Hello all!
this is the first time I have written anything on this website, although i have read A LOT of posts and reviews. I can honestly say this website has helped me so much and is the best one for people suffering from acne and want support and help choosing the right "path" in their fight against acne.
I thought I would start writing about my roacutane experience and start keeping a log so that myself and fellow members can monitor my progress and symptoms while i am taking the medication, and hopefully it can help anyone thinking of starting taking it! I welcome anyone to give their advice and opinions on anything i write!
Okay - so let me start by writing about how i made that final decision to start roacutane.
I am 23 years old and i have had acne....probably since the age of 16. I would get spots before then but thats normal of a teenager and it was managable. Anyway, so from the age of 16 my skin started getting worse, and by 17 i would say i had "proper acne" prodominantly around my chin/jaw/cheek area. for the past 7 or 8 years i have tried EVERYTHING to rid me of this, what i would call a curse! Infact, I tried almost every skincare brand, cheap and expensive (neutrogena, acne free, jan marini, dermalogica to name just a few!) I have had at least 3 or 4 different types of antibiotics, some of which have had some success for several months....then the acne starts creeping back! I have spent a small fortune on lazer (n-lite) treatments, which again, worked for a short while, then just comes back! I have bought home light treatment devices such as acnestar and then lumiclear, which have had some success....as long as you use it every day and for a long time which isnt very practical and isnt really a cure. contraceptive pills such as yasmin had no effect whatsoever - just added more problems!
I did have some success with benzol peroxide, but again, after a while....it...just....came.....back.
after all of these treatments weren't seeming to have any lasting effect, I decided to try the hollistic approach. I went to a nutrtionist, and a herbalist, spent more money AGAIN on herbal medicine and supplements. went on drastic detox's, cut out dairy, became vegan, drank loads of green tea and other health products. When i went to the herbalist who was highly recommended to me by a woman who used to have acne due to PCOS and was cured by this woman, I thought this would be it. This is what i have been searching for. But ironically it made my skin much worse! i started getting acne on my forehead which i never used to get, basiclly all over my face, It was horrible! the worst it has ever been! i thought at first it must be because im detoxing and it has to get worse before it gets better, but i was taking it for about 5 months with out any improvement! i was eating super healthy, taking my "tinctures" properly, everything by the book, but nope. nothing. even my herbalist said it was "very cruel" and couldnt understand!
I'm very sorry to go on and on....but i just wanted everyone to see how i came to start roacutane. So when i say i have tried everything, i mean it!! everyone is different and reacts to different things, so some of the methods i have tried might work for other people, but i seem to have very persistant acne and need something...STRONGER! i could go on and write more and more things i have tried, but i think you get the idea!
so after trying the whole vegan super healthy diet and herbal medicine method for months and no results. I was really down. infact i think i was depressed. I think everyone can relate to those feeling of despair when you are trying everything you possibly can to help yourself and nothing changes! I hated my skin and felt disgusting, and i felt like people looked at me like i was disgusting or i didnt know how to look after myself. People who have never had acne do not understand it at all!!
I had obviously heard of roacutane but never really considered it up until this point because i had always heard of it being a last resort and really horrible, so i thought i didn't want to go down that route....Until now.
I decided to pay to go to see a dermatologist with the support of my boyfriend (who is very supportive) and see what they think and recommend, already with roacutane on my mind. (I would also like to point out that I am in living in south america at the moment but i am from england) When i saw the dermatologist here, she spoke english and was very friendly and seemed to actually really...care, which was a refreshing change! she asked me what i had tried and examined my skin and straight away she suggested roacutane. She said it was the only thing that had any chance of a permanent or long lasting effect, although she was happy for me to try anything else i wanted, but she knew as well as i that it wouldn't have a long lasting effect.
so after having all the test done i have been prescribed 40mg a day for 6 months and i think this is my 32nd day of taking it! and i can honestly say so far so good!!!
my skin has cleared up so so much even in the first month! last friday i had my first check up and even the doctor was surprised! and very enthusiastic! the strangest part of it all though is that i'm really having very minimal side effects!? my skin is not dry - at all, no dry eyes, my lip dried....slightly. i wear lip balm but i dont even need it every day! I don't have extra sensitivity to the sun, i spent the day at the beach the other week and was in the sun a lot! i did burn a little - which i would do if i was taking the medication or not, but nothing major and then just went brown like the day after and nothing bad after! and i have very pale skin!! one side effect i have noticed, which i can only say is a good side effect is my skin isn't very oily at all! my scalp as well! i dont need to wash it every day now which is great! and before when i woke up on a morning my face would feel so greasy!
so i can honestly say that so far my experience hasnt been as traumatic as others, infact i have had nothing but good things! i don't want to jinx it though as i know i still have a long way to go, but the doctor said that the side effects would start almost straight away!? plus after reading peoples accounts on here they started getting them as well very soon after starting treatment!? so i feel it strange i havent had anything "bad". perhaps because i am in a hot humid tropical climate that has helped me stop drying out? im not sure thats just a wild guess. i am open to suggestions though! 😉
ANYWAY.....
I am very sorry for rambling on.....i just wanted people to get a good idea of where im coming from! i will keep updating anyway so anybody who is interested can follow my progress! wish me luck! ;-D
Hey it's annoying how when you start some new product/treatment it helps, than your body adapts to it and you're back to square one. I am glad that accutane has been working well for you, and it's awesome that you don't have any significant side-effects. Good luck with the rest of your treatment and hopefully you have completely clear skin for the rest of your life.
As for the side-effects part, some people don't get any significant side-effects during their treatment. While others might get some later on. I am only on my second day, so obviously this is just what I have gained through reading heaps of people's accutane logs, and not personal experience.
That is so great to hear! I hope it continues getting better for you.
I am actually on my 2nd week of accutane my face is the clearest its been in 6 months. My lips are dry but that is it.
I wonder if I will be like you and skip an IB. I hope so! I hope i dont jinx anything either...
I have a question.. were you on antibiotics or a RX topical up till you started accutane?
I also live in a very humid area. Wonder if that helps with the drying.
Thanks jamie o, I hope you don't suffer too much whilst on your course of accutane! I have read loads to so i think i am fully clued up on the pro's and cons now and how to look out for any damaging side effects. Hopefully i carry on like this!! I shall keep updating!
That is so great to hear! I hope it continues getting better for you.
I am actually on my 2nd week of accutane my face is the clearest its been in 6 months. My lips are dry but that is it.
I wonder if I will be like you and skip an IB. I hope so! I hope i dont jinx anything either...
I have a question.. were you on antibiotics or a RX topical up till you started accutane?
I also live in a very humid area. Wonder if that helps with the drying.
Hey!
yes i forgot to say before that i was given some antibiotics for the first 3 weeks of treatment. I just had 500mg i had to take 3 times per week (so i took one on mon/weds/fri) because my doctor said that the IB can be really bad and she didn't want to to get scars from it, so i think that must have helped me a lot! I cant remember the name of the antibiotic though, i guess because it was in portuguese i'm afraid! some people don't get IB's at all though i have read on here so maybe you will be one of the lucky ones who just gets clearer and clearer all the way through your treatment! lets hope so!! 😀
HI ,
i Have suffered with Acne Rosacea for several years now, starting in my early 20s, I am 49 now. Like everyone else I have tried every product available to no success. I went to a dermatologist about 15 years ago who diagnosed it as Rosacea and since then I have been on the Minison SA. I have been taking it for this long and he has never completely taken it away, as a matter of fact I believe I am totally immuned to it at this stage.
Yesterday, after my GP stated to me I am on this medicine far too long, he referred me to a dermatologist. I met with this man yesterday and He has put me on Roacutane for six months. He said it would totally clear it up and I would not have to take it again. He explained the Dos and Don'ts of this highly strong drug and insisted I get bloods done, pregnancy test done, He also told me I would not be able to touch a drop of alcohol while I am on this drug as it could damage my liver.
Has anyone had alcohol while been on this drug or do you have to stay off it altogether. I have my holidays coming up in 3 weeks, 2 weddings and my 30 anniversary this year. I was hoping I could have a few drinks for these special times.
Eileen
I've been on roacutane for 6 months and I can honestly say it's been the best thing that I've ever done, I only noticed a difference in the last 3 months. But the effect it has had on my skin is phenomenal. I have had no side affects apart from dry lips and dry up my nose. Ovs this is not the same for everyone. I've not been depressed at all and I feel very sorry for people who have seen the worst side affects. But don't panic give it a couple more months and drink plenty of water and I'm sure you will see some great results!!!
Hi there all . I will tell you my roacutane story.
My acnea started when I was around 14 and it was on my back and i did not get very worried as I could not see it. I have not wear a top/dress with naked back since then (I am 24 now).
After trying everything from birth control, antibiotics, natural treatments, local treatments all kind of brands of cleansing products at 19 I decided to start taking roccutane.
First two month terrible, my face was a gigantic red disgusting pimple. After that it started getting better. I took the pills for 7 month. My skin was dry, my lips were dry and i was always thirsty. But my face looked ok. I also did some laser session so it helps me treat the scars. I was ok for more than one year. Than everything came back.
I know it is hard, and i would have said hell with all this it is not going to happen with me I just want to get ride of this stupid face, but think twice before you start taking Roacutane
I've been on Accutane for a little over a month (32 days, to be exact) and I too have experienced little to no side effects. I have slightly dry lips, and some dry skin around my forehead, but aside from that I've been side effect free. I was on 20mg a day, but that has now been upped to 40mg, so maybe some more side effects will kick in?
I did get an IB when I started Accutane, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. My skin is looking pretty good at the minute. Not perfectly clear, but the clearest it's been for a while.
Good luck to everyone else who is also on this journey! 
Like Lola I had been down similar routes since 16 yrs old, all sorts of antibiotics, contraceptive pills, detox diets, lotions and potions, lazer, micro dermobrasion etc etc and am now 33 and still having problems. I have been prescribed Roacutane today and am a little apprehensive. I'm told you can't wax or go in the sun so would be interested if anyone has experience of doing this. I'll post my experiences to help others as I go.
Hey Cherrypip
I'm currently on my second course of accutane so just thought I would give you some input:
I would really really advice against tanning and waxing while taking accutane! Waxing will most likely rip your skin right off because of the increased sensitivity and dryness.
Some people tolerate sun ok while being on the drug, others like me turn bright red and highly increase the risk of noticeable scarring and hyper pigmentation (I know this from my first course). And that is just a shame - to mess up your beautiful new clear skin with extra scarring and discoloration.
About the alcohol; I have been drinking moderately during both my courses and that has been fine. Just be really careful not to drink too much - if your liver tests are bad, your derm might take you off accutane, not to mention you could permanently damage your liver.