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Third time on accutane (!) - a log

 
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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 04/24/2019 2:38 am

Day 90

In the 90s! 

No change to acne. The two pea sized spots on cheek are really getting me down. I spent all of last night furiously googling scar treatments, too for my rolling scars :( 

I've also had nosebleeds every morning for the past few days.

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 04/25/2019 5:34 am

Day 91

No change in the two megaspots :( I naughtily tried to squeeze them last night and only clear fluid came out so I stopped. They are painful and hurt all the time (moreso when I smile or eat) so I have to take painkillers throughout the day.

Overall texture is good I guess 

Still down about my rolling scars.

Side effects are bad too. My eyes are incredibly dry and I™m feeling tired and brain foggy. Lips split in corners badly at the moment. 

 

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 04/29/2019 2:53 pm

Day 95!

Sorry for the break!

Ok so those two megaspots finally started flattening on day 92, however they are very much still hanging around but no longer look so swollen and huge.

Ive had loads of closed comedones surface on the only really problematic bit of skin left: the left of my chin. Theres a few inflamed ones but I dont mind.

Overall picture is still good, and I had two compliments on my skin from different people on day 93 which was probably my best skin day to date!

Still got the dry lips, cracked corners of lips, eczema, lack of motivation/tiredness, and a bloody nose most mornings.

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MemberMember
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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/01/2019 4:07 pm

Day 97

Whilst I feel like my skin improving is partially to blame for my decrease in updates here, Im also massively demotivated in all aspects of life which I think the accutane is causing.

I sleep for 8+ hours each night but find it impossible to get out of bed every morning. Im extremely slow getting ready. I can barely decide what clothes to wear and cant be bothered to make any sort of effort! My house is a mess and I keep putting basic tasks off, which includes updating this blog!

Anyway. The good news is, my skin is still quitegood. Those two megaspots are still lingering unfortunately. They are much flatter but still pronounced and havent progressed for days and days.

Ive had two new spots, both small, and both in unusual places; forehead and left jaw.

So yeah, skin wise, progress was very quick not so long ago but has stagnated a bit. Still, at least its still heading in the right direction

 

 

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/02/2019 3:48 pm

Day 98

Not a lot to say. I had a pimple pop up on right cheek this morning. Looked more than ready to pop, so I did, now looks inflamed. I swear that didn™t happen when I wasn™t on accutane.

Left cheek still looks amazing apart from indented scarring. I have a large indented line over an inch long on my cheek. It doesn™t even look like acne scarring, it looks like I was cut with a knife as a child or something! crazy how acne can make you look like that :( 

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/04/2019 7:58 am

Day 100!

Hello triple figures and hello week 15!

Progress is still incredibly slow. That spot on my cheek is still lingering, as are the other two, meaning I have 3 bumps chilling on my right cheek, not doing a lot. This means my right cheek doesnt look amazing, but left cheek meanwhile is completely clear.

Still got closed comedones on left of chin and right neck. A few scattered elsewhere.I would estimate Ive got 20-25 left in total. They are SO stubborn.

On a positive note, I think this means that I wont be taken off accutane on my next appt in two weeks (4 month review). Theres no way Ill have 100% clear skin by then.

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/08/2019 3:04 pm

Day 104

Progress is still slow, and if anything maybe a little bit backwards. I™ve had inflamed closed comedones come up in the usual areas - left of chin - but now also had pimples on right of chin, both right and left jaw, one on temple and also back of neck? The new pimples have all been quite small so I™m not that bothered but it still seems odd.

Those three pimples on right cheek are STILL lurking!

However obviously my skin overall is looking better and better as each CC comes to the surface. But yeah, the areas I have pimples are soo much smaller now but still actives there. I™m still SO much more confident than I was before I started this journey :)

Side effects wise my energy and motivation levels are so so low. Lips are okay this week due to constant hydration and aquaphor. 

I™m just beginning to get fed up being on these meds. I feel like so many areas of my life are on hold. I™m definitely pretty old to be on accutane on average, and this time around I just feel a desperate urge to get on with my life. 

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/10/2019 4:19 am

Day 106

Things are calming down overall acne wise again, but Ive got a new megaspot coming up underneath the most recent one of the three on my right cheek. It feels like a huge, hard lump under the skin so I feel like its going to be a cyst or maybe nodular! So frustrating.

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/12/2019 1:00 pm

Day 108

As of yesterday, I am now in week 16!

Progress is still incredibly slow. I STILL have the two spots on right cheek along with ugly nodular hard spot thing which hasnt changed at all since I last blogged. Its very noticeable and getting me down.

Ive also popped up with other similar pimples (just not as big) on the right side of my face on jaw and chin: hard, flesh coloured, not squeezable. I hate this type of acne as it takes so long to disappear and Ive not come across anyone else with this type of acne? Havent even seen it in anyone elses pictures. Very strange.

Dont get me wrong, things are soooo much better than they were to start with. Overall my skin is far smoother. Im so much more confident! Im almost more paranoid about my dry lips now than my skin. But Im about to complete month 4, a point at which many people stop (like I have done twice before, although I was on a higher dose last time admittedly), and so its frustrating that my skin is still not close to being 100% clear yet.

Side effects are the same. I actually was just using aquaphor on lips for ages, but Ive re introduced my blistex too now and I think a combination of both is best.

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/14/2019 1:29 pm

Day 110

Things are feeling a bit better. Some of the spots I mentioned in my last post are drying up. This includes two of the old megaspots, although Ive still got that one massive noduletype spot just chilling under my skin, not going anywhere!

Left side of my face is literally feeling so insanely smooth. Even the troublesome patch of closed comedones on left chin is clearing up (even though every single darn one has come to a head first!)

Side effects appear to have settled as well. Lips are still being managed well with aquaphor and blistex, theyve been so well behaved the past 10 days or so.

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/17/2019 11:13 am

Day 113

Last day of week 16 and month 4

Not got loads to say, other than spots on right side of face continue to flatten out: even the megaspot! Things are on the up and I definitely think that week 16 was a bit of a turning point for me. Lips still well behaved.

Today I had my 4 month check up. Derm is happy but going to give me another 4 weeks prescription. She said that by the I would have hit the maximum cumulativedose. I mean, if you look at the guidelines for dosage, I havent reached the maximum culmulative dose at all as I would have only hit 6,000mg overall (I weigh about 62kgs). It also means I wont have hit a high dose as I did on my second round which was 6,660mg. How is 6000mg going to stop me relapsing if 6600 didnt?

That said, I couldnt be bothered arguing with her either. At least I am hitting 6000, as at one point she wanted to give me just 4 months at 40mg!

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/18/2019 3:17 pm

Day 114

Week 17 and month 5!!!! First time Ive ever been on a course this long

Things continue to improve so quickly now. My face feels so smooth! Megaspot is still flattening though, and my closed comedone count is probably at 10-15? Sounds like a lot, but lets not forget there were hundreds there before!

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/19/2019 5:24 am

Day 115

Im so happy. Skin feels so smooth. I seem to have completely stopped getting pimples over the last few days

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/21/2019 4:09 pm

Day 117

Things are still so good! :) I™ve had a little blackhead on right cheek, and a closed comedone in troublesome patch of left chin has gotten inflamed. Apart from that, no complaints from me, everything else is still flattening out 

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(@jpablo)

Posted : 05/21/2019 4:14 pm

Keep going!

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/22/2019 3:42 pm

23 hours ago, jPablo said:

Keep going!

Thanks Pablo!

Day 118

I squeezed that inflamed comedone. In my defence, it was the first spot Id squeezed for about 2 weeks which is unheard of for me!

Lips have gone drier again today, not sure why!

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/23/2019 5:42 pm

Day 119

Started my last 30 day prescription

More activity on left of chin area: another closed comedone has gotten inflamed on its own accord now. Part relief because the area is finally clearing out, but also part frustration as my skin was looking so good til recently!

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jPablo, jPablo and jPablo reacted
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Posted : 05/27/2019 1:26 pm

Day 122

So those two closed comedones on left of chin cleared up so quick, despite the fact I naughtily squeezed them before they were ready. Usually this would have meant horrible inflamed cysts but it just never happened!

Skin is looking smother and smoother. I still have some hard bumps flattening down (taking sooo long) on right cheek and jaw. All good apart from that.

Lips are so much better to manage. Only applying aquaphor or blistex every hour! Sometimes more, or less too.

Happy girl

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 05/29/2019 1:41 pm

Day 124

Skin still feels and looks brilliant! 

Not so good news: had a bad nose bleed this morning and the cracks in the sides of my lips are so unbearable now :(

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 06/03/2019 2:21 pm

Day 129

Already in week 19

Skin still looks better every day. Still got about 10 closed comedones that are so stubborn!

Ive noticed I dont have dry patches on arms anymore but got no clue when this cleared up? Past few weeks I think.

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 06/07/2019 3:32 am

Day 133

I tried squeezing some of the closed comedones in that left patch of chin as they are just not going anywhere otherwise. Nothing major happened really!

Nothingelse to report. Mega spots are STILL there! They flatten every day but Ive never known it so long for things to go away. Still feel like hard under skin bumps.

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MemberMember
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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 06/08/2019 11:29 am

Day 134

Today is my first day of an 8 day break off accutane, as agreed by derm, whilst I™m on vacation :)

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 06/09/2019 2:14 pm

Day 2 of break. Lips are worse than ever! Edges have peeled and are all uneven

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MemberMember
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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 06/11/2019 3:38 pm

Day 4 of break

Lips have slightly calmed down as of today. Skin is looking good today!

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(@3wishes14)

Posted : 06/16/2019 6:25 pm

Day 134

Hi all, today I started taking my tablets again. It™s been so nice having a little break, my lips never got back to normal but I got to a point where I was only having to put my lip cream on every two hours perhaps?

Sadly, acne wise, things were bad in the break. I woke up on day 6 with a very big and hard lump on my chin :( I then had a blackhead pop up near my left eye, and two small spots on my right cheek. 

I have no idea why this was, but understandably it™s left me in a bit of a spin! It™s such as shame, as on day 5 of the break I was so happy and so clear. I™m not going to call my derm or do anything for now though, because I was taking a progesterone pill throughout the break for unrelated medical reasons and acne is a side effect :/

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