Hi guys!

Like a lot of people, I've kind of been a lurker on this site - quietly reading and never posting...until now.

A bit of background info about me and my acne:

I am 19 years old, male, 6'0, 155lbs and have suffered from acne since I was 12 years old. I even vividly remember the day I got my first pimple, and I was picking at it wondering what the heck it was. Oh, if only how I had known that that one pimple would lead me down a journey of frustration.

I've tried literally every OTC wash/treatment out there - there's not a brand you can name that I haven't tried. All that money down the drain. I've tried antibiotics (erythromycin, doxycycline) but honestly they just were a hassle and made my stomach hurt. Benzoyl peroxide just bleached my favorite t-shirts - as if J.Crew didn't already charge enough. At one point, when I was in grade 10, I was prescribed tretinoin/clindamycin and holy crap, it worked. I had beautiful skin, so clear that I would get compliments from people. Life was so easy - I would wake up, wash my face, throw on some aloe gel, and be on my way. It didn't last though since antibiotics are only a temporary treatment and I started breaking out again.

When I was 17, I was prescribed Clarus 40 mg/day. It took quite a while to work, with minimal side effects, only chapped lips. By month 4, I was clearing up and was looking forward to finishing the course to keep it clear ... until my blood tests came back. Apparently my lipid enzymes had nearly tripled, so my derm took me off Accutane right away. To be honest, I think the test was botched because I didn't fast properly and I had been eating a lot of Swiss Chalet (Hey, when your job gives you free food, you take it) but he didn't believe me. I started breaking out again within a month.

Up till now, I could live with a couple breakouts. I would secretly throw on a tad bit of concealer and nobody was none the wiser, except for my parents of course who gave me dirty looks since "guys don't wear concealer." At exactly the one year mark, my acne took a turn for the worse. My skin just turned disgusting dehydrated, irritated, and I would wake up to nearly 5-6 breakouts a day. In a couple weeks, my acne had gone from mild-moderate to moderate-severe.

I rushed back to the derm, and he put me back on Accutane again. I'm on 40mg/day once again, and hopefully my liver will cooperate. I took my first pill yesterday. I'm worried about the side effects because I heard they're worse the second time around, and I'll be in the gym nearly daily after class.

I'm making this log just so I can track my journey and hopefully see improvements along the way, and stay inspired with help from the community