So first off I believe I have suffered from acne dysmorphia that started 8 years ago...stress always triggered it and if I got a little breakout I would run to a dermatologist. About five months ago I really broke down..started obsessing in the mirror...and went to numerous dermatologists..to fix the wrong thing...and boom skin broken out in cystic acne bad at 32....acne which I never had....now im on Accutane one month in...with more cysts and scarring then ever in just a five month time. ive had severe panick attacks and don't sleep at night anymore. my eyes now have sunken in and I feel I just look like an alien. I don't know if I can repair the damage..if my sunken eyes will go back..if my skin will heal on this Accutane.....and even if I do if I will ever look normal again. I just pray God gets me through this so I can be strong for my little girl. I just cant face the mirrors...right now im breaking out in cysts so bad its just killing me..
Hi Sankofa. I'm so sorry you are feeling this way, do you have any friends you can talk to? Sometimes talking these things through with people who really care for us and love us just helps, since, for at a time when we can't love and appreciate ourselves sometimes seeing others feel that way about us can spark some awareness in ourselves.
What do you think made you break out in cysts before taking Accutane?
I know if I am constantly stressing about my skin it makes it worse :/ literally in days. Stress has alot to answer for specifically lack of sleep which makes stress worse and stress can cause loss of sleep...so its a double edged sword. Perhaps working on your stress levels may help, meditation/yoga/write your thoughts down. Maybe medication?
I'm not good with Accutane but from the snippets I have read doesn't it make your skin break out ffirst
Im so sorry youre feeling this way.
Im in a similar situation: I ve tried ALL summer to eat the best I can ( no dairy, hardly any bread, lots of vegetables, blue fish, green smoothies...) and havent used any make up and stopped using harsh chemicals, which have caused more harm tan good in the past. The summer has ended and Im AS BAD as in the beginning. Im really down and desperate, so I understand you. Im adult too (28). I send you a hug, you are not alone (although its easy to feel like that because all people seem to have perfect skin).
I've had similar problems where my skin has just suddenly erupted and I've felt powerless to stop it.
For a long period I thought my life was over. I thought I'd never go out again on a weekend with my friends and, worse still, never kiss a girl again. However, after all the darkness I started to emerge into the light as my skin improved.
I know how difficult it is to accept that things will change when you're at such a low point, but it can happen.