I have just completed my 5th month on Accutane so thought some notes on my journey so far might help anyone considering beginning a course of Accutane and wondering about the side effects. I am 28 and have had problem skin since high school. After a few years of clear skin my acne came back worse than ever when I was 27. After trying everything else, this was my last option.

What I have found in terms of side effects is that I seem to have one specific side effect for a month or so and then just as that one clears up or becomes manageable I get a new one. The main side effects have been...

- an itial period of VERY oily skin and breakouts. This started a few days after starting and only lasted a week or so. I found powder foundation helpful during this week. (I have continued to wear make up throughout the entire course of Accutane)

- dry lips! This is the only side effect that has never let up and that I have struggled with the most. I tried almost everything but the only thing that works is a cream called 'Lipobase'. It is actually a night repair cream but has made dry lips slightly more bearable. It's only downside is that it is white so does leave your lips a bit white until it soaks in. Also good for little patches of dry skin.

- dry/sensitive skin. The dryness and sensitivity of my skin (face) has got better over the last 5 months. I have changed all my products because of this and am now using lots of natural ingredients. I use Dermalab cleanser (bought from unichem) which works well to remove make up and cleanse. I could no longer use exfoliator so have found a muslin cloth works well. I rub gently with the cloth while the cleanser is still on, just on the dry spots and very gently! I found Clinique products have worked well and have been using the moisture surge range. The moisturiser is followed by the night mask before going to bed and this can be used in the morning (and under make up) if you have really dry patches.

- dry eyes. I don't have contacts but have found this side effect annoying since an out the third month. Eye drops have helped

- dry arms. The backs of my arms have sometimes gone very rough and sandpaper feeling. I found the Aveeno moisturiser made for dry skin cleared this up pretty quickly

- dry nose. This is the latest (and one of the most annoying) side effects. The inside of my nose has been very dry and I have found it difficult to get rid of. The skin on the inside breaks and ends up forming scabs inside your nose. Every time you blow your nose or screw your nose up you can feel it cracking again. I have found that using a little of the lip oblast on a cotton bud is slowly helping but I am planning to ask the doctor for anything else.

I hope the above info is helpful. I know I rad a lot about Accutane before committing to the six month course. I have been on 30mg a day the entire time and have found the side effects to be not as bad as I was expecting. Since the initial weeks breakout I can count on one hand the number of spots I have had so I am crossing my fingers that continues when I am finished. The Accutane has cleared up a lot of the red patches I had on my skin from past acne but this is something I will work on once I am done.

Overall I am very happy. If the results remain this good I would definite lyre commend it!

Good luck with your Accutane journey.