Hey guys!
Basically im going to be keeping my personal accutane log on here for the next 5 months. why? Because as i was browsing through the previous logs, there weren't many (if any) accutane users below the age of 16 that would talk about their experience with the infamous accutane. So I have decided to keep anyone that's interested up to date on my experience.
A little about my acne history:
I have had acne since the age of 12. It started out very mild, and each year it seems to get just get worse. Its now to the point of what I would call "severely moderate"...i have maybe 1-2 cysts on my back but none on my face. The acne regions are around my mouth, nose (only blackheads), forehead, occasional pimple on the cheek, neck, and shoulders. Its a lot of areas to treat all at once.
My treatment history went from OTC topicals, prescriptions: oral/topical antibiotics and retin-a. My derm wanted to start accutane early to hopefully avoid the development of cysts/scarring in the future.
I will start my treatment this Tuesday, and I just had my baseline blood test today.
I'll be completely honest, I REALLY have high hopes for this medication. My acne really depresses me..its certainly the thing i hate most about my self. I've read allll about the horrible side effects, but I think its worth the risk...we'll soon see!
thanks myskin 2008, I really look forward to it. I just got my actual pills, I was surprised by how high security this whole process is! I went to my regular CVS pharmacy, and there I had to present my special iPledge member card, then the pharmacist had to go into some special locked room (seperate from where the rest of the prescriptions are kept) to get my box of Sotret. Wow!
Quick update: I had stopped all acne medications over a week ago, so currently i've only been using a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer on my skin. My skin looks REALLY bad right now, I dont even want to leave the house. Its not like its even all cystic or anything, put just so many of those big ugly whiteheads and pustules all over the place! I would say it's quite worse than normal. This worries me because what will I look like when i have my IB? yikes! Anyways im starting off on 30mg/day for the first month, then going to 60mg/day for another 3 months.
The good news is I do feel completely prepared for whatever this drug will throw at me. I have my aquaphor, facial and body moisturizers, and plenty of water. Taking first pill tomorrow morning.
Lips are back to feeling slightly dry. Not really enough to have to use chapstick though so I'm guessing it'll only be a few more days till that starts happening. Most of my active pimples are drying up (they are still completely there, just getting that little dry skin on and around them), which is surprising to see since im not even using any drying acne-washes or anything like that.
No emotional effects or any other weird side effects yet. I'll keep you updated should any of that change...
Thanks for the support and have a good day!
Sorry I haven't been able to update this in a while..its been a busy week. As for the current condition of my skin..its pretty good i guess, some spots are fading while i do still have a few new ones coming up 
. I would not say that I have had my IB yet, my skin is looking better than before I started if anything.
My side effects arent all that bad yet. My lips are slightly dry but no need for any lip balm or anything yet. Today make back started feeling kinda sore, I would imagine this is from the accutane because my whole back just feels sore when i stand up and move around, usually my lower back is just sore after a sports game or something physical. Now this I would not blame on accutane yet...but today i felt very lazy and didn't really want to do anything with my friends. I'm not usually quite so lazy, but I don't want to start blaming it on accutane and depression because it's just one day of not wanting to do much, which I would consider perfectly normal. I'll keep you updated frequently on any more mood changes. As for now, feelin fine!
Somewhat rough day. My whole body feels really stiff and sore, especially my back. My neck is also kind of stiff. Its a weird feeling, I feel like a got hit by a train a week ago and now im recovering. It's not enough to stop me from taking the medication however, I'm very determined to just tough it out no matter how bad it gets (with the exception of a serious side effect..ie depression or something). My skin looks pretty good right now, I still have bumps everywhere but its not as red and flared as it is when you have a breakout or anything.
Oh and incase anybody was wondering, I did take a "before" photo, im not going to post it until I have my "after" photo so you can compare the two side by side.
Happy Columbus Day!
Skin is looking good at the moment. Most active pimples seem to be dying out which is good. My back is still really sore, as are most joints in my body right now. I'm surprised to see that this is happening to me so early, most other blogs i have read say that the joint pain really kicks in around week 3...I wonder if this means i'll be getting better by then or even worse...
No emotional effects as of yet.
Decent days for my skin. Today 1 new pimple popped up, but it seems small and controllable. I've been using a lot of witch hazel toner lately which seems to be helping my skin a bit. The past 2 days I have had a particularly dry face, I have to really glob on the Cerave moisturizer to keep it from flaking. My lips have been pretty dry as well, I just apply some aquaphor in the morning and that lasts up until noon. I really really really recommend the Cerave product line for anybody with dry skin, and especially when using accutane. The cleanser and moisturizer help so much, and NEVER dry me out, which is great.
My back still feels sore. If I could describe the feeling I would say it's like feeling as if you've been sitting in one uncomfortable position all day, then when you go to stand up, your back feels all sore and tight. haha not sure if you understand that but its the best way to describe it.
Overall, skin is looking better than before accutane.
2 weeks complete!
A quick update: my acne is looking considerably better. The big, DEEP pimples on my chin are looking "dead", not actively inflamed, just a small little bump of red skin with nothing underneath it (ie pus or something). My forehead is still pretty bad, I wouldnt say its amazingly better from when I began but it is a slight improvement nonetheless.
One thing I have noticed lately...my face has officially became DRY. I mean like 1 layer of moisturizer is not enough type of dry. Today for example, I put on one very thick layer of moisturizer and I looked fine in the morning. But by the afternoon, my skin was flaky all over and just bone-dry looking. My lips aren't horrible yet, chapped but I can certainly go a day or two without using vaseline or anything. I will be putting on multiple layers of moisturizer tomorrow (which is real pain, its like painting my face with multiple coats haha). Neck acne has not improved as of yet.
Good luck Ryan!!
My 14-year-old daughter is on day 15 of her tane and has some minor dryness on her face. She has severe cystic acne to begin with so I am not sure if there has been an IB or not. I can say that when a cyst comes out it whiteheads and then deflates very quickly.
You are on the right track. Just be conscious of the sensitivity of the skin on Tane. My daughter's cysts started bleeding from going on a couple rollercoasters last Sunday. Wind, sun, everything effects the skin, no matter how little the exposure.
I am thinking of starting a log for her. She is kinda shy and doesnt want to post.
Hi. I don't know much about accutane. How long will you be taking it? I have very dry skin right now - I'm just starting to use the Benzol Peroxide. What is Cerave? Take care!
Hey mid30s. Very briefly, accutane is the most serious (and effective) medication you can take for acne. It is a pill you take daily that basically shrinks your sebaceous glands, which produce the oil on your face. The idea is that the less oil produced=less clogged pores=less acne. I am on a 5-month treatment course of accutane which seems to be the norm.
Benzoyl Peroxide is great for mild acne, it was pretty effective for me.
Cerave is a line of 3 products, consisting of a cleanser, lotion moisturizer, and cream moisturizer. It is made by the Corea company I believe. You can find them at any drugstore (I get mine from a local CVS) and they cost around $10-12 each. They are AWESOME for dry skin.
Good luck!
Good luck Ryan!!
My 14-year-old daughter is on day 15 of her tane and has some minor dryness on her face. She has severe cystic acne to begin with so I am not sure if there has been an IB or not. I can say that when a cyst comes out it whiteheads and then deflates very quickly.
You are on the right track. Just be conscious of the sensitivity of the skin on Tane. My daughter's cysts started bleeding from going on a couple rollercoasters last Sunday. Wind, sun, everything effects the skin, no matter how little the exposure.
I am thinking of starting a log for her. She is kinda shy and doesnt want to post.
Hello secretagent!
It's funny to hear your daughter is on the exact same day of accutane as me! The dryness will most likely get worse as treatment continues so be sure to amply moisturize the skin before school (and even after if necessary). IB's differ from person to person, some people a get a horrible one while others don't get one at all. One thing that does seem consistent among users is that the skin will get a little better, a little worse, then a little better. What I mean is that your skin could be looking good one day, breakout the next day, and a few days after look good again. I have yet to experience this yet though so I'll keep track of it.
I've noticed the sensitivity to my skin as well, I play football and my skin scratches and bleeds so much more easier right now its weird.
I'd definitely start a log, its useful for other people and for yourself to see your progress throughout your treatment. If she's shy I might just have her set up an anonymous account that way its no big deal what she writes about. I'd also suggest taking a before and after picture. The results are so good I think it'd be pretty cool for her to see at the end of her long treatment.
Keep me updated on how she's doing!
Best of luck!
First I would like to say THANK YOU to those who commented on my log. It's so nice to have a little interaction with the people I am writing for...it makes me feel less like I am talking to myself 
Today my skin is looking the best it has in a while (knock on wood). Those old deep pimples are dead and deflating, so now they look more like redmarks and less like zits. I still have probably 2 visible active pimples, and maybe 4-5 more hidden actives on my forehead (which isn't a huge deal for me since my hair covers them). My skin wasn't all that dry today despite the cold weather up here in New England. Lips feel dry but not to the point of flaking which is good. My back feels like it's bothering me less, or maybe i'm just getting used to the soreness who knows. My chest and back seem to have broken out a bit recently which is odd, usually I have pimple here or there but never a full breakout like now...perhaps its a body acne IB? Neck acne is persistent (feels very deep), so I'm not quite sure how long it will be 'till that clears up. Skin is very sensitive and weak, gets cut very easily now.
Doin good!
Slightly negative progress for my skin through these days..About 3 of the pimples that were "deflated" are starting to come back to life again, which sucks because for a while I was looking pretty good. I'm still doing better now than I was in the beginning, just a slight hiccup of the great improvement I was having is all this is.
My skin cuts really easily now. I think i've said that before just to emphasize, i have so many cuts and scratches on myself haha its weird. Also my lips and mouth area are reeeally dry during the day...I now have to carry around chapstick with me and apply every few hours. My joints are still achy...today my ankle was hurting so bad it hurt to walk on it...i'm not sure if accutane is to blame but its still odd. Life is going really good for me right now and im happiest i've been in a while, so no emotional effects as of yet.
have a good weekend!
Just reading your log and wanted to say hope it all goes well & keep on in there. I've been on roaccutane a few times and it really does work, unfortunately not for good for me but it works differently or different people and girls seem to relapse more. Anyway, I've just started it again, day 2, so I'll be reading your log while I'm going through the initial stages too
Face looks decent. still have about 7 small actives scattered around my face, which actually doesn't look all that bad since theyre not all clustered and huge. Under each jaw bone however there is a rash-like region of deep cystic acne that wont go away. This isn't very new or anything I just haven't reported on it before. Whats really bothering me is my neck/back/chest. I think I must've had an IB on them or something, my neck and shoulders rarely look this bad and my chest has like 1-2 pimples on it which I used to get once in a blue moon.
I think neck/back acne is worse than face...it hurts to just lay down or twist your neck!
I think I'll start doing ratings now to give people a more accurate idea of how I'm doing.
5.5/10 Face
4/10 Neck
5/10 Back
7/10 Chest (rating=how clear skin looks on scale of 1-10, 10 being completely clear)
Finishing off month 1 this week! 60mg's comin up!
Weird stretch of days for my skin, i would say for the negative. I can feel a bunch of new pimples forming under my skin around and on my chin. How exciting! 
My cheeks have been pretty clear though just a few red spots left on my right cheek but nothing active. Forehead has 4-5 actives left on it but they are small and seem to be going away day-by-day. My neck and back are concerning, I would say my back (specifically shoulders) is the worst it has ever been. My neck is ugly still, even when I can't even feel the bump of the pimple when I look in the mirror it is VERY red, like a huge active pimple is still there which it isn't. I guess my neck just won't heal as easily/quickly as my face.
Tomorrow I will see the derm. for my first checkup since starting accutane 1 month ago. If all is well with my bloodwork (it should be), then I will be bumped up to 60 mg/day of accutane. Hopefully the extra boost will be enough to handle my back, neck, and jawline...those are the worst areas at the moment which have seemed nearly uneffected by the accutane.
Ratings
Face:6
Neck:4
Back: 3
Month 2!!!!
I am now on 60 mg/day of accutane. My skin was looking pretty good earlier in the week, now I have some new arising pimples which i would credit to my sudden increase in medication. My jawline is clearing up nicely as is my back and neck. They are by no means clear, but clearing up 
. One thing i've noticed...its no longer a horror of mine to look in the mirror . Its not that my acne was ever awful, but its so easy to get really self conscious with it that it gets hard to look at yourself in the mirror sometimes. But now after 2 months of accutane its actually ok to look in the mirror again! just thought i'd throw that in there...
Back aches have started up again, as well as insanely chapped lips...once again i blame the increased dosage but we'll see how it all works out.
Ratings:
Face 5.5
Neck 6
Back 5
You are right Ryan about the ups and downs of this Accutane trip.
November 1 the derm increased Emily's dosage to 40 mg; she finished up her 20 mg pack and is on day 9 of 40 mg. The acne seems at a standstill right now. She has these skin-colored cysts which aren't changing at all. One opened the other night but reinflated the next day!!!
The only significant change is an increase in red marks. At first I thought maybe they had always been there under the acne, but I realized after reading some of the tane logs that the tane actually increases redness. I bought emu oil for her, and we were going to wait until she got rid of these cysts to start using it, but I think she should start using it now.
Good luck with everything!!!! And keep us posted.
Skin is not doing so great at the moment. Alot of pimples have come back on my chin, and my forehead is getting pretty bad as well. My cheeks remain pretty clear with maybe 1-2 small pimples on each but its not that noticeable. I have one big cyst on my chest which wont go away but other than that my chest is clear. My neck/back/shoulders have continually gotten worse this month, I now have noticeable bacne which is embarrassing.
Side effects: my lips have gotten extremely chapped lately, i have to use aquaphor around 3 times a day other wise my lips start to peel like crazy and get very very dry.
Back pains have come back in full force, my whole body feels pretty sore...I think i might get a massage or something sometime soon to help with this
Another thing that has changed is my washing/bathing habits. I can only shampoo (and condition) my hair once every 3 days or so otherwise my hair gets incredibly dried out. I usually only cleanse at night now, my skin is too dry in the morning to use even the most gentle cleanser.
Ratings:
Face 4.5
Neck 3
Back 4