any photos of your acne?

Hey Helton!

I started Accutane just one day before you! We're ACCUTANE BUDDIES!!

Just a quick question, how bad does fish oil taste? I was thinking of taking it with my pills but will I be able to stomach it?

Good luck, I'll be following your progress

any photos of your acne?

Sorry, I am not going to share any photos.

Hey Helton!

I started Accutane just one day before you! We're ACCUTANE BUDDIES!!

Just a quick question, how bad does fish oil taste? I was thinking of taking it with my pills but will I be able to stomach it?

Good luck, I'll be following your progress

Hey, Accutane Buddy!

Yaya! Let's do this together

I haven't combined fish oil with accutane yet; but to my experience, fish oil pill tastes like nothing, but it's VERY fishy when you burp, haha.

Nevertheless, I do not recommend taking fish oil in liquid form cause it's wayyyyy too unpleasant.

Though, I have been taking about 1 tbsp of olive oil with my accutane, just so I get enough fat for it to get in my system better.

( I read that accutane gets absorbed better in the body when taken with any oil/fat.)

No one has to do this as long as they are taking the pill with a regular meal... but I just like to be sure, haha!

=======================================================================

Notes 20mg - Day 2:

Just took the third pill, yaya!

No noticeable changes.

Woke up at around 10 this morning and took my pill with a breakfast smoothie, I am trying to take it with a reasonable amount of fat, and my smoothie has chia seed and peanut butter, so I think I am good. Might invest in fish oil pills just in case too.

Hung out with BF this afternoon and everything was great.

We had In & Out burgers, hehe!

Then I took my third pill with my dinner and a tbsp of olive oil, just making sure I get enough fat along with the pill.

Though I have to say olive oil tastes HORRIBLE on its own, especially when it's organic, cold pressed, extra virgin, so it retained most of the fruity flavor

x_x

Beside accutane, everything's going great.

Finals' coming this week, I am optimistic about them!

Notes 20mg - Day 3:

Haven't noticed any major changes yet, but last night I felt really tired, couldn't stay awake past 11pm...

So that was kinda weird. But then I went around town under the sun yesterday, and I know the sun drains my energy really quickly.

Shouldn't be a concern

Yaya, it's FAT Sunday!!! I ate tons, pancakes, club sandwich etc, I am kinda glad I go to school because when I am in school I can eat way less than on a holiday.

Woke up at 9:30, took the pill with my breakfast smoothie.

Still the Claravis's package is bugging the hell out of me. Why no one ever mentions about how damn annoying it is to open the package?!

Or is it just me opening it wrong? :S

Went out with Dad in the afternoon and went to the beach, the weather was amazing, warm but windy. I wore my awesome visor hat, say no to sunburn!

Then I went to Trade Joe's to get fish oil! There's two types of them, one is "normal" which I got, another one is "ordorless" which they claim to steam the fish oil to remove the fishy smell, and it has some kind of antioxidant blend with it. Though I picked the normal one because I want the least processed one. It's a good fish oil though because they specifically filtered out the mercury and toxins from the fish bodies which I was most worried about.

Moreover, I don't even notice any fishy smell later when I took it.

Then had a small dinner with just veggie and chicken soup, I wasn't hungry.

Took the pill afterward along with 1 fish oil pill + 1 tbsp of olive oil. So far so good

I am still doing everything that I normally do. Still using my AHA liquid at night, BP in the day time.

Oil production seems to be a bit less than normal (?) Not sure if it's the accutane or it's just the way my skin is.

No major breakouts and haven't experienced with any dry skin/lips issue yet, but I am prepared for it!

Notes 20mg - Day 5:

So far so good!

Woke up extra early this morning at around 6 to go to school for final; had Nutrition which I totally aced and English which went alright.

Then later in the day I realized I forgot to put my exam# on the scantron for Nutrition, and I quickly sent an email to my instructor just to make sure she knows, I don't think it matters since my question booklet has my name on it anyways and everyone's getting the exact same exam.

Skin wise, no real changes, still some tiny white heads that doesn't bother me much. My lips are still not that dry, they feel like... normal.

I can feel a big pimple forming right in the center of my chin though, oh well, going to ice it a bit.

I also noticed that I get tired and sleepy more easily which is fine to me.

Can't wait to get this month over so I can get bump up to 60 and experience the full effect of this

Best of luck to you. I will keep tabs on your progress as both of us have much in common. However, it's worth noting that my dosage is 3 times larger than yours. I have already begun experiencing the side effects whereas yours seem to be coming in slowly. This makes perfect sense, of course.

Best of luck to you. I will keep tabs on your progress as both of us have much in common. However, it's worth noting that my dosage is 3 times larger than yours. I have already begun experiencing the side effects whereas yours seem to be coming in slowly. This makes perfect sense, of course.

Thanks for dropping by, Sergius!

Let's do this together!

And yea, I haven't noticed any big changes so far. I do have a few break outs on my cheek which is very unusual because I almost never break out anywhere but chin and nose.

I guess I am having some initial break out now, though my lips and skin isn't overly drying, seems normal to me.

==========

Notes 20mg - Day 6~7:

FINAL'S DONE!!! YAYA!

No big new changes, except I got a big pimple on my cheek which has almost never happened before. But I am not really bothered by it.

And I finally finished one pack of Claravis, still have 5 more to go before next month!

Hello, would you let me know what happens to your bacne while on Accutane? My son is on day 53 & his bacne is a lot worse from the medicine (of course). But it's also very raw because the skin thins out so much. It's just really gross. The derm says its normal but still it really bothers me & him too of course. He gets blood on his shirts, and it hurts & is also itchy. I'm so tired of all the bleeding & fragile skin

I know you won't be posting pics, that's fine because I won't be posting pics of my son. Just want to compare your experience with his, as far as the severe bacne goes.

Thanks & best wishes!

Hello, would you let me know what happens to your bacne while on Accutane? My son is on day 53 & his bacne is a lot worse from the medicine (of course). But it's also very raw because the skin thins out so much. It's just really gross. The derm says its normal but still it really bothers me & him too of course. He gets blood on his shirts, and it hurts & is also itchy. I'm so tired of all the bleeding & fragile skin

I know you won't be posting pics, that's fine because I won't be posting pics of my son. Just want to compare your experience with his, as far as the severe bacne goes.

Thanks & best wishes!

Hi txngrl!

As my bacne goes, I haven't noticed any major changes yet, keep in mind I am still on 20 mg and day 6.

I can only feel maybe 3 actives right now on my back.

It's actually doing better ever since I changed my laundry detergent before I started Accutane, you might want to look into Tide's sensitive skin laundry liquid, it's free of fragrance, dye etc, and it's pretty affordable!

Soap with tea tree oil also helps alot! Lather and spread it on the back, then leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing off.

Though, may I know what's ur son's height and weight, and dosage of accutane?

Notes 20mg - Day 8:

Woah, the drying effect is kicking in, finally feel the need to put vaseline on my lips, I felt they were tight for the whole day.

So far so good.

I have 3 pimples on my left cheeks, very unusual because I normally don't break out on that area.

But they aren't really bothering me, I can just hide at home since finals' done yaya ;P

Notes 20mg - Day 9:

Woah, I am breaking out on both of my cheeks, not whitehead, but real pimples oO

I can see three on left, and one forming on the right now.

I think it's the accutane that's causing them.

Oh well, I don't really mind, they just show that the accutane's working the way it's intended to.

Hello, would you let me know what happens to your bacne while on Accutane? My son is on day 53 & his bacne is a lot worse from the medicine (of course). But it's also very raw because the skin thins out so much. It's just really gross. The derm says its normal but still it really bothers me & him too of course. He gets blood on his shirts, and it hurts & is also itchy. I'm so tired of all the bleeding & fragile skin

I know you won't be posting pics, that's fine because I won't be posting pics of my son. Just want to compare your experience with his, as far as the severe bacne goes.

Thanks & best wishes!

Hi txngrl!

As my bacne goes, I haven't noticed any major changes yet, keep in mind I am still on 20 mg and day 6.

I can only feel maybe 3 actives right now on my back.

It's actually doing better ever since I changed my laundry detergent before I started Accutane, you might want to look into Tide's sensitive skin laundry liquid, it's free of fragrance, dye etc, and it's pretty affordable!

Soap with tea tree oil also helps alot! Lather and spread it on the back, then leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing off.

Though, may I know what's ur son's height and weight, and dosage of accutane?

Hello,

We are already using All Free & Clear laundry detergent. Free of dyes, perfumes, etc. I've been buying it for many months now, so I don't really think that's an issue.

My son is around 5'8" and weighs 140-145 lbs. He started at 30 mg the first month, now in month 2 he is taking 60mg. His back is raw and looks terrible, I know this cannot be normal. His chest is so much worse too. Trying to be patient but its so HARD. I wish I could find someone on here who has gone through the same thing with their back on Accutane. It's painful for him to wear shirts. It breaks my heart to look at it. Please someone tell me it will clear up.

Next derm appt isn't for another week. I'm going crazy with worry.

Hello, would you let me know what happens to your bacne while on Accutane? My son is on day 53 & his bacne is a lot worse from the medicine (of course). But it's also very raw because the skin thins out so much. It's just really gross. The derm says its normal but still it really bothers me & him too of course. He gets blood on his shirts, and it hurts & is also itchy. I'm so tired of all the bleeding & fragile skin

I know you won't be posting pics, that's fine because I won't be posting pics of my son. Just want to compare your experience with his, as far as the severe bacne goes.

Thanks & best wishes!

Hi txngrl!

As my bacne goes, I haven't noticed any major changes yet, keep in mind I am still on 20 mg and day 6.

I can only feel maybe 3 actives right now on my back.

It's actually doing better ever since I changed my laundry detergent before I started Accutane, you might want to look into Tide's sensitive skin laundry liquid, it's free of fragrance, dye etc, and it's pretty affordable!

Soap with tea tree oil also helps alot! Lather and spread it on the back, then leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing off.

Though, may I know what's ur son's height and weight, and dosage of accutane?

Hello,

We are already using All Free & Clear laundry detergent. Free of dyes, perfumes, etc. I've been buying it for many months now, so I don't really think that's an issue.

My son is around 5'8" and weighs 140-145 lbs. He started at 30 mg the first month, now in month 2 he is taking 60mg. His back is raw and looks terrible, I know this cannot be normal. His chest is so much worse too. Trying to be patient but its so HARD. I wish I could find someone on here who has gone through the same thing with their back on Accutane. It's painful for him to wear shirts. It breaks my heart to look at it. Please someone tell me it will clear up.

Next derm appt isn't for another week. I'm going crazy with worry.

Im sorry to hear this

From what I've read on here, people do still break out until month3 or so. But as long as someone on accutane is breaking out then it's a sign that it's working.

If the breakout is too much, you might want to ask the dermatologist to prescribe steroid pills for a day or so, it supposedly is able to calm all the inflammation really well.

Also, maybe try a shower filter for body acne, I use Sprite, and u can get it on Amazon.

Lost track of the days already, haha! (I guess I could just count from the last day since I updated but oh well.)

20mg:

Been a few days since I updated! Things are going well~

The break outs on cheeks died down already but left a few red marks which I don't really mind.

Hung out with BF this whole day, and my skin looked fine with foundation on. Honestly the red marks weren't that bad with a bit of foundation covering them up; maybe I will invest in a good concealer like Almay, heard it helps with fading the marks with salicylic acid too. But normally I don't "cover" anything when I go to school, so hmm... I dunno, it's not that expensive to get one though... ( rambling to myself, haha! )

Things that I have noticed changed so far ever since I start Accutane on 20mg:

- More tired / sleepy; since school's out I have been sleeping ALOT. Not only because I have the time to, but also I feel tired more easily.

- Skin is drying up, especially the lips, though I only need to put vaseline on before I head to bed and the next day it will go back to normal. Day time I would use Cerave's lotion if I notice skin flakes.

- More break outs on areas that I normally don't get break outs, e.g both of my cheeks, and they were pimples, not white heads. Had like 3 on the left which have died down already, and two active ones on the right. Not too bad, they don't bother me that much, my Colorstay whipped foundation covers them nice enough. (Well obviously can't hide the texture but it hides the discoloration nicely.) *Also I use retina 0.05% on active spots every night. No BP or AHA liquid anymore for now.

- Mood, not that much difference than before. I wasn't happy for the past few days but I usually have those days once in a while even before accutane.

Notes 20mg - Day 16:

Finished my 3rd pack of 10mg Claravis, yaya! 3 more to go!

Skin is doing OK, I got a HUGE BRIGHT RED pimple right on my left smile line ( The place between the nose and mouth )

It doesn't hurt nor forming any white head which is good because if it itches, I most likely would pop it.

But other than that pimple, there's no other active spots on my face~

Went to bar last night and stayed up til like 3am? It was packed with people because finals are done!

Had fun, didn't drink anything except water.

I thought it was going to be dark as usual and wasn't prepared to meet anyone beside my friend.

But it just so happened my friend's friends went too, and we introduced each other.

It was quite bad, haha! Didn't do anything with my hair and no foundation on at all, talk about self conscious....

But my friend's friend was nice, he kept talking to me while all I wanted to do was turn around so he wouldn't see my messy hair and the big pimple on my face.

And KID YOU NOT, I woke up and my skin looked TERRIBLE. Dull and skin flakes everywhere. Sleeping is really important, everyone!

I ordered bentonite clay (Indian healing brand) and active charcoal powder from Amazon and they arrived this afternoon.

I really want to try mix both together with water to use as mask, haha!

( Had been reading how active charcoal draws out toxin from snake bites, and supposedly active charcoal has a lot of tiny pores to it to absorb toxin. I honestly don't know if it does work nor do I really recommend it for wounds. But I mean, damn if it's good enough for snake bites then it better be good enough for my pores, haha! )

Since my skin isn't that dry nor oily as of this moment... I think I will be fine using it!

I don't really know what goal I am trying to achieve from using this mask... maybe for cleaning up the pores on my nose, they have tiny white stuff in them

Will do an update on the mask

Helton, I'm curious to hear about the mask. The pores on my nose are clogged the heck up and they look like they're ready to be cleaned out.

Helton, I'm curious to hear about the mask. The pores on my nose are clogged the heck up and they look like they're ready to be cleaned out.

Hey Sergius

The mask was alright, the result was nothing impressive. I would say scrubbing would do a better job at cleaning the pores than the mask

I will try with apple vinegar instead of water next time since that's what the clay mask instruction said.

And it made such a mess, I think I should mix the clay with water first into a smooth paste, then slowly add the charcoal in. I just added them all at once and they became chunky which I had to spend more time breaking them up.

---

An update on accutane so far.

Things that I have noticed:

- BIGGEST CHANGE: I always had some flesh coloured bumps on my chin which I thought were scarrings, was always upset about them since there's no way to hide them even with make up because of the bumpy texture. But I noticed that they DISAPPEARED after I started accutane, and that's only like close to 20 days in! I like it!!!

- No more scalp acne, hair is drier than before! I love it! Used to get acne on the back of my head and they hurt when I slept x_x

- Drier skin overall, lips now need vaseline every night before bed

- More big pimples, there's one right on my neck below my ear now

- Mood and sleep wise is stable

Feeling optimistic! Face still have red marks from the initial break outs, but I am not going to bother them and let them heal.

Summer school starts next week, yaya! That means my "summer break" was only two weeks long which is good enough for me, feeling pretty bored right now.

Hopefully, school will keep me focused on something else beside my skin!

Notes 20mg:

Woah! Finished the 4th pack last night! Only 2 more to go for this month!

I am going to update this log whenever I finish a pack or whenever I notice something changed

Skin is doing alright so far! Lots of flakes around the noses and on the chin.

Break out is minimum now, no more actives on face but still have red marks

Lips are dry to the point where I have to make sure to apply vaseline before bed; however, I don't need to apply it through out the day. ( Though I expect this to change when I bump up to 60mg next month )

Feeling optimistic!

A mini update- some random thoughts about moisturizers and Accutane

Skin's doing fine, I noticed a lot of dry skin flakes on my problematic areas and no where else. Such as around nose, chin, and cheeks, only the areas where I broke out.

Logically, I should apply moisturizer on them to stop the hideous flakes right? But here's what got me thinking.

Accutane is supposed to temporary shrink our oil glands to help with break out, thus the drying effect.

So why should I put moisturizer over my skin if its sole purpose is to dry up my oil glands? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose?

It's like drying up a sponge, I would want to leave the sponge alone and let itself dry up, and not soak it into water every once in a while and wait for it to dry.

And we have to remember, the oil gland shrinkage from Accutane is only TEMPORARY, it's not as scary as people suggest that it's permanent. So during this six months, I want my oil glands to reshape themselves by letting Accutane work by drying them out. And hopefully stay this way even after the course.

That's just something that I thought of, might not be beneficial for everyone.

But for my personal experiment, I want to apply a MINIMUM amount of moisturizer through out this course. ( But generously on my lips and eye areas since they are not the areas that I need accutane to work on. )

I will be using minimum amount of Cerave's sunscreen during the day and wear a hat, and none at night time.

I also might use physical scrub such as this plastic scurby with my cleanser whenever I need those skin flakes to go away for a day or so. ( Can be found in Walgreens or Sephora; those "spikes" are SUPER soft, so I am not damaging my skin in any ways. )

But it all really depends, and I am going to use my best judgement to see if I need to put on lotion or not, just wouldn't be a every night thing.

So far, I am only using warm water + cleanser once in daytime and night time (Without the scrubby, only gently with my hands.) . My skin doesn't feel tight afterward, and the skin flakes come off easily during washing.

In a nutshell what I am doing:

- Accutane 20mg for this month

- Wash with cleanser in warm water

- Minimum amount of oil free, none pore clogging sunscreen just enough to cover my skin in daytime, and wear a hat.

- No moisturizer at night and just let my skin "dry out" and let it peels on its own freely. I might even use alcohol free AHA toner depending on the situation. The point is, I want as LESS products on my skin as possible, but still effectively letting it renew itself.

- Again, common sense and best judgment will be used! If my skin does get to the point where it's actually getting damaged from being too dry, then I will make sure to properly moisturize until it returns to normal.

*I HIGHLY recommend everyone get a hat like this, It's awesome! Blocks the sun and doesn't mess up my hair!

Notes 20mg:

Yaya, on the 6th pack which is the last one for this month! Time really does fly by, it seemed forever to go through this month but fast at the same time! :/

Skin's doing OK, no more random break out on face/neck.

However, nose is filled of blackheads now, it feels like sandpaper to touch around my nose... it's so gross...

But I will stick to what I am doing, just wash and avoid applying too much stuff on my face. I might use my 8% AHA toner this Friday so I can make the blackheads go away quicker ( And I pick Friday cause I can choose to stay out of the sun if I want to )

I also notice my memory is kinda.... not as sharp as before or I just have an OCD of checking stuff?

I checked my wallet like three times in a row to make sure everything was inside LOL. Or I am just getting old now :'(

But nothing major!

Summer school started 2 days already, classes are going well!

I noticed exercising is really important for skin, it seems to bring stuff like blackheads up the surface of my skin quicker. Sure it looks gross but that just means at least my skin is getting rid of them, in time.... I hope they go away quick

But I am optimistic, if 20mg is already helping me that much, think about what 60mg will do!

AND I HAVE NEVER FELT SO HAPPY TO BE NOT OILY.

Is that how it feels to have somewhat dry skin!?

I used to hate touching my nose in the middle of the day and see grease on back of my hand. But now I don't have any even though I stayed up since 7am today! It's amazing!

People with good skin must feel damn good to be themselves everyday! ((

Going back to derm on 14th to get blood tested, then 17th for another appointment, then have to go to another pharmacy on 18th to get prescription. Repeat this for the next 5 months, blahhhhhhhhhhh. It's such a hassle but I can't complain since I am literally saving 2k dollars just by doing all these visits!

Feeling optimistic and happy!

Yaya Update time!

This month is 40 mg!

Notes 40mg:

I went back to the derm and got my blood work checked and everything was fine. It was such a hassle though, they drew TWO tubes of my blood... I was like is that even necessary... they probably only needed a drop of my blood or something.

Anyways, he and I agreed on going up to 60mg since my nose went NUTS and the blackheads were increasing in an unbearable amount, so I wanted to go higher to get rid of them.

So when I went to the pharmacy to pick up the prescription and they only gave me 40mg, I was like whattttt.

Turned out my insurance only covers a total amount of 20mg, 40mg and 80mg. They don't cover 60mg...

Oh well, I am going back to the derm next month and maybe go on 40mg for a few more months, then finish off with 80m so I get the right amount at the end.

What I am doing:

- Night: Wash with warm~hot water in the shower, moisturize with Cerave lotion

- Morning: Wash with COLD water, moisturize with lotion; no sunscreen, always wear a hat even if it's cloudy in day time.

( I don't like the feeling of wearing sunscreen, it always gives me white cast and makes my skin looks weirdly shiny and I can feel something's on my skin. Even the Cerave one does the same thing. Its lotion's awesome though. )

Skin changes:

-LOTS of blackheads, I avoided picking them but got really tired of see them, so I scrubbed with my scrubby. It turned out nicely and loosened up most of the plugs. Still feel like sandpaper though....Oh well, I hope the pills will get rid of them eventually.

-Not oily at all! It's crazy how I NEEDED to wash my hair everyday before or else it gets greasy. But now, I feel that I can go without washing for a few days and still be fine. ( Though I still wash everyday, got used to it )

-No more breakouts Still have marks though.

-I am starting to moisturize more now, it was getting crazy and started to hurt when I make facial expression. Currently using Cerave lotion, LOVE IT. It's oil free and disappears on my skin! No heavy moisturizer mask-like feelings

So far so good!

I wasn't feeling happy for the past few days, but I realized friends are really important! If u r feeling down, just go find a friend and hang out with them

Yaya Update time!

This month is 40 mg!

Notes 40mg:

I went back to the derm and got my blood work checked and everything was fine. It was such a hassle though, they drew TWO tubes of my blood... I was like is that even necessary... they probably only needed a drop of my blood or something.

Anyways, he and I agreed on going up to 60mg since my nose went NUTS and the blackheads were increasing in an unbearable amount, so I wanted to go higher to get rid of them.

So when I went to the pharmacy to pick up the prescription and they only gave me 40mg, I was like whattttt.

Turned out my insurance only covers a total amount of 20mg, 40mg and 80mg. They don't cover 60mg...

Oh well, I am going back to the derm next month and maybe go on 40mg for a few more months, then finish off with 80m so I get the right amount at the end.

What I am doing:

- Night: Wash with warm~hot water in the shower, moisturize with Cerave lotion

- Morning: Wash with COLD water, moisturize with lotion; no sunscreen, always wear a hat even if it's cloudy in day time.

( I don't like the feeling of wearing sunscreen, it always gives me white cast and makes my skin looks weirdly shiny and I can feel something's on my skin. Even the Cerave one does the same thing. Its lotion's awesome though. )

Skin changes:

-LOTS of blackheads, I avoided picking them but got really tired of see them, so I scrubbed with my scrubby. It turned out nicely and loosened up most of the plugs. Still feel like sandpaper though....Oh well, I hope the pills will get rid of them eventually.

-Not oily at all! It's crazy how I NEEDED to wash my hair everyday before or else it gets greasy. But now, I feel that I can go without washing for a few days and still be fine. ( Though I still wash everyday, got used to it )

-No more breakouts Still have marks though.

-I am starting to moisturize more now, it was getting crazy and started to hurt when I make facial expression. Currently using Cerave lotion, LOVE IT. It's oil free and disappears on my skin! No heavy moisturizer mask-like feelings

So far so good!

I wasn't feeling happy for the past few days, but I realized friends are really important! If u r feeling down, just go find a friend and hang out with them

Just looked at your log. Didn't even notice this entire time you had one . I thought u were just giving good advice. I guess were down the same journey though. I do wish you good luck. Black heads are my best removed acne. I found the facial scrubs with 2% Sal acid to work super well with the black heads. takes about a week, but they go away for sure.

Helton, how are you doing my friend?