Day 99
Hey everyone! It's been a while! My skin over the last week and half from the last time I posted has been pretty stable. I haven't had any major breakouts since 2017... that's so crazy to say! LOL. My skin is still pretty dry but moisturizer does the trick. My lips have been saved by aquaphor this whole time... i might marry it for how helpful it's been lol. My skin still turns red at times, but I try to keep the ultimate goal in mind and not let it get to me too much.
How are you all doing?
Day 103
We hit the 100 day mark! Woohooo! My skin is doing pretty well. I haven't had any major breakouts in a few weeks! Looking back, I followed the generic accutane course flow in terms of acne: start - IB during first month or so - IB begins to subside during month two - things to start to clear month three. As far as side effects, my joint and back pain seemed to subside even on an increased dose!... or i'm just going numb to the pain lol. Dry skin has been kept at bay with Cerave moisturizing cream and some aquaphor on some rough scaly patches. Lips have been kept in great shape with consistent aquaphoring and a coat of jojoba oil at night. Also, i accidentally applied Cerave to my lips, and it made them reallly soft and smooth lol. I consider myself very lucky thus far, as I had relatively quick results and very manageable side effects.
On a note away from the course itself, I have started to become a bit more social again! It feels so weird after so much time of social avoidance and low self-esteem. I could almost cry tears of joy while writing this. I think the sun is beggining to rise after a looong cold night!
Hope you all are doing well!!!!!
Day 120
Hey all! Wow.. month 4 ended as quick as it started! Exciting news!.. my derm said i am only going to need 5 months! When she said that I almost couldn't believe it.. I had to sit there and process that I only have one more month. I went to the pharmacy and picked up my last set of pills, and it just felt really weird so say the least.
My skin is clear besides the odd pimple here and there, and new ones heal sooo much faster. My face turns red sometimes from heat and stuff, but it's the last month!.... i'm keeping my head up!
@JuwalkerHow has it been for the last month off the iso? Have the side effects faded a bit?
Hope you're all well!
Hey guys!!
Holy. Crap. Only two weeks left... this feeling of being so close is unbelievable. These last two weeks of the final month have been hard... i've been tired, sore, and just in general uncomfortable. The dryness and redness have intensified as well.
BUT.... I am completely clear of acne on my face and 99% on my body. I am so grateful that iso worked for me... i actually look at the box of Claravis and see the equivalent of a guardian angel lol.
Now I just need to ride out these last two weeks and then hopefully the side effects go away fairly quick.
How are you all doing???
I have a month and few days left. The side effect I can't wait to go is dry eyes. I actually haven't broke out at all on my face during the last few weeks. I broke out a bit on my body but other than that i've been clear!
How is your course going overall??
@jPabloThat's awesome! Just keep in mind that it will work even if you feel discouraged at times. Keep us posted on how things are going!
@sanjam95I think some small breakouts near the end of the course is alright. Just as long as they aren't cystic. And I feel you about the redness... but... just imagine the feeling of bliss once it's gone! Better days ahead!
Hey all!
Day 144
Wow! I am into the final week!... where did the time go? Lol. These last couple weeks have been rough... i've been sore, tired, and in general worn down. But it has been soo worth it! My skin has been consistently clear for almost a month now... I thank god every morning. I am looking forward to the side effects wearing off and returning to a more functional state lol.
I'm just past the 5 month point, and I'm sort of somewhere in the middle...at this moment things are looking decent (aside from being super red and having scars). No huge breakouts but there are still small ones coming and going. Every week it still fluctuates a lot. I knew I would have a longer treatment going into this (not your seemingly usual ~6 month, probs more like 8 or so). I'm cautious with getting my hopes up whenever I have a good week because you never know...still on 60mg but potentially going to 80mg at next appt. Keeping my head up! I know I'm better off than when I started but I really thought I'd be totally clear by now. We shall see...
Keep up that postive attitiude! You will make it!
Is your face constantly red or only sometimes???
Day 150
Well... today is the day... my final dose of iso!!! I can't believe how fast the course went... it feels like just yesterday that I took my first dose. I am going to write a summary of my course and my final thoughts in the coming days.. if it helps even just one person that'd be great! I will also write some tips and tricks I learned along the way which will hopefully help someone down the road!
@J.A.R
I'm mostly just red in the areas of scarring and leftover/active inflammation. The normal parts of my skin aren't very red so that's good. Had my almost-6 month appt today, doctor wants to keep me at 60mg (will reach my upper cumulative dose in ~2 more months). Like I said before, I know there's been improvement overall but I'm starting to face the potential fact that this may not fully work for me...which is scary because I don't really know what other options there are? Back-track and do an antibiotic? Topicals that won't help anything? Don't know...just scared of relapsing as soon as I'm off the accutane and not having a solution.