About me:

I am a 23 years old male and have been suffering with acne since about 14. I have tried almost everything imaginable to cure it but nothing has worked. Like many of you I have mild cystic acne. On a typical day I have around 1-2 cysts on my face plus numerous of other breakouts. The worst part of my acne is not my face though it is my back! I have back acne that pretty much covers the top part of my back. I am afraid that after all these years of back acne I have scared my back for life.

My trip to the dermatologist:

My acne has really effected my self-esteem. I was always to embarrassed to tell my family that I wanted to go to the dermatologist ( I know it sounds silly) After almost 10 years of suffering from acne I decided to finally suck it up and scheduled a appointment. I was terrified sitting in the doctors office waiting for my name to be called because this would be the first time I talked to anybody about my acne. I finally got called back and it only took about 10 minutes for the dermatologist to tell me she wanted to put me on 40 mg of accutane.

Accutane:

The reason I wanted to do this log is because I have read through other peoples logs and it has really helped me. I know this is going to be a really long journey but I am so ready for it!

Day 1:

I finally got the medicine ( I am overwhelmed with joy. It took me about 3 minutes to figure out how to get the pill out of the package. I felling excited for the future.

Day 2:

Today I woke up with a pretty bad break out on my neck. I also think i feel a big cysts coming in on my right cheek. My face feels a bit more oily than usual.

day 3:

My face feels a lot dryer than yesterday. Also my lips are starting to feel a little chapped. I know it seems a bit early but I think my face is starting to clear.

Day 4:

I woke up today felling pretty good about my skin. I know its only day 4 but I really am starting to look better. My skin has become a lot dryer now and my lips have become very trapped. I have been putting lotion on my face to help with the dry skin but its not oil free. My Derm said it doesn't matter if its oil free now I'm feeling unsure.

Day 5:

Skin is still improving by the day. I do have a new cysts on my jawline. Although I'm feeling good about the results so far I am starting to get a little worried about the IB. My face has become very itchy especially around my chin because of the dry skin. I am thinking about changing my lotion because of it.

Day 6:

I decided to shave my face today. For years I have grown out my facial hair to try to hide my acne. I hope it wasn't premature. With my luck I will probably get the IB tomorrow. My face is still dry and my lips are chapped. Anytime I put lotion on now it really burns ( not sure if this is good or bad) Im hoping to be able to get out this weekend and buy some new lotion.

Day 7:

I can't believe it has already been a week! I woke up today with a big cysts on my chin up by my right lip and two new pimples on the right side of my neck by my ear. This has been the worst acne day since starting but I'm still looking better then I was before. After a week on the tane I'm still not getting any major side effects (probably still to early). Even tough I did have a small setback today I'm still feeling optimistic.

I hope that I am able to help someone out there. I know for me personally reading through others peoples logs really helped me see what I'm up against. I will continue to update you all throughout my accutane journey.