I am 31 years old and I cannot wait to get started on Absorica. I have gotten cysts since I was 19 years old and it was somewhat held at bay by orthotricyclen, but I still got the occasional huge bump. Acne is just horrible. It makes me feel so hideous. I don't want anyone to see me when I have a bad breakout and right now its pretty bad...for me. I have like 8 big red marks on my face and I have to slather on makeup just to feel somewhat normal, but it doesn't hide the bumps. I hate it. The last big cyst I got was literally the size on a nickel below my mouth. I had to get a cortisone shot to make it go down. I am currently in the 1 month waiting period before I can start my medication. I took the first pregnancy test and now I have to wait until May 3rd to take the second one. I think its pretty ridiculous because I have the Mirena IUD and there is no way I would get pregnant with it, but I still have to follow the ANNOYING rules! Okay, vent over. I am a little nervous to start, but I just can't wait to FINALLY get on this medicine. My younger brother took it and he had amazing results so I hope I have similar results. Anyone else out there in the waiting period?? I feel like I am wasting a whole month that I could be taking this medication. Oh well, at least I know I will eventually get on it. Oh and I have tried a ton of other crap like Proactive, Ziana gel, Clindamyacin lotion, Yaz pill, Ortho tri-cyclen, SA, and tetracycline...nothing has worked for me and I can't wait to bring in the big guns. 
hey i just wanted to say good luck to you and i hope that this month goes fast for ya and that the accutane knocks out the acne for good. so you never thought of trying spiro? i hate the cysts they are awful and i had them for years too and the scars left behind really screwed up my self confidence. this is all so hard to deal with but just know that there are people on this forum here for you and will be with you along the way. you are very pretty so i think you will be just fine when this is all over. take care and hugs!
Hi tracy521!
Thank you so much for your reply. You are too kind. I have heard of spiro and that you have to keep taking it for long periods of time and that if you stop taking it the acne comes back. I'm sure it works differently for everyone, but I guess I would rather just go with the Iso route and hopefully knock it out for good! One thing I'm nervous about is that since it dries up the oil so much does that mean that wrinkles develop more easily? I really hope not...I am an Aesthetic Nurse at a medispa. As long as I can keep getting my Botox hopefully I will be good. LOL
Accutane is wonderful! I am taking Absorica as well, and it has been a good experience so far.
I did notice that you are using the Mirena IUD and thought that was a little curious because it is often associated with acne issues. If you didn't notice any change in your skin when you got it, I'm sure it isn't causing problems. Just might be something to think about if your acne became worse when you started it. A friend of mine had a horrible experience with it, and there is a list here on this site of "good" and "bad" birth control (for acne) where Mirena is listed in the "VERY bad" category. But everyone is SO different when it comes to birth control.
Sorry! I try never to be negative, but I do think this stuff has a bad enough reputation that it is worth considering if it seems to have affected your acne at all. The Absorica will likely clear you up either way, but if the Mirena is causing hormonal issues, you are putting yourself in a situation where the acne is more likely to come back after your course. And that is no good!
Best of luck!
Hi, I am currently on day 30 of my waiting period before even being able to pop a darned pill in my mouth! I hate iPledge and I can't imagine that this program helps more people than it hurts. I guess you can't fight city hall. Anyway, I get to take my second pregnancy test Monday and then my doc can call in the script when she gets the results. I thought the wait would seem like forever but it hasn't been that bad--I tried not to dwell on it too much and that helped time go by. I can't wait! You'll get there too. 
Good luck! We're all on this journey together!
Hi Kim28 and Kim0728!
Thank you for your replies. It's interesting what you said about Mirena. My obgyn told me that it shouldn't effect my skin much. I have had it for 2 years now and I did get a bad IB on it but after that I was alright. I had the occasional cyst but it's been the last 4 months for some reason that my skin had really gone crazy. I have no idea what it's related to. When I was on the pill I would always get a breakout right before my period. I do love the ease of the IUD. Also, it has pretty much saved my life. When I was on the pill I would get horrible life altering migraines. I would be nauseous and all I could do is lay in bed in the worst pain ever. Ever since I switched to Mirena I hardly get them and if I do they are not nearly as severe.
Kim0728...yay!! You are SO close to starting!! I wish you the best of luck and if you keep a log I will definitely follow you.
Day 4
So far I have noticed that my skin is pretty oily and I am stating to get some tiny red acne bumps...they are all pretty small like a pin point in size, except for a pretty good size whitehead that appeared overnight on my cheek. My skin definitely looks more red overall. It feels very soft to touch so that is a plus. I have had a headache the last couple days but that may be due to the crappy rainy weather we have been having. Been drinking a lot of water throughout the day and sometimes wake up at night and need to drink water, which is pretty abnormal for me. Other than that all is good so far! Lips are not dry yet but I have been trying to stay ahead of the dryness by constantly applying either blistex or aquaphor on them.
Day 5
Well hello there IB. I didn't think you would come so quickly but hey I'm ready if you are. Let's get this over with!! I woke up to a bunch of small pimples all over my face today. Since they are so small they are pretty easy to cover with makeup. My face looks pretty bad and super red without any makeup on. I am in good spirits though because I know this means that the ISO is doing what it is supposed to be doing in my body. Yay!! I have started to peel slightly around my cheeks right next to my nose. My eyes are pretty red so I used some natural tears drops and that felt sooooo good! I went for a walk for an hour today outside (it was a gorgeous day out) and I wore SPF 50 and I didn't burn at all.
I am so thankful for the other logs on this site. They have really helped me know what to expect and it's awesome to know there are others out there dealing with the same thing!
Day 7
Holy skin dryness! I started peeling much more all over my face. The IB is still there but seems to be getting much better. All of the small whiteheads are gone. Just a few small red bumps left. My lips are dry and my nose is dry so have been using aquaphor inside my nose which helps a ton. I also noticed my hair was starting to get more dry because it was staticky...which it normally isn't. I have been using Aveda dry remedy oil and it is amazing! It really moisturizes my hair and leaves it so soft and shiny. I think that's it for now. Week 2 starts tomorrow!
Thank you so much Tracy521! I was starting to wonder if anyone else was reading this thread. Today was a pretty great day. My skin is really starting to clear up from the IB and the peeling was easy to control with a good amount of moisturizer this morning. No new side effects to report.
I'm reading! Keep it up. I can't wait to join your ranks hopefully in a month. I'm dying to get the initial tests and stuff done! Oh and if you haven't found it Walgreens sells bag balm. It's in a square green container on the bottom shelf with the body lotions! It is good stuff! It is so fantastic for eczema and dry spots!
Day 9
Thank you rwprnnell!! So today something very wierd happened...I woke up with a huge whitehead pimple on my stomach...yes my stomach! WTH!? Never in my entire life have I ever had a pimple on my stomach. This medicine does some strange things. I got my hair highlighted today and when they shampooed me my scalp began to burn a little. I have noticed that it had been a lot more dry the last few days. It is beginning to get ITCHY. On the other hand my hair is less oily so I don't need to shampoo as often. My lips are beginning to be a different kind of dry that I have never experienced. It's like they are dry from the inside out and nothing really helps. They are painful and raw feeling even though I use aquaphor and lip balm 24/7. My skin on my face was so super red this morning...like I had windburn or something. It's pretty crazy, but I know this will all be worth it in the end!!!
oh wow i feel bad that you have had some strange side effects but like you said it will all be worth it in the end. i was on doxy once and got my hair dyed and i had some strange allergic reaction but after being off of it i can get my hair dyed now and have no issues. i hope the itching has stopped now for you that's an awful feeling. does the moisturizer help your red face at all?
Day 11
Hey Tracy521, nothing helps the redness. Moisturizer helps with the peeling but I am accepting the fact that my face will just look red and sunburned for a while unless I feel like covering it with makeup. My chin is like a war zone right now with about 4 actives (2 that really hurt). Ugh!! Ok enough complaining...I am thankful that I am on this medicine and that I am able to take it. I know there are a lot of people who would love the chance to be on this medicine but can't be so I need to just suck it up and deal with the side effects and be thankful that I am even able to be on this medication in the first place. I do get happy every time I finish a pill pack. Another one down! It's a good feeling. Does anyone know if the redness is something that will last the entire treatment or if it subsides later on in the treatment?
Day 15
Things are going pretty well. My chin has 2 actives now and they seem to be getting smaller pretty quickly. No other actives! ) my skin stays matte all day. There is no oily shine anymore even at the end of the day. My scalp is pretty dry and itchy still. Not really sure what I can do about that. Lips are dry, but not as sensitive and swollen as they were a couple days ago. I have been using aquaphor in my nostrils 2x day because if I don't my nose gets uncomfortably dry. Body skin is super soft and not dry at all. Face skin is still a bit peely but it seems to be alright with a thick moisturizer I'm using called atopalm intensive moisturizer. Oh and my ears have been peeling too. Eyes are kinda dry and red throughout the day, but not too bad. That's about all to report right now.
Day 17
My chin is almost clear. Just one little stubborn bump that seems to be healing. Scalp isn't nearly as itchy anymore...yay!! I can go a few days without washing my hair now which is awesome. Also, the redness on my face hasn't been quite as bad the last couple days. I have noticed my arms and neck have been a little itchy, but not too bad at all. No new actives for a few days now. I did start to get a crack at the corner of my lip, but I used dr dans cortibalm on it and it healed up nicely. keeping my lips hydrated with aquaphor and dr dans cortibalm. Went out last night with friends and drank water all night. I am the dd while on this medicine. Lol
Thanks for your posts cat mama, kim28 and peaches28!
Day 23
Hanging in there. Lips are so dry. Thank God for aquaphor. So glad my scalp isn't itchy anymore. One thing I noticed is that the skin on my hands is particularly thin and I get cuts easily and they take forever to heal.
So I got a pimple in one of the most annoying places ever...I didn't think you could even get a pimple here since I've never had one there before, but I got one right on the inner corner of my eyelid right by my tear duct. I could see a tiny whitehead and the next day I had a huge swollen eye and it hurt soooooo bad all day. Finally today it started to go down and didn't hurt. That really sucked though. Lol. I couldn't put eye makeup on or anything.
Hi Boredercol71,
Reading your posts with interest! I'm hopefully starting on Monday cannot wait. This will be my 4th and hopefully my last Accutane journey! Re your scalp I think neutrogena do a shampoo for tight itchy scalps - well they do in the UK.
Just something I learnt from my previous journeys it's best to moisturise when straight out of shower whilst still a bit damp. I used to slather Clinique thirst quenching gel all over my face and lips whilst I dried my hair then wipe it with a bit of Evian water spray before I applied my day moisturiser, worked well.
Also don't know whether you get it in the US but I found Blistex Relief Cream to be the best lip balm along with (sounds gross) but cracked nipple cream for when they got really bad!!!
Just out of interest what dose are you on?
Carly x