree!! I will absolutely be updating with my progress! Stay tuned, my friend!
Oh I will! I'm nervous but SO excited.
>>
My appointment to start accutane is December 23rd (which makes me kind of nervous about being able to fill my Rx in time, here is to hoping pharmacies are open christmas eve!), so we'll be starting around the same time. Good luck, and don't forget to update!
)
I'm starting Accutane on the 23rd also! I have been counting down the days, only THREE more weeks! I was also really concerned about Christmas and pharmacies because they will have to do blood work and that usually takes a day or two to get the results, then it's Christmas. But we have 7 days so hopefully it won't cause any delays or problems. Good luck to everyone, these personal logs are so helpful to know others are going through the exact same things.
Wow, we'll be 'tane sisters! Hopefully everything works out. I am going to get my blood-work done a few days before, and then my P-test the day of, I guess. Did you have to do anything special with your insurance (not sure if you are in the US)? I understand it would be different coverage for different insurance companies, but I guess I just assumed my doctor had experience working with insurance and would let me know if having to double check with them is common practice. I suppose I should probably call my insurance and ask before the holidays get too close!
Hooray MegTree, we HAVE to keep each other posted! It will be so nice to have someone on the exact same track as me, and I see you are also 26 years old! I am TOO. It's craziness. I'm so excited, we're down to 19 days!
Absolutely Emmygirl! I am thinking about starting my own log, I feel bad for hogging LouisLouisV's! Teehee.
Hahaha @ megtree - I seriously don't mind!!! BUT I still think you should def do a log if for no other reason than I can follow along with your progress!! Hopefully emmygirl is going to do one too!
SOOOOOOO...thought I'd update you all. I've had kind of a hellish ordeal the past couple of days trying to get my prescription filled. I told y'all yesterday about having to call my derm and then answering the iPledge questions only to find out I had until today at 11:59pm to pick up my script. So I was super stoked when they called me at 8am today saying "we called in your script - go ahead and get it!" Naturally I headed to the pharmacy at like 8:30am and guess what? The pharmacy didn't have it. So I called the derm and asked them what the deal was/whether or not they called the right pharmacy, etc. The medical assistant called me back and said there was an issue with their electronic system and that she personally called it in herself. I was going to go by there during lunch but something told me to call them first to make sure they had it...buuuuut lo and behold, they didn't. So I told the pharmacy my prescription was time-sensitive and gave them my dermatologist's number so they could figure out what was going on & why my prescription wasn't going through. Finally, they called me an hour later saying my prescription was ready, and I picked it up after work!!
I was a bit surprised that not only am I not taking Amnesteem as discussed (I'm taking Claravis), they put me on a lower dose (40mg instead of the 60mg we discussed). Maybe they're going to put me on 60mg after a month? Who knows. Anyway, it was pretty shitty communication all around, so I'm hoping next month will be smoother.
Annnnnd, I'm OFFICIALLY an accutane user!! Just took my first dose
More to come, friends!
Best of luck to those of you already going through the course.
yeah YOU have to be on top of this stuff - its your health and teh docs are very busy unfortuantely with our healthcare system =/. I'm an upcoming doc (current med student in the US).
if your insurance is decent - see if you can get absorica from now on. sometimes the pharmacist are teh ones who are ABLE to switch all those generic versions (they are all generic but different brands or somethign like that) and so your doc might have written amnesteem but you got clavaris or w.e.
I did some research and i wanted and am taking absorica 40mg a day (20mg mornign and 20 at night). scientifically and as my doc mentioned this is better as it keeps your levels at a steady rate in your body instead of dumping all 40mg in at once and its kinda easier to absorb 20mg in a meal and another 20mg later instead of all 40mg at once (my 2 cents). ALSO the brand im on, ABSORICA has a different delievery method to the body than the otehr brand as isotretinoin is a vitamin a derivative and vitamin a is a fat soluble vitamin so it should therotically be taken with a meal (preferrably a fatty one - but then you run into the problem with increased cholesteral levels (as sometimes these drugs cause your liver and bdoy to have elevated cholesteral - one of the things the blood test test for). anyway short story see if your insurance and doc remmened absorica - it is a better delievered drug from what my doc says and i read. i get it for 10 bucks with insurance and coupon my doc gave me.
i just picked up my 2nd month supply today.
Hahaha @ megtree - I seriously don't mind!!! BUT I still think you should def do a log if for no other reason than I can follow along with your progress!! Hopefully emmygirl is going to do one too!
SOOOOOOO...thought I'd update you all. I've had kind of a hellish ordeal the past couple of days trying to get my prescription filled. I told y'all yesterday about having to call my derm and then answering the iPledge questions only to find out I had until today at 11:59pm to pick up my script. So I was super stoked when they called me at 8am today saying "we called in your script - go ahead and get it!" Naturally I headed to the pharmacy at like 8:30am and guess what? The pharmacy didn't have it. So I called the derm and asked them what the deal was/whether or not they called the right pharmacy, etc. The medical assistant called me back and said there was an issue with their electronic system and that she personally called it in herself. I was going to go by there during lunch but something told me to call them first to make sure they had it...buuuuut lo and behold, they didn't. So I told the pharmacy my prescription was time-sensitive and gave them my dermatologist's number so they could figure out what was going on & why my prescription wasn't going through. Finally, they called me an hour later saying my prescription was ready, and I picked it up after work!!
I was a bit surprised that not only am I not taking Amnesteem as discussed (I'm taking Claravis), they put me on a lower dose (40mg instead of the 60mg we discussed). Maybe they're going to put me on 60mg after a month? Who knows. Anyway, it was pretty shitty communication all around, so I'm hoping next month will be smoother.
Annnnnd, I'm OFFICIALLY an accutane user!! Just took my first dose
More to come, friends!
Best of luck to those of you already going through the course.
Hello.
I noticed the last poster mentioning absorbica. Please do update as to whether you think there is a difference. I did some research and could find no evidence that it works any better unless you are not taking your meds with food (so a good option for those who have trouble doing this, but not really for those who don't). I asked my derm, and she said she thinks it is mainly a ploy by the drug companies to continue to charge more, as Accutane can now be bought generically, which is losing them a lot of money. She said she has seen no difference between the two, and no decent research to show that there is. She actually said she thought it is in fact rather cruel of the drug companies to convince people that there is a reason to buy the branded one. Those companies are mother f-ers. Pardon my French. I tend to think she has a good point. However, I am still ultra curious. I decided to stay with the generic, but do let me know what you think of the absorica.
Hahaha @ megtree - I seriously don't mind!!! BUT I still think you should def do a log if for no other reason than I can follow along with your progress!! Hopefully emmygirl is going to do one too!
SOOOOOOO...thought I'd update you all. I've had kind of a hellish ordeal the past couple of days trying to get my prescription filled. I told y'all yesterday about having to call my derm and then answering the iPledge questions only to find out I had until today at 11:59pm to pick up my script. So I was super stoked when they called me at 8am today saying "we called in your script - go ahead and get it!" Naturally I headed to the pharmacy at like 8:30am and guess what? The pharmacy didn't have it. So I called the derm and asked them what the deal was/whether or not they called the right pharmacy, etc. The medical assistant called me back and said there was an issue with their electronic system and that she personally called it in herself. I was going to go by there during lunch but something told me to call them first to make sure they had it...buuuuut lo and behold, they didn't. So I told the pharmacy my prescription was time-sensitive and gave them my dermatologist's number so they could figure out what was going on & why my prescription wasn't going through. Finally, they called me an hour later saying my prescription was ready, and I picked it up after work!!
I was a bit surprised that not only am I not taking Amnesteem as discussed (I'm taking Claravis), they put me on a lower dose (40mg instead of the 60mg we discussed). Maybe they're going to put me on 60mg after a month? Who knows. Anyway, it was pretty shitty communication all around, so I'm hoping next month will be smoother.
Annnnnd, I'm OFFICIALLY an accutane user!! Just took my first dose
More to come, friends!
Best of luck to those of you already going through the course.
Hooray! Congratulations that is so exciting to OFFICIALLY be on Accutane. Sounds like a stressful, and quite frustrating situation but I'm so glad it all worked out and can't wait to hear your progress.
Day 5
I haven't taken my 5th dose yet today; I'll probably take it during lunch.
Side effects:
Slightly drier lips
Slightly drier eyes
Facial skin is starting to flake all over and hurts to the touch. I'm also noticing that skin is drying up/flaking around each and every pimple I have on my face, which makes things weird looking
Legs are itchier/drier than normal
Overall dehydration, but I'm drinking a ton of water to combat this
Scalp seems to be drying a bit - it's getting really itchy (I have eczema on the base of my scalp but the itchiness seems to be spreading upwards because the top of my head is itchy as crap right now)
Regime/products used:
Eucerin Skin Calming Daily Moisturizing Creme on upper body
Aveeno Baby Eczema on legs (I haven't had "official" eczema on my legs ever, but sometimes they itch LIKE CRAZY, as if I have a rash or something, if I don't put lotion on them so I decided to be proactive and try something to combat the itchy legs)
Refresh Optive Lubricant Eye Drops (normal and gel forms depending on what's in front of/around me)
ChapStick or Aquaphor (again depending on what's in front of/around me)
Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser - PM only to remove makeup ("wash" face with water in the morning)
Murad Essential C Day Moisturizer SPF 30 (AM)
Estee Lauder Advanced Time Zone Night (PM)
I think I'll need to eventually step up my moisturizing game but I'll probably finish the jar of the Estee Lauder stuff I have for now and continue to use the Murad product during the day. I have tried Cetaphil and CeraVe and my skin didn't like either of those products so I'm loathe to try them again while I use accutane, especially early on, pre-IB - no need to encourage a bad IB. My skin likes Clinique and Murad products so I'll probably use something from one of those lines. And I"m thinking I need to use a more moisturizing shampoo/conditioner but again my skin does NOT seem to like a lot of the products I've tried (I've broken out on shoulders/back/neck with the vast majority of conditioners I've tried 
).
Anyway, guess that's enough of an update for now. Best of luck to all of you and I'll post again in a few days with another update!
I'm 31 also and I'm on day 8 and scared as hell lol. So far I've just had really dry eyes, nose and the dry skin is starting. My Dr told me to take 40mg for a week or 'until the headaches went away" so today I actually took 2 to make it 80mg but I'm still not sure about that, its scary!
Anyways, I wish you luck, I'll be following to see how you're making out
Today is my Day 8, so sounds like you and I are only one day apart on our start dates!!! I hope my doc bumps me up to 60mg next month; I'm curious to see how you do on 80mg. Thanks for your comment - I'll be following your progress as well 
I'm 31 also and I'm on day 8 and scared as hell lol. So far I've just had really dry eyes, nose and the dry skin is starting. My Dr told me to take 40mg for a week or 'until the headaches went away" so today I actually took 2 to make it 80mg but I'm still not sure about that, its scary!
Anyways, I wish you luck, I'll be following to see how you're making out
As for doubling dosages, I just recently moved from 40 to 80mg. I've taken 80 for three or four days now and ever since, I've definitely entered the initial breakout stage. I had no negative reactions while on 40mg, but I've gotten five small-medium sized cysts on my face just today, when I had no active cysts prior. I hope it passes quickly though. Oh and I was on 40mg for one month.
Day 12
Side effects:
Dry, flaky skin (flakes on face only; dry skin everywhere)
Dry lips (they feel like they're shriveling up unless I keep Aquaphor or ChapStick on them 24/7)
Dry eyes (they feel like they're about to fall out of my head)
Dry scalp (itches like crazy)
Started to notice low back pain last night
Mild headaches (better if I'm staying hydrated)
Dehydration (I usually don't drink a ton of water so I'm having a hard time making this a habit)
Regimen:
Eucerin Skin Calming Daily Moisturizing Creme on upper body
Aveeno Baby Eczema on legs
Refresh Optive Lubricant Eye Drops (normal and gel forms depending on what's in front of/around me)
ChapStick or Aquaphor (again depending on what's in front of/around me)
Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser - PM only to remove makeup ("wash" face with water in the morning)
Murad Essential C Day Moisturizer SPF 30 (AM)
Estee Lauder Advanced Time Zone Night (PM) - just ran out of this product last night and will be using the samples of some Murad Age Reform product I got from Sephora that's supposed to be super moisturizing; we'll see what I do after that
As far as breakouts are concerned, my skin is so weird right now. Tiny pimples on the sides of my face are being stubborn; they seem to me like they're drying up and going away but I can't really tell. I'm getting more small cysts in weird places like on the sides of my nose, hairline, eyebrows, etc. They're super painful and won't pop (I'm trying and failing not to mess with them). But they last like 2 days (which for cysts is QUICK as everyone on here knows) and then dry up and flake off.
Also getting these zits that look like they're going to emerge as whiteheads, but they're taking forever to do so, and more of them are popping up, but I don't think this is the IB quite yet. Getting a slight increase in body acne. I had bad cystic acne on my arms over the summer to the point where I was wearing long sleeve t-shirts all summer long to cover them up because I was so embarrassed, but it cleared up this past fall.
Everytime I think my skin is getting better, I say so to my boyfriend, but since we live together he doesn't see major progress and he just says "nope, looks the same to me", so I'm sure he's prob not going to notice a difference until the IB and then not again until that calms down and I'm clear.
My mom wasn't super supportive of me getting accutane to begin with because my acne just blew up again in late September and I haven't seen her since Labor Day. What it has done my whole life is erupt for a few months and then clear up and I guess I've never seen her when it's been super "bad". But I took her to The Nutcracker ballet yesterday (I take her every year as part of her Christmas present ) and she took one look at my skin and was like, "I've never seen your skin this bad - I don't remember it being this bad even in HS. I totally understand now." So that was nice to know she gets it and supports me!
Anyway, I'll wrap up this super long update with a few pictures...I'm wearing makeup here.
As for doubling dosages, I just recently moved from 40 to 80mg. I've taken 80 for three or four days now and ever since, I've definitely entered the initial breakout stage. I had no negative reactions while on 40mg, but I've gotten five small-medium sized cysts on my face just today, when I had no active cysts prior. I hope it passes quickly though. Oh and I was on 40mg for one month.
I also noticed that switching from 40 to 80 is giving me some cysts. I can feel a cluster forming, as they usually do, in an area that I didn't have much trouble with and the trouble area is more clear than its been in a really long time. This is my 3rd week and I just started taking 80 mg but after 3 days of bad heahaches I decided to take 40mg then 80 every other day, I don't know if this makes sense but I feel like 80mg every day this early is too much. I don't want an intial terrible outbreak. Im stressing over hair loss too, actually I'm stressing over all of it lol. This is tough!
I like 40 mg. Unless the side effects are unbearable, or you're not seeing progress, I don't see the point of bumping it up. Why suffer such an awful IB? When I did my first course, I just did 40 the whole time (about 6 months I think). After I cleared up (early that course - within the first month) it was nice to keep taking it and KNOW I wasn't going to have acne for many months after. Why rush? So far as I know, the research all says that cumulative dose is what matters.
Just a thought. I noticed everyone seems so eager to get their dose up, but I'm not really clear on why.
AND - you look amazing! I wish I was that skilled with doing makeup on Accutane. I was stuck in front of the mirror for a good half hour today trying to make sure there weren't any weird flakes sticking out or makeup all clumped up under my nose where the driest spots are.
And I hear you about how weird these zits are. Yesterday I had an inflamed whitehead I was sure would cyst up and stay forever. Today - gone! WTF. Meanwhile I get these tiny nothing whiteheads that hurt like mad.
Wait, why did my post sound so ANGRY? Accutane is making me super odd I think! Anyway, I was just reading what I said and wondering why I was seeming so negative about people upping their dose. What I meant was not that this is a bad idea at all (who doesn't want results faster!), but that I think there are some good sides to lower doses too. I'm stuck on this dose for now because anything else makes me throw up and I cannot go through an IB again. This first one is almost breaking me. As we can see.
Hope you had a great day! I will try to reserve my misplaced rage for my own log next time, lol!
Luckers8 - I was stressing over a lot of it too in the beginning but I honestly think I stressed so much about it all that now that I'm doing it, it feels like nothing? Haha!! Almost like I made it out to be so much worse in my mind that the reality is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Knocking on wood though...I'm still only 1.5ish weeks in! :/
Welcome, CoralShine! Glad we can provide some support for you throughout this journey! I find logging about my progress and getting feedback from the members here so cathartic and encouraging - it's really great knowing that we're not alone - everyone here sticks together!
Kim28 - your last comment made me LOL!!!! Hahaha!! You are just like me - I re-read everything I write and then I'm like "what in the actual fuck was I thinking?"...oh well! I don't think you sounded angry; you complimtented me, for one (thanks, btw!! I'm a slave to beauty bloggers on YouTube!! RachMartino's channel is great and guess what? She took accutane, too!). As far as increasing dosage, I only wanted to be on the 60mg so that there's the possibility that my acne won't recur post accutane, and PRIMARILY because that's what my derm and I discussed before I even went on accutane. And as nervous as I am about an awful IB, I'm just going to tell myself that it'll suck going through it, but it'll hopefully be the last breakout I ever experience, and that it'll all be worth it in the end. I swear it's mind over matter. Easy for me to say now, pre-IB...I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune in a couple of weeks or whenever my IB decides to make its appearance. Who knows though...maybe I'll get a Christmas miracle and won't get one at all!!!!!! And while we're on the topic of Christmas miracles, maybe I'll win the $600+ million in the lottery, hahaha!
Anyway...I have a headache and my lips hurt so I think I'm just gonna chill out and watch some shit on Bravo. See yous in a few days <3
Stopping in to say glad things are going ok for you so far and thanks for your support!! I pretty much apply either carmex, aquaphor or vaseline close to every hour & that really helps keep the chapping to a minimum. Also hopefully the headache will go away soon - mine was off & on for about 2 weeks. As for makeup, there is no hope for my flaky skin. I'll message you about the serum & moisturizer.
Anyone else think Napoleon Dynamite might have been an accutane user?
"...but my lips hurt real bad!!"
Day 19
Side effects are pretty much the same, although they're either intensifying, decreasing, or I'm just getting used to them. Headaches seem to be decreasing, dry lips seem to be getting slightly worse, dry skin on face is definitely getting worse (acompanied by flakes), and low back pain is increasing. Also, I noticed that the skin inside my nose feels like I have a bad cold and have blown my nose one too many times; Neosporin seems to help.
As for products that I'm using, since I ran out of my previous moisturizer that I was using at night (an Estee Lauder moisturizer), I switched to a moisturizer I had on hand that I didn't really particularly care for pre-accutane, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (I put gel in italics because there's also a lotion form which is too heavy for acne-prone skin, I think). I'm actually pretty surprised at how well it hydrates - I really like it and think I'm just gonna stick wtih using this product until I run out or until my skin decides it needs something more moisturizing. At that point, I'm going to try Mario Badescu's Moisture Magnet - it's basic, super moisturizing, contains SPF 15, and was recommended by a beauty blogger on YouTube that I like who is a former Accutane user.
I tried to use my Clarisonic one day last week to help get rid of the flakes - that was a mistake, it definitely just made my skin really red and irritated and angry, and I had to use Aloe Vera to help calm it down.
ANNNNNND...dun dun dunnnnnnnnn...I think I'm dealing with the IB. Late last week and through yesterday, I had like 8-10 cysts on my right cheek, chin, and forehead. They were ridiculously painful and I'm stupid and tried popping them, which kind of worked, but tore the skin off my face when I got too aggressive with them (shame on me). I put Neosporin on them to help heal them, and miraculously it worked for the most part. The cysts on the right side of my face are mostly flat and painless now, but I'm dealing with PIH/scarring; easy enough to cover with makeup.
The cysts on my forehead look like they invited a few friends, and the party on the right side of my face seems to be moving to the left. All of the blackheads on my entire face seem to be emerging, too. I'm even getting a bit of acne on my chest, back, the back of my neck, and one inside my ear! I've had stuff pop up inside my ear before so this isn't horribly unusual, but it's painful as shit.
Going to LabCorps to get my bloodwork taken on the 26th and then headed to the derm on the 30th, so we'll chat about how well I'm doing and I'm gonna mention increasing my dosage. If it's going to be increased at all, I'd rather just get it over with.
Anyway, that's all for now - best of luck to all of you, and I'll see you all in a week with another update.
Until then...Merry Christmas!!
On 12/23/2013 at 8:37 PM, LoveLouisV said:Day 19
Side effects are pretty much the same, although they're either intensifying, decreasing, or I'm just getting used to them. Headaches seem to be decreasing, dry lips seem to be getting slightly worse, dry skin on face is definitely getting worse (acompanied by flakes), and low back pain is increasing. Also, I noticed that the skin inside my nose feels like I have a bad cold and have blown my nose one too many times; Neosporin seems to help.
As for products that I'm using, since I ran out of my previous moisturizer that I was using at night (an Estee Lauder moisturizer), I switched to a moisturizer I had on hand that I didn't really particularly care for pre-accutane, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (I put gel in italics because there's also a lotion form which is too heavy for acne-prone skin, I think). I'm actually pretty surprised at how well it hydrates - I really like it and think I'm just gonna stick wtih using this product until I run out or until my skin decides it needs something more moisturizing. At that point, I'm going to try Mario Badescu's Moisture Magnet - it's basic, super moisturizing, contains SPF 15, and was recommended bya beauty blogger on YouTube that I like who is a former Accutane user.
I tried to use my Clarisonic one day last week to help get rid of the flakes - that was a mistake, it definitely just made my skin really red and irritated and angry, and I had to use Aloe Vera to help calm it down.
ANNNNNND...dun dun dunnnnnnnnn...I think I'm dealing with the IB. Late last week and through yesterday, I had like 8-10 cysts on my right cheek, chin, and forehead. They were ridiculously painful and I'm stupid and tried popping them, which kind of worked, but tore the skin off my face when I got too aggressive with them (shame on me). I put Neosporin on them to help heal them, and miraculously it worked for the most part. The cysts on the right side of my face are mostly flat and painless now, but I'm dealing with PIH/scarring; easy enough to cover with makeup.
The cysts on my forehead look like they invited a few friends, and the party on the right side of my face seems to be moving to the left. All of the blackheads on my entire face seem to be emerging, too. I'm even getting a bit of acne on my chest, back, the back of my neck, and one inside my ear! I've had stuff pop up inside my ear before so this isn't horribly unusual, but it's painful as shit.
Going to LabCorps to get my bloodwork taken on the 26th and then headed to the derm on the 30th, so we'll chat about how well I'm doing and I'm gonna mention increasing my dosage. If it's going to be increased at all, I'd rather just get it over with.
Anyway, that's all for now - best of luck to all of you, and I'll see you all in a week with another update.
Until then...Merry Christmas!!
I'm currently on day 12 and I think I'm in the IB phase. I keep breaking out, primarily on the cheeks. However,the breakouts don't last as long as they usually would So I guess that is a plus. But LoveLouisV, I'll definitely look into the Neosporin, I just need something to help in the healing and being able to wear makeup and it looking semi decent.
Also, I don't know if it is a good thing to do or not, but I find that using the "sensitive" brush on my clarisonic, and using it twice a week really helps me with the dryness on my face. I usually do it in the evening, slather on a moisturizer (right now it's Cetaphil) and if I know an area is really dry and prone to flakiness(usually the sides of my mouth and chin) I'll massage in some tea tree oil and it does the trick in the morning.
My lips, yes are dry but not that bad. I've just been slathering them with Aquaphor.
At this point.. the only thing keeping me going is the three month mark promise and the mental image of clear skin!! ahaha just like lilem13's picture: "keep calm and wait for Accutane to work".
Hiiiiiii everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Long ass post warning...
Holy crap...can't believe I'm almost a month in. I had my bloodwork done on the 26th and derm appt on the 30th, and he upped my dosage to 60mg/day (technically I'll be alternating days 80mg/40mg) beginning January 4th!
Big shout out and thank you to the lovely CoralShine - thanks for the recommendation on the sensitive brush head - I actually ended up buying the delicate one because it's even softer than the sensitive brush head, and I absolutely LOVE it! I was kinda feeling sorry for my poor Clarisonic brush just sitting there collecting dust and not being used but now I'll probably use it a couple of times a week
Day 29 (wtf?!)
So...not much has changed by way of side effects except for a decrease in headaches, increase in low back pain, and the weird "accutane rash" (this is legit what my derm called it) on the backs of my hands. Oh, and zero oil on my face or scalp (LOVE this side effect, btw). I have been strength training more so I think that quasi-explains the low back pain; yoga/pilates seems to help.
The purging of blackheads that was happening has dissipated for the most part, which was admittedly aided by me using Biore Pore Strips on my trouble spots (the shit coming out of the pores on my cheeks right next to my nose was disgusting and I couldn't take it anymore). Kinda a bad idea...the skin was SUPER sensitive after that, I probably peeled a layer of skin off doing that, but with it came all the disgusting blackheads...it was like a science experiment on those strips, lemme tell ya. SOOOO gross.
As for products, still using the gel eye drops and Aquaphor/Chapstick on my lips like it's my job. My scalp isn't as bad because I haven't needed to wash my hair but when I do, I co-wash it with either normal conditioner or cleansing conditioner, and only use shampoo once a week. I broke down and bought some Moisture Magnet by Mario Badescu - LOVE this product. So hydrating and felt really good to put on after using my Clarisonic brush (which, by the way, gently took off the dead skin on my cheeks from my pore strip experiment!!). Also picked up some Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream - works wonders on the rash on the backs of my hands.
For the ladies...I've been using Makeup Forever Mat Velvet + foundation for like the past 3 years (applying with clean hands - no brushes/sponges etc) but decided to try the Estee Lauder Double Wear a few weeks ago (sales rep gave me a sample). I liked it a lot, but just to be sure it wasn't me being giddy about a new product, I tried using the Mat Velvet + again to see if it looked as good - nope. Def showed some flakiness and kinda dried my skin out. The Estee Lauder is thick enough to cover the flakes MUCH better. ALSO!!!!!! While I was at Ulta purchasing the Neutrogena Norwegian hand cream, Clarisonic brush, and Moisture Magnet, I got swayed by one of those fake-em-out beauty blenders (like $5.99) and decided to try it on NYE. Kinda risky, no? Actually, really, not at all. The application looked freaking FLAWLESS!!!! You just wet the sponge, squeeze out the excess water, and put foundation on the bottom (wide/flat) part and stipple it on...GORGEOUS coverage, no need to reapply foundation during the day/night at all.
Overall, my skin actually looks pretty good right this second...no cysts to speak of. Just small pimples and blackheads all over my cheeks/chin. I have a feeling this is just a good week and that once I increase my dose, I'll break out with more cysts/blackheads etc again. My derm said that it's like a roller coaster...good skin for a few days, purge for a few days, then good skin, then purge, ad nauseam until month 3.5. I'll update next week with how things go for me with my 60mg increase!
That's all, folks! Best of luck to all of you, and hang in there. Remember - this is just for a few months...it's gonna suck while we're on it, but the results will be worth it! Stay positive!!!! 🙂
Glad to hear everything is going well!
Interesting news about the foundation (to me, anyway!)
I have been using Estee Lauder's camouflage makeup for the past few weeks (started when the IB was more than other foundation could handle). This stuff is exactly what it says - serious cover almost to the point of clown makeup. However, it got me out of the house, even on my worst days, and I am thankful for that. My skin has been slowly getting better since using it, so I'm happy with that too.
Anyway, since the worst of the IB seems to be slowing down a bit, I have started to wonder about switching to something not quite so thick. I used Maybelline 24hr for years before, but never really liked it (sticky and sits in creases) and would prefer to try something different. I was very much considering the Mat Velvet because I like a matte finish, but I was also thinking of doublewear because Estee has earned a lot of trust and love from me for what the foundation I am wearing now has done to help me get through this.
So, please let me know if you are continuing to love it. I am about half way through the tube I have and hoping to switch when it's gone.
@Kim28, still loving the Estee Lauder Double Wear! I highly recommend it for the flaky days...for the non-flaky days, the Mat Velvet + is perfect!
Day 36
I'm about 6 days in on the 60mg.
No major product changes, except for my hair...one of my coworkers gave me a small bottle of Wen to try out since I mentioned using a cleansing conditioner (she wasn't a fan of how it smelled). I am not sure how I feel about it. My hair felt kind of dry and unmanageable and more tangly when I used it, so I'm not sure if that's just my hair overall right now, or if it was the Wen. I'll continue giving it a try because I really don't want to use shampoo too much! Other than that, no skincare product changes!
As far as symptoms go, the headaches came back a bit. Lips are drier, although I find slathering Vaseline on 'em before bed helps a TON. Eyes are definitely drier, especially my right eye. I'm not certain what the deal is with it...when I wake up in the morning, it's so dry I can barely open it without rubbing it...it doesn't hurt really, it just feels irritated and dry or something. Rash on backs of my hands is still there; depending on the day, it fluctuates in severity.
Also, and I am trying to tell myself this isn't related to the accutane, I have had some acid reflux/indigestion over the past couple of days. I'm telling myself it's normal, and that I've been a bit more stressed with work lately and that's what's causing it...I'm an accountant and right now we're closing the books for 2013 and I haven't had a day off yet this year (even worked this past Sunday 
). But I very rarely get indigestion and it kind of coincided with my dose increase, so I wanted to log it for the record, just in case. Has anyone else had acid reflux/indigestion while on accutane?
I do have a bit of a breakout right now, too...nothing major, just small pimples, no cysts. It's on both cheeks from my cheekbones going down towards my chin/jawline, but worse on the left side. A bit of flaking and dryness around my mouth at times. Other than that, skin is SUPER smooth...the Moisture Magnet is AMAZING!! Almost all of my blackheads are gone. Zero oil on skin still. I have a couple of stubborn spots on my chest that aren't even pimples anymore, but they're scabs that like, refuse to heal.
Anyway, that's all I have to report for now! Hope everything is going well with y'all!
It sounds like everything is going really well for you! I hope it continues.
I have had a little trouble with reflux since I started Accutane. At first I was just blaming orange juice, but I've realized that it comes even when I haven't had OJ or anything equally acidic. I hadn't quite decided yet that it was the drug, but I believe I'm to that point now.
I am going to have to look into some of the products that you mentioned. I've not had too many issues yet, at 3 weeks in, but I am still suspicious of anything that shows up on my face. My hands definitely have the rash, and I discovered an Aveeno oil cream stuff that works really well on that, so far.
Good Luck!