13 weeks post accutane.
The flesh coloured bump on my jaw has shrunk but is very much still there.
The closed comedones have calmed down a bit which has made me wonder if it was hormonal? That said, this week Ive had quite a lot of blackheady type spots pop on the side of my face, near my ears and temple area? Again, everything comes and goes quickly but its still a bit annoying.
My NHS appointment couldnt have been more of a waste of time. They closed my case straight away and refused to keep me on their books in case I relapse fully.
I plan on cashing in my treclin gel prescription this week and starting to use it.
On 10/6/2019 at 8:52 PM, jPablo said:I'm nearly a year and half post tane now. I still breakout every week but everything moves quicker than before accutane. I always remind myself what it was like before and now.
Self acceptance is a good medication too, everyone gets skin issues, it's normal. Stay happy!
Thats so good to hear! And youre right, self acceptance is so important. I still struggle with it, but have gotten so much better.
Just an update, although my skin has calmed down a bit (although it is starting to look rather oily now!), I have decided to start using my treclin gel for maintence. I put a verythin layer on my skin before bed. If my skin is okay with it I will try using it once more later in the week, I basically want to build it up slowly to daily.
I also started taking Wellwoman tablets on Saturday. They are basically multivitamins designed to balance hormones. As Ive posted about here, Im borderline PCOS, so am trying to be kind to myself by taking vitamins whilst also watching my diet a bit more and cutting down on caffeine
15 weeks post accutane
Things are good on the closed comedone front. Skin is good although my forehead is oily and as a result I do get very tiny spots there.
As well as taking well woman tablets (which seem to have increased my energy levels?) Ive been using treclin gel for maintenancefor nearly 2 weeks - but Ive only used it three times as Im phasing it in. So far so good
24ish weeks post accutane
Hi everyone! So my routine remains the same: treclin gel every other night (ish) and well woman tablets.
My skins not doing tooo marvellous right now. My forehead remains a really problematic area, lots of tiny red spots. Looks fungal but nizoral isnt touching it?
Closed comedone wise, Ive got 4 on left chin, and a few on the edge of my face (dont know how else to explain!) which is odd as I dont usually get acne there?
plan of action is to persevere with nizoral on head, get rid of my cetaphil cleanser (as my skin is now oily rather than dry, so hydrating cleanser probably not suitable!), switch up my shampoo in case thats causing issues on forehead and/or edge of face. Also Ive been eating junk so going to be more careful with my diet!
watch this space
25 weeks post accutane
Hi all,
Skin is slightly better overall. I managed to banish the forehead acne by binning the nizoral and using my treclin gel each night. So happy!
ive still got about 4-5 closed comedones at any given time and usually one whitehead somewhere. Thats it. Manageable.
35 weeks post accutane
Hi everyone! So apart from a few closed comedones here and there, the return of blackheads to my nose, and oily skin... my skin has been okay actually 
However, I have experienced a big setback.
A few weeks ago, I developed what I now know is perioral dermatitis. I knew it wasn™t acne at the rate it was spreading, but it still rocked me as I had to stop using all products, including my treclin gel! I™ve been taking minocycline and using rozex (antibacterial) gel on my face.
It™s fully possible that the treclin gel triggered this condition, so I™m going to reeeallly gradually phase it back in as soon as the PD is 100% gone. Luckily it™s clearing quickly!
39 weeks post accutane
Hi guys.
I stopped taking doxycycline on 22nd March, so after about 4 weeks. It cleared the PD up a treat - however it started to creep back about 4/5 days later, so I™m trying to manage it with rozex gel. I™m also conscious both flare ups have been around time of the month, so it could also be that?
Im battling really bad what looks like fungal acne on forehead again. Washing with nizoral shampoo every other day, but so far I™ve seen absolutely no results 
will keep trying.
45 weeks post accutane
Hi everyone.
So my forehead has been pretty oily, and my pores are definitely looking larger. My skin has definitely lost that post accutane look where everything looks so good and smooth! That said, acne wise, things are okay. My forehead is manageable with nizoral, kind of. Funnily I took an oral thrush tablet last week and noticed an immediate clearancein my forehead. Coincidence? I doubt it.
About two weeks ago, I decided to ditch my Wellwoman tablets. Perioral dermatitis is still very much real for me, and Id started reading about how too much B12 can cause acne and/or PD. Im interested to see if my periods stay regular or not. Instead Ive just been taking a probiotic each morning, which Ive been doing since I came off my antibiotics.
A few days ago, I decided to ditch rozex too. I felt like whilst it may have been stopping things from getting too bad, it certainly wasnt clearing anything up at all, which was annoying me due to the huge sacrifice Id made in terms of giving up my treclin gel.
Rather than go back to my treclin, which I think may have caused my PD in the first place, I decided to change tact completely and invested in The Ordinary Azelaic Acid. Reason being is thatazaelaic acid has been shown to be a treatment for both PD and acne, so I was really keen to try something that may not only clear my PD, but stop my skin from getting congested.
Only problem was, the first day after stopping Rozex and adding AA, my PD flared up so bad! After some research, it seemed that I could actually keep Rozex in my routine, so thats where Im at right now.
Therefore, my current routine is:
AM - take a probiotic. Wash face with Cetaphilcleanser (I Have the one for oily skin now, have done for some months). Moisturise with cerave daily moisturising lotion. Let it sink in. Apply Rozex gel to PD area (mouth nose and chin)
PM - wash face with water, dry, and apply azelaic acid.
Im extremely nervous about adding a new product in this way. Lets see what happens!
Way over a year post accutane
Hi everyone!
So the routine I posted above REALLY helped me to manage my PD, even when I took the probiotics out of the way.
But now acne has crept back up again. It started with clogged pores on my chest, closed comedones all over my neck, and now they seem to be working their way up to my jawline
I did have a massive hormonal change recently in my body which may have triggered some of this, which has now been managed, so it will be interesting to see if my closed comedones chill out or continue to pop up in new places.
Now my PD is under control, tonight I™ve started back on the treclin gel instead of rozex and Azelaic acid. Not sure if that was the right move but I felt like I needed to do something drastic. Watch this space
Mini update
Hi everyone, so Ive changed my routine again! A day after I posted, I remembered treclin was possibly the culprit for initiating my PD in the first place, so I decided against using it again. Instead, I ordered Skinoren which is 20%Azaeliac acid and known for helping both PD and acne.
So, now in the mornings, I cleanse, moisturise, use Rozex, and in the nights I cleanse and use skinoren. Ive also started taking my wellwoman tablets again and probiotics each day.
My chest has cleared up now, but Ive still got about 20small comedones on my neck and down the right hand side of my face. The hormonal jaw ones seemed to have calmed down thank god.
What I will say, is that on close inspectionof the comedones on my neck and side of face, loads of them seem to be blackheads whilst only a small ish fraction of them have hard white stuff that comes out? This is really unusual for me because I rarely ever get blackheads. Usually my closed comedones give out hard, white stringy stuff and never turn to blackheads. Maybe that means theyll be easier to shift though!
Hey everyone
Closed comedones are creeping up unfortunately. Ive still got a lot of them on my neck, then about 20 on each side of my face (not quite as low as jaw but not quite as high as cheek either). So Ive got 50ish overall now Id say.
ive only been using skinoren every other night as its quite drying, particularly on my forehead, however Im going to try and use it every night now as of tonight. Obviously I am getting concerned because based on my previous experience they only go away once theyve come to a head! So Im hoping and praying upping skinoren works for me but Im not convinced
So how have things gone? Just read your blog and the periods after tane.
I have just started my third round, after having a rash/acne- outbreaj on my chest. Booked an appointment with a dermatologist, which said he was surprised by the low dose I took on my second round (my GP prescribed it then), and after looking at my face he decided I should go on 20 mg for 18-24 months. I havent had that many closed comedones, but my pores are neither possible to squeeze nor looks good... . I have started on Differin (so a trerinol I believe?) twice a week as well. Very different from my last two rounds, but the derm recommended this, and said that after it we would need to find a proper cleansing routine? I am kind of sensitive to acids and strong creams, but do respond well to salicylic acid. Might be worth trying.
After my first round I also had extremely low levels of B12. Even though you have found that B12 might cause acne, perhaps worth checking your blood?
Hope your skin improve each week and the fungal has gone..
Hi everyone
Just got back to this website again as I am starting my 3rd round of accutane as well, but this time my dermatologist recommended 5mg daily (so low dose) to see if this can permanently stop my acne and lower risk of side effects.
I am on day 7 and already I feel different, I thought I might not feel anything so quickly because of the low dose, but guess not. I have a few rough patches on my face and itchiness, which I dont remember having the last two times. My skin care started to sting a little too..
hopefully this will get better. Thank you all for sharing your stories, it really helps!
Im joining this convo kind of late but Im here! I wish none of us had to deal with acne and how it can affect our every day lives. I absolutely envy those who dont have acne and their skin looks flawless.. I wish!
Anyway, I am 28 and now going to be starting my 3 round journey of Accutane. I started getting acne when I was 11 years old and have been battling ever since.I was on Accutane over 15 years ago and actually was on it for 2 rounds back to back, which is not usual and not recommended but we wont go there. Ive endured major stress, personal trauma, and life changes that I believe are to mostly blame for the severe cystic acne that have set up camp on my cheeks, chest, shoulders, back, and even stomach! Ive been on the carousel of acne treatments - oral, topical, cosmetic laser/light therapy - but here I am,still at battle with my skin.
Weirdly enough, despite the side effects I know Im going to endure, I cant wait to start yet another round of Accutane and Im really hoping third times a charm! As sorry as I am you all have dealt with this, Im just glad and relieved Im not alone!