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Day 42
One small but tender spot is brewing under left cheek. A little disappointed but Im still holding out hope that this is a blip and cheeks are generally on the up.
Another very similar inflamed closed comedonehas come up on left jaw.
Everything else is either scarring or flattening out, so overall picture is still good.
Lips are still SO bad! And Im still tired all the time despite sleeping well.
Day 43
Dont really know how to explain my skin at the moment. Its like the picture is changing constantly even though everything is slow to heal? Which sounds contradictory.
for example I was pretty happy with my skin when I blogged yesterday morning, but then I had another two or three closed comedones get inflamed on bottom of face again. The worst was my chin below lip, one got badly inflamed.
My right cheek also feels a bit bumpy and its hard to tell if this is new stuff getting inflamed or if its still my megaspots flattening out from before.
So yeah overall things have deteriorated a bit.
side effects wise, lips are still awful. Mishapen and red.
Day 44
Week 7!
Ok so things werent quite as bad as I was expecting when I woke up this morning. A few things have flattened out, but Ive got quite inflamed and nasty spots on chin and one on rightcheek which is the worst as its so painful.
I did phone my derms office yesterday because I was concerned about deteriorating acne, and shes brought my next review forward to next Friday, day 50, with a view to possibly upping dose.
On a sadnote, I left my aquaphor in work yesterday so now wont be ableto use until Monday! Devastated!
Other observations - grease seems to have returned to hair? Cant let it go without being washed anymore!
Day 45
So Im currently sporting two actives on right cheek, one on right lower cheek, and two on left lower cheek. Again, none of them are horrible and cystic like they have been, but they arent great either.
Still getting joint pain after exercise. Lips have been okay which is miraculous given Ive been without my aquaphor!
Day 47
Things are still looking good! My skin feels smooth. I have had one active pop up today on right cheek, but its small and I cant see it hanging round for too long.
Getting excited that this is a turning point, hard not to get hopes up!
In other news, I am now taking some supplements: 3000mg Biotin and 3000mg Omega fish oil
Day 48
Things are still good. Ive still got that spot on right cheek, and now two inflamed comedoneson lower right cheek, but nothing else. So three actives altogether. My left side of face is really clear.Overall at the moment I feel its two steps forward and one step back, as opposed to last few weeks its been two steps forward two (or three!) back.
Last night I did a small patch test of hard wax on my bikini line. So far so good! I know you arent supposed to but I thought patch testing couldnt hurt!
Day 49
Times are changing. As you know, I have hundreds of closed comedones left still. By the end of today, so many of them seem closer to the surface; particularly on my neck and left jaw. I just sat for 30 mins squeezing them. I could stay there all night and still not be anywhere near finished!
In a way it™s a good thing, but I™m also worried because the texture of my face is looking pretty poor right now 
No ˜megaspots™ for now, at least.
Day 50
I should be celebrating that Im in the 50s but today has just been dreadful. Where do I start!
Firstly, all those closed comedones I squeezed last night are looking inflamed and angry, so the sides of my chin are looking very bumpy. Secondly, Ive had new nasty actives (I genuinely thought Id seen the back of them) - one on left cheek, one on right cheek, and three huge horrid ones bottom right cheek.
Secondly, I had my 2 month check up today a week early. I was astounded my derm wrote me out another months of 40mg for month 3. I was very vocal today in how I felt about that: the fact that I clearly need a higher dose to clear me up, and how Ive been on higher doses before. She is now referring to my course length as 6 months, not 4, and how we are only 7 weeks in to a 24 week course and so I shouldnt panic (even though during my last check up she promised Id clear up at week 5!). I asked her to up my dose to shorten my course length but she wouldnt do it. She did say though next month she will give me a choice of 40mgs 60mgs if I am still breaking out. I also raised concerns about my total culmulative dose being low but she just said she would go away and work it out exactly. She says she is a firm believer in 40mg as it does the work without the harsh side effects, and believes the medication is working well because my lips are dry.
Whatever.
I always wonder how doctors choose their doses, why they choose to increase vs decrease. I understand starting out small and gradually increasing. I think the general knowledge is that there is an optimal final dose you want to hit, so the higher the daily dose, the faster you hot that optimal. Yeah, the side effects are bad and the breakouts might even be worse, but you get clear skin faster! Actually now that I say that maybe she won't increase your dose because you're breaking out so bad? A higher dose might mean more breakouts that she doesn't want to cause.
Either way, I'm on your side. I'm all for higher doses. My first round my doctor was hesitant (I think mostly because my triglycerides in my blood were getting too high for comfort which I understand). Do you know that your bloodwork is OK? This round I have a new doctor who started me on 40 and jumped me to 70 and I've stayed at 70 and am very content. I was worried my triglycerides would increase too much again and that he would have to decrease my dose, but I've been very mindful of eating and working out to keep it low and it surprisingly is.
My doctors appointments are midday so I have to arrive with a full face of makeup on (don't leave the house without it) and my breakouts don't look as bad. Maybe if you arrived with makeup your breakouts won't look as bad and doc will increase dose? Just a thought.
Addition: I'm in my third month, day 66
6 hours ago, acneruinsmylife said:I always wonder how doctors choose their doses, why they choose to increase vs decrease. I understand starting out small and gradually increasing. I think the general knowledge is that there is an optimal final dose you want to hit, so the higher the daily dose, the faster you hot that optimal. Yeah, the side effects are bad and the breakouts might even be worse, but you get clear skin faster! Actually now that I say that maybe she won't increase your dose because you're breaking out so bad? A higher dose might mean more breakouts that she doesn't want to cause.
Either way, I'm on your side. I'm all for higher doses. My first round my doctor was hesitant (I think mostly because my triglycerides in my blood were getting too high for comfort which I understand). Do you know that your bloodwork is OK? This round I have a new doctor who started me on 40 and jumped me to 70 and I've stayed at 70 and am very content. I was worried my triglycerides would increase too much again and that he would have to decrease my dose, but I've been very mindful of eating and working out to keep it low and it surprisingly is.
My doctors appointments are midday so I have to arrive with a full face of makeup on (don't leave the house without it) and my breakouts don't look as bad. Maybe if you arrived with makeup your breakouts won't look as bad and doc will increase dose? Just a thought.
Addition: I'm in my third month, day 66
Good to hear from you!
I know, I dont get it either. She said to me during my first month review that she would consider upping dose if acne gets worse because that would suggest the current dose isnt working? Shes gone back on her word anyway. But I see your logic as well, upping dose could trigger a purge or make acne worse? I just really dont know. She says shewont up me because my side effects are severe because she said my lips looked dry today, and because I reported a nose bleed before (she said shes never heard of that side effect!!? Wtf!). She says that wanting to shorten my course length isnt justifiable for her to increasemy dose. Anyway. Next month shes away and is leaving her replacement (who cant prescribe) with two ready made prescriptions, 40 vs 60, and I can pick. Id like to do even just one month on 60mg to speed things up. Yup, my blood tests are all fine and normal!
Thats a good idea actually.I took my makeup off in the car park (I dont leave the house with makeup either) and so when I walked in my face would have looked more red than usual, and my lips dryer (I always find my lips go all dry and weird when I rub product past/near them like makeup remover!?)
glad 70mg is working for you. How long do you think youll have left?
Day 52
As of yesterday, its week 8!
Didnt blog yesterday because I had absolutely nothing to report, skin was exactly the same.
Today Ive noticed the megaspots Ive got beginning to dry out but theyre still huge, inflamed and red.
Got lots of lower back pain but no idea if its accutane related?
Day 53
Nothing major to report. Mega spots continue to flatten, with help from BP. I do have one new active: an inflamed comedone on chin. It™s quite painful due to its location. I get the impression that I will have another wave of œsmoothness once these have all flattened completely.
My hair is really dry. So dry. It feels brittle and like straw 
really gutted about it.
Day 54
Things went down hill after my last blog post. Since then I™ve had four new actives, almost symmetrical: two on jaw and two on upper cheekbone, all on opposite sides of the face. All four woke me up in pain last night 
they™re not even that big, just very very tender.
Side effects same with addition of dry eyes this morning.
Day 55
Things look better today. Three out of those 4 new actives are now on their way out. My face kind of resembles chicken pox at the moment, like red marks everywhere from picking and/or where Ive BPed spots. But its easy to cover with makeup, and I feel like overall texture is improving.
Side effects fine. Even lips are being well behaved last few days!
I know Im posting twice in one day but I honestly think Ive hit a turning point. There is a mirror in my office that Ihatebecause the lighting in the room is so poor. Every time you glance in it you see every imperfection. I remember when I relapsed the second time in 2014, and then when I had a mini lapse of closed comedones on jaw in 2016, both times I only really noticed after catching my self in that mirror.
Obviously history repeated itself in 2018 and Ive struggled to look at my reflection in it. However, today I did, and was quite impressed with what I saw: my cheeks in particular have come on leaps and bounds. My left one looks and feels insanely smooth and I genuinely feel most closed comedones have gone from cheeks.
My forehead, although never a troubled area for me, feels like babys soft skin, I cant stop touching it!
i have noactives.
basically my closed comedones are 95% on my jaw, chin and some on neck. So Ive still got a lot of breakingout to do. But the fact my acne is contained in such a small part of my face makes me sohappy!
Day 56
GUH!
Ive got my first cold sore since starting accutane. I kind of saw it coming, as its on a patch of skin on my lip that peeled off earlier this week and was very red. Id been managing it with Zovirax but I didnt put any on last night and this morning, bam! Cold sore in its place. Im bummed because my lips are actually in great shape otherwise.
Nothing else to report. One new active a few cm from corner of mouth on right side of face. Rest of skin still looks good.
Day 57
Ive had a new closed comedone become inflamed on bottom left of face which is my most problematic comedone area. Many of my closed comedones get inflamed a bit,whilst others turn into even more inflamed deep cysts, some turn into manageable whiteheads, some turn into hard weird lumps... one thing is for sure though, none of them disappear!
Side effect wise: lips still weirdly manageable. Yesterday I noticed red, dry, scaly patches all down my left arm.
Day 59
Not much to report today so I thought Id reflect back on month 2.
Month two started off awfully for me. I had deep, cystic spots that were so painful I had to pop painkillers. My lips were dryer than ever. I began getting joint pain.
However, as the month went on, my skin started to clear! Blackheads vanished and the nasty spots dried up. My side effects settled down.
Unfortunately Ive had a little relapse in the last week or so, but things are still manageable. Im very greatful that my cheeks are no longer a problem area and that the acne has moved down to my chin and jaw.
I also looked back at old pictures (I take them once a week) and was astounded in the progress over the last few weeks that I hadnt really noticed. The right cheek is still the worst, but the difference on the right cheek since October2018 is incredible. The left cheek is looking great - its never been the worst cheek, but in November 2018 I had a horrric outbreak there which nearly put me off going to work it was so bad. To think it now has no actives is crazy.
Promise Ill post pics when I can.
Heres to month 3. Ive got a lot of expectations for month 3, based on previous experience! I usually see the most progress. Wish me luck!
Day 60! Wow!
Skin isnt looking brilliant. Ive had a left cheek spot brewing for days that I havent touched, but its now very tender and sore. Ive also got another nasty one bottom right cheek, as well as all of my chin and jaw breakouts tocontend with.
Im feeling fine about it all though. Every week I have less and less closed comedones; even if that is because they are all coming to a head first... Id rather have a face with a few deep nasty pimples than a face covered in hundreds of bumps.
Side effects: exercisedyesterday and my bottom back and legs are so stiff and painful! Also I keep noticing eyelashes on my face? This morning I counted 5 whilst I was doing my makeup as if they are falling out!? Has anyone found this on accutane?
Day 61
Greatful as I am to be in the 60s now, and month three, I cant help but feel like time is starting to drag. Im still 4 weeks off being half way through!
That left cheek pimple is a horror. Its got two heads with greenish gunk inside.
Ive also got 3/4 other painful spots on right chin, jaw and lower cheek.
My skin on face has gone particularly dry recently which weirdly hasnt been an issue at all until now. Ive also noticed a series of large blotchy red patches going down all the side of my neck on the left. My eyelashes are still falling out too?
Day 63
Skin still very bad. The 3 spots in a row on my cheek are still bad. Ive got a LOT of closed comedones getting inflamed now on problem area, which is left sideof chin. I would say my total, active spot count is now in the double figures.
Hating myself right now. And this whole situation.