Day 32-35
My face feels very smooth in most places now. There is still kind of a rough texture on my upper cheeks, but it's really only detectable by feel. I brokeout a bit on my left cheek. The breakouts around my temples are healing slowly but surely. My face looks pretty shiny lol.. my derm explained that because accutane exfoliates the top layer it exposes a fresh layer... that happens to make you look like Mr. Clean but on your face lol. My chest is pretty much all cleared up. My back and shoulders are still healing from the IB. I looked back in the log and it seems that my IB started week 3. Most people endure it for 3-4 weeks it seems like, so hopefully mine ends in a week or two!
Day 45
Hey guys!Been a while since i've posted.. I ended up getting sick which added to the fun lol.. I'm doing better now though. Things are continuing on course. My chest is pretty much clear. My shoulders and back are definitely improving. The shiny face thing has pretty much subsided. The breakouts i'm having now on my face seem to be slowing down. They are generally smaller and less inflamed. I tried to exfoliate off some dead skin... definitely a mistake.. don't do it lol. My face looked irritated for like two days. Just finished another big box of claravis yesterday.. times flying!!!
Happy Thanksgiving btw! Hope you all are doing well!!
Best
J
Good news!
Half way thro month 5 now. Face clearing up beautifully now. Still some scabby patches but no active acne. Back is much slower but definitely improving. Feeling very tired. Fatigue is a side effect so may be the medication or just winter and the cold, dark nights in UK. Does seem to be affecting focus and concentration a bit. Again not sure if it's the medication or just fatigue generally. All the best.
Congratulations!!! It sounds like you had a similar response in terms of time and symptoms to my sister. Fight through the rest of it... you are almost in the clear! ... pun intended lolol
Hang in there! The results are on the way! Patience isn't my strong suit, but I think that's the name of the game with iso treatment. Head up and keep moving forward!
Hey guys!
Just had my second follow up with my derm. We decided to go up to 70mg/day to get closer to the 1mg/kg mark. I was kinda concerned about upping the dosage, but my derm seemed confident in what she was doing. She actually said 70 was still a bit under the 1mg/kg for my bodyweight. I'll be starting a new month of 70 this coming Friday! Crazy it has already been two months! Hope you all are doing well!!!!
J
Good news! Don't be nervous. Sometimes the side effects can increase on a doseage increase but once your body adjusts they tend to settle back down. Keep hydrated and look after yourself. Get some early nights if fatigue hits you and you will be fine!
On the last month now which will take up to max dose. The nurse was suggesting we don't go for last month but as the back was still not clear I pushed for an extra month to go up to 150mg/kg and she agreed. Facial skin getting smoother and clearer. Hopefully this month will be what is needed to clear up the back. Be positive guys and be patient! It is worth it!!
Day 61 - First day of 70mg
Nothing new today. Everything has been stable for about two weeks. I looked back in the log and realized I am definitely not breaking out as much as I did during the crux of the initial breakout. Hopefully the bump in dose doesn't cause more breakouts, but my derm said it shouldn't. *fingers and toes and everything crossed* lolol
Day 66
Broke out a little bit on my forehead. I got a zit on my right cheek for the first time during the course.. kinda random lol. Skin and lips are definitely more flaky, but i'm not sure if it's from the raise in dose or the non-existent humidity in southern california at the moment lol. My humidifer is probably my best friend this month lol.
Day 72
Hey guys! These last two weeks since the raise to 70mg have been tough overall. I have had major fatigue for the past week...I can fall asleep on demand now lol. The red face thing has returned and my skin has become very dry. I've been moisturizing religiously, but I think the iso is winning the battle on skin dryness at the moment. On the bright side, I didn't have another major flare of breakouts from the raise in dose. Some of the old breakouts are starting to dry up! I think overall I look worse from red and dry skin, but i'm trying keep my sights focused on the end result.
How are you all doing???
Best
Congrats @Juwalker!!! Hopefully in a few months i'll follow suit.
On 21.12.2017 at 11:59 PM, Juwalker said:Only 14 days left. Very fatigued too. Dry lips. Facial skin is still not dry but no acne at all , no comedones. Great result facially. Bacne is very improved but not completely gone. All the best.
hey man, can u post pictures of ur back before/after or send them into PM? im 24M, having pretty bad body acne, chest/back/shoulders. Face cleared itself with age, but body acne sucks. So thinking if its worth a shot to go for it.
Day 76
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
My skin is definitely clearing up acne-wise. The jump to 70mg has really made a difference! The skin on my cheeks has like this layer of dry skin over them... and it's only on my cheeks lol.. kinda weird. Just trying to keep up with moisturizing to keep things comfortable.
Day 79
I am definitely passed the IB period. The breakouts are really slowing down! My skin is red and peely, but I guess that's the price you pay for clear skin in the long run lol.. I consider it an investment with long term returns lol. My body acne is starting to slow down as well!
Aside from my skin, the side effects haven't been too miserable. I'll get the occasional headache and some joint pain, but it pales in comparison to the pain that acne causes in life.
Day 84
Happy New Year everyone! I'm very happy to put 2017 in the past! lol
My skin over the last week has been peeling like crazy! My skin was so dry it looked like mudcrack photos taken in nature lol. It started peeling off in big peices. The skin underneath is extremely soft and not dry at all! Kinda weird, but I won't question it lol. My face turns red sometimes for no apparent reason.. i'm pretty sure it's just the iso "irritating" my skin.
The breaking out has been really coming to a hault! All of the old lesions are healing up nicely!
@JuwalkerI just realized you are done this week! What a way to start the New Year!
How is everyone else getting along??
Hope you all are doing well, and here's to a happy and healthy 2018!
I just finished month 3, now I'm continuing on the 60mg most likely for the rest of my course. Overall things are getting better breakout-wise however there's still a couple spots that persist and come back so I'm hoping another month on 60 will kill them for good!! Dryness/redness is definitely annoying, and some joint soreness (feel like an old woman lol). But overall it's going well, hopefully the new year = new/good results!
@4569allyGood to hear the breakouts are slowing down! I kinda had the same thing about 6 weeks ago where certain spots wouldn't die.. then the raise in dose obliterated them lol. I definitely agree that the redness/dryness is annoying.
Day 87
Over the last two weeks my skin changed so much it's unbelievable. It went from kinda dry, to sahara desert dry lol, to shedding like a snake, to very soft baby butt skin lolol. I saw my derm yesterday for my third follow up and she explained that as the iso corrects the skin shedding, you can shed off a whole "dead" layer. It was pretty crazy to watch that whole thing unfold lol. My skin is sensitive and red at times, but I haven't broken out in almost two weeks!
I asked about the skin redness because I was conerned and she assured me it is temporary.