Sofia, I hope everything gets better for you on the new dosage! My hair is super dry too! And the inside of my nose.

I saw my Derm today after the first month. I had a gap day where I didn't have a pill but oh well. She switched me from Amnesteem 40mg once a day to Zenatane 40mg alternating twice a day and once a day. Today I took 2 so 40mg and tomorrow I will take 1. She said this eases you into the symptoms so hopefully it goes over well! So I'm kind of on 80mg but not really? Haha

15 hours ago, Sofiabbbx said:

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't written in a while. So glad everything's going well for everyone!!!
kimmy how long did your IB take to heal and what were the spots like??
had my dose increased from 20mg to 30mg and literally had the worst break out!!! Soooo gutted but skin does feel softer.

went to Marbella for the weekend and wore factor 50, was only in the direct sunlight for 3 hours on sat (was cloudy) but chest is bright red raw even tho I had factor 50 on! Been naughty with my drinking (tbh only 3 glasses of wine max) and makes me feel horrendous if I don't drink a lot of water. However with water it is fine. Praying this new breakout will go! Also noticed if I try and squeeze a spot now NOTHING comes out I just irritate it and a LOT of skin comes off easily making it raw and difficult to put on makeup to cover it.

so yeah been very naughty with my habits however a bit unmotivated at the moment due to this explosion (did not get it this bad with my first month).

sending lots of love to everyone! I'm 6 days in to this higher dose and hating it. 
No other side effects apart from very very dry hair (from washing it every day to now every 4/5 days!)

send me me some healing vibes for my skin  Arghhhh!!!

lots of love xxxx

Hi All,

Sophia, I™m so sorry to hear about your breakout. I hope it gets better soon. Btw I exactly know what you mean by saying that skin comes off very easily when you™re on Accutane. I don™t remember the last time I had a spot/zit but I™ve got 3 RAW, big, red looking patches/marks on my cheek. Skin just came off my face when I was taking a shower on SundayL. It looks so bad. The same thing happened on my chin yesterday (one small red mark)  but it™s not as bad as on my cheek  OMG how can you get raw, red marks without even having or squeezing spots???? I™ve been so unhappy this week.

Any suggestions on how to heal them quicker and make them less visible? I need a miracle or something.  

DAY 44¦.Can™t remember the last time I had a spot/zit, no initial breakout even when my dosage was increased. I™ve got eczema on my hands which is itchy and red. I would be soooo happy with the state of my skin if I didn™t have these stupid, raw red marks/patches on my cheek caused by drynessL. Derm appointment in a week and few days. Can™t believe I will be starting month 3 soon. Hoping to get the dose increased to 60 mg.

Big hugs for all of you struggling xx

Hey ladies thanks for the support I just had my two month check up and things are looking good. That breakout pretty much lasted the entire second month. I'm not gonna lie it was BAD. And I made it worse by using topicals (stupid I know). Anyway my doc had initially prescribed me 60 for month 2 but had enough for 80 (an insurance thing). So when I started breaking out bad at 60 I just said to hell with it and continued on 80. So that's prob the cause of why my breakout was so bad. But so far it's cleared up I'm not 100% but the difference is remarkable. So sit tight ladies it'll get better. My skin is still dry dry and flaking but it's OK. Keep your heads up. Btw there is a youtube vlogger called super gorgeous vlog which shows her acctuane journey. It really helped me through seeing her ib and gave me faith.

Hi everyone!!!

Maggie- sooooo happy for you!!! To have clear skin I bet you're over the moon! Regarding the raw patches, I've noticed it on my hand and arm? Really weird just won't go and keeps pealing in the same spot!! What facial moisturiser are you using? I'm using Clinique- it's been brilliant.

Krissy- 2nd month break out is exactly what I'm going through!! They seem to have settled now but scars are so bad it looks purple under my foundation arghhh!! I'm only on 30mg tho, I'm sure I'm going on to 40 next time and v scared for ANOTHER IB!

Fairlie - thank you for your kind words. That's fab your doc is helping symptom control. I've got a dry inside nose too!!

Only other her symptom I've now had is v bad dandruff!! My hair is soooo bad right now, extremely dry and even if I don't wash it for a week it's not greasy at all. I think the dandruff was from being in the sun tho and has settled a lot over 2 days. Never had it before!!!

not anything else to report but feeling pretty rank right now! ROLL ON END OF TREATMENT! Hahaha xxxx

I also got pretty toasty when I was visiting California last month! Definitely get yourself a big hat and you'll be looking fabulous this Summer with CLEAR skin  Just checking in with everyone. Hope everyone is doing well. If any of you are on Instagram feel free to follow my progress and photos there... my screen name is [Removed personal information]  

I did get ONE whitehead last week (which I was on my lady time of the month) I forgot to mention, it since popped on its own. I had few clogged pores that were on the surface of the skin and hard, easily extracted with no tearing of the skin. But picking is such a NO NO on this medication I made the mistake early on in treatment and ripped an entire layer of skin off by barely even pushing on a clogged pore. Big mistake. So heed more warning ladies... Your skin will become very thin and fragile soon! If it hasn't already.  

Happy weekend to you beautiful ladies and gents. 

How is everyone doing this week? I have my derm apt to start Month 3 on Friday morning! I got another small zit over the weekend and I was a bad girl and picked at it. Left a big scab, has since healed by using the Aveeno Hydrocortisone cream, but I was so mad I did that. Sigh. I wonder if he'll bump me up since I've gotten two zits in the last two weeks and had none prior!... Shall be interesting.

Hiiiii Everyone!

CNA7 - I'm soooo bad for picking! even though my horrendous break out seems to be healing, the red marks its left behind are horrific!

How is everyone doing? My skin is peeling massive chunks of dry skin off, however feeling smoother underneath.

both my arms have now become seriously dry and flaky, however applying coconut oil has helped loads!

lips very dry, using about 4 different lip balms!

everythings just dry dry dry! BUT no new spots for 2 days and that's brilliant for me since my last outbreak!

ive also realised that I'll be a week without medication until my next appt so going to my GP on Monday to hopefully prescribe me a weeks worth, if not will ask my Dr friend to do it. I do not want to go back to stage 1!!

im now a month and a half in to treatment, still tired but all symptoms are manageable.

whats everyone's update? Xx

Hi all,

Wow it seems like I havent been here in ages. Sorry..Ive been crazy busy with work.

Ladies I know how difficult it is to stop picking. Before Accutane I was picking like a crazy person. I could turn a small spot into a huge/bleeding mark. Horrible! I havent had an IB or any major zits since starting Accutane so I havent had an opportunity to pick. Well I thought I was getting a spot at the end of month 1 and I tried to pick at it but nothing came out. I think it was just a clogged pore. It did not look nice afterwards so I promised myself not to pick at anything!

My red marks are healing but from time to time I get new ones because my skin is dry and pilling. It normally happens when I wash my face in the shower.

SofiaIve been using La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra to moisturise my face. Its really good because it doesnt leave my skin feeling grease. Cant stand cetaphil. I mean its a really good moisturiser but I hate the feeling of having it on my face.

DAY 57 today. Had my appointment with the dermatologist yesterday. My cholesterol is above normal (high cholesterol runs in my family) by 0.2 somethingJ. The dermatologist decided that I should stay on 40 mg in my 3^rd month. She also said that I dont weight enough (50 kg) to take 60 mg per day and the max I could be taking is 50 mg per day. Really?????? I dont think thats correct?

Same side effectsdryness everywheremy nose, my face, my hair, my body.everywhere! I still get occasional nose bleeds, my hair is falling as wellL. No new spots but 2 small red marks caused by dry/pilling skin on my face.

TIP. If you are suffering from dryness on your body try using babe oil (I use Johnson and Johnson brand) after taking the shower and before putting usual moisturisers. It works like a charm for meJ.

Anyway, I hope you are all OK. I look forward to reading your updates.

xx

CNA7 - thanks for the response - confirms my recollections. Had to delay starting the treatmentbut will do so shortly, so the issue has not come up. Will see what happens going forward re the injections.

I am on Day 79 now. Things are going okay -- I am mostly clear but the last three days I've been getting these teeny tiny little white heads on my chin, only three of them -- just seems interesting... But it could be because I just got off my period and/or I ate a bit of chocolate over the weekend.... which for some reason seems to still affect me even though I've been tested for all kinds of food and cocoa is not a problem... It's even the dairy free, dark kind... but I've noticed it just causes skin inflammation for me... so I'll stay away once again. I have two hyperpigmentation spots that are pretty dry and pink but they aren't that bad... I am just trying to stay positive because I truly am very proud of my progress. I will be going up to 80mg next month which I am kinda nervous about because my back pain has been pretty bad on 60mg. But I know it'll be worth it. My arms and legs are dry and my chin.

I am so glad to hear you are doing well Maggie! I weigh 51.5k (113 lbs) and I am 5'5" and I'll be up to 80mg starting June 6th. I really think it depends on your derms comfortably level. The problem is the higher you go the more risk of side effects based on your weight. But the higher you go the chance of no relapse is higher.

Sofia, I know picking is the worst part. It's so hard to control our hands and minds from doing so. When do you get your next prescription?

Hi everyone,
lets see...its now been 77 days, so 11 weeks. It has not been easy...still getting cystic acne. I was hoping to be one of the lucky ones that didn't have to go through the IB or have the medication clear my skin right away, but it has not been like that. One thing I have learned, and unfortunently had to learn the hard way is not to pick. I had a cyst come up last Thursday, I couldn't get into the derm. so I picked at it. And now a week later, it still looks bad and is not coverable. Your skin does not heal as fast and the hyper pigmentation is unreal. My skin has become so delicate and thin that any thing I pick at will take off at least a layer of skin and leave my skin raw....its a hard habit to kick after picking at my skin for the past 15 years. But I'm stopping because accutane is changing my skin and the healing process. I'm still on 80mg and my skin is not dry. I've got some chapped lips, but its manageable. I've got joint pain as well, but that's to be expected.

Hi everyone!!

lovely to hear from you all. Maggie I'm so glad it's going well! Thanks for the tip about the moisturiser, i will deff try it.
I was also told my cholesterol was high but haven't really done anything different, I suppose I excersise more but that's it.
cna7 same as me!! I think my skin has actually got WORSE,. Still waiting for it to start healing tbh, it feels smoother but looks horrific however I can just about cover it up.

my next derm is on Wednesday but had a 5 week cycle of this dose as was away with work...it was SOOOOO hard to get a weeks worth of my drug!! I was calling my hosp for 2 weeks and being told I must NOT have a week break but not getting an answer as to who can prescribe me it! however got it just in time.

so cna7 is month 4, I'm about to enter month 3, where is everyone else up to? Also how long have people been told they will be on it?

sending lots of love from sunny (ha as if) London! Xx

I am going to start Month 4 on June 6th and I'll be increasing to 80mg per day ... So not excited for more dry skin and achy joints! I will be on it for 6-7 months, depending on whether or not I want to do the 7th month. Which I may do, just to kick it for good! My skin is doing well, but its just flaring a bit every other day... But I know that means the accutane is doing it's job. Just have to breath, relax, and know it'll all work out in the end! <3

Hi CNA7 so does the skin flaring up mean it's working? I'm getting spots in areas I never did before so just feeling rubbish about the whole thing. Isit just pushing it all out? Month 4! I hope time is going quick, you're over half way there!!! Xxxx

Hello all J

Hopefully you all had a good weekend. Im away from Friday for a week and I cant wait.

Cristine Im so not happy now. How come youll be on 80 mg and my derm doesnt want me to be on more than 50 mg? Youre only 1.5 kg heavier than me.the difference is so small. Im tall as well (172 cm) so I should be prescribed higher dosageL. I think dermatologists in the UK have a different approach to Accutane. It makes me sad cause I really, really do not want to start a 2^nd round of Accutane in like 6 months after I finish the treatment. Im so scared that my mild acne may come back.

Im so sorry to hear that you skin is still flaring up Sofia. Are you on 40 mg or 60 mg? At least you got the meds on time. BTW which hospital in London you have your appointments in?

Reading your posts makes me a bit worried ladies. It seems like your skin is flaring a bit from time to time. I obviously dont want to complain but I cant remember the last time I had a spot. Does it mean that Accutane is not working and not pushing what it is supposed to be pushing out of my skin? Also, Ive got a question regarding blackheads. All of my blackheads on my nose disappeared but I still have them on my forehead. I think they look worse now than before starting the treatment. Im getting impatient cause Im on day 70and I want them gone! Im afraid that they wont disappearL. Are you still ladies fighting with the blackheads?

DAY 70 today. I cant believe it! Im still on 40 mg and dealing with the same symptoms/side effects. My skin has improved so much though that I find it difficult to believe (really angry and annoyed with the blackheads on my forehead though). Still battling dry, flaky marks on my facecurrently on my chin area.

I know that accutane works differently for everyone -- and the skin flaring is definitely the medication working. Maggie - I don't think because your skin is not flaring that it doesn't mean the medication isn't working. Everyone is different and that is so awesome you haven't had a spot in a long time! Count your blessings girl! Some people don't have an IB, but a breakout later, once the body reaches a certain level of isotretinoin -- it all just depends on how our body receives it and when. But if you didnt have an IB you are far less likely to breakout later. I have pores that get slightly elevated but not a bump per say. Just noticeable to me. Nothing is purging, just disappears within a few days. It is interesting that derms all across the world prescribe this drug differently. I don't have any black heads -- never had a problem with those except for the occasional one. 

I am sorry Sofia that your skin is still breaking out  could it maybe be the products you are using on your skin?

Hiyaaaa

im at Hammersmith hospital in London. The consultant is lovely but appts are difficult. Where are you? Yes it's amazing you've not had a breakout! Tbh I doubt u will now so that is fantastic. Yes my nose is completely clear, never had blackhead anywhere else tho so cant compare

ladies I think my problem is I'm sooooo obsessive over anything so I do pick and then when I get dry skin I pick more! I know it is sooooo bad for me and I really shouldn't, it's all my fault tbh. Also I think taking myself off Yasmin probably flared me up as well as this all started with a hormonal imbalance by having the contraceptive implant placed in! My body hattesssss synthetic hormones.

maggie I think I remember you're in London too, here I have noticed they increase your doses a lot slower than in America esp for mild acne like we had.

Cna7 keep tracking on it will all be worth it and this time next year a distant memory!!

maggie have a fab holiday, careful of the sun tho! I made that mistake.

derm appt 3 on weds woop woop! Xx

Thanks for your responses ladies. My dermatologist told me that my acne was mild to start off and if I was to get the initial breakout it would have happened already. Basically she told me to relax, stop stressing out and be grateful for belonging to a group of people not experiencing the IB. Easy for her to say. I do get like enlarged pores from time to time but they are definitely not bumps and they go away within a day or two. The marks caused by flaky/dry skin are driving me crazy though and I do pick on my dry skin too. I cant help it and unfortunately it causes more redness. I think we all now focus on the smallest imperfections that others cant even see.

I used to have my appointments in Hammersmith Hospital J but they moved me to St Marys in Paddington. Its actually better for me because I live in Bayswater so it takes me 10 minutes to get there. I actually have my blood test tomorrow.

Im getting a bit confused and I know its a stupid question to ask but Im on day 71 which means that Im still in my second month right (started on the 14^th of March)? I dont know why I was thinking that I already started 3^rd month. I think its because Ive picked up 3 prescriptions so far.

Sofia Ive bought lots of SPF lotions from Boots so Im all sortedJ. I will try to avoid the sun as much as I can.

Ahhhh that's crazy were the same area!! I live in Chiswick. St Mary's is a good hosp, had a lot of nurse training there when I was on a&e.

yeah deff agree with red marks from picking scabs, just have to keep moisturising loads! Also yes Maggie you are sooooo right that we are all searching for minor imperfections. Well I know I certainly am and have become obsessive! Not good.

Have a a fantastic holiday!! Relax and enjoy!!!

i didn't put two and two together but I find now when I go to the gym I go BRIGHT red and feel soooo hot!! I know that happens anyway but even more so now, not sure if anyone else is experiencing this? May be as I've obv given up sunbeds I'm so translucent I notice more! (Apologies for any spelling mistakes my phone screen has broken!)

lots of love xxxx

Sorry to post AGAIN ladies (in rea life I talk this much too haha) however wanted to give a little update.

so last week I was soooo down and depressed and hated my skin and this drug With horrific breakouts everywhere, however as of Monday it is so ODD but it seems like someone has flicked a switch and my skin has become amazing!!! Yes I still have red marks to fade but they are rapidly going and covered up with minimal makeup and so far FINGERS CROSSED I'm over the worst!!
Its been exactly 2 months and I think I'm on the home run!!
I do have high triglyceride levels now (fatty liver related) so need to cut out dairy and eat healthier with not even ONE cheeky wine (tbh I have been naughty so it has showed) and regular fasting bloods with GP

no dose increase now due to bloods and the doc said my skin was clear so depending on how I do this month she'll be weaning me down!!!!

i can't believe how this week has gone, hope it stays and I can say adios accutane!!! (I'm on isotretinoin obv but it didn't sound as good!)

sending all all my happy vibes to you all xxxxx

Hey everyone, I have been completely MIA for like all of month two. I started month 3 two days ago. Month 2 was a struggle I was really broken out for most of it and super annoyed but it always seems to clear up and look fine when I go to my derm so she can't see any of the bad. I also get really red in the face. It doesn't seem like sunburn but who knows. Now I am up to 80mg a day and if symptoms get bad she wants me to go back to alternating 40mg and 80mg again. I am going to Sanibel Island for 10 days in June and am kinda nervous about the sun sensitivity. Hoping that if I apply enough sunscreen it will work in my favor and I will just get tan super fast!

Hello there friends
I just wanted to come on here and see how everyone's doing on their treatment. Sadly, I'm still breaking out, but I'm still early into the treatment. If it takes me 6 months or more to clearthen so be it, I'm still hopeful it will work. I have my 4 month appointment Wed. I'm not sure if he will bump me up or not. Last appt. he mentioned 80mg is a good dosage for me. Side effects are still manageable. I still struggle with the urge to pick, I've got to find something to do in that moment when I want to pick. Because blemishes scar so much worse on accutane. I'll be back later in the week to update if he changes my dosage. Hope all is well with each of you.

Hello again,

I hope youre all doing OK. Just came back to London from short holidays. It was amazing and I didnt have to worry about putting make up on my faceJ. The dryness got out of control though. My chin is peeling like crazy and my face is red but Im not going to complain. Cant remember the last time I had a zit/spot/cyst which is just fantastic.

Had my derm appointment yesterday. My cholesterol levels decreased so she bumped me to 50 mgJ. Im not impressed with her decision though. She wants me to continue the treatment for next 2.5 months which means that I would be on Accutane for 5 and not 6 months. She said that shes happy with me achieving lowercumulative dosage which is 6000 mg in my case. NOOOOO! I would rather do extra month just in caseL. Please do not judge me as Im planning to be naughty. I got roaccutane off my friend who used to take it. She didnt finish her course due to horrible joint pains and she had full pack of pills left. I think I will do the extra month anyway and I will slowly start reducing the dosage.

DAY 85..no more nose bleeds, no more headaches just dry lips and dry skin on my red face and body.

Sofia! I am so happy to hear things have started to turn around for you! That's is amazing. Sorry I have been MIA, I was out of town over Memorial Day weekend and things at work have just been crazy. Again, so happy to hear you are doing well. Please update us with your progress when you get a chance!

Maggie, I do not judge you for this decision -- likely something I would have decided to do too! What dosage did your friend give you? As long as you'll be taking the same 50mg I think that should be good. I may be extremely naughty and go off birth control the last month and abstain because I worry so much about breaking out again when quitting both accutane and BC at the same time! Hubby already said he would abstain... good man right there! But I haven't decided yet. That won't be for a few more months. I plan to do a 6 or 7 month treatment. My face also gets red when I wash my face, but it calms down after 30 min or so. My chin skin is a little more dry this week.

I started Month 4 yesterday and got bumped to 80mg a day. I hope this will take care of the small clogged pores I have been getting every other week or so! The joint aches still sucks, but are worth it to me! I did get a nasty mosquito bite on my face last week and it was so painful! It took a week to heal! Of course it had to be on my face. Such a bummer. Also, I have been burning more easily in the sun. So be careful ladies.

Heyyyyy everyone!!

love to hear everyone's progress, this group has meant so much to me through my ups and downs so really appreciate all of you!

maggie- 100% I think I'd do the same if I was worried however obv I think speak to your doctor again and express that you want to continue for an extra month and your reasons why and listen to why they think you shouldn't before you decide to do it.

kimmy- completely the right attitude, some people don't see any difference until 6 months and then see the result. I never knew until recently but my brother went through this too! Not sure why he never told me but he had severe acne when he was younger and went on accutane and did 2 courses. Now his skin is ridiculously amazing. Everyone's different but you will see results in the end. Perseverance is key.

cna7 - lovely to hear from you! As if you got bitten on the face!!!! In London I don't need to worry about that however would swap the rain for the sun! My healing has also been really slow. I came off my birth pill as soon as I started. This may have made me break out a bit but like you I did not want to have to worry that when I finally stopped The BC I would break out loads. My partner has been amazing and were thinking of going to an appt to get the non hormonal coil however as all of this started due to me getting the implant I'm scared of ANY synthetic hormones as they do not work well for me at all!

so now I'm 2 weeks in to month 3 still on 30mg. Since my horrendous month 2 I have not seen a spot since! I'm currently walking to the gym with no makeup on at all and feel confident! My red marks are fading, I have about 2 left which are barely visible. No dry skin anymore, washing my hair a lot less and slight dry lips. However when I work out I go BRIGHT red like a baboons arse. My derm also told me my triglyceride levels were high (liver related) so sent me for weekly fasting bloods to my GP who refused to do them as they hadn't been sent any correspondence therefore I've been left with a bad liver and no bloods for 6 weeks! Calling them AGAIN tomorrow. From working ffor the NHS to being a patient, as much as I love it I can see why people get frustrated!

i don't think my dose will be increased anymore now from 30mg and my doctor mentioned she wanted to start weaning me off it.

i still check my face everyday for any signs of spots and can not believe this 2 year nightmare may finally be over!!

sending all my love xxxxx