About Me -

I started breaking out in my early twenties after living a blemish free life throughout high school. I was confused and upset, because I thought I had somehow escaped the wrath of acne. I was always extremely oily, which sucked, but I could handle. The acne was another story. I tried over the counter wash and scrubs, got facials, switched my makeup, tried Proactive, ect. Finally I had enough and went to the dermatologist who put me on antibiotics (I believe it was doxycycline) and a topical. My face, chest and back did show signs of improvement...for a little while. I'm not sure if my body got used to the antibiotics, or what, but the acne flared up again about a year later and continued to roller coaster from "I can't show my face, this is terrible" to "Ugh, I guess I'll cake 10 lbs of makeup on".

*Side note: My acne has never covered my entire face, chest, or back, but it's persistent. Large, painful cysts under the skin that take a week to expose themselves then another 2 weeks to finally start going away. Those types of cysts also made appearances on my chest and back along with little red bumps that just seem to always be there, but never give way to a white head. And then there's the scarring...

Fast forward to the beginning of this year. 26 years old and STILL suffering from the same issues. At this point I have tried doxycycline, doryx, epiduo, tretinoin cream, differin, aczone, ect. I've cut dairy out of my diet, I'm exercising religiously, being extremely diligent about washing my face at night and cleaning my makeup brushes, had my hormones checked, ect. I ended up switching Dermatologists because I was showing no signs of improvement after A YEAR ON ANTIBIOTICS and my previous Derm continued to prescribe the same regimen. If your derm spends less than 10 minutes with you and seems to walk in the room with a solution already in mind before even talking to you about your specific problem, I say find a new Dr! I am SO happy that I did. Anyway, after listening to my story and examining my skin my new Dermatologist prescribed Solodyn. I was on it for two months and began experiencing terrible headaches. My skin wasn't showing much improvement, in fact I think it had gotten worse, so I was told to stop. The headaches weren't a sign of anything serious, but after I was off Solodyn they did go away.

A couple weeks later I met with my Dermatologist and we discussed Accutane. We had talked about it before and he said that it was most likely the direction I was heading in based on the type of acne I have and the fact that I have tried it all. I was scared. I talked to EVERYONE about it, scoured the internet for good and bad stories, watched YouTube videos, read posts on acne.org, ect. I decided it was worth it. After all, almost every commercial you see on TV for medication sites crazy "possible side effects". What it comes down to for me is I'm sick of feeling embarrassed and holding myself back from doing certain things (like swimming in a pool during the day because when I get out my makeup will have come off, or needing to carry an arsenal of makeup and cover up solutions everywhere because I know that within an hour my face will be covered in shiny oil). So after taking the initial pregnancy test, registering with the iPledge program, getting my blood drawn to test liver and kidney function, cholesterol levels, ect. I went back to my Dermatologist. One more pregnancy test and I was on my way home to log into the iPledge program and answer the questions (mostly about birth control) that you have to complete before the pharmacy can fill your prescription. Two days later I received the medicine in the mail.

Now that we're up to speed...I've been prescribed 30mg of Absorica for one month with plans to up my dose to 60mg next month. Full course of treatment is expected to be 5 months.

*Side note: Accutane is no longer available, but everyone still refers to the generic brands as Accutane...I've read that Absorica is more closely related to Accutane than the other generics and that your body is able to absorb it much easier so you don't have to eat it with a high fat meal.

It's hard to explain how it feels to have adult acne to people without it, and even harder to explain the decision to go on such a powerful drug. I continuously get asked if I'm "always washing my face at night" or if I've "tried cutting out dairy, gluten, ect.". For some of us, a lifestyle change and keeping up with our hygiene is not enough.

So here we go...

Oct 29 - Day 5 - 30mg Absorica / Once Daily

All I've felt so far is a warm sensation on my face and arms. Almost like a mild sunburn, but without the redness. I'm staying super hydrated with water and green tea, moisturizing, using chapstick, eating healthy, and working out in hopes that taking care of myself extra well will help curb any possible side effects. Main concern right now is the initial breakout stage. I noticed two small white heads in my chin area this morning, but that's not out of the ordinary.

Looking forward to sharing stories, tips and this incredible journey with you!

-Amber