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‹So, after years of antibiotics, topical creams, a stint on birth control (which I went off of due to horrific side effects), and more topicals and ineffective antibiotics I finally decided to go on ~accutane~...how lovely.
My concerns: the initial breakout, the dryness, and the iPledge birth control mandate. As I stated before, birth control doesn't agree with me well (even though I am on a different brand this time). However even though I am not sexually active (for personal and religious reasons), I understand there is a moral obligation as a female ensure pregnancy prevention while on Accutane and I will honor that... 
Okay, so I've been on Birth Control for over a month now. The birth control has cleared my acne about 75%. No active pimples, just some stubborn red marks.
Right now I am on 20 mg of Accutane with promises from my dorm to up the dosage next month.
5 days into 20 mg of Accutane, here are my observations thus far:
Days 1-5 have been relatively uneventful. I have experienced some itchy, dry eyes and dryness on the inside of my nose. Today, I noticed that some red spots have become more prominent on my temples, my left cheek, and chin. I am not sure if this is the beginning of the initial breakout (I have a bad feeling that it is). If anyone reads this and has some expertise, I would like to know more about the initial breakout: when did it happen for you? how long did it last? how severe was the breakout? When did you begin to notice improvement?
Other than that I haven't experienced any side effects. Lips aren't dry yet. No joint pain. I did notice some dehydration, but I run 40 miles a week and pay incredibly close attention to my body's water levels.
I start college in 1.5 months...and I am desperately hoping that my skin is not too bad when I start. I understand it won't be perfect...but I hope I'm not embarrassed about my face as I begin to meet all these new people and transition into a new stage in my life.
I will keep on posting! Any replies or advice would be greatly appreciated and I hope that this log will eventually help other Accutane users.
Thanks!
Day 6
Okay, so today marks my 6th day on isoretonin. So far my skin is better in some respects and worse in others. I have a few white heads popping up sporadically, but they heal quickly and are not too noticeable. Some of the red spots I noticed yesterday seem to be fading. I still believe an initial breakout is coming, so I don't want to speak too soon but I think I can already tell that the accutane is working. Some parts of my face just look clearer. I guess its too soon to tell much though.
As far as side effects go I am not experiencing much dryness yet. Eyes are pretty itchy and dry and so is the inside of my nose. But lips are still going strong. That being said I have been using Aquaphor twice a day as a preventative measure. I did have pretty bad back pain last night that actually woke me up. But I was able to run 4 miles this morning no problem and do a spin class. Basically, whatever pain there is, it is so far manageable.
So far I'm hoping to just get this initial breakout over with. I suppose its possible I won't have much of one but I HIGHLY doubt I will be that lucky.
Day 7 (End of Week 1)
So, my skin has definitely broken out some. The accutane has been pushing white heads to the surface in places where I normally am clear. It is clearly an indicator that my pores were clogged deep underneath my skin. So, although I am frustrated with the current state of my skin, I am also happy that all this junk is getting cleared out once and for all.
Besides my eyes I don't have any dryness yet, which is weird to me. Actually my skin has become much oilier on Accutane. I'm not sure why this is happening but I think it is because as the medicine reduces the size of the sebaceous glands, they secrete oil, bacteria, etc. I'm hoping dryness starts to set in soon so that I know more progress is being made and so that I can stop dealing with a shiny face. Has anyone else experienced oiliness as they start accutane and can give a prediction as to how long it will last for me?
I'm hoping that this is the extent of my IB and that it starts to clear up soon. I go on a camping trip in the next few days and I hope my skin doesn't get worse while I'm with my friends.
Any replies or advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Day 8
Today my skin showed some noticeable improvement. Besides 1 new whitehead, there were no new active pimples or white heads coming to the surface of my skin. Also, the rash-like red spots on my cheeks and temples have noticeably faded. My face is also dramatically less oily than the past 3 days. In addition my skin seems to be much smoother than yesterday. I am not sure if this points to the end of whatever initial breakout I experienced, but I am hoping my skin steadily improves from here on out and doesn't regress.
As far as side effects, my face burns pretty easily. I did about 2 hours worth of hiking today and came back pretty flushed. I usually tan or don't get burnt at all so that is new for me but the redness subsides within a few hours and is completely gone by the next day. I can tell my lips are starting to get dry, but they really don't even need any blistex yet. My face has no dryness or flakiness yet, however my eyes continue to be quite dry. I am experiencing some back pain, but it does not hinder my physical activity.
Overall, I would say today is much better than Day 4,5,6, and 7.......but I'm still waiting to see dramatic improvement or even dryness to know that the medicine is working well.
I won't be able to post until day 13, so I will update then.
Day 13
Wow...my acne is almost completely gone. Occasional white head has popped up but is gone in a day or so. My skin is so much smoother (still a tiny bit of bumpiness on my right cheek and upper temple)...but it seems to have all mostly cleared up.
Side effects:
skin is very sensitive to the sun
eyes are dry
lips and nose are not that dry at all
Honestly, my skin hasnt looked this good since I was in gradeschool. I'm going to stop posting now since I'm not getting any replies and the IB seems to be over.
Thanks!
