After suffering from mild to moderate acne on my face, neck, and back, I decided to go on Accutane. I started Accutane June 4, 2015 at 60mg/day. I weigh 110lbs (50kg) so I think my dose is a bit high for my weight, but we shall see what happens!
Starting this log 1 week on Accutane (or the generic brand I'm using, Zenatane).
Week 1:
Everything is dry. I got dry lips on day 2, and a dry, scaly, peeling face on day 3. I feel like I got side effects pretty quickly, most likely due to the high dosage. Redness has decreased, but I've definitely gained a few pimples since starting Accutane. I am fairly confident that I'm already seeing the appearance of the initial breakout, and I hope it goes away soon...
Cerave and Aquaphor lip repair have been saviors so far. I bought a huge tub of Cerave only to find out that a little does a lot, so I will probably never use all of it. I'm anxious for some results, and I hope my higher dosage will expedite the process.
Week 2:
Everything got 5x drier... My lips are so dry that I have to apply Aquaphor every 20 minutes or so. My whole body is still dry. On the plus side, I don't have to take as many showers anymore because my body is devoid of oils. I used to take one shower every day, but now I'm at one shower every 2 days (unless I get really gross for some reason). I'm really happy that I haven't had any side effects except dryness.
My right side (2nd pic) seems to be clearing up more, but my left side (1st pic) will lose pimples, then gain new ones. The acne that I gain is usually worse than what I started with, being larger and more under the skin. But it's only week 2 so I don't expect drastic improvements.
Week 3:
My entire upper body is dry and a peeling in some areas like a minimal sunburn. Face is about the same. As acne goes away, some comes back in different places. I'm not expecting any drastic changes. I've mostly just been having a tumultuous relationship with dryness... Right side (1st pic) looks a little better, left side looks the same.
Recently, I did discover some dark looking pores on and around my nose. They look like clogged pores, so I'm hoping they will go away as I continue my course. I've included a pic of the dark spots on my nose, just in case it is something I should be worried about...
Also, just for reference, I have Cigna insurance and get my Accutane prescription for $10, which is a pretty nice deal.
Week 4/Month 1:
Saw the dermatologist today for my one month check up and blood work. Everything is going great and right on track. From the pictures below, you can see that I am nowhere close to permanently getting rid of acne yet, but I'm getting closer. My derm is keeping me on 60mg/day for month 2.
Things are about the same. Out with old acne and in with new. All of the acne is primarily on my jawline, with a smattering of pimples on my cheeks and temples. I got an awful cut at the corner of my mouth (due to the dryness) that doesn't go away since I have to continuously open my mouth to eat, so I'm going to try hydrocortisone ointment, and hope it goes away. Also due to the dryness, my skin on my arms is peeling like a sunburn, but using Cerave takes away/conceals the peeling for about 5-6 hours per application.
Things are going well overall!
Week 6:
As usual, everything is dry. The dryness has actually spread to my lower body, so some of the dry skin patchiness has appeared on my legs. I use CeraVe to combat this as well. Luckily, my job requires us to wear jeans, so I don't find myself needing to treat my legs very often.
Also, I'm now on Claravis instead of Zenatane. Not really sure why the change occurred; maybe it just had to do with the availability for my pharmacy.
I still occasionally get angular cheilitis (the cut on the corner of the mouth), but I use petroleum jelly with cocoa butter and it heals in a day or two. Always be careful about stretching the corners of your mouth!
As for results, my left side (pic 1) is clearing up nicely (excuse the dryness). My right side still has acne that comes and goes. I'm reading, however, that most people don't see dramatic results until month 3 or so.
2 Months on Accutane
I must have entered some backwards universe, because now my left side (1st pic) is doing worse than my right side! A little after week 6 started, my left side shifted to having more acne...
On a more positive note though, skin is a lot smoother. I am now at that point where everyone said they start to become acne free as I enter month 3. My neck is acne free, and I have no more active spots on my back. All I have let are dark acne scars, however.
I still have redness, but that™s not really too much of a hassle. I have also successfully warded off any new angular cheilitis situations by continuously applying either Aquaphor or petroleum jelly with cocoa butter.
School starts in 2.5 weeks so...I hope I look presentable soon...
