Today has been a really bad day for me, first time ever I didn't go into work because of my skin, I don't know if it's because I'm more anxious about what is going to happen on Tuesday at my derm appt, I just hope I get the prescription and I'm not told yet again I need more tests.... This Yasmin surely isn't helping me! I prey that the accutane outbreak I'm expecting can't be any worse than this!

Today is Tuesday, I went to my derm appt where a nurse took my weight and another pregnancy test. Finally saw my doctor he said as I was 52kg he will start me with 25g I wasn't happy with it, it's too low! and he put me to which would be my max dosage of 50g he didn't hesitate about it which is a good sign maybe?

I have to go back in 4 weeks.

I'm happy-ish relieved(felt like Xmas getting my prescription!) but sad it's still as bad as ever and I have to do this.... I'm scared it won't work. Fingers crossed as you all know it's the last resort!

Any advice from your experience would be good to know.

Please

It says week 1 but I should of wrote day 1 whoops

Are you on accutane?

Hi leelowe1

Yes I'm on accutane at 50mg a day I'm only on day 5 but experiencing typical side effects not sure if that's normal this early on,for example dry lips and my skin has started to peel. On day 2 I started experiencing tingling/ pains and needle style on my hands and feet plus one lite nose bleed. I wasn't expecting this for a while but the redness on my face is going down and some cystic acne seems less inflamed already.... Still feeling very nervous about this drug!

Hi leelowe1

Yes I'm on accutane at 50mg a day I'm only on day 5 but experiencing typical side effects not sure if that's normal this early on,for example dry lips and my skin has started to peel. On day 2 I started experiencing tingling/ pains and needle style on my hands and feet plus one lite nose bleed. I wasn't expecting this for a while but the redness on my face is going down and some cystic acne seems less inflamed already.... Still feeling very nervous about this drug!

Good Luck. It's definitely a rough road and side effects are different for everyone. Read the logs and get a general feel of what others have been through. The first 2-4 months are the hardest.

Thanks leelowe1 yeah I've been doing a lot of reading haha tomorrow will be my official first week and wow I wasn't expecting so much in so little time! At least now it is on my system and my journey has began, I feel and look awful but I'm very optimistic

It's officially been a week today, here's a week after photo, the acne is sore and dry but the texture of the rest of my skin is smooth... Will post weekly pics to encourage me to carry on! Finding it hard to be out in public at the moment still.

So it's day 14 my symptoms are dry lips I'm using vasaline aloe Vera. The inside of my nose is red raw! My face is so dry(also feels sun burnt) the active cystic spots I have I so sore to touch and I can't forget as from 2 days ago my whole scalp is dry and flaky really flaky! I'm not complaining I now accutane is doing it's job but skin care advice will be hugely appreciated guys and girls! Please give me some advice

So it's day 14 my symptoms are dry lips I'm using vasaline aloe Vera. The inside of my nose is red raw! My face is so dry(also feels sun burnt) the active cystic spots I have I so sore to touch and I can't forget as from 2 days ago my whole scalp is dry and flaky really flaky! I'm not complaining I now accutane is doing it's job but skin care advice will be hugely appreciated guys and girls! Please give me some advice

Keep it up girl! I am jelous that you are on the journey to cleardome! I have to finish my laser treatments before I can begin my round of accutane!

I will be with you in the Journey to rid myself of moderate/severe acne soon! Best of luck to you, and keep up the fight against that thing that we all despise so much!

Thanks Majorpackerfan

I just want to fast forward 8 months from now and be at the end of the journey. I've read lots of accutane stories and I still can't believe I'll have my own completed story too.... It's just very hard, I have zero confidence and I do not want to be seen by ANYONE, tomorrow is my official 2nd week, feels like I've been taking the tablets forever as everyday is different ( a bit like a pregnancy I guess) you just take it day by day consciously, so strange...

Photo tomorrow

Ok so I'm gonna work with updates through days as I started my day 1 taking the tablets from the beginning if I went by weeks it wouldn't be correct as today weekly would be day 14 but it's not it's day 15( if You get what I mean)

Ok photos

Ok so I'm gonna work with updates through days as I started my day 1 taking the tablets from the beginning if I went by weeks it wouldn't be correct as today weekly would be day 14 but it's not it's day 15( if You get what I mean)

Ok photos

It looks like you are taking each picture in different light which adjusts the way we see it. But It looks like a slow progression, but you can definitley tell that progress is being made! I've read that some people see complete improvement within a month of two. But most takes a little longer. Keep it up!!

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER! That will help some with the dryness. Let your body moisturize itself.

Thanks for your message trevor12.

I thought by taking the photos in the exactly same place would be ok but as they were taken at different times of day I can see what you mean as it's by a window .

I literally have a bottle of water in one hand and my vasaline in the other at the moment.

My cystic acne is really drying out now and is looking less inflamed

Thanks for your message trevor12.

I thought by taking the photos in the exactly same place would be ok but as they were taken at different times of day I can see what you mean as it's by a window .

I literally have a bottle of water in one hand and my vasaline in the other at the moment.

My cystic acne is really drying out now and is looking less inflamed

I am so glad to here that!! That is what mine is doing right now as well!

I am having laser treatment done (aramis) and I just got my third treatment done! And it was the first treatment where I wasn't oozing blood outta my whole jawline (I know, GROSS).

Plus I am taking a cycle of minocycline. I can see my cysts drying up.

And I know you feel how I feel. LIKE WE ARE FINALLY WINNING!!

Lets keep this push girlie! We are soon to be free.

Hi majorpacker fan,

It's so nice to get replies on here

I had no idea what aramis was! I just assumed it was a tablet.

How often to you go through with the treatment? Are you in the uk? I've just never heard of it.

It's such a hard time, I do feel like I've been taking the tablets a lot longer than I have and my body made a lot of changes at the beginning but it's settling down now.

I was extremely unhappy with the way I looked and tbh not confident at all, I wouldn't say depressed or that I ever wanted to end my life over it but I wasn't in a good place!

I'm taking over my life now and ending the fact that acne did.

Ive told people who need to know that I'm on accutane now so I stop getting looked at funny.

But absolutely onwards and upwards from now, even if I get another outbreak nothing can make me feel any worse than I did!

I hope your journey will continue positively and I'll be following your progress

Hey

I just stumbled upon your thread and wanted to let you know that your acne will go away. Ive had acne since i was 12 (I'm 20 now) and I know how hard it is to be confident in yourself when all you see is acne in the mirror. I took me a long time to be able to look past the acne and see myself. It also sucked because none of my peers had acne like me, sure everyone gets the occasional zit but mine was more severe and whenever my acne would disappear it would leave me with huge red hyper-pigmentation marks So after years of trying different products, medications, and other treatments I finally found realized that i was treating my acne, not the cause of my acne. So i did lots of research and found things that really worked for me. And now my skin looks amazing!!! of course i will get the occasional zit (but like i said before so does everyone) but it'll be smaller and less inflamed. Its a very long and hard journey (getting rid of acne) but the process makes you appreciate how beautiful you really are. Best of luck to you!

Hey acne30 hope ur doing well? I'm on day 25 so were almost at the same stage u really shouldn't get urself down about ur skin accutane is going to clear u right up just takes some time. In ur pics I notice ur eyes before anything else there very pretty and I bet everyone else would agree with me. Have u decided about aveeno yet? There so many things to chose from it can be hard lol.

Hi BeautifulKnot

Thanks for your post how long was you on accutane for?

Your completely right my friends and family have never had serve acne before and id always see myself as the spotty friend/sister/ daughter so that doesn't help with my confidence.

I just really hope it works! I've had acne for longer than I haven't and feels hard to believe ill actually be acne free one day,I just think to myself that I'll be that small percentage that accutane won't work on.

Dannyboy91 yes I brought the aveeno foam cleanser and moisturiser I havent used it yet but I'll have ago tonight, just a little worried putting anything on my face!

Thanks for the lovely message, all my family and friends comment on my eyes funnily enough suppose they can't say much else

U see everyone notices ur eyes an that's because they stand out above everything else ... U shouldn't be scared to put anything on ur skin accutane is ur treatment that's what's going to clear u up all u have to do is keep well moisturised an cleanse before u do so ... It seems to moisturise better when u cleanse first... Accutane is definitely going to work for ya u should have absolutely no doubts in ur head at all. U have all the support an encouragement u need right here on this site everyone is amazing so never give up on it. I hope aveeno works well for u tonight just be gentle at all times let me no sure how u get on. Good luck.

I've officially been using accutane for 3 weeks I'm on day 22, strange there's only a couple packs of tablets left and I'll soon be off to see the derm again. Initially the first couple if weeks DRAGGED but this week surprising went very fast.

I'm now moisturising with aveeno which so far has been great!

I am posting a photo just now but as you see my left side of my face is very red and raw looking at the moment but I have just moisturised,this side had like 10 medium cystic spots but they are deflating, disgustingly my large cystic burst as I washed my face last night! Also on my right side of my chin I have a new spot

I'm seeing a big difference ready! My spots don't hurt half as much now as they did.

Side effects as to date are surprise surprise the dry lips also the inside of my nose still is raw BUT that's it's everything else has seemed to subside for now

Ok here goes....

Day 22

So I'm going to see my derm on Tuesday to get my 2nd prescription ... I feel like I'm going back there looking worse than I originally did more outbreaks of sore cysts! The left side of my face looks as worse as ever... Could it be infected??? I just don't know????

Also the dryness is crazy... It's very hard not to pick! Also a question.

Can I still pop a spot? Gross I know but if I don't do the just go?

So I'm going to see my derm on Tuesday to get my 2nd prescription ... I feel like I'm going back there looking worse than I originally did more outbreaks of sore cysts! The left side of my face looks as worse as ever... Could it be infected??? I just don't know????

Also the dryness is crazy... It's very hard not to pick! Also a question.

Can I still pop a spot? Gross I know but if I don't do the just go?

DO NOT POP WHILE ON ACCUTANE. Accutane slows down wound healing and can lead to very serious scars if popped or picked. Avoid the urge (even thought it is almost impossible, you must!), see the derm and ask him what you can do to help.

Make sure you are drinking a minimum of 8 cups of water a day! That may help some with dryness. Also a light moisturizer two times a day will also help, make sure to apply the moisturizer while your face is still moist! So 30-45 seconds after the shower, pat (do not rub) your face down with a towel, then apply a moisturizer.

Keep fighting girlie! You will be clear, you will be clear soon!

So do not pop... Got it

What happens to the spot if you don't pop though?

I don't want bad scarring so I have to be strong

I never knew you had to moisturise on damp skin! That'll hopefully work!

I feel really quilty now peeling the flaky skin from now on I'll carry a moisturiser and use it as soon as I'm tempted.

I am really over feeling down now! I'm ready to have clear skin and I do see the changes from the Intial breakout

Tomorrow will be week 4 or day 29!

Day 29 is here,

I went to see the derm today to get my second course of accutane, pregnancy test was taken but not my weight.

He was happy for me to carry on with the 50mg.

Photo time!!

Question though I'm seeing a bigger improvement on the one side if my face, is This common?

Feeling positive that this will work for me now