I so hear you on this score! WTF does everyone with great skin think they are an expert on acne? "If you only went vegan," or "I think you're working out too much," or "You really need to take this supplement and, while you're at it, do this little dance under a full moon on every second month of an even numbered year and pray to the goddess of whatever, and then you'll be cured."
It's insulting. I've been battling this disease since I was 13 years old. I know the score, I've tried it all.
It IS insulting! It really upsets me. And I live in a country where people will always point out imperfections. I was once told by a class teacher in front of a group of classmates that I should do something about my acne, and this was at a time when I was really struggling with it and I had already tried tons of different products (I was 15, had acne since I was about 10/11). I felt really ashamed. I just wanted to run away and cry.
No one's ever told me to dance under the moon but I've had close. I was told to drink neem (and other herbs I can't remember) because my blood is too sweet and I need something to "balance it", catch the first bit of urine I pass in the morning and wipe it on my skin, do yoga, exercise, start having sex, stop having sex, go swimming in some salt water, go swimming in fresh water, only drink coconut water
I was once told to rub coconut oil on my skin. Where I come from people seem to think cocnut oil can cure everything on your skin, and I actually fell for this one. BIG mistake
Someone in my class once brought me the piece of a plant to tell me that if I pic the flowers early in the morning boil them with rose petals, keep it in a glass jar and basically use it as toner that it will clear my acne, help the old ones heal properly and clear my marks
Day 42
Two new pimples. They're very small, but I'm just upset because I thought they were gone for good. Sighhh. Got my period yesterday which usually comes with more so I guess this isn't that bad. One is on my forehead and one on my cheek. They're both barely noticeable butt he one on my cheek hurts 
and it's already really red. Looks like it'll leave a mark. Not a huge one, but still another spot on my face.
My nose looks shiny and I'm worried that I might be building up a tolerance to this.
Side effects
Still getting back pain. Yesterday wasn't all that bad but Wednesday I could barely stand. I found myself on a chair everytime I got the chance, bent over for a few hours. That extreme ness didn't last long though thankfully.. And it went back to bareable.
Using cocnut oil on my lips was a giant mistake! It made my lips crack open and bleed. So I'm back to aquaphor. My lips still peel with aquaphor but it's the best thing so far.
I'm still tired.
Day 46
No more new pimples. My skin has been shiny lately which is scaring me. It's really terrifying me, I'm so worried the accutane will stop working. I'm gonna ask for an increase in my dose next time. I'm very afraid.
I also have some tiny little bumps on my skin, not sure what those are. Can't tell if they're pimples. I'm getting them now on my face and back. I hope they go away. They're better than zits though.. Small and non painful.
Side effects
Still have bad pain. The pain isn't bad enough to stop me from working, but it's bad enough that I can't concentrate sometimes. At least that's how bad it was today about 8/10 but now it's eased up a bit since I got home.
My eyes feel really gritty. I think they're dry.
My lips peel if I don't use anything on them. I've realized that I don't have a problem with petrolatum products. I've been using Carmex since I sW some people here recommend it and it works great for me. I also use pure petroleum jelly sometimes. Once I keep my lips covered with one or the other they stay non peely and if I use just the Carmex then they're actually normal.
Still very tired. Very very tired.
Day 49
I got a zit above my lips. All the pimples I get there hurt. It's gone now but now I'm even more afraid that I'll break out again. I'm also still a little shiny, not oily though so that's good. To be honest I did eat quite a bit of dairy this weekend. I had two scoops of ice cream followed by cheese cake followed by more ice cream so maybe I shouldn't be upset that I'm only got one small zit.
Side effects
My back still hurts. A little less. But it's still hurting.
My lips are dry but not peeling.
My eyes were a little dry but nothing serious.
Still tired.
Hang on there tanna!
Thanks Maria 
Day 51
Nothing new anywhere on my skin. No new pimples, new roughness. The shininess isn't becoming oiliness or anything, but I'm still worried. For the first time I was truly hopeful that something would take my acne away and then to see a change just terrified me. I've used so many things that started off good only to fail after a little while.
Side effects
Redness!
I didn't realise how bad it was until Friday night when I was out with my friends and they were taking pics. My skin looks really nice now (with makeup -still have marks). It looks smooth.
I'd rather look flushed all the time than pimply. I'd rather have dry skin and lips than acne and I'd rather have back pain than acne.
The back pain seems to be easing up though, thankfully.
My hair seems dry but nothing that can't be helped by some leave in.
I'm still tired but from next week I'll have a little more help at work so I'll know for sure if it's the accutane or all the extra work I'm doing.
Day 57
One giant zit on my back! Noticed it while bathing yesterday it was very tender. It's still tender today but it seems smaller...hopefully it's going away.
I got a pimple on my cheek where I have all the PIH, it's like that spot is just prone to breaking out. I was really hoping it would all go away but I keep getting zits there and once I get a pimple it leaves a mark, so now I have an extra mark there it came and went in 2 days but still... I hate having marks on my skin.
All my skin feels strange, like I was recently sunburned. I'm gonna scrub my body when I bathe and apply something in really thick see if that helps.
My face is now permanently flushed, but it barely bothers me for more than a second or two.
Side effects
I can't seem to find anything that really works for my lips. They're so dry all the time.
Getting some dry mouth lately. Nothing serious. I'm still drinking lots of water. Maybe I'm sweating more or the accutane is drying me out more. Had a very bad headache yesterday and I read that accutane headaches are usually due to dehydration so maybe I drank an extra litre of water yesterday but it was still pretty horrible.
Some back pain. Nothing bad. I actually don't have any right now which is a miracle! My arms hurt a little though.. Like a 1 and a 2 out of ten.
I'm very tired and falling behind in my school work. I wish it was the other way around I mean, I don't care about my job, it's just something to earn money while I study but it's hard for me to focus when I'm tired all the time.
BLOOD TESTS TOMORROW I hate needles I wish they could test everything with my pee
Day 59
I have high cholesterol!!!!
Admittedly only 2 points above the upper limit of normal but above normal nonetheless. Now I'm on a diet and I have to revisit the blood suckers in 2 weeks. Can my cholesterol even change that fast?
I also had another test to do today when I told my doc about all the people in my family who've had strokes and heart attacks. My family also lives to very old ages so I mean... If you live past 70 your arteries must be tired of just being there and get blocked right?
I swear I'm just kidding about the tired arteries, but none of these people got anything young. The youngest was an uncle of mine who had a heart attack at age 62~63. The rest were almost in their 80s and we're big on fat and red meat.
Anyway, i was still given a prescription for more accutane.
Hopefully I don't lose any wight on this new diet of mine and my cholesterol goes back to normal. He said the good cholesterol was good. (I've been taking coconut oil or avocado with my accutane when my meal wasn't very fatty)
side effects
I noticed more flushing today than usual. It wasn't just my face, but also my chest and back. I've noticed this at least twice before but I've never mentioned it (sorry). Today was excruciatingly hot though and I'm always nervous before going to see my doctor. Don't know it that's why, but I was very red.
Day 65
New pimple on my back when I woke up today. Big One!
For the weekend I've been eating a lot of dairy. I wanted to see how well the accutane will keep off pimples.
Saturday: ice cream, cheese cake
Sunday: low fat Greek yogurt (about one tablespoon)
Today: 1 tbsp low fat Greek yoghurt in my lunch, 3 tbsp low fat plain yoghurt in a smoothie (wasn't much of a smoothie...was more like I turned plain yoghurt into fruit yoghurt)
Low fat mozzarella and whole milk ricotta in lasagne. I was told a serving of cheese is the size of my thumb so about 4 servings of those two mixed together.
Unfortunately .... A few minutes ago I discovered my period started coming so I'm not sure if the zit on my back is from that or from the dairy over the weekend so I will abort this mission for now.
Side effects
I'm not sure if my back pain has eased or if the new headaches are distracting but I've been getting headaches now. They're most likely stress though. I'm seriously considering quitting my job, just need something else that fits around my school schedule.
Right now I have no headache. Have very mild back pain.. About a 1/10.
My lips will just not act normal. They're peeling again. I'm using Carmex which usually keeps them from peeling (and is the only thing that I've found does that) but they've been peeling since yesterday. Hope it doesn't last.
My eyes were kinda dry on Saturday but not painfully so. I put a drop in each eye and they didn't bug me again.
Still tired. (Other reason I wanna quit work)
Day 67
Today someone told me I look like 19. I went for an interview for a new job and the man said that he didn't want a child working for him and I felt a little joy (stupid eh?) After some talking he told me the part time position they advertised was actually partly full time... And i will never compromise school for a crap job. So I'm stuck where I am.
My skin looks nicer than I can remember it ever looking. I'm very happy I finally got to try accutane.
Side effects
my lips are cracking now. Lucky me.
My back hurts - about 4/10
My skin seems fragile lately. With all the flooding we have more mosquitos (and chikungunya) and anytime I scratch my skin I'm left with bright red swollen streaks as though I'm breaking the skin or something and I really don't scratch hard at all. Now I have to use repellant which I hate. Usually my apartment is fairly mosquito free. Hopefully it goes back to normal before I get scarred
Day 67
Today someone told me I look like 19. I went for an interview for a new job and the man said that he didn't want a child working for him and I felt a little joy (stupid eh?) After some talking he told me the part time position they advertised was actually partly full time... And i will never compromise school for a crap job. So I'm stuck where I am.
My skin looks nicer than I can remember it ever looking. I'm very happy I finally got to try accutane.
Side effects
my lips are cracking now. Lucky me.
My back hurts - about 4/10
My skin seems fragile lately. With all the flooding we have more mosquitos (and chikungunya) and anytime I scratch my skin I'm left with bright red swollen streaks as though I'm breaking the skin or something and I really don't scratch hard at all. Now I have to use repellant which I hate. Usually my apartment is fairly mosquito free. Hopefully it goes back to normal before I get scarred
Sounds like things are looking good! Keeping my fingers crossed that your cholesterol numbers improve, too. I'm in the same boat. Working hard to get it down before the next set of blood tests end this month.
Sounds like things are looking good! Keeping my fingers crossed that your cholesterol numbers improve, too. I'm in the same boat. Working hard to get it down before the next set of blood tests end this month.
Day 76
I can't believe it's been so long already. I actually don't want to come off accutane. It's so nice not having to worry about breaking out.
Nothing new really. My skin seems a little drier lately but no pimples (yayyyyyy!!!!)
The dryness makes the PIH and unevenness look worse but I can actually wear makeup now without it just looking weird so it doesn't bug me (although I only rarely wear makeup)
My skin feels sooo smooth. Especially my face but that might just be the different cleanser and moisturiser I use for my face. I've been paying special attention to my neck and under my eyes. Don't want to look all aged.
Side effects
Some mild back pain, I doubt whether this will ever go away (2/10)
My shoulders hurt and they've been hurting for a while. The right side is about a 7/10 and the left about a 5or6/10. My neck is a little stiff but not actually painful (if that makes any sense)
I'm finding it harder and harder to keep my lips from looking scary. I find I have to reapply lip balm every hour or so no matter where I am and what I'm doing. On days when I'm in air conditioning it's even worse and my lips might crack beneath the lip balm.
My lips were dry before I started but I never expected them to get this bad.
My eyes dried out last week while I was in an air conditioned room for a few hours. It was bad. I bought a bottle of water and washed my eyes. Gave me some relief. Went home and put in my eye drops which just felt like heaven. So now I know to keep my drops with me.m
My hair is dry-errr. But it doesn't bother me. I have tons of leave in all around my room that I've never tried. They work pretty well.
Oh yeah my cholesterol is back to normal!!!!!!
Day 82
No recent breakouts
Got some new pain. Its in my upper arms now. About a 7/10 in the left and a 5/10 in the right. It actually hurts to type. I have my left arm flat on my bed and I'm using my right in my tablet. My back and shoulders also feel stiff... Like all the hinges need oiling.
My back pain is about a 5/10 right now. It's no longer a constant pain. But it can still have it's moments when it's really bad.
My lips are dry but not peeling.
Eyes are itchy.
Day 89
Just over a week ago when my neutrogena moisture was about to finish I got the Ponds Clarant b3 because I wanted to use something to help fade my hyperpigmentation. After about 5 days my skin was less smooth then gradually I started getting tiny pimples. I got three. They're the first pimples I can remember that didn't leave marks probably since I was using the ponds buttttt I'm convinced that's what gave me the in the first place. Anyway. Two are gone now. There's still a smal bump on my nose that needs to go away.
Side effects
I'm sick of people asking me why I'm not drinking any water - my lips are that dry
If I don't reapply lip balm every hour then they look terrible.
My eyes are all dry and sandy feeling for the entire week I guess.
My hairdresser who I haven't seen since April said my hair seems thinner. honestly I think it's breakage. And I have a ton of hair. I can afford to lose a lot and still have more than the average person. Would make me sad if people stop telling me I have gorgeous hair but skin trumps hair in my book. I'm about 80% sure it's breakage though and that my hair isn't falling out of the root but I'll be looking out for this.
No back pain right now. Not much during the day about 3-4/10. My neck feels stiff right where it meets my shoulders. That's hurting now about a 7/10. Strange that I still have pain today since I didn't have an active day.
Do you use eyedrops ?
And is it that hard to get into the habit of applying Chapstick every hour after 3 months lol? Maybe you need to switch to something more potent. I've heard of Bag Balm which is sold at ski resorts for chapped skin and lips..
Is it safe to dye your hair or pluck facial hair while on accutane?
Day 89
Just over a week ago when my neutrogena moisture was about to finish I got the Ponds Clarant b3 because I wanted to use something to help fade my hyperpigmentation. After about 5 days my skin was less smooth then gradually I started getting tiny pimples. I got three. They're the first pimples I can remember that didn't leave marks probably since I was using the ponds buttttt I'm convinced that's what gave me the in the first place. Anyway. Two are gone now. There's still a smal bump on my nose that needs to go away.
Side effects
I'm sick of people asking me why I'm not drinking any water - my lips are that dry
If I don't reapply lip balm every hour then they look terrible.
My eyes are all dry and sandy feeling for the entire week I guess.
My hairdresser who I haven't seen since April said my hair seems thinner. honestly I think it's breakage. And I have a ton of hair. I can afford to lose a lot and still have more than the average person. Would make me sad if people stop telling me I have gorgeous hair but skin trumps hair in my book. I'm about 80% sure it's breakage though and that my hair isn't falling out of the root but I'll be looking out for this.
No back pain right now. Not much during the day about 3-4/10. My neck feels stiff right where it meets my shoulders. That's hurting now about a 7/10. Strange that I still have pain today since I didn't have an active day.
Thinning hair is my biggest worry with Accutane, because I'm pre-menopausal and was beginning to shed more prior to starting. But I think your instincts are right: hair loss on Accutane seems to be more about breakage than actual loss, and that stops once you're off the drug.
I need to get a cut and color soon, but my colorist says she's never had experience with Accutane heads, so I don't really know what to expect. Have you colored while on Accutane? I'm wondering if it might be a good idea not to, but then again, what's worse? An irritated scalp or creeping greys?
Glad to hear your back pain has lessened. So far I haven't experienced any muscle pains, but my eyes are pretty bad. Constantly using lubricating drops.Terrible.
Do you use eyedrops ?
And is it that hard to get into the habit of applying Chapstick every hour after 3 months lol? Maybe you need to switch to something more potent. I've heard of Bag Balm which is sold at ski resorts for chapped skin and lips..
Is it safe to dye your hair or pluck facial hair while on accutane?
Plucking seems to be fine. No waxing, though. That's a no-no.
I don't know about hair dying. I'm wondering about that myself, since it's time or me to go in for a color.
Do you use eyedrops ?
And is it that hard to get into the habit of applying Chapstick every hour after 3 months lol? Maybe you need to switch to something more potent. I've heard of Bag Balm which is sold at ski resorts for chapped skin and lips..
Is it safe to dye your hair or pluck facial hair while on accutane?
The thing is I had dry lips before even starting accutane so you'd think I would get used to it by now but I'm really not. I'm also limited by what brands I can find where I live. The only thing I've found that works a little well is Carmex and I've never found it again. (I live in the rainforest by the way... No ski lodges here)
I use artificial tears for my eyes and those work well. They wash the "sand" from my eyes. I don't usually need them everyday.
I've been plucking my brows with no problem. Just be sure not to wax. The hot wax just rips the skin off along with the hair. I've seen pictures. I also wouldn't use a hair removal cream.
Thinning hair is my biggest worry with Accutane, because I'm pre-menopausal and was beginning to shed more prior to starting. But I think your instincts are right: hair loss on Accutane seems to be more about breakage than actual loss, and that stops once you're off the drug.
I need to get a cut and color soon, but my colorist says she's never had experience with Accutane heads, so I don't really know what to expect. Have you colored while on Accutane? I'm wondering if it might be a good idea not to, but then again, what's worse? An irritated scalp or creeping greys?
I think a small minority do lose hair from the root. Mine is most likely breakage though since my hair is dryer and I haven't been doing anything about it. I guess I can start deep conditioning though. Can't hurt.
I got my hair chemically relaxed. I usually do this about every 4-6 months since my hair is super thick (I'm half indian) and super curly (I'm half black). It wasn't any different from the times I got a relaxer while off accutane and that's a pretty harsh chemical. I haven't gotten my hair bleached since on accutane and I'm not planning on it. Reason being because my colorist isn't as careful as the woman who relaxes my hair. I'm terrified she'll get some on my scalp and I'll end up with a gaping hole on my head.
I really can't say if it's safe to dye your hair on accutane. Maybe ask whoever colours it.
My colorist has never worked on anyone who was taking Accutane, so she doesn't really know. She said she'd ask around and let me know if she thinks it's a danger. I have a vacation planned mid September and really would like to have my hair colored for that. If it turns out to be a bad idea, then I'll wear hats until the course is over
My lips are cracked! Bleeding and burning.
My Carmex ran out completely... I cut it open and scraped the last bit out not a good day
My colorist has never worked on anyone who was taking Accutane, so she doesn't really know. She said she'd ask around and let me know if she thinks it's a danger. I have a vacation planned mid September and really would like to have my hair colored for that. If it turns out to be a bad idea, then I'll wear hats until the course is over
Hats until it's over? You could just embrace your hair for a bit. It won't be that long.
So my skin is perfectly clear. Had a huge zit about a week ago but that was my own fault. I tried using the ponds clarant b3 again for the hyperpigmentation (which is still there) and I got a zit. It also lasted long. All the pimples I got since being on accutane were really small and lasted for three days total. But this was big and lasted about a week.
Anyway I'm no longer touching the stuff! The mark from that zit is the worst one on my face since the old PIH has faded a bit. It's just not fading fast enough
Gone back to my old faithful neutrogena moisturiser, and I guess I'll stay there forever and just wait for the marks to fade by themselves.
Side effects
Tired, difficult time concentrating
My back still hurts but it's a lot less lately which is great. Hasn't been more than a 3 in a long time. Very grateful the back pain eased up.
My face and chest always look flushed
One nose bleed about 3 was ago not terribly bad bleeding.
My lips! They're a constant struggle to keep from cracking. So worried about my Carmex stock running out it's the only thing that works for me.
Hi Tanna,
Congrats on being breakout free!
Strangely, most of my pigmentation has faded, with one exception: the stupid clogged pore I messed with SIX WEEKS ago, which turned into a mother of an inflamed zit, took forever to go down, and now is a very tiny, maybe pin-head sized red mark that is still just slightly raised. It covers easily with make up, but just refuses to go all the way down or fade. Grrrrrrrr.
Did your doc ever bump you up from 20mg? I couldn't find anywhere in thread where you mention whether or not you were. If not, congrats on amazing progress on the low dose!
Last night I mixed palmers cocoa butter formula moisturising body oil with my Vaseline men's lotion and it felt amazing on my skin! Neither work that well in their own but together they're unbelievable smooth. My skin felt so soft, and was soft this morning too.
From now on I'll be using this on my body every night.
I've decided to try the ponds clarant on my back. It's such a giant jar I don't want to throw it away. If it makes my back break out well then I'll throw it out. If not then hopefully it fades my marks.
Excruciating headache for most of the day. Had to leave school and didn't go to work. I can actually work from home everyday but my boss is an idiot. I must goooo there. Anyway, eased up around 7pm. Must have started around 7am and got worse throughout the day. I don't know if this headache is related to the accutane. It's the first time I've gotten anything like this.
I did have a larger than ever nose bleed yesterday. Scared me a bit... Just a bit. Today my nose was just very very very dry even though I got my regular 3 liters of water.
My lips...well.. They suck. I'm siCk of complaining about them.
Hi Tanna,
Congrats on being breakout free!
Strangely, most of my pigmentation has faded, with one exception: the stupid clogged pore I messed with SIX WEEKS ago, which turned into a mother of an inflamed zit, took forever to go down, and now is a very tiny, maybe pin-head sized red mark that is still just slightly raised. It covers easily with make up, but just refuses to go all the way down or fade. Grrrrrrrr.
Did your doc ever bump you up from 20mg? I couldn't find anywhere in thread where you mention whether or not you were. If not, congrats on amazing progress on the low dose!
Sorry I typed a response to this a while ago but never posted it.
I've always had a really bad problem with PIH. Even an insect bite will leave a mark. Even though my skin is really smooth it doesn't look all that clear because of all the spots.
Anyway, the plan was always to keep me at a low dose of accutane for a long time instead of the usual high dose for 4 or 5 months. So I'm still on 20mg. I feel like my doctor is experimenting on me but I've read a study that says there's an increased chance of a cure if you suppress your oil glands for a linger time even with a smaller dose, but it was only one accutane study.