Hello everyone,
I'm a 25-year-old girl and I've been suffering from acne since I was 13. I've decided to go on accutane, even though I haven't tried many other things, because I think it's the only thing that really works. As a teenager my face was covered with zits, but now it's mostly lots of oil and sebum. Despite putting on make-up and powder I always have an oil glance, which is very annoying.
This blog is supposed to help people who are in the same situation as me and are wondering whether they should go on a low dose of accutane for oily skin.
I plan on taking 20mg a day for 6 months. My derm has all her patients on 10mg for the first month, to check out how the body reacts to it. If my blood work is alright at the end of the month, I can go up to 20mg.
My acne is mostly on my face, but I also have mild chest and back acne. I'll also have a fraxel laser treatment later on to (hopefully) get rid of my scars.
I took my first pill on thursday and so far I haven't noticed much change. My skin felt a little less oily when I woke up this morning, but by now it's become oily again. I guess it just takes a little while until the skin changes, especially with such a low dose.
I will post pictures here later and update every couple of days.
I hope for many readers and much feedback!
Vanessa
Hey Vanessa, it's good to hear you're trying this. My dermatologist says he'd never put me on Accutane for my mild acne (but very oily skin), so I may end up going to a different one in the future, but I'm always curious how other people with mild acne/oily skin react to an Accutane treatment plan.
I'd wouldn't be surprised if you start seeing the oily go away with a week or two; depending on your dose, body weight , and body chemistry some people see changes very quickly.
@CBIOT13: My first derm refused to put me on accutane, too. So I went to another and she agreed to it right away. Derms can be very different.
I've had a few nosebleeds over the last days. This probably comes from accutane. Other than that I've not experienced any side effects. My skin is still oily but there's no sign of an IB. Maybe I'll be spared of it. But it hasn't even been a week, so the accutane probably needs some more time.
It took about a month for the accutane to kick in. Now I'm noticing my body becoming drier. My skin is a little less oily. Before I had to put on powder 3 or 4 times a day, now one time is enough. However it is still oily and I would like to raise the dose to 20mg. I still have clogged pores on my chin and my nostrils. My derm said she won't raise the dose before the end of month two, so I'll have to wait 4 more weeks. 10mg is probably not enough and I think the oil will come back as soon as I get off it.
Side effects: dry lips
joints crack (but no joint pain so far)
drier hair
some mild eczema on my arms (manageable with enough body lotion)
dry patches around my nose and the corners of my mouth
FYI: I have had problems with depression in the past and am taking antidepressants at the moment, but so far I've had no problems with depression, suicidal thoughts or mood swings.
Hey! I'm doing 20 mg a day for 6 months also. I just started a week ago and so far I haven't had many side effects. I had a headache the first few days but other than that I've only noticed extremely dry eyes (I wear contacts) but I can take care of that with eye drops.
I havent had dry skin or dry lips yet but I apply chapstick all day and aquaphor before bed and I've also been putting vitamin e oil on my face before bed. Seems to keep my skin moisturized!
Check out my blog if you wanna follow and good luck! I'll be keeping up with your progress 
I am still on 10mg a day. My derm has refused to raise it to 20mg, she thinks it's too much. I have some dry patches around my nose and the corners of my mouth but other than that my skin is just right, not oily and not dry. My only concern right now is what will happen when I get off it. Hopefully my skin will stay the way it is right now and not become oily again.
I wanted to take accutane for 6 months but my derm suggested to take it up to one year. What do you guys think?
