Acne.org Products
Jumpin in again
I found finacea drying
Right now on tane im spotting with bp ...def makes area read
wondering if I should give finacea a try...
kim
Hey DawgDaze,
I'm almost 2.5 weeks off accutane. Yeah, still achey. My left knee has been hurting after runs lately, and I think it is just residual achiness from the accutane. I've also had nasty headaches, but my eyes haven't been as dry and I'm only using aquafor/blistex once or twice a day.
As for skin condition, it's tentatively good....I'm not sure. Oil is slowly making a come back, I'm noticing the texture just isn't that silky smooth that it was while I was on the meds, and I've been getting tiny red bumps. I can't call them zits because there is nothing in them, they don't pop, and they are microscopic. I think they might have to do with irritation from the cold air combined with dry skin and changing texture. I noticed one or two while I was on the meds, but feel as though I've noticed more and more as I've been off the meds. Hoping it's just the skin regulating itself and getting back to normal. Again, they are so tiny and not zits, I'm just really worried about the acne returning. I'm going back to the derm tomorrow just for a post-tane check in, but I'm really hoping he prescribes something like Differin. I don't want to sit by and passively watch my skin condition deteriorate. However, as of now, I can still say I have been clear since coming off accutane. If I can say the same at the one month mark, I will feel a little more at ease.
One win so far: I think today I can say definitively that the facial sweating has calmed down A LITTLE. Before I was working up a sweat with truly any form of exertion, no matter how minimal. It's still not great, but it's definitely a little reduced. I suspect that it had to do with the lack of oil insulating the pores? Idk, I'm not a derm, but that's my suspicion. Maybe if it continues to calm down it will be more manageable for next summer? Hopefully!
Low dose is going...at the end of December I will have 2 months left on my 150mg cumulative dose!
I wash my hair about twice a week now because I have very little oil. Chspstick all day long. In the past month or two I have noticed increased sweating at the gym. I barely exert myself and I'm dripping sweat. It's weird - I have never been a sweater. I occasionally have some soreness if I work out hard or sit in an awkward position too long - but this could be the fact that im almost 30 now too lol.
I have had the bumps I think you're talking about in the latter months of accutane. Tiny, you can barely see them, nothing in them. For me they appear then kind of flake awsy in about a week. I don't really worry about them, I think its just natural skin things with accutane effects.
My dad told me the other day that when he took accutane in his late 20s, the oil came back pretty much right after but he was totally acne free for 10 years after. That's comforting. Maybe in 10 years we'll do another dose, they'll have developed something new or we'll have grown out of it.
Life in Faith, that was me: I did a course at age 25 and was fully clearnot so much as a tiny blackheadfor 15 years. Since there tends to be a genetic component to acne, there is a high possibility your dad's experience will also be yours: i.e., a long term remission. Congrats on nearly being finished!
Break It Out: I'd give anything for that 'Tane Glow to last a lifetime, LOL. It's wonderful . . .
Lifeinfaith: the bumps are annoying but it's all about perspective--they aren't acne and I need to leave them alone or else I wind up clawing at nothing on my skin. Glad to know someone else is experiencing them (even if I wish neither of us were).
DawgDaze: my "glow" was more of a bright red, so I'm actually grateful to have my natural skin tone back. Unfortunately I do think it makes one or two of the shallow scars on my left cheek more prominent. I just miss the smooth, paper-like skin I had on tane. No real zits right now but the texture just isn't the same. Oh well--if it stays as is, I'll be alright with that.
I had a derm appointment today. Can't believe I paid $85 out of pocket to have the derm say "your skin looks great, I'm not going to prescribe anything right now because it will just irritate your skin in the winter. If you notice frequent deep zits, we can try something." I don't think he quite realized that I'm trying to avoid getting to that point again, but oh well. I'm also moving back to Minneapolis in a few weeks, so I will be back at the old derm if anything goes wrong. I think I may make an appointment for about 4 weeks from now anyway just to see if I can get on a retinoid. I don't want to sit and wait for my skin to go bad. But I do think there is some truth to the "it will just irritate your skin" argument. I don't know. Being on accutane was kind of easier than all this. That said, I am loving that the side effects are fading away. I feel just a little more "on my game." Hard to explain, but I think you all know what I'm talking about.
Hah! My dermo said something similar to me. When she suggested we stop at 5 months and not go into a 6th (because of my hair shedding and all around craptacular side effects), I said, "What if the acne comes back?" She said, "We'll deal with that if we get to it, but if you get a cyst, just come in and I'll inject it."
No, lady. You don't understand. I didn't go through all this to basically be back where I started AND pay nearly $100 an office visit for you to "just inject" the occasional cyst. First of all, we all know that for people with true-blue acne, there is no such thing as an "occasional" cyst. Yeah, I have friends who get a cyst once every year or so, freak out like the world is ending, and stop everything in their lives to run to the doc for cortisone. But otherwise their skin is glorious. That's NOT acne. That's an anomaly. And that's not me. Secondly, who the hell wants to interrupt their day with a frantic phone call to the dermo, wait on hold to see when they can fit you in, run over there, plunk down $100, and then wait and see if that did the tricknot just once a year, but once a month or every couple months? Furthermore, injections don't always speed the healing process and they don't often prevent scarring. So to me, that's not "maintenance."
So, yeah, give me something to maintain! That means a retinoid, BP, or some other topical with proven efficacy in keeping the pores clear to prevent the really nasty stuff from popping up.
By the way, I'm using Tazorac very very sparingly. Just dabbing in a very light amount over my traditional trouble spots (sides of chin below mouth) and so far, no irritation. If you can't get a 'script for anything, go to the drugstore and get some BP and use it very very lightly.
DawgDaze: I like dermatologists, but I really don't feel like they always get it. My derm looked at me like I was crazy a few times throughout this course when I would say things like "cumulative dose" or mention well-documented side effects. It made me realize that medical information is really not all that over my head, and with some specialized training I, too, could be a derm. But some of that could be my youthful naivete wearing thin and coming to the stark realization that there's no magic man behind the curtain and people simply don't always know as much as you assume they do. Perhaps this is too much existential angst for a Sarurday morning Accutane log....
Lifeinfaith: I've heard nothing about teeth whitening. I know my mouth got fairly dry on accutane but I don't think that would make a big difference. I would assume you're fine?
What has been yalls experience with back pain in the later months of tane ? I have been having a lot of back pain mostly between my shoulder blades that won't go away along with a pulled muscle in my lower back/upper glute that hasn't healed in over 2 months.
In other news...6 month checkup last week. 2 months to go!
Hello Breakitoutnow !
I started my accutane treatment one week ago. I have a 40 mg/day dose for 6 months.
I am really frightened by the long term or even permanent side effects: low energy, libido drop, brain fog, night vision decrease, joint and muscle pain.
I would be curious how are you after 2 months post accutane in terms of joint and muscle pain, energy level, brain fog, etc. I am asking you because you reported these problems during your treatment.
Thx.
Ok not sure how to use this site, but I want to communicate with other accutane users. I am on day 11 of 40mg Absorica....have had some side effects already, body soreness...dryer eyes than usual and allergies combined yesterday had me feeling horrible this morning.....feel better now...was kind of paranoid in the morning when my eyes were crusty and killer headache,,,when and got some eye wash and claritin for the allergies...day 7 my face was real red and puffy but that has gone down...general dryness of face and lips...using aquaphor throughout the day and eucerin face moisturizer with sunblock...cetaphil body lotion and cetaphil moisturizer cream.
Day 2:
Hey everyone. So, I don't think I'm crazy, but I think I'm seeing effects already. Very minor, but noticeable.
Face condition: I've sort of been in a small but manageable breakout this week (post-graduation, family in town, lots of stress, but that doesn't always seem to matter. I was fine during finals week...). Anyway, today, my lips felt a LITTLE bit drier. My face is noticeably less oily. I usually have a "shine" at all times and I just don't really seem to have that much oil. This is a little concerning for me because I'm only two days in and I'm supposed to double my dose at the two week mark. Am I even going to have skin when that happens or is it all going to shrivel up and blow away like the fleeting sands of the Sahara? Time shall tell! I should mention that some of the dryness could be due to the fact that I applied Differin gel last night on accident. Old habits die hard!
Interesting experience today though: when I checked the mirror this evening, I had what appeared to be some form of zit (white head, maybe just a clogged pore) on my cheek. It didn't seem like the usual type of zit I get. I did my usual "apply pressure" but it didn't pop well. Left a red mark and it didn't seem like the type that would do that. Lesson learned, Accutane.
I also noticed my chest had two small red pimples, which is not a common place for me to break out. I'm assuming these were just there earlier and I either didn't notice or didn't care. Back isn't looking great, but just small red pimples on the top half (maybe 4?). Not awful. My back used to be a lot worse, but I will say the antibiotics actually cleared it up pretty well a few months ago and it hasn't come back as bad as it was.
As for other side effects, nothing noticeable. I have had a slight headache but I think that could be due to allergies. Mood is fine, all things considered. Feeling a little anxious about the impending storm over these first few months but ready to get it done with. Additionally, I'm trying to make peace with my skin. I can only stress about this for so long before I just need to let it go. So I'm going to do just that. Skin, I can't fret over you anymore. Accutane, do your job and wake me up in 5 months when I look pretty again. Thanks.
I don't think I have much of a following yet, but if anyone noticed similar effects early on in the course, I'd love to hear from you. I'm writing this log mostly for me, but any words from other users would be helpful. Thanks everyone!