I am a 29 year old female and have always suffered with a mild acne on and off since I was at school, granted this was a lot worse when I was younger. However I have constantly battled with break outs and oily skin. Ive tried all sorts to cure the problem namely, anti-biotics, which gave me a temporary fix and numerous potions and lotions, I have spent a ridiculous amount of money on facials. I had been to the GP a number of times, every time they have given me something new to try. Never once a mention of a dermatologist.

Finally enough was enough, I paid to visit a dermatologist privately. This cost me 100. however I would say its the best 100 I have ever spent.

She was a lovely lady, she looked at my skin closely, I was not covered in spots, but I did have a few, mainly around my jaw line and she could also see that my skin was very congested, thick with blackheads and blocked pores.

She stated the spots around my jaw line and neck was classic case of adult acne.

She suggested to me that a course of Roaccutane would be suitable to treat my problems, however privately this would cost 800. She emphised to me that this treatment was available ton the NHS, however GPs are often reluctant to refer patients as it is a very expensive treatment. She explained there was a 3 month waiting list on the NHS and told me to go back to my GP and ask to be referred to her specifically. She also wrote a letter to my GP asking them to refer me. I was a little deflated to wait another 3 months, however as she explained, you have already lived with this for 29 years, what is another 3 months to save yourself 800z

Anyway, fast forward 3 months and I have had my first appointment with the same dermatoloyst.

She prescribed me my first month of Roaccutane and started me off on 30mg.

Week 1 - Within a couple of days I could see the medication starting to take effect, I could see some dry skin starting to form around my nose, this was only mild, however my skin was still oily. Then roughly around day 5, my skin poured with Oil. The next morning I woke up and my skin was dry, it was a miracle. The whole day, no oil. No blotting and my make up stayed in place.

There was also a remarkable difference with my hair - No more greasy roots. Every morning my hair would usually be greasy.. not any more.

Week 2 - Over the next couple of weeks, my lips became mildly dry, my skin did become drier and it did peel in places. Mainly around my nose and T-Zone area. However, to help combat the dry skin I have been using La Roche Possy effaclar - H. This was recommended by my dermatologist and is a nice light cream. I keep this in my hand bag to apply when drying occurs through the day. From day one of starting the medication I have been using carmex on my lips, I have not experienced any of the chapping or dryness like others have had. I just keep slathering the stuff on, I believe this has helped.

The dermatologist recommended to use quite milk products on my face, I have been using Anne french cleansing milk to remove make up. This seems to work quite well and has not been harsh on my skin.

I did have an outbreak of spots on my face and chest- however this outbreak was no worse than I had previously experienced, after 29 years, I was a pro at covering them and as quick as these spots came up, they went down. My spots would usually last weeks, these spots, lasted ----- 24 hours. I did put some spot cream on them before I went to bed, just to give them a helping hand.

Week 3/4 - Not so much of a break out anymore, but my skin became bumpy and rough to touch. This was due to my pores unclogging and it was pushing all the dirt and blackheads to the surface. This for me was the worse point so far. My make up looked un-even and I was very conscious of it. It was quite easy to extract the blackheads myself, they would come up very easy. (although this is not recommended) However, the following morning, there would be more. I just kept telling myself this is a means to an end, this is what is supposed to happen. This sounds a lot worse than it actually was, but I must emphasise this didnt last long, maybe a week at most and was manageable. I decided needed alternative ways to try and help with the exfoliation of my skin to remove these pesky little lumps.

I was informed by the Derm that my skin would be sensitive. However I didnt realise just how sensitive. - I decided to use, Biore nose and pore strips. I thought his would help remove the grime! Ouch ouch ouch! All this did was take my skin off - i then had dry patches on my chin and nose. La Roche Possay overload! I wouldnt recommend using pore strips.

However, reading some blogs, I noticed people were using an exfoliation brush called Clarisonic. I thought I would give this ago, I needed something to help with the dry skin and raised blackheads. I purchased a Magnitone Lucid Facial Cleansing brush from Boots, slightly cheaper than the Clarisonic, boots own version. I used this on the setting for sensitive skin. I noticed a difference straight away. My skin was brighter and smoother, I used this for a few days and it seemed to do the trick, the skin congestion disappeared and the dry skin was at a minimum. My skin became smooth, the minor outbreaks that I had minimised and I would go as far to say nearly disappeared, I can honestly say, it looks like I have new skin.

At the end of Week 4 I have gone back to my dermatologist, she was very happy with my progress. My side effects have been quite minimal and my skin has been responding well to treatment. She has uped my dosage to 60mgs, however stated if I find this too harsh, to lower myself to 40mgs. She did state that I should expect some further drying and chapping of the lips and possible further break outs as it works it's way into my system.

Week 5 - I have now been on 60mgs for a week. I havent had any of the major side effects as yet, my skin looks as though its starting to dry out again slightly on my T-zone.

I did have a nose bleed after about 3 days of being on the higher dosage, this lasted the day on and off. However has now stopped. I think this was down to the drying inside my nose. My skin looks a lot clearer, its smooth and oil free. It is now a joy to put my make up on. My pores are still visible, put no where near as bad as they were.

People have started commenting on how great and glowing my skin looks. I feel a lot more confident. Fingers crossed I dont have any other break outs.