Acne.org Products
Hi everyone,
Tomorrow I will be starting my first day of my second round of Accutane 
I did my first round in 2010 and it did wonders for my skin. I remember seeing blackheads on my nose for the first time since pre-Accutane in 2012, and unfortunately that was the start of a very slow and very gradual slippery slope back to acne city. To be honest it was all pretty manageable until June 2014 where I started breaking out severely out of nowhere. At this point I started blogging here: as I was put on Doxycycline (second round).
Doxy did wonders for me again but I know that antibiotics never keep my acne at bay long-term. And so I found myself sat at the Dermatologists office this morning for the first time since I came off Accutane in Autumn 2010.
I've been prescribed with 40mg but it's worth noting that i'm on the pill and have been for a while in a bid to try and clear things faster.
You can see pics of my current skin on my Doxycycline log (link above) which I posted today. However I plan on taking better quality pictures this week to post on here. I recognise my acne isn't as severe as many people on here but trust me, i've been there before. The only reason my skin is decent is because i've just been on Doxycycline. My scarring is pretty dire and that's something i'm really looking forward to treating once my second Accutane journey is finished!
I'll blog tomorrow!
Day 1
Just took my first accutane tablet with lunch. I'm feeling really crappy today (nothing to do with the accutane of course) and have a gigantic cold sore on my nose. I'm begging that it clears up within the next 7 days/before my skin gets dry from the accutane otherwise things could get nasty!
As promised, pictures of me taken today. You can see my huge pores but my ice pick and box car scarring isn't visible on these pictures annoyingly. You can though see the red marks which are the only trace left of my horrible breakout which promoted me to ask for Doxy
I have a similar history with acne. I took Accutane for the first time ten years ago and it worked well, however it has gradually worsened again over the years. Doxycycline helped while I was on it, but as soon as I stopped it I went back to square one. Just like you, I started a second round of Accutane (brand name Amnesteem this time) four days ago, 2x20 mg / day.
I have a similar history with acne. I took Accutane for the first time ten years ago and it worked well, however it has gradually worsened again over the years. Doxycycline helped while I was on it, but as soon as I stopped it I went back to square one. Just like you, I started a second round of Accutane (brand name Amnesteem this time) four days ago, 2x20 mg / day.
Ahh there seems to be a few of us around who are in the same boat. I hope this will be the last time we have to take it though, I can't imagine having to do this every few years when my skin gets worse again. Good luck!
i've just started today on 40mg as well and its my second time round
hopefully we can kick acne's ass this time
I hope we can do! Fingers crossed this will be the last time eh!?!
Day 2
Nothing much to report. Some very very subtle dryness on chin area, but i've been suffering from dry(er) skin all winter so it's more likely to be a coincidence than anything else. I must get some of that aquaphor stuff this time round, does anyone know if it's sold in the UK!?
I have a similar history with acne. I took Accutane for the first time ten years ago and it worked well, however it has gradually worsened again over the years. Doxycycline helped while I was on it, but as soon as I stopped it I went back to square one. Just like you, I started a second round of Accutane (brand name Amnesteem this time) four days ago, 2x20 mg / day.
Ahh there seems to be a few of us around who are in the same boat. I hope this will be the last time we have to take it though, I can't imagine having to do this every few years when my skin gets worse again. Good luck!
>i've just started today on 40mg as well and its my second time round
hopefully we can kick acne's ass this time
I hope we can do! Fingers crossed this will be the last time eh!?!
Day 2
Nothing much to report. Some very very subtle dryness on chin area, but i've been suffering from dry(er) skin all winter so it's more likely to be a coincidence than anything else. I must get some of that aquaphor stuff this time round, does anyone know if it's sold in the UK!?
boots sell it in a tubes from what i remember. I have never used it my self to be honest just stuck with cetaphil for years even before my first course but people stateside seem to recommend it.
hope all is going well.
Day 4
Hmm. My skin feels¦ different!? I guess it feels a tinier bit dryer than usual but nothing of significance yet. I swear i've had a few new little bumps come up on my jaw (really? 
) but they seem pretty small for now at least. There doesn't appear to be anything big or sinister brewing under the surface. My nose (nostril areas) is still ridiculously dry from battering it with tissues from my cold this past week. Suppose I had better get used to the dry skin really, especially around the nose. Actually, whilst i'm talking about nose-related things, my nose in general doesn't feel as oily as it normally does. I don't really have an oily skin-type at all but lately i've been noticing that my nose has been a little oily and of course full of blackheads. Well it definitely doesn't feel oily at the moment. Perhaps my skin is getting dryer already!
I have a similar history with acne. I took Accutane for the first time ten years ago and it worked well, however it has gradually worsened again over the years. Doxycycline helped while I was on it, but as soon as I stopped it I went back to square one. Just like you, I started a second round of Accutane (brand name Amnesteem this time) four days ago, 2x20 mg / day.
Ahh there seems to be a few of us around who are in the same boat. I hope this will be the last time we have to take it though, I can't imagine having to do this every few years when my skin gets worse again. Good luck!
>i've just started today on 40mg as well and its my second time round
hopefully we can kick acne's ass this time
I hope we can do! Fingers crossed this will be the last time eh!?!
Day 2
Nothing much to report. Some very very subtle dryness on chin area, but i've been suffering from dry(er) skin all winter so it's more likely to be a coincidence than anything else. I must get some of that aquaphor stuff this time round, does anyone know if it's sold in the UK!?
boots sell it in a tubes from what i remember. I have never used it my self to be honest just stuck with cetaphil for years even before my first course but people stateside seem to recommend it.
hope all is going well.
Brilliant, Boots it is. Thank you!
Today marks one week on accutane, crazy! First off here's my entry from yesterday which I forgot to post:
Day 6 (yesterday)
I had a small pimple come up right on the bottom of my jaw today. Nothing major. In terms of side effects- I woke up yesterday with some trace of a nosebleed having happened in the night. Feeling a bit mood-swingy also!
Day 7 (today)
Woke up this morning with another trace of a small nose bleed having happened in the night. I'm really feeling the dry lips side effect now, it's started to kick in significantly. I'm having to apply vaseline every 2 seconds and it makes my lips look so red and glossy and ridiculous! Got a lot more of this to come :/
Day 8
Lips are still really dry. I was applying Vaseline literally every 5-10 minutes in work today! Such a chore. I've had a small pimple come up just below my nose and another small pimple on side of my face near cheekbone area.
Couldn't find cetaphil or aquaphor in Boots today :/ has anyone in the UK managed to find them?
cetaphil used to be sold in ASDA a few years ago and in Boots but it seems like they don't stock it anymore i buy big bottles from ebay and i have done for the last 4 years or so.
aquaphor you can buy online at boots not sure about in-store.
I use the vaseline with aloe vera its a green tub and it works much better than the normal stuff used it on my first course as well.
hope things keep going well
For me, it's been a smooth ride so far. I've had minor nose bleeds twice, and my lips are dryer than usual, but applying lip balm twice per day seems enough. I'm expecting it to get worse soon though. In terms of my acne, it's become slightly worse. This is a marathon, not a sprint 
-Day 11
Day 8
Lips are still really dry. I was applying Vaseline literally every 5-10 minutes in work today! Such a chore. I've had a small pimple come up just below my nose and another small pimple on side of my face near cheekbone area.
Couldn't find cetaphil or aquaphor in Boots today :/ has anyone in the UK managed to find them?
Day 9
Ok I'm having a pretty crappy day today. I woke up with dry eyes (this happened yesterday morning too but I forgot to mention it in my post) which was.. Unpleasant! Then I notced a small but noticeable red dry patch next to my left eyebrow. I also noticed a pimple on my lip but luckily it's ridiculously tiny!
As the day went on, I noticed some dryness and soreness around the sides of my nose and my lips are so awful. Little bits of skin are literally hanging off my lip and, like last time I was on accutane, I keep picking at them. A bad habit I know but so hard to kick. I am literally applying Vaseline constantly and I'm becoming self conscious of my dry lips. I'm smearing it on so much that all the makeup around my mouth comes off which is just bringing more attention to the area I think.
This is only day 9. I don't rememeber having an issue with dry skin last time although granted I did have awful dry lips. I can't remember what dose I was on last time, it must have been 20 or 40. I'm sure the derm know what she's doing, but I'm already considering asking to go down to 20 when I next see her in March. Why do I need 40 anyways with barely any active acne? Do people think that going down to 20mg will help with the symptoms?
cetaphil used to be sold in ASDA a few years ago and in Boots but it seems like they don't stock it anymore i buy big bottles from ebay and i have done for the last 4 years or so.
aquaphor you can buy online at boots not sure about in-store.
I use the vaseline with aloe vera its a green tub and it works much better than the normal stuff used it on my first course as well.
hope things keep going well
Thank you, you too! I'm keeping my eye on your log going to order those online tonight.
For me, it's been a smooth ride so far. I've had minor nose bleeds twice, and my lips are dryer than usual, but applying lip balm twice per day seems enough. I'm expecting it to get worse soon though. In terms of my acne, it's become slightly worse. This is a marathon, not a sprint
Lip balm twice a day?! I'm SO jealous! I've honestly applied mine about 80-100 times today lucky!
Day 10
Double figures and finished my first pack off today! I hope the rest of my course goes this fast.
I'm feeling a little better today. I exfoliated my face with my neutrogena daily scrub last night in the shower, and used a load of moisturiser before bed. All the dryness around my nose/chin was not visible at all when I woke up this morning so I felt a lot better.
That pimple below my nose (well, on the bit that's between your nose and lips. What even is that bit of your face called!?!) has blown up to epic proportions spots on that area always hurt a ton and this one is no exception. It's just like a big red shiny zit which isn't coming to a head yet. It hurts constantly and even more so when I talk or eat. So annoying!! I've also had two very small pimples right next to each other come up on.. You guessed it, jaw on right hand side. They seem like they will go down quickly though.
Hmm nothing much else to say. I did have a really weird itch behind my left knee earlier which has left a bit of a red mark from me scratching it!
I know there's a few of us they started around the same time, hope you're all getting on ok- keep me posted.
Sure - Nothing to report here though My face as bad as Day 1, side effects almost nonexistant except for somewhat dry lips. I hope I'll be put on double dose in two weeks to start seeing results. Seems like you are reacting to the drug much faster, that should be a good sign. -Day 14
Day 10
Double figures and finished my first pack off today! I hope the rest of my course goes this fast.
I'm feeling a little better today. I exfoliated my face with my neutrogena daily scrub last night in the shower, and used a load of moisturiser before bed. All the dryness around my nose/chin was not visible at all when I woke up this morning so I felt a lot better.
That pimple below my nose (well, on the bit that's between your nose and lips. What even is that bit of your face called!?!) has blown up to epic proportions spots on that area always hurt a ton and this one is no exception. It's just like a big red shiny zit which isn't coming to a head yet. It hurts constantly and even more so when I talk or eat. So annoying!! I've also had two very small pimples right next to each other come up on.. You guessed it, jaw on right hand side. They seem like they will go down quickly though.
Hmm nothing much else to say. I did have a really weird itch behind my left knee earlier which has left a bit of a red mark from me scratching it!
I know there's a few of us they started around the same time, hope you're all getting on ok- keep me posted.
Sure - Nothing to report here though
I hope you're right! But some people do pretty much get away with all the side effects, so you could be one of the lucky ones!
Day 12
I really wanted to blog yesterday but didn't have time, so I'll just quickly mention it here! Day 11 was full of headaches, ugh! It felt like I'd strained my eyes but I hadn't been looking at a tv or computer screen etc. However, I may have had a lip revelation... I lost my Vaseline yesterday and the only similar thing I could find in my house was a crappy jelly belly lip balm thing in cherry flavour. My lips were awful yesterday afternoon so I slathered it on and ever since, my lips haven't been that bad!? Woo hoo!!! They don't look nearly as red and gloopy as the Vaseline makes them either! I've also been drinking loads of water so that could be helping.
Not much to say for today. Those two pimples I had on my jaw didn't come to anything and have nearly gone already. The massive spot is going down but I admit, I did try and pick at it- oops!!
Day 14
Hi guys. Not much to say today! Had a bit of an itchy scalp this morning but most of my symptoms (itchy scalp, dry eyes, rashy, dry skin) have all come and gone with the exception of my dry lips which of course are still hanging around. Had one very small spot (almost like a blackhead or clogged pore) on my right cheek but nothing major.
Hi, I just found your blog and I am going through the same program. I went thought the Accutane song and dance in 2011 and had several good years before it started to slowly come back and before I knew it I had cysts again on my cheeks and I swear a new or different whitehead each time I looked in a mirror.
I am on day 7 of 30mg. Next month my derm is bumping it up to 40mgs a day. I have had dryness mostly around my nose my lips and the spot between my eyebrows and sun sensitivity already and use Certave face lotion and Aquaphor almost constantly.
Cheers,
Hi, I just found your blog and I am going through the same program. I went thought the Accutane song and dance in 2011 and had several good years before it started to slowly come back and before I knew it I had cysts again on my cheeks and I swear a new or different whitehead each time I looked in a mirror.
I am on day 7 of 30mg. Next month my derm is bumping it up to 40mgs a day. I have had dryness mostly around my nose my lips and the spot between my eyebrows and sun sensitivity already and use Certave face lotion and Aquaphor almost constantly.
Cheers,
Sounds so similar to my story. The spot between eyebrows is exactly where my dry skin is! And either side of my nose too. Hope yours stays away for good this time!
Day 16
Feeling positive today! Skin is feeling smooth and all pimples I've had come up since I've started this blog are barely noticeable now. I know it might be too soon to say this, but I'm really happy that I haven't had a huge breakout during the crossover time that my doxycycline was wearing off and accutane was kicking in. Nothing else to say. Dryness around my nose creeped back this morning but managed to kerb it with exfoliation and moisturiser!
Ok I realise I'm posting twice in one day but.. Whatever!
Something which I thought was completely unrelated to accutane has been driving me mad the last 2/3 days. My first finger and thumb on my left hand feel quite weak, achy and stiff. I've been scaring myself silly imagining it to be arthritis or carpel tunnel, but now I'm thinking that the accutane could be responsible for this?!
Day 18
Oh my word, I'm purging big style!!! Woke up this morning, I looked in the mirror and saw what I assumed was just dry, flaky skin around the sides of my nose and chin. Wrong... I looked closer, and basically most of my blackheads were dangling out as if the accutane had pushed them up overnight. The blackheads in my nose seem much closer to the surface. I'm pleasantly surprised by how fast this is happening!
On the downside, having a particularly bad dry lip day today, a new large pimple on my forehead and a splitting headache.
Wishing you the best. I'm currently just finishing my first month on 20mg -- If I finish with my skin looking like yours in your starting pictures I'd be happy, haha.
That's very kind of you! The pics don't show my indented scarring though, it's quite bad! I was lucky that I'd had my IB on doxycycline.
All the best for you too, a month down already! Hope the rest of your treatment goes quickly and smoothly!
Day 20
Skin is fine but urgh my scarring is getting me down. I have about 9 indented scars on my left cheek which I'm convinced weren't there before my horrible pre-doxy breakout in June 2014 can't wait until I can start arranging treatments for It once I've been off accutane for 6 months.