There really isnt anything you can do to stop the initial break out. You kinda just have to ride it out. Its not always bad for everyone though, it depends on your dosage and how bad it is to begin with. I wouldnt worry too much because youre going to have clear skin after it anyway. As for how much moisturizer agian it depends on your dosage and how dry / oily your skin is to begin with. My first course I was on 70mg a day and was SUPER dry. My second course I was on 40mg and its not bad at all.

Yeah I suppose I can deal with it since the results will be worth it! I am not 100% sure yet what dosage I will be on, but my derm said somewhere around 60 mg or a little less. I think this is a pretty decent amount for my weight(133lb)?

Yeah thats a good dosage to be at. The more mg youre on the better chance of remission. Also make sure you pick up some aquaphor for your lips. Theyre going to be super dry!

That won't be fun considering my lips are already dry .. Can I buy that anywhere?

That won't be fun considering my lips are already dry .. Can I buy that anywhere?

Yes, your local drugstore. The basic Vanicream or Theraplex is a nice substitute.

You're supposed to "moisturize" whenever you can on Accutane, even when your skin doesn't look dry. Your skin will be more sensitive than normal , so you need to have a heavy-duty lotion or cream to prevent water loss from the skin.

You need to use sunscreen while you're at it! At least SPF 30+, preferably with physical sunscreen. Vanicream has a physical, non-tinted IIRC. Blue Lizard has a few physical sunscreens, too.

Thanks for all the replies! I start next week. I am getting anxious but can't wait to see the results .

Is it true that sometimes it helps if I take half my pill in the morning and half at night?

Good luck with your course. I've been on Isotretinoin for 9 weeks now and I'm happy with the results so far. Here's my log:

Hey BlissfulBlue! I start next week too and I'm so nervous about everything but I'm glad that I found someone who will be going through the same thing as me as the same time!!

Thanks RohPas !

And that is good to know SmileyJoy . Do you know what dosage you will be on?

Good luck to everyone here! Hope to see everyone with awesome before-and-after pics!

Can anyone suggest any products or anything that helped them during the initial break out? I am really scared for that part and want to minimize it as much as possible. Also, how many times a day did anyone on accutane have to moisturize? I bought cerave products and am fully prepared and will probably get a good body lotion also.

Also, since I am a girl, does it have to be mailed to me after each blood test or do I get it from a pharmacy?

Hi, I've been on Roaccutane for a little over three weeks now and I've had no initial breakout. I did continue to get acne like usual for the first few days, but once it's in your system I've found that the acne pretty much starts to grind to a halt. Your body will start to push out all your blackheads though so be prepared for that (I used pore strips, but I don't know if everyone's skin can take the adhesive on the drug).

Definitely moisturise all the time to avoid looking like a shedding snake. I put E45 on my lips at night and apply lip balm hourly. I'm one step away from eating the bloody stuff and my lips still are all raw and discoloured.

Can anyone suggest any products or anything that helped them during the initial break out? I am really scared for that part and want to minimize it as much as possible. Also, how many times a day did anyone on accutane have to moisturize? I bought cerave products and am fully prepared and will probably get a good body lotion also.

Also, since I am a girl, does it have to be mailed to me after each blood test or do I get it from a pharmacy?

Hi, I've been on Roaccutane for a little over three weeks now and I've had no initial breakout. I did continue to get acne like usual for the first few days, but once it's in your system I've found that the acne pretty much starts to grind to a halt. Your body will start to push out all your blackheads though so be prepared for that (I used pore strips, but I don't know if everyone's skin can take the adhesive on the drug).

Definitely moisturise all the time to avoid looking like a shedding snake. I put E45 on my lips at night and apply lip balm hourly. I'm one step away from eating the bloody stuff and my lips still are all raw and discoloured.

That's great that you had no initial break out ! I hope that I will be as lucky as you. I've never tried pore strips but maybe I'll try one before I start next week and see how it goes.

I have been getting into the habit of moisturizing more than normal lately. I still have a bit of shopping to do(I need to stock up on some good chapstick and get more lotions), but I am fully prepared to be constantly moisturizing .I am really scared about my lips doing the same thing as yours though! The chapped lips seem basically inevitable. I hope yours feel better soon!

Thanks RohPas !

And that is good to know SmileyJoy . Do you know what dosage you will be on?

I don't know what dosage I'll be on yet. My dermatologist asked how much I weight (130lbs) but she didn't mention my dosage. I'm thinking I'll be around 60mgs too but I will find out on Wednesday. What day are you starting?

Can anyone suggest any products or anything that helped them during the initial break out? I am really scared for that part and want to minimize it as much as possible. Also, how many times a day did anyone on accutane have to moisturize? I bought cerave products and am fully prepared and will probably get a good body lotion also.

Also, since I am a girl, does it have to be mailed to me after each blood test or do I get it from a pharmacy?

Hi, I've been on Roaccutane for a little over three weeks now and I've had no initial breakout. I did continue to get acne like usual for the first few days, but once it's in your system I've found that the acne pretty much starts to grind to a halt. Your body will start to push out all your blackheads though so be prepared for that (I used pore strips, but I don't know if everyone's skin can take the adhesive on the drug).

Definitely moisturise all the time to avoid looking like a shedding snake. I put E45 on my lips at night and apply lip balm hourly. I'm one step away from eating the bloody stuff and my lips still are all raw and discoloured.

That's great that you had no initial break out ! I hope that I will be as lucky as you. I've never tried pore strips but maybe I'll try one before I start next week and see how it goes.

I have been getting into the habit of moisturizing more than normal lately. I still have a bit of shopping to do(I need to stock up on some good chapstick and get more lotions), but I am fully prepared to be constantly moisturizing .I am really scared about my lips doing the same thing as yours though! The chapped lips seem basically inevitable. I hope yours feel better soon!

Do you have a lipstick brush? Perhaps you can try dabbing on the moisturizer and sunscreen with that to minimize lip movement.

I don't know what dosage I'll be on yet. My dermatologist asked how much I weight (130lbs) but she didn't mention my dosage. I'm thinking I'll be around 60mgs too but I will find out on Wednesday. What day are you starting?

I am supposed to start Tuesday, so hopefully everything goes as planned!! I don't want any more delays

Do you have a lipstick brush? Perhaps you can try dabbing on the moisturizer and sunscreen with that to minimize lip movement.

Dabbing moisturizer and sunscreen on my lips? Never thought of that, but it's definitely an idea . Have you done this?

I don't know what dosage I'll be on yet. My dermatologist asked how much I weight (130lbs) but she didn't mention my dosage. I'm thinking I'll be around 60mgs too but I will find out on Wednesday. What day are you starting?

I am supposed to start Tuesday, so hopefully everything goes as planned!! I don't want any more delays

Will you be posting before-and-after pictures?

Will you be posting before-and-after pictures?

Of course , Michelle . I will be taking many pictures along the way.

So, is it true that even if you've never had cysts before taking accutane, it may give you some?

True initial breakouts are rare, less than 1%. It's difficult to know, really, because acne is cyclical and the severe pimples may have just happened anyway.

Yes, I've done the brush trick before, but with an eyeshadow brush, lol! It wasn't for Accutane induced dryness, though. Specifically, it was for stupid-bitterly-cold-weather-induced dryness.

True initial breakouts are rare, less than 1%. It's difficult to know, really, because acne is cyclical and the severe pimples may have just happened anyway.

Yes, I've done the brush trick before, but with an eyeshadow brush, lol! It wasn't for Accutane induced dryness, though. Specifically, it was for stupid-bitterly-cold-weather-induced dryness.

Lol I know what you mean about the stupid-bitterly-cold-weather-induced dryness. It's very dry where I live, and at a very high altitude so I have been experiencing that for a few months.

That's good to know that initial breakouts are rare, because I have been terrified for that part!!! It's what's been giving me the most stress

True initial breakouts are rare, less than 1%. It's difficult to know, really, because acne is cyclical and the severe pimples may have just happened anyway.

Yes, I've done the brush trick before, but with an eyeshadow brush, lol! It wasn't for Accutane induced dryness, though. Specifically, it was for stupid-bitterly-cold-weather-induced dryness.

Lol I know what you mean about the stupid-bitterly-cold-weather-induced dryness. It's very dry where I live, and at a very high altitude so I have been experiencing that for a few months.

That's good to know that initial breakouts are rare, because I have been terrified for that part!!! It's what's been giving me the most stress

Uh, oh. You'll have to apply gallons of Aquaphor! Maybe even commandeer cotton gloves, cut them up, and cover your face up with them for the night. Hope you don't get unbearably dry!

Glad to relieve some of your stress! If you read the Accutane section long enough it can convince you that initial breakouts are common when they aren't!

After a crazy, stressful day with many miscommunications at the pharmacy, I finally am starting accutane! This month I am doing 30 mg a day(I feel like this might be a little too low, my derm initially said I would start at 60), But, here I go!!! I'll get some before pictures going within the next few days.

After a crazy, stressful day with many miscommunications at the pharmacy, I finally am starting accutane! This month I am doing 30 mg a day(I feel like this might be a little too low, my derm initially said I would start at 60), But, here I go!!! I'll get some before pictures going within the next few days.

Huzzah!

Steel yourself for the dryness and muscle pain! Those two are battles!

Don't worry about your lower dose. The evidence that higher daily doses are better is sketchy at best, and most people look to cumulative dose as a better indicator of remission.

Don't stress the IB too much. I am on my second course, and found that I had no IB whatsoever with the first. The second go I did, but I had a bad reaction to a topical right before. This caused a lot of issues under my skin. It all would have come out eventually, anyway, Accutane just sped that up which looked icky. I think people with a lot of closed comedones or "under-the-surfacy" stuff tend to experience what they (scientifically rightly or wrongly) call an 'IB'. But even this is really a blesssing. Now that shit is finally GONE. It's like you can either pull off the bandaid slowly or quickly, but either way it's gonna hurt and it's going to suck more for a minute the fast way, but you'll be happier after. Besides, without Accutane, not only is the band-aid being pulled off more slowly (zits not coming to the surface ALL AT ONCE), but the band-aid keeps re-sticking and never can be fully pulled off (acne keeps a comin'!).

'IB' or no 'IB' you will get through. Breaking out a bit at first is fine. It subsides quickly. I am 109 days in and clear again for a while now.

See you on the other side

Thanks, Kim! That makes me feel better . Good luck to you on your second course!

Also, I lied. My doctor told me I would be on 30mg , but I got my prescription and I am on 30 mg twice a day, so 60 mg a day.