I am currently on month 3 of Accutane, just started the month a few days ago. My derm just increased my dosage this month. I was not allowed to go up in dosage for month 2 due to abnormal liver function tests.

I have had acne for the last 3 years. It had been under control for a year and a half with a combination of Yaz and Bactrim. My face was perfectly clear using these two medications.

This past September everything changed. I started college and my stress level was higher....my face exploded overnight. I had never suffered from severe acne. My acne had always just been on my forehead but in September it showed up everywhere. My face has never looked so bad. I give my dermatologist a lot of credit because she addressed the acne right away and proposed accutane. This has been such a struggle for me. In two months time I saw my clear skin go to full blown acne. I have had a tough time with showing my face. People actually thought I had chicken pox.

My first month of accutane was November, 40mg once a day. I stayed at the same dosage in December because of my liver. I am on day 5 of month 3 at 60mg per day.

The first two months I saw little or no improvement. My acne wasn't better, actually worse. I did notice that the cycle of acne is shorter. Only 3-4 days. Of course there are always new blemishes showing up.

For the third month my skin is actually dryer. My earlobes started flaking. The left side of my face has started to clear and there haven't been as many new breakouts.

Side effects - chapped lips is the biggest issue. I am never without lip balm. Palmers cocoa butter stick or EOS. I have noticed my recovery time with weight lifting is longer. I actually am a lot more sore. My trainer warned me that this might become an issue. The other problem is dry eyes. I just bought eye drops to help.

Products I use- Cetaphil or Avveno calming face foam. Both work great. I use olive butter (new directions online - sells products wholesale) because it has some healing properties and doesn't clog my pores. I also use Clinique face cream. For makeup I've been using a BB cream for foundation because it's not as drying. I also use a humidifier in my room at night.

I also take some supplements to help with side effects - Milk Thistle (detoxes the liver, my 3 month blood tests came back perfect), Red Rice Yeast (helps keep cholesterol normal), Krill oil ( I am a student athlete at college and train for my sport, krill oil helps my joints), and b vitamins for stress.

This forum has been such a great resource for me. I am hoping that this month my face will turn a corner and I'll be on the road to clearer skin.