Wanted to update with some pics I took yesterday to show the red marks... my skin was looking decent for awhile there...but then I got that whitehead breakout...hopefully the marks left over from that (surprisingly red and big, given they were just whiteheads) will heal pretty fast...
This is the regular camera on my phone instead of the front-facing camera (which I think most of the pics above were taken on), so the marks actually look how they look IRL, darker than most of the above pics... the front-facing camera is too kind lol.
Day 100
Felt like I had to do an update since I reached double digits. Hard to believe I'm already at day 100. I haven't gotten a real breakout in nearly 2 months. I've still gotten a few tiny, painless whiteheads here and there. Only 3 or 4 since my last update. Overall super happy. The crazy face and scalp itchiness at night has returned... trying that steroid gel I used before to see if that helps...
I had my 3 month derm appt 2 weeks ago. My derm said this month (month 4) will determine whether I stay on for 5 months or 6 months. If I don't break out, I'll just do 5 months. With my dosage, that will still get me to well above my 1500 mg/kg threshold.
My marks are starting to fade a little. I spent time with some friends yesterday and barely felt self conscious which was SUCH a nice/new feeling.
I have two sets of pics here. The first set is from day 91, the second set is from today, day 100. I've been toning with a 1:1 apple cider vinegar and water mix every couple of days. It makes my marks redder for the first day or so, but then really seems to help. I wipe my face with a wet ACV/water pad and let it sit for a couple minutes before washing it off. I also "spot treat" my major red marks this way. I do that a few mins before my whole face, so that it sits a couple minutes longer.
Oh and yes, I shaved.
Day 91 pics
Day 100 pics
Keep going! Day 117
So I'm almost done with month 4. This month has been great in terms of staying clear. I've broken out in small, painless whiteheads a few times, but each time it was either the day after eating something sugary (thanks, baclava!) or not getting a good night's sleep / staying up late with friends. Other than those whiteheads (which go away within 2 days and don't leave much of a mark) I have been CLEAR. No real pimples or cysts.
I have my 4 month derm appt today. I'm guessing she's going to keep me on for 6 months instead of 5. She said if I stayed totally clear this month I could do 5.
Marks are still persistent as ever, but I'm using rose hip oil to reduce redness and it is DEFINITELY working. I've only been using it a week and a half and my red marks are already a bit lighter. Real talk. Not just placebo lol.
I've developed a super itchy, red rash on my neck and also on the cheek skin right by each ear. Horribly itchy, and hydrocortisone only helps for like a couple of minutes. Speaking of itchy, I'm still having major trouble falling asleep each night. Between my face and my scalp and now my neck... really not sure which is worst. Took me more than 2 hours to fall asleep last night. It was legit misery, I almost cried. I have no idea why everything gets so much itchier at night, as soon as my head hits the pillow... oh and I tried using that steroid cream again (it helped before) and it hasn't done anything, really. It temporarily relieves the itching, that's it. Plus, if I apply the steroid cream at night, it makes all my marks much redder the next day which really bothers me.
Anyway, I'll upload some pics soon. Can't right now, gotta run to work.
Day 124
I've really been breaking out a lot in those tiny, painless whiteheads the past 2 weeks or so. They only appear in places I shave (mustache area, chin, jawline), which leads me to think that it's irritation from shaving. I clean my electric razor after every use though, do a deep clean once a week, I don't press too hard, and I only go over each area once... I'm a little stumped.
Tonight, I started using benzoyl peroxide wash just on the areas I shave. My derm actually recommended it at my checkup the other day to get rid of a rash on my neck which was 100% bad razor burn and wasn't going away (the BP worked btw and didn't make me red or anything). Hoping the BP will get prevent more whiteheads from appearing and not make me super red or dry...
Speaking of dry, UGHHH I cannot take this anymore. My chin and mustache area are CONSTANTLY peeling and flaky, it's so embarrassing to be at work. Especially after lunch, when I've opened my mouth wide to eat. I'm so sick of the constantly itchy skin and scalp too. I can't wait to be off this drug, even if I'm still getting whiteheads. Just as long as the real pimples stay away...
Day 134
Nearing the end of this journey (most likely). I'm scared to come off after 5 months... I'll be above the 150 mg/kg cumulative dose though (161 mg/kg I think).
Anyway, yesterday I got my first pimple in months (not counting those tiny painless whiteheads). 
It's right on my hairline near my ear, it's not very big at all (yet) but it is definitely tender/painful to the touch. SO frustrating. You can't even see it because my hair basically covers it, but it's just frustrating/scary to be breaking out like that in month 5. The only thing I can think of is that i had dairy for the first time in YEARS 2 hours before i noticed the pimple. I split a watermelon milkshake from cookout with my friend. Is it possible for a zit to show up within 2 hours in reaction to something? i doubt it.
Anyway, otherwise everything is going normally. I'm not getting as many whiteheads because I decided to grow my beard out again for the remainder of accutane (shaving was def the cause). And the BP was way too drying, had to stop after a day.
8 days post-accutane
So I've been off of accutane for a week now! My oiliness returned by day 5 or 6 (in a good way), so I'm not dry and FLAKY anymore. I was so sick of having to moisturize hourly at work and bringing moisturizer with me when I went out with my friends.
Since coming off accutane, I did get one pimple on the front of my face and I was devastated. I thought "Great, now it's all just coming back." However, it was very small, painless, and went away completely within 2-3 days (I attacked it with spot treatment). I'm hoping that was just my skin reacting to the sudden shift from dry to oily, and I've been fine ever since. And my lips! I can actually leave the house without a chapstick in my pocket and it's not the end of the world!
My skin glows again which is great too. My marks also are looking great. I'm not saying they're fading faster now that I'm off accutane or anything, but they def don't look that bad. I feel really great about my skin now.
Oh, also - all those whiteheads/pustules I was getting in my beard and mustache area - as I predicted, those were definitely caused by sensitivity from shaving while being on accutane. I haven't gotten a new one since about day 4 (post).
It's crazy how fast my skin has returned to normal. I know it takes longer for some people.
I will post pictures soon. i have a lot i didn't post throughout the process too so maybe I will post some of those too. I didn't post pics during the worst of my IB but I do have some I could share.
Overall, super happy with my 5-month journey. Hope my skin continues to stay mostly clear.
11 days post
So, that pimple turned out not to be a fluke after all. I've been breaking out for the past 3 days. It's all just been papules and pustules, none of it really hurts, none of it is cystic, but it's still acne. And I still have it. I went to my derm yesterday and she was like "Yeah, you really shouldn't be breaking out a week after coming off accutane. I've seen it happen before, but not much." Very reassuring.
My oiliness has totally returned so she said to go ahead and start using my topical retinoid (which she originally told me to wait a month to start) and to use my benzoyl peroxide wash. Apparently the main reason they tell you to wait a month to use the retinoid is so it doesn't totally dry you out. I've been reading that topical stuff (like benzoyl peroxide) works better for people once they've taken accutane. Which makes sense, cause everything on my face and neck right now is papules and pustules that only last a few days... not cysts.
At the moment I have two pimples on my right cheek, one on my forehead which is almost gone, one on my chin, one under my nose, a very small one on my right cheek, and a neck rash which has some pustules in it. Very pleasant to look at.
I also have a small rash under my eye which is fantastic 
I'll keep this updated. I hope i can kick this with the retinoid and benzoyl wash, but i'm feeling extremely discouraged.
31 minutes ago, Stephen23 said:11 days postSo, that pimple turned out not to be a fluke after all. I've been breaking out for the past 3 days. It's all just been papules and pustules, none of it really hurts, none of it is cystic, but it's still acne. And I still have it. I went to my derm yesterday and she was like "Yeah, you really shouldn't be breaking out a week after coming off accutane. I've seen it happen before, but not much." Very reassuring.
My oiliness has totally returned so she said to go ahead and start using my topical retinoid (which she originally told me to wait a month to start) and to use my benzoyl peroxide wash. Apparently the main reason they tell you to wait a month to use the retinoid is so it doesn't totally dry you out. I've been reading that topical stuff (like benzoyl peroxide) works better for people once they've taken accutane. Which makes sense, cause everything on my face and neck right now is papules and pustules that only last a few days... not cysts.
At the moment I have two pimples on my right cheek, one on my forehead which is almost gone, one on my chin, one under my nose, a very small one on my right cheek, and a neck rash which has some pustules in it. Very pleasant to look at.
I also have a small rash under my eye which is fantastic
I'll keep this updated. I hope i can kick this with the retinoid and benzoyl wash, but i'm feeling extremely discouraged.
It is all good man, don't fret. I've read over and over again on logs and such that breaking when you finish is totally normal, as you skin is readjusting to less medicine. Same thing happened to my cousin and he was looking good a week later. Your skin heals faster off of Accutane also.
11 hours ago, Diamond98 said:12 hours ago, Stephen23 said:11 days postSo, that pimple turned out not to be a fluke after all. I've been breaking out for the past 3 days. It's all just been papules and pustules, none of it really hurts, none of it is cystic, but it's still acne. And I still have it. I went to my derm yesterday and she was like "Yeah, you really shouldn't be breaking out a week after coming off accutane. I've seen it happen before, but not much." Very reassuring.
My oiliness has totally returned so she said to go ahead and start using my topical retinoid (which she originally told me to wait a month to start) and to use my benzoyl peroxide wash. Apparently the main reason they tell you to wait a month to use the retinoid is so it doesn't totally dry you out. I've been reading that topical stuff (like benzoyl peroxide) works better for people once they've taken accutane. Which makes sense, cause everything on my face and neck right now is papules and pustules that only last a few days... not cysts.
At the moment I have two pimples on my right cheek, one on my forehead which is almost gone, one on my chin, one under my nose, a very small one on my right cheek, and a neck rash which has some pustules in it. Very pleasant to look at.
I also have a small rash under my eye which is fantastic
I'll keep this updated. I hope i can kick this with the retinoid and benzoyl wash, but i'm feeling extremely discouraged.
It is all good man, don't fret. I've read over and over again on logs and such that breaking when you finish is totally normal, as you skin is readjusting to less medicine. Same thing happened to my cousin and he was looking good a week later. Your skin heals faster off of Accutane also.
Oh really? Yeah, i'd read a few other people that broke out soon after coming off. nice to hear your cousin re-adjusted though. I think you're right. I didn't wake up today to any new blemishes so thats good!
just wanted to update people that my skin has been totally clear for over a month now. i went to the derm to talk about the zits i was getting after accutane and she thought it was folliculitis since it was mostly in my beard area (regardless of whether i shaved or not). she prescribed me clindomycin which i use every morning after i shave and i havent gotten a single zit since.
i've gotten tiny red bumps around my face in various places that go away legit within a day or two and never hurt. it's almost like pimples are wanting to come up but being fought back down. my skin seriously looks so great and im very happy.
no side effects at the moment.
i'm also using atralin (retin-A) at night every night (i skip a night every now and then). i'll upload pics at some point. my red marks are fading, but slowly.