Hey Kim,
That's too bad your Derm isn't giving you much guidance. Mine sold me the moisturizer from his office to get me started, but I found that the Cerave Moisturizing Cream (yes, it comes in that white and blue twist off top tub) works much better! And I know exactly what you mean. I never would have dreamed I could use something as thick as this moisturizing cream, but I absolutely love it. Is your skin super dry or flaky? I sometimes added small dabs of Aquaphor to the really dry spots when mine got bad and then moisturized over it. That seemed to help, especially when I was trying to wear makeup and didn't want it to flake off. Luckily, I only experienced that level of dryness a couple times.
Curious, what kind of eye troubles were you having? Blurred vision or something else? I sometimes have trouble seeing clearly after I'm done working on my computer at the end of the day, but I've always had that problem. Trying to determine if it's gotten worse lately or if I'm just freaking myself out.
Talk soon - Amber
*This is the one I have - CeraVe-Moisturizing-Cream-16-Ounce [removed]
On 3/12/2015 at 2:23 AM, BriGar91 said:I really like your post & all the picture updates really show all the great progress you've been making!
I'm into my third month right now, 80 mg a day. I'm hoping I don't get a big break out soon.
I get those big cysts on my jawline like you mentioned you had earlier & was wondering if you had any advise to make them go away faster?
BEST OF LUCK YOU'RE ALMOST TO THE FINISH LINE!
Hey, thank you so much! It has been quite a journey. I can't believe I'm closing in on the finish line.
You might want to ask your Derm how much it would cost to get an injection of cortisone in the large cysts on your jawline. I'm not sure how often you can get those, but it worked like a dream! My Derm had never offered me one until my last visit. Maybe because it was the only thing sticking out of my face, haha. Other than that I unfortunately never found a trick to making those things go away any quicker. Mine always built up really slowly and then took their time going away. You're on a pretty high dosage so I imagine you might start seeing less and less of those in the coming month or two. I think the trick here is patience...ugh, I know!
I remember reading people's posts and them saying something about how one day they looked in the mirror and it was like, omg...there's nothing there, no cysts or bumps sticking out of my face, no new ones. All of a sudden like magic! And for me it really was like that. I still had pimples coming and going during month three, but by month 4 it just seemed like things began to clean up and stay that way.
Best of luck to you! Can't wait to hear more about your progress.
Wow your progress is coming along great. Can I ask.. are you on birth control pills? I came off mine a few months ago and my face exploded! Similar to yours.. cysts on the chin area. I am thinking of starting accutane soon as well and staying off the birth control as that's what effed me up in the first place.
Hi there! Apologies for the delayed response. Traveling and the holidays took hold and I'm just now logging back in. I was on Ortho Tricycline and then Yaz years ago, but due to a blood clot I can no longer take birth control pills. I actually have the Mirena IUD, which I LOVE and recommend to everyone. I know there are some horror stories out there, but aren't there horror stories about everything?! And my experience with Absorica/Accutane has been great so far. I'm about to post an update with pics
Yes I was on Ortho Tri as well. Coming off it has seriously made my skin 20x worse than it's ever been. I had mild acne before and would get maybe 1 cyst a month on OTC but now it's like my face is a war zone, new zits everyday - they're relentless. I don't know how anything can help besides accutane. I'm hoping to start it this fall as I want to be out in the sun this summer. Your log has been a huge encouragement to me. So are you all completed with your course now? I've read that 96% of people who relapse on accutane do so within 3 years. Sending all good luck to you that you are clear for good! 
Also to the person who asked about cysts.. I find that if I pop 2 aleve's about 12 hours apart (maybe 3 if it's particularly nasty one) it helps the cyst tremendously. It will still be a cyst but it doesn't get nearly as big and doesn't hurt and comes to a head within 2 days or so.
@anotherstar I am SO glad to hear that this log has been encouraging! If acne has started to interfere with your confidence, daily life, happiness, ect. and you've already tried all of the topicals and antibiotics then I HIGHLY recommend going on it. To be honest, my only regret is that I didn't start it sooner. But definitely wait until after Summer, because this stuff will make you sensitive to the sun...even with sunscreen...and I am not one to burn easily.
I'm halfway through my fifth month now. At my last appointment my Dermatologist said that I may, or may not, need a sixth month. I'm thinking I will because I'm still getting occasional pimples (just one small one at a time that goes away within a couple days) and he wants to make sure we really kick this problem. Haven't had any large cysts since that last one my Dr. injected weeks ago. All of my symptoms have been manageable and I couldn't be happier. I feel so much better about myself, have so much more confidence, and am not embarrassed to be around people without a pound of cover-up on. I still have red marks, but those will fade with time.
I know there are a lot of crazy stories out there when you start scouring the web for information about isotretinoin/accutane, and I was nervous to get started, but I can tell you that after almost 5 months on this medicine I know that it was worth it because acne was starting to take over my life in a terrible way. I feel like I've been set free
FIVE MONTHS!
Month 1 - 30mg Absorica
Month 2 - 3 - 60mg Absorica
Month 4 - 5 - 60mg Claravis (had to switch b/c of insurance)
Symptoms are manageable, but have included the following:
- dry skin
- dry lips
- dry eyes
- red, rough patches of skin on upper arms
- red, spotty skin rash on tops of hands (haven't seen this in a few weeks but it seemed to pop up if I was dehydrated)
- dry nose (got worse around 4 months)
- dry scalp (only seemed to last about 2 weeks during month 2)
To manage symptoms:
- Claravis Moisturizing Cream
- Aquaphor
- Gel Tears eye drops
- Staying SUPER hydrated (water and green tea all day)
Huge thanks to everyone who has followed my journey and helped me along the way. I apologize for disappearing for a while. I have been off Accutane for about 2 months now and haven't had a breakout in forever. I almost forgot how bad my acne was until I looked back at my gallery pictures! WOW! What an incredible difference. TOTALLY WORTH IT!
