Hey,

Some similarities in our accutane courses:

-Oily skin and scar prevention (though my acne isn't cystic)

-Coming off Bactrim and kinda clear

-Preparing for the dryness by taking preemptive action

I'm already sleeping with pawpaw ointment (cant really get aquafor here) all over my lips and vaseline around my nose (to prevent blood noses) even though I'm not even a week in, upping the water intake and already got some eye drops because i wear contacts. I'm also staying on Bactrim for the first month or so of my course because I've got some left over and the Derm said it was fine to do and could help with the IB.

My skin is pretty oily, though not the main reason I'm on accutane, and I'm sure it will be reduced whilst on accutane but I've read some people's oiliness eventually returns to some degree when they finish their course.

All the best

Thanks JDW. Good to know people are going through something similar. I know that the oily skin thing is probably not going to be fixed permanently, but I've read a lot about it being much better after going through a course of accutane. Hoping my case is like that.

DAY 5

Still nothing. Skin is very oily, no dryness. My lips feel like they are starting to get dry and my chest has been itchy (not sure if that's related actually). No new breakouts or anything (luckily). Still a lot of preventative care going on, moisturizing (but only at night) and aquafor on lips/nose. Also planning on eating better starting tomorrow. Lots more veggies/fruit and water, will start to keep a log on my diet as well.

When does the dryness usually start? I'm really looking forward to that part!

Use Cetaphil Oily Skin cleanser! I feel dryness from day 2 onwards.

we are a day apart from each other! I just started too! so far nothing has been changing. cept maybe a little bit dryer

DAY 6

My lips are getting dryer! Yay! Skin has not broken out (so far) and is not dry yet. Still quite oily actually. Trying to be patient!

I've also begun eating healthier. I'm trying to lose 5 pounds so I'm switching from my usual 1500 calorie diet to a 1200 calorie diet and exercising more. I hardly exercise as it is so I'm hoping this will make a difference. Also need to drink more water.

DIET (1200 calories)

breakfast- an orange and tea

lunch - salad with italian dressing, sun chips, and a chocolate chip cookie

dinner - tilapia with a soy sauce glaze, white rice, stir fried zucchini/onions/peppers & a coke zero

snack - cheese sandwich

water - 2 glasses

total calories=1100

EXERCISE

cardio/strength training/crunches (30 mins)

Is it safe to exercise while on accutane? I'm not overly active anyway, but I definitely want to start making it more of a daily thing, if only for 20-30 min.

we are a day apart from each other! I just started too! so far nothing has been changing. cept maybe a little bit dryer

 

I think it's fine to exercise while on Accutane, but I found that it took longer for me to recover if I worked out really hard (the muscle pain last almost twice as long). It'll probably take another week or two for it really kick in with regards to the oil control.

I think it's fine to exercise while on Accutane, but I found that it took longer for me to recover if I worked out really hard (the muscle pain last almost twice as long). It'll probably take another week or two for it really kick in with regards to the oil control.

 

Thanks for the input, I think I'm going to try and go every other day with the exercising and see how that goes. And no longer than 30 min at a time. My legs are burning something fierce today after last night's workout.

DAY 7

Lips felt dryer today, but skin was still oily. I feel like I have a lot of under the skin pimples (not cysts) just waiting to come out. My face feels slightly bumpy in places, but it's not pushing through. I'm hoping it stays put :/ No active pimples on my face at the moment, though i felt flushed today and looked redder. I always wear makeup (every day minerals + almay powder) which covers pretty well for the most part, but i started to look like i had a sun burn underneath.

DIET

breakfast: a chocolate bar and tea

lunch: miso soup, seaweed salad, sushi

dinner: stuffed ricotta/spinach shells, strawberries & a coke zero

snack: swiss cheese & crackers

water: 3 glasses

total calories: 1200

EXERCISE

none

ONE WEEK DOWN!

DAY 9

It's happening! My lips have gotten dryer. There is a dry patch on my lower cheek.. I was a little less shiny by the end of the day. I think I'm having an IB but in weird places. Two zits on my chest, one on my arm? Hm. But I'm happy! I think it's working!

DIET

breakfast - oatmeal

lunch - veggie burger

dinner - noodles in black bean sauce

Day 10

Definitely noticing a difference today. I have to touch up makeup every hour or so (the oily skin is that bad) and today I noticed less time dealing with it. I'm a little nervous, however, that I'm entering a stage where I will be both oily and dry....not liking that idea. New zit on my cheek, but it's not that noticeable. Dry patch on my cheek is still there but manageable. I saw an under eye wrinkle beginning last night. Perhaps I will use a good under eye cream during this process. Also my face is getting REALLY red. It shows as the undertone of my makeup. Is that normal? Also (ew) harder bowel movements (that can't be good right?) and itchy skin.

DIET

breakfast: banana

lunch: chicken sandwich

dinner: rice bowl

snack: cookie dough

calories=900

DAY 12

My face is VERY red. On my cheeks and chin. It looks like I have a sun burn (I don't.) Skin is getting dryer, lips too. No cracking or peeling though, which is nice. Getting a couple of new pimples: on my nose, forehead, and the one on my cheek got bigger. Also my chin feels bumpy underneath, like zits are just waiting to bubble to the surface. Good and bad I guess. Must mean it's working. I really hope this redness doesn't last long. It's making my skin hurt. Been trying to be very careful with my face as it's so sensitive right now. I just ordered some more Mario Badescu products (I love) that I hope will help me with the oncoming dryness. An undereye cream, a chamomile toner, an aloe moisturizer, and a super emolient night cream that I plan to use under the aquafor. Also medicated blistex.

DIET

breakfast- crackers/cheese, peanut butter pretzels, sugar cookie

lunch- dumplings, frisco melt/fries

dinner- leftover sriracha fried rice/veggies

calories=1200

I started my accutane course yesterday.

My pre-accutane story sounds similar to yours. All the same antibiotics, and then lately I've been on bactrim. Bactrim worked really well, but both times I came off of it my acne came right back. I was on bactrim right up until a couple weeks before I started accutane, so my skin was pretty clear. However, I could see and feel all of the cystic like acne coming back.

I'm also curious to see how working out is effected by accutane! Good luck to you, and check out my log

Thanks jkoz, good luck to you as well

DAY 15

MERRY CHRISTMAS! My face is DRY! Yayyyyyy(kinda). Experiencing a sort of oily/dry stage. I tried to see if I could get any sebum out of my nose (gross, I know) but nothing came out. Good sign? Starting to experience some joint pain though. And headaches. Nothing too bad though. Sunburn looking skin seems to be calming down some.

DAY 21

Sooo this stuff is amazing. Around Days 16-17 my face was very congested. But by day 18-20 it began to settle and the redness went down. I have gone full 8 hour days without touching up, not once, and my makeup has stayed put. No oil slick, no shiny tzone, nothing. It has never been that way, EVER. I am so thrilled. No bad IB either (or is that coming?) Hopefully this keeps up

DAY 25

Had my appointment, blood tests came back fine. I am still blown away with how amazing this treatment has been. After years of seemingly endless (and fruitless) tries to make this persistent acne disappear, Accutane seems to be the answer. I understand the concerns (none of which, besides dryness, have been very noticeable for me) and I feel better prepared to handle this medication after having been through other antiobiotics. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this point and really wish I would have pushed and found a doctor who listened to me before this, before the acne scarring and increased oil production.

But enough reflection. Almost a month down and I am very pleased with the results. Not having to touch up my make up or worry that I look like an oily slick has been the best part about this. I feel more confident than I've ever been. My nose has been quite dry (no nose bleeds though) and my lips are always kind of chapped. Some dry patches are forming around my mouth when I put my makeup on, and there's an annoying laugh line crease that my makeup seems to settle into. I'm really not used to moisturizing, especially during the day (most of my moisturizing, if ever, happens only as a night cream) but I think I'm going to have to get into the habit if I want to avoid the upcoming dryness.

My new regimen:

MORNING:

Mario Badescu Enzyme cleanser

Mario Badescu aloe spf 15 moisturizer

30mg absorica

NIGHT:

Ponds Cold Cream (makeup removal)

Mario Badescu Enzyme cleanser

Mario Badescu Elasto-collogen night cream

Aquafor spot treatment/lips

30mg absorica

DAY 26

Soooooo stupid! It seems like accutane has pushed all my blackheads to the surface on my nose so I thought I might be able to push them out a little. I used a hot wash cloth to try and push them out and my skin PEELED OFF. I will never underestimate this stuff again. I've been putting neosporin on it since then and it seems to be helping. I've been very lucky going from antibiotics to accutane because I've had no flare ups or bad IB, so perhaps I did not count on the strength of this medication. Lesson learned, universe. Aside from slathering on moisturizer, I am leaving my face alone.

Hey! I'm only a couple days ahead

Of you and we have the same results.

I didn't have too bad of an ib either and Im not used to moisterzing right around my mouth is the driest too! Hopefully we both have great success and this is the end! Lol

lets hope so!! I'm on the same day as Aballarina. I always have the habit of touching my face! damn irritating!

Hey! I'm only a couple days ahead

Of you and we have the same results.

I didn't have too bad of an ib either and Im not used to moisterzing right around my mouth is the driest too! Hopefully we both have great success and this is the end! Lol

 

lets hope so!! I'm on the same day as Aballarina. I always have the habit of touching my face! damn irritating!

 

Hopefully you both have had better luck than me lately with the IB (it decided to present itself on the left side of my face the other day).

DAY 33

I ended up disregarding my own advice and getting my blackheads out of my nose (last time, i swear!) I did not repeat the mistake of using hot water, just clean hands. It's weird to look at my blackhead-free nose now. I love it. Up until yesterday my skin was amazing. I've been moisturizing with a light aloe spf 15 during the day and then piling on night cream/aquafor for bed. I went a full 12 hours without touching up my makeup ONCE and i actually looked normal. This no oil thing has been unbelievable. I dread the day I have to go off this stuff. Really hoping I get to be one of the lucky ones whose oil doesn't return (or at least not so much of it.)

Unfortunately the other day I noticed my cheek feeling bumpy. I may have exacerbated it a little by trying to buff it out (i initially thought it was just a dry patch of skin) so I have a lovely red, inflamed area now. Going to leave it be and just lotion it up, perhaps with some neosporin. I was hoping I"d be over any hurdles at this point, but I'm wondering if there will be more side effects to come in month 2? I also got a mysterious rash on my hand that lasted for 2 days, but I remember seeing something similiar happen to someone on these boards. So far so good though.

DAY 35

Ugh. I'm breaking out. Not a lot, but enough to where it's annoying at this point. I thought that part was over! Skin is also seeming less dry? Not that my skin is anywhere near as bad as it was (oily/acne wise) but it's not the same matte feeling at the end of the day. Is this normal at this stage of accutane? I'm wondering if I should ask for a higher dose next month....maybe go up to 80mg? I don't know. Feeling a little dejected.

DAY 67

So I stopped updating because my skin was staying pretty much the same through out. I am now using Claravis for my 3rd month. I think the pharmacy was just out of Absorica so they gave it to me. Have had no problems with it. Things are going pretty well. I'm staritng to get excessive dryness on my lips now though, which has been annoying but altogether fine. My breakout didn't last long and I've only had 1 zit since then. My skin does seem to be getting less dry though, in terms of just how oily i was before beginning this process. I still touch up my makeup every four hours or so, but it's not unheard of to wait after a 9 hour day and have my skin not look a mess. So far that's been the absolute best thing about this whole thing