Hi guys! I'm a 17 year old female on 40mg of Nimegen (generic isotretinoin) per day. I weight about 40kg so this dose is just right for my body weight. I'm currently approaching my 4th month of treatment and here are some tips from my personal experience with the drug that will hopefully make your experience more pleasant! Note that I did not have severe acne before I started on Accutane but I had moderate acne that was extremely resistant to treatment (Antibiotics and topicals didn't do squat for my skin!). Hopefully you'll find this guide useful

1. Have Realistic Expectations

I can't stress this enough! Be patient and let the medication do its job! I know you expect that you're on this miracle drug and that your acne will clear overnight. IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT. Some people seem to clear up dramatically overnight but for majority of Accutane uses, this isn't the case. Your skin condition will fluctuate greatly while you're on the drug.

The first 2 months were particularly the worse for me! My initial breakout was HORRIFIC. I had never experienced truly cystic acne up to this point. The pimples were so red and sore that it hurt to smile. Plus during the 'healing process' they got all oozy and crusty and no amount of makeup could hide them! The IB was so bad that my friends and even my teachers were asking me what had happened to my face! T.T Needless to say, it was extremely disheartening but my skin begin to clear up dramatically around the end of month 2. I still get breakouts, but they're pretty mild and nothing like the sore cystic bumps from the horrendous IB. Months 3-4 are often the 'magic months' for moth people on Accutane and most people will experience a dramatic clearing of their skin by this point. Please note that Accutane takes 6 months or longer to work for most people!

Talk to your dermatologist if you feel discouraged about your progress. If you're experiencing a bad IB, you can ask for some Ermycin (the only antibiotic you can take with Accutane) to help with that. Remember, Accutane has a 90% success rate. SO DON'T GIVE UP.

2. Drink Lots of Water, Eat Lots of Fruits and Veggies and Stay Away from the Alcohol!

Accutane will dehydrate your entire body so make sure you stay hydrated all day long. I recommend that you keep a filled-up 1L water bottle with you at all times when you're not at home. Drink up guys! Your body will thank you for it. Make it a point to drink at least 2L of water a day. I also love drinking green tea which is full of powerful anti-oxidants called polyphenols and vitamins. Also, adopt a healthy diet and try your best to consume 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies per day. Adopting a healthy diet and drinking lots of water will make sure that your body is in the optimum state for healing. Your skin will thank you! Also, stay away from alcohol if you can help it. While a couple of drinks every now and then won't hinder your progress on Accutane, the drug inflicts enough damage on your liver and kidneys as it is. So don't drink if you can help it.

3. Skincare

Everyone who's on Accutane will experience skin dryness! Some lucky people only experience slight dryness but majority of users will experience extremely dry flaky skin. Thankfully, I've found a way to prevent my skin from turning into a flaky warzone! The secret is......oil! Hold your horses everybody and don't get your knickers in a bunch! You might be wondering: why on Earth would I want to smother my face in OIL? Won't that just clog my pores and cause more breakouts? However, you might also be experiencing an extremely vexing problemwhere your skin just remains like the Sahara Desert no matter how much moisturiser you apply.

Most moisturisers are oil in water emulsions which means that they contain a large amount of water to hydrate the skin but contai very little oils or emollients to lock that moisture in. Hence your skin remains dry and flaky no matter how much moisturiser you pile on. The trick here is to use super nourishing natural oils that are extra virigin and cold-pressed!

What I do is to wash my face with an extra gentle face soap. No acids or scrubby particles as this will only serve to irritate your skin. I like the Dr Bronner's Castile Soaps for washing my face and body as they DON'T dry out my skin at all. This soap has made my skin so silky smooth that its almost unreal. But if you don't fancy using soap to wash your face, The Simple brand face wash is pretty good and won't irritate your skin. You can also try Lush's Ultrabland if your skin is seriously finicky as it is super rich in emollients and will help to sooth and moisturise your skin!

Next, I apply a humectant rich lotion, Hada Labo's Goku-jyun light lotion, to supply my skin with moisture. Then, I apply a few drops of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to my skin. I haven't experienced any clogged pores with coconut oil and I've found it to be very soothing to my extremely sensitive skin. The combination of this has helped to eliminate the rough flaky patches on my skin and if I skip the application of the coconut oil, my skin immediately rebels and all sorts of dry flaky patches appear on my skin

Do note that some people are sensitive to coconut oil so it might not be suitable for everyone. However you can try grapeseed oil, argan oil or rosehip oil, all of which worked great on my skin! I just like coconut oil the best. Jojoba oil and almond oil are also touted as being good for moisturising acne-prone skin but I haven't had any experience with either.

Also, don't forget sunscreen! You don't need SPF 50 sunscreen as a higher SPF rating just means higher concentrations of active ingredients that can irritate your skin. But please make sure you don't leave the house without sun protection as Accutane makes your skin super sensitive to the sun! SPF 20-30 is sufficient. Also, avoid chemical--based sunscreens that contain chemical filters like oxybenzone, PABA etc. Instead opt for physical sunscreens that contain mineral filters like Zinc Oxide and Titanium dioxide as these are much less irritating to your skin and also much safer! If you need a recommendation, I suggest using Clinique's City Block Sheer SPF 25 as it is free from chemical sunscreens and is also quite moisturising.

4. Makeup

While you can use makeup while on Accutane, it's generally better if you don't! But if you really must, skip the heavy foundation and concealing products and opt for bb creams or tinted moisturisers which are lighter in texture and are less likely to irritate your skin. I once had a really important school function to attend so I slathered on lots of full coverage foundation. My skin looked really GREAT during the function but the next day, my skin was a raw red mess! I know most acne-sufferers like myself need makeup in order to feel confident but try and reduce applying face makeup and your skin will heal a lot faster. In fact I went to the beach barefaced a few days ago with my friends and they were all complimenting me on how great my skin was looking

5. Lip balm and Eye Drops are Your Best Friends

Nowadays, I will forget important items like my keys and school books from time to time, but I will never forget to bring lip balm with me! My lips get so dry and cracked on Accutane and once they even bled when I forgot to bring my lip balm out with me So don't forget your lip balm! Try and get one with shea butter as I find that it really mositurises and soothes my poor lips! At night I like to slather Badger's Damascus Rose Beauty Balm on my lips. It's like a healthier, organic version of Vaseline and it really keeps the moisture in. Vaseline works but let's face it, anything derived from petrochemicals isn't gonna be that good for your body. If you get dry eyes from Accutane for you wear contacts, I recommend you keep a bottle of eye drops on you at all times! It really helps to combat the dryness.

6. Exercise

Many people experience aching limbs while on Accutane so intensive exercise is definitely out of the question. But still, you should keep fit! Go for a jog and a swim regularly. You'll feel way more energized and you'll sweat out all the toxins in your body.

So I guess that's it! Take care everyone I hope this post helps you and that your skin clears up permanently!