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22/asian/f Moderate Persistent Acne & Oily- Amnesteem

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(@cfoam)

Posted : 01/05/2013 1:25 am

I'm 5'2, 102 lbs. and I start my accutane regimen of 40mg/day tomorrow night. I'm excited to be getting rid of my moderate but persistent acne and my oily skin once and for all! I've had oily skin since my early teens, and moderate acne (albeit on and off) since about 16. I have to admit that I'm scared for the initial breakout but I'm ready nonetheless! I hope to keep a daily log of my progress, so stay tuned and wish me luck! :)

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(@cfoam)

Posted : 01/05/2013 9:54 pm

Day 1: I took my first 40mg Amnesteem pill and a 300mg fish oil pill (recommended by my derm bc she said my cholesterol level which is on the higher side of normal was likely to rise) right after dinner at 8:37pm with a full glass of water. As expected, nothing different yet. A major concern I have besides the initial breakout is hair loss. I've heard that biotin strengthens hair and nails but I don't know how effective it is as a preventative measure, so I'll phone my derm soon to ask for her advice. But yay! My accutane journey has begun! :)

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(@zhfac)

Posted : 01/06/2013 12:21 am

Good luck! I didn't notice many changes until around the 3rd week.

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(@cfoam)

Posted : 01/06/2013 10:08 pm

Thanks zhfac!

 

Day 2: No changes yet. Did anyone else find it hard to stop his/her facial regimen cold-turkey? I feel as though I'm forgetting something, but I do appreciate having less to do in the mornings and evenings. Anyway, I'll be back to update when I've noticed something different.

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(@austinhuang)

Posted : 01/07/2013 2:58 am

all the best! day 33! lets work hard together!

 

where are you from? which part of asian?

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(@cfoam)

Posted : 01/08/2013 9:56 pm

@austinhuang: Awesome, and yes, good luck to us all! :) I'm Korean-American, and you?

 

Day 4: I had a pretty bad migraine for most of the day but I get that occasionally when I sit in front of a computer for a prolonged period. It's gone now, whew! :) The tip of my nose has begun to peel a teeny bit--could this be the start of accutane-induced dryness? :D Haha I must sound crazy but I'm stoked for my oiliness to subside! Another thing I've noticed is that I have quite a few whiteheads popping up. Normally, I have a couple of localized comedones/papules on my cheeks and the occasional cyst(? Or bigger papule? The red bump that doesn't come to a head, rather disappears on it's own) in some random place but now I have a couple of whiteheads on my forehead, nose and barely noticeable, really tiny ones on my cheeks. I had a papule form on my eyebrow yesterday but I woke up today and it was a whitehead! Talk about fast turnover haha, awesome.

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(@zhfac)

Posted : 01/09/2013 1:02 am

I think for the headache stuff, just make sure you drink lots of water. I was really glad (and still am) at how my forehead is no longer oily. I don't know when your IB will hit, but just know that it gets somewhat worse before it gets better.

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(@cfoam)

Posted : 01/09/2013 4:23 am

@zhfac: That's a great tip, I'll have to stock up on some bottled water. Yeah, I'm dreading the IB but no pain no gain right? :) Congrats on passing that stage and on getting rid of your oil! My main problem area is my t-zone but I also get oily all over when it's humid out. I'm hoping that wont be a problem when the warmer temps roll around this yr!

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(@austinhuang)

Posted : 01/09/2013 6:42 am

I'm from Singapore! on day 35! No improvement yet!

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(@zhfac)

Posted : 01/09/2013 11:35 pm

@zhfac: That's a great tip, I'll have to stock up on some bottled water. Yeah, I'm dreading the IB but no pain no gain right? smile.png Congrats on passing that stage and on getting rid of your oil! My main problem area is my t-zone but I also get oily all over when it's humid out. I'm hoping that wont be a problem when the warmer temps roll around this yr!

 

Same, I had most of my oil in my t-zone area. It sucks right now because the weather up here is pretty cool and dry, so my lips are dry as hell. But yeah, hopefully post-Accutane we're all oil free.

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(@user101)

Posted : 01/10/2013 9:01 am

@zhfac: That's a great tip, I'll have to stock up on some bottled water. Yeah, I'm dreading the IB but no pain no gain right? smile.png Congrats on passing that stage and on getting rid of your oil! My main problem area is my t-zone but I also get oily all over when it's humid out. I'm hoping that wont be a problem when the warmer temps roll around this yr!

 

Same, I had most of my oil in my t-zone area. It sucks right now because the weather up here is pretty cool and dry, so my lips are dry as hell. But yeah, hopefully post-Accutane we're all oil free.

 

my lips were dry too, not anymore....i use the burts bees beeseax lip balm....i have to use it once every 3-4 hours though....and right after i wash my lips.....i always carry one with me.....good luck

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(@kiteflyer)

Posted : 01/13/2013 1:40 am

Hello im also 22 and a Male Korean American who started using Amnesteen 40MG a day. Ive been on it for 4 weeks now. The first 10 days were a little depressing, wastnt sure if it was the side effects or not. Day 10 to day 21 I started getting really dry lips. Day 22 and up though the lips are dry but no where near as bad as it was in the beginning. I just carry chapstick with me now. My skin is really smooth now though and im not breaking out at all.

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(@cfoam)

Posted : 01/13/2013 1:26 pm

@austinhuang: Cool! It's nice to meet you. :) Aw, yeah, this stuff works differently for everyone. I'll be rooting for you tho, good luck!

 

@zhfac & user101: My lips are slightly drier than normal but nothing that a little Vaseline can't fix. Nonetheless, I've stocked up on some Aquafor for possible future lip-cracking etc. :P

 

@KiteFlyer: Sweet, thanks for sharing your experience! :) I'm glad to hear you're starting to see improvements in skin texture so early on in your treatment. Does that mean you were able to skip the IB? I bought my first puppy, Happy, a few days ago and she's been keeping me occupied and very, very happy haha. Before getting her I was honestly searching for side effects but now my thoughts are filled with her. :D

 

Day 9: I haven't had any major breakouts (yet?) since starting. I did, however, get a couple more teeny whiteheads and a small red bump under my chin. The tiny whiteheads that initially formed are starting to dry to the point where they come right off when I wash my face. I love that! :) My skin is still oily, so no changes there. I started having daily nosebleeds since Day 6; it might be time to invest in a humidifier. My lips are slightly drier but I find that applying Vaseline overnight alleviates that.

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(@cfoam)

Posted : 01/15/2013 4:01 pm

Day 11: I didn't do anything differently but my chronic nosebleeds have stopped! More good news: the texture of my skin is smoother and less oily for sure. It even feels a bit dry on the outermost layer. :o I also haven't had any new breakouts, minus the small whiteheads which have cleared up w/o a trace! I usually have hormonal breakouts too, but didn't happen this time around. Is this just the quiet before the storm or can I dare hope for no IB? Dun dun dun~ haha. On a more serious note, I've been exhausted lately. I'm normally an incredibly light sleeper, and I still sort of am in the sense that I can hear the garbage truck pass my house, but now I won't wake up and stay up; I'll hear it, my eyes will feel super heavy, then back to sweet slumber. My body also requires more sleep for me to feel rested. Has this happened to anyone else? I suppose it's better than insomnia but I'm a bit concerned.

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(@zhfac)

Posted : 01/15/2013 4:59 pm

Day 11: I didn't do anything differently but my chronic nosebleeds have stopped! More good news: the texture of my skin is smoother and less oily for sure. It even feels a bit dry on the outermost layer. gasp.gif I also haven't had any new breakouts, minus the small whiteheads which have cleared up w/o a trace! I usually have hormonal breakouts too, but didn't happen this time around. Is this just the quiet before the storm or can I dare hope for no IB? Dun dun dun~ haha. On a more serious note, I've been exhausted lately. I'm normally an incredibly light sleeper, and I still sort of am in the sense that I can hear the garbage truck pass my house, but now I won't wake up and stay up; I'll hear it, my eyes will feel super heavy, then back to sweet slumber. My body also requires more sleep for me to feel rested. Has this happened to anyone else? I suppose it's better than insomnia but I'm a bit concerned.

 

My nosebleeds stopped after a bit too, but if it ever happens again, a good trick I was told to use was to put some vaseline on a q-tip and rub it around the edge of your nostril. You may be lucky and not experience an IB, but I didn't really get mine till a month or so in, and I'm only "recovering" from it now, 2.5 months in roughly. I think accutane has changed my sleeping patterns a bit; I'm more of a light sleeper now, which is the opposite of what you experienced. I don't think it's something super serious though, but if you start feeling really tired talk to your doctor/derm.

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(@kiteflyer)

Posted : 01/15/2013 8:07 pm

I dont really have an inital breakout to tell you the truth. I Think what i thought was the break out was just from when I quit taking my antiobiotic soladyn for a few days before I was on amnesteen. My sleeping pattern hasnt changed though. Starting my 2nd month of it on Wendesday.

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(@cfoam)

Posted : 01/17/2013 11:34 pm

@zhfac: Thanks for the tip! And yeah, I guess I'll have to wait it out but I'm hopeful. :)

 

@KiteFlyer: Nice. :) Good luck! Also, I think I started feeling a bit depressed for a couple of days now, but sleep seems to help.

 

Day 13: My skin is so very clear but definitely more sensitive. The following routine thankfully works for me: wash w/ Cetaphil gentle cleanser, tone w/ Decleor tonifying lotion, moisturize w/ Clinique's dramatically different lotion (mixed with jojoba oil @ night) and protect w/ an Elta physical sunscreen. I mentioned in my last update that I've been sleepier than normal, but I also started noticing symptoms of depression. When I don't sleep at least 8 straight hours, I'm irritable and snappy; to give you some context, before accutane I'd be fine on as little as 3 hours. But now I feel exhausted to the point where I can't garner the energy to smile! As ridiculous as that may sound, I seriously don't even want to move the handful of muscles in my face. I do believe getting more sleep is the answer, as I feel better today perhaps because of it, so I'll try that for a few more nights and come back to update my status. I'm also noticing slight lower back pain. It's nothing unbearable but it takes something extra to keep my back straight.

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(@zhfac)

Posted : 01/19/2013 11:39 am

I think some slight muscle/bone pain is normal, but if it becomes unbearable, I would go to your derm for advice. Same for the depression thing, though aren't most people usually more agitated when they lack sleep?

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(@cfoam)

Posted : 01/19/2013 10:19 pm

@zhfac: I notice a little lower back pain when I stretch but if it does get serious I'll do that. :) And true, but my crabbiness felt significantly amplified. I think I would've unleashed the lochness monster on innocent ppl if I could've, and that was concerning! Thanks for the reassurance tho, I'm thankfully back to my normal self.

 

Day 15: I had a whitehead pop up on my chin and another on my right cheek. They seem to be drying up quickly tho. I can't tell if this is the start of an IB or not. What I do know is that my face is very sensitive now and dry. The peeling is limited to my lips; Vaseline 3-4 times a day is imperative. Other than that, everything else is back to normal. The extreme exhaustion is gone and I feel like myself again. Maybe my body was adjusting itself to the meds? That or it could have been some hormonal thing since it was my time of month. Anyhow, passing the 2 week mark feels good! :)

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(@shinataro)

Posted : 01/21/2013 10:34 am

Good luck on your course and don't worry about the side effects too much seems like you are well prepared and did your homework.

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