Hi everyone,
I've completed two round of accutane and my accutane is returning i NEED HELP!
So, here is my background:
i am 25 year old female and started getting acne in 8th grade when i got my period. I was able to control my acne all through high school with topicals and yes, proactive. It wasn't until jr year of college in which my acne started getting pretty bad. I tried a birth control and let's just say my skin freaked out! I got my first cyst then and ever since i've struggled with my acne and cyst. After trying topicals and antibiotics, i finally agrees to take accutane in 2011. Let me clarify that my acne was never severe, it was just very persistent. I was on a 7 month course in 2011 and had a pretty easy experience with accutane. I cleared almost very quicly and by the end of the 7th month my skin was gorgeous. BUT a year later it came back and derm put me on a second course in aug 2012, and let me tell you this round was pure hell! I broke out like a mother and didnt clear til the 4 month in which i had to stop because i developed belphartis from the drug. lucky me. so here i am 6 months post accutane and suffering with a ton of clogged pores all over my face and small pimples. the only good thing, is i have very minimal scarring just redness....
so what am i doing now for my skin....let me first of start by saying i eat SO healthy. no dairy, gluten, soy, corn or sugar. I ate a ton of veggies, fruit, organic chicken, quiona, healthy fats ( olive oil, coconut oil), and i drink 16oz of green juice daily. I also drink 6 bottles of water a day and drink green tea. I work out and practice yoga and i don;t really drink. For my skin, i've been using a gentle moisturizer, acne. org cleanser, and spot treating. i tried facials -- didn't work. tried using a clarisonic that didnt work. manuka honey -- nope. aragn oil -- nope!
please any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. i feel so ashamed of my face. when my skin is nice i feel so GREAT and confident and now i feel so depressed. please help!
I dunno, you seem to have all the bases covered with the healthy lifestyle but it doesn't sound like your acne has gotten as bad as it was. A couple of years after my first course of accutane I started getting more and more acne until I started doing SA peels once a week and the Aztec clay mask a couple times a week. That cleared me again for a couple more years until six months ago. Now I'm almost a month into my second course of accutane. Good luck with everything.
Oh and if your going to try a SA peel, start with a low concentration. There are a bunch you can get on amazon and there is some good info in the reviews.
Sammy, you are not alone. I did 3 rounds of accutane and the first two rounds went really well. Minimal side effects and i was clear for app 2 years in bewteen each round. My 3rd round my acne improved but i NEVER got clear. I am now on the acne.org regimen and doing much better than i was on accutane. I am 2 months in and i still break out like a mutha on my chin and under my jaw but everywhere else is consistently doing well. I am prepared to give it 3-4 months before i decide if it is working for me.
Have you thought about trying it? The diet front is AMAZING BTW.
Thank you guys so much for your responses. Acne really is a terrible thing. My dad had acne and my mom has poreless, beautiful skin, but of course, my brother and i got my dad's skin. My brother, however, cleared after his 1st round of accutane and has been crystal clear since. He doesn't even do anything to his skin but wash it -- ugh why can't that be me?
I've thought about! i've tried it in the past and it worked pretty good -- just very drying and never entirely cleared by clogged. do you like the regimen? you seem to have a great diet, too! are you on bcp? i really don't want to go back on it -- i hate the way i feel and it never really worked for me.
Hi All - just wanted to share with you what i believe is working for me. I have been eating zero sugar (no fruit) and essentially been following a Candida diet. My skin has improved so much. I am eating lots of fermented foods and taking a probitioics and enzyme supplement. While my skin has a few mild breakout currently, it has cleared so much! Also, i find when i'm outside and working out in this 90 degree weather, i develop a heat rash on my face, which i thought was acne! So i am much more mindful about my time in the sun and heat. Hope this helps someone! S