Hey Hailey, Welcome aboard! from your thumbnail pic you look pretty cute, I'm sure once the accutane journey is over you will be even cuter ha. Anyways, 90mg is a very high dose, especially for a girl. My derm started me at 20mg and I'm a guy weighing 155lbs.

As for itchy scalp, yeah i'm currently itching mine lol. I would recommend to stock up on a good moisturizer but more importantly a good sunscreen living in las vegas. Good luck!

Hi Tyrionlannister, hehe why thank you -blushes-

I thought so too, but I assumed for the type of acne I have the higher dose was probably the only thing that would help. My next appt isn't until like May 15, should I ask her to lower it a little?

Although it's unfortunate, it's good to know I'm not crazy about this making my scalp ridiculously itchy, haha. As for the moisturizer, any good brand? I've never had such bad dry skin before, and I can't for the life of me remember what name brand my derm recommended! Lol! I've tried Aveeno for hands before and it didn't work so well.

Hi! And welcome.

I heard someone used thick coconut oil, like the one you find in jars in health-shops etc. Supposedly, if you cover your hair in it like a mask and wrap it in something for a few hours or over night, it helps the dry scalp issue, and makes your hair look great. Though it might itch a lot at first. Haven't gotten around to trying it yet, and I don't know how it will work with eczema, so I would say get a second opinion.

Your dose seems really high. As for your cracked skin, have you considered using a thicker moisturizer? Anyway, good luck on your cure!

I would just keep going heavy on the moisturizer until your next appointment. I started off with extremely oily skin so I cant imagine what its like if your skin was already dry. If your skin gets too unbearable I would let your derm know at your next appointment and maybe shell lower it for you. Anyway itll be worth it in the the. 6 months will fly by! Good luck!

You guys! This stuff!

The Vaseline lip therapy with coco butter, holy cow! My lips feel as nice and moisturizered and healthy as they ever used to be! I'm so in love with this right now haha.

I also got Vaseline intensive rescue repairing lotion, and so far so good! I have like maaaaybe three teeny tiny little flakes at any given time of the day, and they just brush off and don't turn into huge dry patches! Cross your fingers for me and hope the relief lasts!

Hello Petrichor, coconut oil definitely sounds like it will help, I will definitely be hunting for that this week, Walgreen's surprisingly did not have any what so ever. I've never put oil of any kind in my hair but I would assume you wash it out the next morning? Or you just have sticky oily hair that day?

CWR24, thanks for the advice, I am surly hoping 6 months will be super fast

On a side note I think I might post a pic of how my skin is starting out, I know I'm in week two already but it hasn't changed other than dryness. I just try so hard not to look too much like a pizza and definitely not too sure that I like the idea of showing it off. So idk yet :/

About the coconut oil, just put whatever amount you want in your hair and massage it into your scalp. Just remember to cover it with a plastic cap or old towel or shirt or something, so it doesn't get everywhere. Just shampoo your hair like you usually do until it feels clean.

Also, hair on accutane (at least after a while) just stops getting greasy. It's one of the perks. As far as pictures are concerned, if there is any one place on the internet where it's "safe" to post pictures of our fantastic breakouts, this is it. Some people choose to, not sure how to translate it, black out parts of their face so the pictures aren't connected to them in another context.

Glad you found a lotion that works also!

Thanks Petrichor! I will definitely be looking for the oil when I have some time this week and let you know how it goes!

Day 11

Dryness is doing well with my Vaseline lotion and lip therapy pod. I also use the Aquaphor on my lips and chin (the area that's most flaky) and keep my Vaseline pod handy when I'm out and about.

I have two big red actives on the right side of my face, one by my eye and one on my cheek. And two tiny white heads on my left cheek. I can feel a big nasty one coming up on my chin though, I have a feeling it's going to just sit as this big lump just under the skin for the next week or two, yuck.

Scalp is still itchy, tried a baking soda paste last night that did not help very much. It only itches at night, and seems to go away a little after I wash my hair.

Very achy lately as well. Can't go to the gym or clean for long without my back hurting.

Day 13

My scalp is sooooooo tender right now from all the scratching! :,( I'm trying not to scratch with my nails, but rather just rub really hard with the pads of my fingers. So not working. But it's weird that even though it hurts so much, my scalp is not red, it's not even pink, even after scratching it doesn't get red, it barely even flakes when I scratch it.

I can't tell you guys how happy I am that I have found a miracle lotion! After having eczema and being flaky for what seems like forever(a few years at least) this Vaseline lotion is the ONLY lotion I've ever used (even specialty eczema creams didn't help at all) that made my skin soft and flake free. Which is uber shocking because of the Accutane made my skin even more dry.

The active on my right cheek is gone, the one by my eye is just a big red spot, but not a bump anymore. The one on my chin is still lurking, and I have two starting up on my left cheek. This medication really makes them go away quickly! One thing I have noticed is blackheads. Is it just me or does this medication like supersize them? Mine are like huge and when I touch my nose (that's where I have like a thousand of them) it feels extremely bumpy, like I have dry flakes rolling off, but there's nothing there. It's weird and makes me paranoid when I'm at work, I think I'm peeling and start blushing even though there's no dry skin :/

Still achy too. -sigh

Until next time guys <3

i had really itchy, sensitive scalp and it would drive me INSANE until i washed it. but then i just tried to exercise some sort of self control and not itch at ALL, even when it got so itchy i wanted to just dunk my head in a vat of acid i just screwed up my fists and tried not to do it. excruciating, like trying not to itch a mosquito bite. that's how i thought of it, like a mosquito bite itches more after you scratch it. it was so itchy for the first couple of weeks but now it's gotten heaps better, i have no problems with it whatsoever and i wash my hair once a week.

Day 16

For the first time since I was a kid, I was able to go a day without washing my hair! I know this will sound strange to most people, but a lot if people don't know that dandruff isn't cause by dry scalp, it's actually much worse for people with extremely oily scalp, and I have always had extremely oily head. It's like my body couldn't figure out how to spread it evenly so it never gave my face enough oil but instead put it all in my hair! So I've always had consistently oil flaky hair, so bad I HAD to wash it every single day or else I just looked dirty and gross. And anyone with oily with will tell you that hair oils stink. I mean really it's just gross hahaha so I never had a choice of just putting it up because I didn't want people to smell it that's just disgusting! Anyway, I'm so happy I actually get to know how WONDERFUL it feels to go even a day without washing my hair and it's still not even a little oily! It only itches for a tiny bit this morning, so I'm pretty ecstatic right now

As for skin on my face, not a great day. Dried up before the day ended and I didn't have any lotion or extra makeup with me. I had a flake of skin on the edge of my nose all day and it was driving me crazy because I could see it out of the corner of my eye, like this huge white thing on my face, but I couldn't get it off!

As for acne, that giant deep one on my chin is still there, unchanged, still lurking. There's a new active next to it though, bright red too! Lol. There's two on my neck and one on my jaw on the left side. I haven't noticed anything happen on my back though.

All the actives I have right now are easy to cover with makeup, and aside from my skin pretty much being bright red like a lobster got a sunburn, all my co-workers are telling me how much better my skin is looking!

Though I still don't think I've got my IB yet, can't wait to get that over with!

Other side effects are still the same, tired and achy, bad back pain, going to ask my dr if I can get like 800mg ibuprofen again, I've had back problems for a few years now, and this stuff is just making me sore so much more often and so much longer than I used to be. :/

I think that's all for today, until next time guys <3

Day 18

So yesterday was not the greatest as far as dryness goes, started flaking around noon, and had quiet a few large patches peel off and revealed very bright red raw skin. I kinda looked like a dalmation with red spots instead of black. :/

I have this recurring white head on the left side of my chin. Something coming up on the back corner of my jaw by my ear. My nose peeled awfully bad and it's bright red and raw and have a few scabs. I have five or six bumps deep under the skin on my right cheek, will probably be seeing activity there this week or next, hoping for no cysts! So far not a SINGLE thing on my forehead, yaaaay! -crosses fingers- hope it stays that way! I'm kind of scared by the fact that the lurking bump has seemingly disappeared, it's just not right, I think it will come back with a vengeance later.

Lips are weird, they are so dry but it's like I've grown extra skin on my lips with how like... Bumpy they are... Idk, I've NEVER had dry lips before, so I'm kinda weirded out by this.

One thing that is driving me SO INSANE right now, is my ears! I was not expecting my ears to be so dry that they just itch and scab immediately and then I scratch and they bleed and hurt!!! I have been putting a little cortisone cream on which helps a little but they are still scabby and gross on the inside !

Also was not expecting my black heads to supersize! My nose is so bumpy from blackheads it feels like it's peeling but there's no skin coming off. And my chest, all the black heads make me look like I've got lint or something all over! I don't know what to do! I can't put a blackhead remover tape thing on my nose, there's like no skin, and I won't when it heals because that will just put me right back to raw skin!

This sucks, any advice at all about the ginormous blackheads would be soooo appreciated!

sounds like you're going through an epic purge. try and think of it as a good thing. In hindsight it will all be worth it. Try not to think about your skin looking crappy for a couple weeks. it will likely started healing after that.

by the way 90mg a day is a lot. I would personally ask her to lower your dose a bit next appt. However, it could theoretically make your IB happen faster and thus quick your treatment. However, there's no evidence that indicates higher doses are better, it's more so about the total medication given than the daily dose.

It just hurts! Lol but thank you.

Also one thing I forgot, I noticed not only do I have dark bags under my eyes now, but I have this severely unnatural purple line on my lower lash line. Like it looks like I took bright purple eye shadow and put a thick line under my lashes! My eyes don't feel dry or hurt, but does that sound weird to anyone, has anyone else had this before? It's just weird, and I'm not sure if it's something to worry about?

Ok so... My next app was supposed to be next week, but due to work scheduling I had to push it back a week. I don't have enough pills for two weeks, should I just not take any for the second week or should I cut my daily down from 3 pills (90mg) to one pill (30mg) a day to strech it as much as I can? I'm not sure what to do lol

Help! :/

You should probably call your doctor and ask them what you should do.

Good luck!

90mg is so much. I would cut it down to 1 a day till your next appt.

how bad is your acne if you don't mind me asking?

Bordercol71

I was going to but they were out of the office for lunch hour, and I wouldn't be out of work untill after they closed and it will probably be the same situation for the next few days. Lol thank you though!

Tyrionlannister

I thought so too. But right now I have only one big something starting up on my jawline on my right side, two spots on my left cheek that are just healing dry spots and a few white heads on my shoulder area. Really not a ton to complain about. I'm managing my dry skin incredible well, I barely have any flakes at all throughout the whole day.

As for the way my skin was before, I always had maybe 4 or 5 actives at a time, not usually any cysts, but once in a while I'd get one. It was fairly mild to moderate at times, but it was also very very dry all the time.

I think I'm ready to share what it was a day or two after starting Claravis, if the pictures even upload right lol

As you can see I was already turning red like I got sunburned. I spend like less than 52 seconds a day in the sun. And now I'm like x3 as red all over.. Lol! I'm like a lobster! Please ignore my nasty healing lips, and the dryness (that was after putting on eczema cream by the way!)

Anyway, when I started Accutane, my acne was in a more mild state, but my shoulders and back are always like x4 as bad and I didn't take any pictures of that lol

Day 22

So my app is on the 21st, and I'll probably run out of accutane like a day or two before that, but I found a few extra pills that I had forgotten to take at work in my first week (I get so busy at work I forget I'm on any medications, and end up missing a day or a dose of whatever, oops) buuuut this medication is difficult to get and last time the pharmacy took 3 days to get part of it in! They wouldn't let me take one box and then get the rest when it came in, but the a different girl I talked to the next day had no problem with that. So hopefully they at least get one box in quick so I'll have a weeks worth.

Anyway! I have a big cluster of big something's coming up on my right jawline in the back. They don't really hurt so I don't mind so much but they are very red. I went to bed last night with a decently clear face and woke up itchy, so I scratched, what turned out to be a large pointy pussy scab on my upper lip, right where you get a Monroe piercing. And it stayed a big scab all day, couldn't hide it well for long with makeup. It's very red and so is the surrounding area. And on the left side I have a couple little dry flaky patches where actives are healing.

And all these bumps on my nose are getting bigger and darker! Are they just going to disappear? Are they going to wash off some morning when I wash my face? Should I push them out myself? They are extremely annoying, and making me paranoid..

Uhg!

Hey Hailey, as far as the bumps on your nose go , which I'm assuming are blackheads, my advice is to leave them alone. While I personally have been popping whiteheads, i noticed that When i pushed out a blackhead on my nose it left a big red mark for several days and decided it wasn't worth it since there are so many.

and I know what you mean with being nervous about being able to get your next prescription. I run out the day of my appt and I don't want to even miss 1 day. Hopefully our pharmacy's will be prepared for us.

have you also been getting reoccurring acne in the same places? I'll get a few white heads then they will dry out and then there will be more white heads in the same exact spot. It's started to calm down though which is good. How long is your course for? mines 5 months.

Hey Tyrionlannister! Yes they are black heads, I tried to push a few out and the tip of my nose started bleeding and scabbed, and then started peeling lmao, it was a fail all around!

Yea the lack of availability of this medication is more annoying than anything. Crossing my fingers that our pharmacys get it together this month.

I haven't noticed any reoccurring acne, but I have notice clusters of cysts, which I've never had before.

I'm on a six month timeline, crazy considering the ridiculously high dosage I'm on. Though it's not giving me terrible side effects, just soreness and a little dry skin on my arms and back.

Day 27 - mini update

O.M.G. There's a huge cysts just hanging out on my stomach right now, like an inch to the left and down a little from my belly button. It hurts, and it's like bigger than a quarter this sucks. I also have a weird pimple on my hip, right at my pants line, which isn't a bump, but a red spot that's got a black dot in the center like a black head but much larger, and it's sore to the touch. I've never had this before, so it's weird...

Still have that cluster of actives on my jaw, it's like two cysts and three regular old pimples, idk.

One white head that won't go away under my lip, and it just gets bigger and bigger everyday.

Still nothing on the forehead, yay! And my ears are slowly healing, but still flaking.

I need to sleep, I have work in the morning, ugh! Night!

Hang in there, you'll have clear skin soon enough and it'll all be worth it! First few weeks always suck. It's normal to breakout in places you usually don't though, happened to me both times I took it.

Day 31

One month mile marker! Yay!

I can't believe it's been a month already, my coworkers keep telling me how much better my skin is looking. Honestly, I don't think it's any better than it was. I'm wearing more makeup to cover up the all over bright redness, which in turn is covering my red scars better. The only good thing right now is how quickly the pimples go away. Right now I have an active on my left cheek, fairly small, but front and center! Two tiny bumps by my chin on the left side also, a bump on my right cheekbone area, and the remnants of the cluster on my jawline. There was a big active on my neck a couple days ago that is now just a red spot, but now there's a deep red active on my neck by my collar line.

Still extra dry lips, BUT I found a tiny tube of Aquaphor for lips! I didn't know they made that! It's sooo handy at work I don't have to get it on my finger and then touch my lips and get all sorts of germs on me(I'm a teller at a bank, nasty disgusting money) I bought a handful of them to keep around, one in my bedroom, one in the family room, one in my purse, and one in my desk at work! IM SET AND READY FOR THE DRY LIPS!! Lmao.

Anyway, I went like 4 days without having to wash my hair which legitimately felt like a miracle.. I hope the dry scalp stays, even though my hair isn't as soft, I can deal with that if it means my head isn't a greasy mess by the end of the day.

Also bought an extra bottle of that Vaseline lotion to keep at work because my arms are peeling dramatically! They feel sooooo soft but when you look at them it's like, wtf happened to you?!? It's weird.

I think like 80% of the blackheads on my nose are pushed out and gone, now it's moving on to my cheeks. The pores are getting really big and dark, hopefully it pushes it out quickly. Same with my chest. I'm starting to feel like a dalmatian.

And that wraps up my first month! Derm on Tuesday, hopefully she doesn't up my dose!

Well this is disappointing.

Went to the derm today and she took me off accutane pending my cholesterol drops because it spiked waaaay too high. It was high before I started at like 190ish, and today it was 580 something.

Well nothing but chicken and fish for me for a while, hopefully won't need cholesterol medication. Guess I wont be updating at all untill I can get back on the tane.

Hopefully get to come back to you guys again soon, don't forget about meee!!

:,( -slowly waves goodbye-