So far as I know, Accutane does nothing for scars, and can actually make them appear worse. A lot of people find (myself included) that they start to fade much faster after your course ends. This is because Accutane tends to slow down the healing process, and the dehydrated state of your skin emphasizes the scars and redness. There's a pretty good chance the Accutane is making your scars look worse than they are.
However, time is the best of all. When my face first cleared up completely this round (it's my second), around day 80ish, I was pretty concerned with the amount of leftover blah I had. I am at day 134 now, and it has gone away substantially.
So I would say, you don't have to start worrying about it or thinking about treatments until at least a few months post-Accutane when you will get a better sense of whether or not you have any scars or PIH that won't resolve on their own. Everyone is different, though, so you should ask your derm about it, and they can better advise you of what to expect and how to plan for it.
I've noticed a similar pattern.
Clear for a week, then the breakouts come in.
Been clear for a week, but I've had this bumps on my right jaw that has been around since the start of my accutane journey. The acne never really went away, they subsided into small bumps and has become bigger now.
Why don't they go away fully?
So far as I know, Accutane does nothing for scars, and can actually make them appear worse. A lot of people find (myself included) that they start to fade much faster after your course ends. This is because Accutane tends to slow down the healing process, and the dehydrated state of your skin emphasizes the scars and redness. There's a pretty good chance the Accutane is making your scars look worse than they are.
However, time is the best of all. When my face first cleared up completely this round (it's my second), around day 80ish, I was pretty concerned with the amount of leftover blah I had. I am at day 134 now, and it has gone away substantially.
So I would say, you don't have to start worrying about it or thinking about treatments until at least a few months post-Accutane when you will get a better sense of whether or not you have any scars or PIH that won't resolve on their own. Everyone is different, though, so you should ask your derm about it, and they can better advise you of what to expect and how to plan for it.
47th day on accutane
9th day on 40mg
One active on my right jaw (the main problem) closer to my chin. This was an old pimple which never fully went away.
The other one is on my eyebrow like I said before, but because it is covered, I am not too bothered.
I woke up with a little red bump on my left temple. I hope it does not increase in size or anything 
Maybe it is a cyst growing.
Skin is not oily, not dry either.
Lips are crazy dry, my friends are all asking.
48th day on accutane
10th day 40mg
Bump on left temple went away. (Forever I hope)
Whiteheads on left lower cheek clearer slightly.
Right jaw bumps emerged again. 5 bumps. Three painful, but drying up.
The other two are just sitting there.
Other than that, no new actives actually. All mostly old bumps.
the eyebrow cyst still painful though
49th day on accutane
11th day on 40mg
1 mini bump under my eye. Which I hope will go away like the one on my left Temple.
Other than that, new no actives.
Right jaw updates:
One bump has come to a head and erupted. (Gross) Good news: bye bye bump!
One has completely dried up.
Two are just sitting there.
Only one alive bump- painful and gg to come to a head soon!
Cyst in eyebrow drying up.
50th day on accutane (I HAVE REACHED THE 50 MARK!!)
12th day on 40mg
No new actives
Bump under my eye is still there, I am afraid it will be inflamed. Looks small, but lethal.
Raw jaw updates:
the active pimple is 3/4 dried up. Still tender when touched.
two completely dried up
two just sitting there. (I suspect one will be inflamed soon )
Cyst on eyebrow dried up.
All right, so that's it.
Hoping my right jaw pimples go away fast!
Yay! Sounds like you're making good progress.
You think so?
I am not so sure.. BUT I HOPE SO!
51 days on accutane
13th day on accutane
Sadly, yesterdy, I had an inflamed whitehead on my left cheek, never saw it coming. Itchy fingers me saw the pus and squeezed out the gunk. I am not sure, if I got everything out. But the patch is still tender to touch. The whitehead might come again.
No new actives other than that.
Bump under my eye has decreased in size and looks like it is going away nicely.
Raw jaw update:
3 flat/dried up old bumps
1 active, still a huge bump but slightly dried up.
1 which has been sitting there forever, seems like it might rupture again.
The rest, clear, except for a few close comedones on my right temple. Which I know will go away.
52 days on accutane
14th day on 40mg
Sadly, there was this deep (those watery kind) whitehead that obviously I didn't touch and let it grow for a month. Now it has finally become inflamed... the pus is forming, it is red now. I swear not to touch/squeeze it. I might go to my derm for a shot, but it is a pimple, and not those huge cystic acne. So I am not sure.
Right jaw update:
1 bump, might be inflamed soon.
3 are completely dried up.
1 looks like it is drying up soon.
The whitehead which I burst few days ago has turned into a scab, (raw skin around it too)
So overall, other than the inflamed whitehead.
I am still ok. I try not to let one affect me.
The whiteheads on my left cheek are slowly going away.
53 days on accutane
15th day on 40mg
Took a cortisone shot on my cyst on the cheek. It grew so huge and painful. Now it is smaller, but still visible.
No new actives. (Actually throughout this whole 15 days, I didn't have any new actives, most of it are just whatever whitehead/bump that has been there and got inflamed) I guess, they have to purge out in order to go away right.
One whitehead came back on this same spot. It is scabbed because itchy hands decided to pick at it. ( now it is inflamed. Arghhhh
Right jaw update: 4 dried up (1 of it is all scabby and super dry, gotta put more cream on that one)
1 just became a head and almost all the gunk out. I hope that's the last of my outbreak on my right jaw.
The whitehead that became inflamed and I picked on it on my left cheek became a scab. The dried skin came off revealing a hard little bump from the whitehead. Not going to pick on again. Leaving it to dry out on its own.
So other than the deep cyst on my cheek, we're ok. (I hope)
I guess this is the see-saw period, where two days of good skin, another few days of recovering from an inflamed whitehead.
But I noticed this two black spots on my forehead, looks like a tiny scab, not sure where I got that from. Or could it be black head? I rarely get blackheads though.
Another thing, my nose which has been clear for 15 days are filled with whiteheads again, the sides especially. But they don't bother me that much, other than the fact that I SEE IT and they make my nose rough.
Gets tiring, but I am still hoping for the best.
I hope this is not the start of an IB
Meeting my derm again on next monday, I'm not sure what he will do with my dosage.
54 days on accutane
16th day on 40mg
No new actives
All pimples are healing.
Scab on the left cheek has healed.
BUT I HATE MYSELF BECAUSE I TRIED TO PICK ON MY RIGHT CHEEK AND NOW IT IS SCABBED
The skin is raw because i removed a layer of my skin obviously
Anyone knows how to get the wound to heal faster
I HATE MYSELF
Hello everyone.
I went for my monthly check up and... Looks like I'm back to square one.
Derm said I should restart my counter from when I started the 40mg. So my 55 days on accutane (started with 10mg then 20mg now 40mg)
Looks like I am only on 17th day.
Which means ..... I'm far far away from being clear. I asked him would I get another IB, he assured me everything looks good and I shouldn't be too worried.
He prescribed me azaleic acid too. And I've been told by the counter ladies I've been eating my pills wrongly. I have been taking 2 nimegen (another brand of accutane in my country) and 2 erythromycin in the morning, and repeat at night. I'm actually supposed to take 4 pills at one go. And the 2 erythromycin should be taken 10hrs away. Does it matter guys?
Currently, one cyst drying up after the shot. One more new one , side of left cheek.
No hating self allowed!
Do not fear! You are in the happy/sad phase. It's when you start to have some clear moments when things are getting better, and then BAM! Another stupid zit. I found it was this way for me from about days 45-85. It was harder to deal with than my initial IB. At least then it was just consistent, reliable crap every day. When you have a good day or two, and then more yuck pops up, it is SOOOO discouraging!
Slowly but surely, you will have more and more good days. Some more frustration, too, probably. But seriously, that day will come when you wake up and realize you haven't had a zit for a week or two and that things REALLY are getting better.
Hang in there Lilypad - not much further to go.
No hating self allowed!
Do not fear! You are in the happy/sad phase. It's when you start to have some clear moments when things are getting better, and then BAM! Another stupid zit. I found it was this way for me from about days 45-85. It was harder to deal with than my initial IB. At least then it was just consistent, reliable crap every day. When you have a good day or two, and then more yuck pops up, it is SOOOO discouraging!
Slowly but surely, you will have more and more good days. Some more frustration, too, probably. But seriously, that day will come when you wake up and realize you haven't had a zit for a week or two and that things REALLY are getting better.
Hang in there Lilypad - not much further to go.
Hello, thank you KIM!!! Means a lot to me.
However like, i said in my prev post, I am not sure what days I am at. Because if I were to count starting from 40 mg I am on 19th day. But if I were to start counting on the first day I started accutane, it will be 57 days.
So if its the former, that means I am restarting the counter again. at the end of this month, Ill prolly get another Ib.
So anyone has the same problem as me?
Why did this thread stopped? It really did motivate me to get back to nimegen(accutane) previously I was on nimegen for 1-2 months and things was getting bad and good. However, I stopped taking nimegen because of financial problem! I'm 16 during that period. Until now, I still have acne on my face. I will visit my derm tomorrow and see what he says. Most likely will be prescribed nimegen and antibiotics. May I know which gp you guys went too? And can you do the acne.org bp regimen while on Accutane? Thanks! Hope someone sees this and reply!
No hating self allowed!
Do not fear! You are in the happy/sad phase. It's when you start to have some clear moments when things are getting better, and then BAM! Another stupid zit. I found it was this way for me from about days 45-85. It was harder to deal with than my initial IB. At least then it was just consistent, reliable crap every day. When you have a good day or two, and then more yuck pops up, it is SOOOO discouraging!
Slowly but surely, you will have more and more good days. Some more frustration, too, probably. But seriously, that day will come when you wake up and realize you haven't had a zit for a week or two and that things REALLY are getting better.
Hang in there Lilypad - not much further to go.
Hello, thank you KIM!!! Means a lot to me.
However like, i said in my prev post, I am not sure what days I am at. Because if I were to count starting from 40 mg I am on 19th day. But if I were to start counting on the first day I started accutane, it will be 57 days.
So if its the former, that means I am restarting the counter again. at the end of this month, Ill prolly get another Ib.
So anyone has the same problem as me?
Hey lilypad, also looking forward to updates! I think we're on around the same timeline (I'm on day 70 now) but I started off with 40mg from day 1.
We seem to have been having the same progress - some days amazing and clear, other days i'd wake up with a new spot! Overall the skin is looking a lot clearer though. All the best!!
Hey lilypad, also looking forward to updates! I think we're on around the same timeline (I'm on day 70 now) but I started off with 40mg from day 1.
We seem to have been having the same progress - some days amazing and clear, other days i'd wake up with a new spot! Overall the skin is looking a lot clearer though. All the best!!
Can I know which clinic you visited? And how much was the nimegen? Thanks!
HI
Im new to this so I was looking for someone who could be relatable to what Im going through.
Im 21 years old, never had acne in my life only a few on my forehead once and a while but ever since last year Ive been breaking out on my jaw line, chin, back and chest. Im an esthetician so I know how to take care of my skin and what to use but nothing seemed to work. So I saw a dermo and he prescribed me Minocylin....did absolutely nothing for me so I when I went back to see him I asked him about Accutane and he explained everything to me and prescribed me 40mg/day. I am now on day 34 and am going back Wednesday for my monthly check up.
Let me just say the first two weeks were horrible for me!!! My joints were in so much pain and I felt so exhausted all the time (don't know If its the Accutane.) Now on my 34th day my lips are incredibly dry its actually driving me crazy. I tried Vaseline, Polysporin and something called Ratio Amcinonide and they all don't help. My lips burn and are peeling so bad I don't know what else to put on them. My nose is peeling and my arms and hands are so dry and flakey. Also, my hair has been so dry, I don't even have to wash it if I don't want to because it never gets oily.
I had my huge break out that everyone talks about on my cheeks and I got a few cysts along my jawline but they are mostly gone. Im hoping all these acne scars disappear too. I also have a lot of whiteheads and blackheads that are so tempting to pop but I know U shouldn't.
Anyone have suggestions?
Thanks!
Why did this thread stopped? It really did motivate me to get back to nimegen(accutane) previously I was on nimegen for 1-2 months and things was getting bad and good. However, I stopped taking nimegen because of financial problem! I'm 16 during that period. Until now, I still have acne on my face. I will visit my derm tomorrow and see what he says. Most likely will be prescribed nimegen and antibiotics. May I know which gp you guys went too? And can you do the acne.org bp regimen while on Accutane? Thanks! Hope someone sees this and reply!
No hating self allowed!
Do not fear! You are in the happy/sad phase. It's when you start to have some clear moments when things are getting better, and then BAM! Another stupid zit. I found it was this way for me from about days 45-85. It was harder to deal with than my initial IB. At least then it was just consistent, reliable crap every day. When you have a good day or two, and then more yuck pops up, it is SOOOO discouraging!
Slowly but surely, you will have more and more good days. Some more frustration, too, probably. But seriously, that day will come when you wake up and realize you haven't had a zit for a week or two and that things REALLY are getting better.
Hang in there Lilypad - not much further to go.
Hello, thank you KIM!!! Means a lot to me.
However like, i said in my prev post, I am not sure what days I am at. Because if I were to count starting from 40 mg I am on 19th day. But if I were to start counting on the first day I started accutane, it will be 57 days.
So if its the former, that means I am restarting the counter again. at the end of this month, Ill prolly get another Ib.
So anyone has the same problem as me?
Hi Lily! Can you carry on with your progress updates? Or have you stopped taking Accutane? Your post and updates is really helpful. I hope you can get back to it! Anyway which gp did you visit? Thanks!
Hello!! i had trouble logging in, so i gave up. and created a new account.
And I have been happier so I stopped counting my days.
For now, my derm have confirmed that I am left with 97 more days. 40 mg + eryhtromycin.
I believe the erythromycin helped a lot!
So now I do not have any active pimples for the past few days.
Most of the pimples on my face the past few weeks were old ones that have surfaced. I was dealing with this sac of pus on my face that refuses to deflate. Only yesterday it came to a head AND BOY WAS I HAPPY ALL THE PUS CAME OUT.
So im left with a huge red mark on my cheek.
So that's it for now. Derm seems to think I am doing well. 97 more days would mean about 3 more months. I hope I wont get any more breakouts.
HI
Im new to this so I was looking for someone who could be relatable to what Im going through.
Im 21 years old, never had acne in my life only a few on my forehead once and a while but ever since last year Ive been breaking out on my jaw line, chin, back and chest. Im an esthetician so I know how to take care of my skin and what to use but nothing seemed to work. So I saw a dermo and he prescribed me Minocylin....did absolutely nothing for me so I when I went back to see him I asked him about Accutane and he explained everything to me and prescribed me 40mg/day. I am now on day 34 and am going back Wednesday for my monthly check up.
Let me just say the first two weeks were horrible for me!!! My joints were in so much pain and I felt so exhausted all the time (don't know If its the Accutane.) Now on my 34th day my lips are incredibly dry its actually driving me crazy. I tried Vaseline, Polysporin and something called Ratio Amcinonide and they all don't help. My lips burn and are peeling so bad I don't know what else to put on them. My nose is peeling and my arms and hands are so dry and flakey. Also, my hair has been so dry, I don't even have to wash it if I don't want to because it never gets oily.
I had my huge break out that everyone talks about on my cheeks and I got a few cysts along my jawline but they are mostly gone. Im hoping all these acne scars disappear too. I also have a lot of whiteheads and blackheads that are so tempting to pop but I know U shouldn't.
Anyone have suggestions?
Thanks!
You will reach 40 plus days and everything will go away.
I only have SUPER DRY/SWOLLEN LIPS. My whole lips are red.
My elbows too, but the rest of my skin is doing ok. I do not have a problem w dryness.
OH! I had SO MANY CYSTS ON MY JAWLINE. They never fully healed and kept coming back. My derm gave me shots too, and that helped so much. They keep popping but now it is smooth. thank god. Please don't come again.
Actually, for me, I extract the whiteheads. ONLY if I can see the heads. The hard ones that are easy to come off, not the ones filled with pus. So once I see them, i extract them and that stopped the pimple from forming. My skin is not dry so I think it is ok for me to extract Esp the whiteheads at the side of my face.
I hope you are doing fine !
Do you experience itchiness ALL OVER YOUR BODY? I feel so itchy on the top of my hands and my neck. I don't get why since I always moisturize and my face seems to be red all the time like I'm blushing. Maybe also because I am fair in complexion.
I'm so glad to hear that you have a set number in how many days you have left!!! Lucky you. Next time you have a huge puss bubble, put hot compress' on it so it opens up your pore and facilitates the puss to come out.
My derm boosted me up to 40 mg twice a day (80 mg total) so hopefully it will speed up my process.
Nice to know Im not the only struggling with Accutane and have people to talk to on here.
Keep the updates coming lilypad
by the way, what is eryhtromicin?
erythromycin is an antibiotic used w accutane to help with the process?
Kills bacteria too!
I know the total dosage depends on your weight so don't worry, with the 80mg you might take a shorter time to complete the course. This could be the course to your itchyness?
My body dont itch. But I started to realise my elbows are super dry. Only the elbows.
Talk to your derm, he/she will prescribe you w something.
Don't worry too much, these few weeks I havent been updating other than the fact that I cannot log in, I didnt focus on my face too much and had a lot of fun with my friends. So I got so much better. I guess when you are happier, everything seems better.