So this marks the start of my own long-awaited Accutane journey.
Acne severity: Moderately severe with recurrent cysts on nose, chin, jaw and neck. Severe scarring on nose.
Day 1. Took a 20mg capsule with a full meal (somewhat fatty).
Got 20 capsules for now. Doc told me to take one capsule a day for the first 10 capsules then switch to 1 capsule every other day for the remaining 10 capsules. After that will go and get my next refill. Plan to be on this for 6 months and more.
Note to self: watch vitamin A intake.
Day 3 (Jan 01) and Day 4 (Jan 02). 20mg capsule each.
Uneventful. Noticed some headache when about to sleep. But could be due to minor cold. Blocked nose as well, should be unrelated to Accutane.
Face recovering slowly from clinic pimple squeezing/extraction. Still red all over. New cyst on right side of neck.
No eye dry. No lip dry. No major changes in oil production. Can't wait for first signs to appear. Gotta wait till Day 7 I guess.
Day 5 (Jan 03). Just took my pill (20mg capsule) with a fatty meal. Peeled off a few dried scabs from last week's extraction. Had an easily poppable zit under my mouth this morning. Feelin a biggie on the left side of my nose. Other than that no major breakouts. Had major tonsil ache last night and this morning. Still inflamed. I get tonsillitis twice a year on average. Bought some ibuprofen and lozenges. Wiping my face with Clean & Clear lotion. Not using any moisturizer yet. Bought some Zinc gluconate (not in a rush to start taking).
Been drinking a lot of water as advised by derm. Still no dryness of lips or face.
Did you ask your doctor if you can use the clean and clear ? I'm on my fourth day and have a small initial breakout but acne scars are fading slowly !
Didn't really ask. I've been using this Clean & Clear twice daily for the past 3 years. Since I haven't noticed any major changes on my face yet (oiliness-wise) I figured it would be alright to keep using it. I'm sensing the slightest dryness on my lips this morning, but it could just be dried oil/fat from my meal last night - or even dried blood (gross) from my nosebleed last night.
I would use a gentle soap like dove or even a facewash that is creamy/foamy (targeted for minor wrinkles), because your skin will dry up eventually. But I guess the time hasn't come yet.
I used mild drying products as well because I was so used to them in the beginning of my Accutane treatment, but later I noticed my skin needed something completely different- moisture.
Day 6 (Jan 04) and Day 7 (Jan 05). Took 20mg each with fatty meal. Cysts on right cheek (3-4 weeks old) still not dying down. But not really actin up either. Had two minor whiteheads this morning - one on my upper right cheek and one on my chin. Scraped em off with my nails pretty much. Had some non-accutane induced peeling. These are films of dead skin I got after my violent salon extraction last week. No dryness noted. Still dealing with tonsillitis and mild malaise.
I would use a gentle soap like dove or even a facewash that is creamy/foamy (targeted for minor wrinkles), because your skin will dry up eventually. But I guess the time hasn't come yet.
I used mild drying products as well because I was so used to them in the beginning of my Accutane treatment, but later I noticed my skin needed something completely different- moisture.
Yeah I'll get to it once I start noticing dryness. For now I haven't noticed anything major. Will visit derm tomorrow morning since it's been one week. She's going to push me to get another extraction. But I'm ok with it.
Be careful. Stop extractions as of now. You are extremly prone to scarring and scabbing on accutane.
Thanks for the reminder.
At Day 10 (Jan 08) dry lips are noticeable - only slightly, so I believe the accutane is starting to kick in. It's only been 10 days and I'm on a low 20mg dose so I don't think yesterday's extraction will have major impact.
Starting tomorrow I'm going to switch to 20mg every other day. This is a significant reduction in dosage. I'm a bit worried. Will be researching the effectiveness of ultra low dosages.
Day 11 (Jan 09). Took my 20mg with a fatty meal. Had two whiteheads (semi-cysts) on my chin/mouth area. They're a lot less noticeable now. In fact the one near the mouth is almost gone. No real IB yet. Face somewhat dry. Lips somewhat dry. Still dealing with tonsillitis. Felt a bit of eye dryness too. Gonna keep going with it. Starting today I'll be following the "take one every two day" regime.
Day 12 (Jan 10), Day 13 (Jan 12), Day 14 (Jan 14). 20mg per day.
Noticeable dryness. Almost drastic. Very good reduction of oil on nose. No need to pat my face with tissues regularly.
Got lip balm - major cracking due to negligence. Got moisturizer. Will start new, non-drying facial routine tomorrow.
Day 17 (Jan 20), Day 18 (Jan 22), Day 19 (Jan 24), Day 20 (Jan 26). 20mg daily.
Face still dry. Lips still dry. T-zone still somewhat unaffected. A number of cysts. Rest of face good, looks like a real improvement. Drinking lots of water. Hair much dryer which is good less grimey. Had slight shoulder ache now bit better. Slight abdomen discomfort. Now better. Taking risks with my diet venturing into sugar, oil and dairy territory. Gotta be careful.
im self medicating accutane and 20mg everyday has 95% cleared me severe face, back and chest acne in just over 2 months. i still get a few little ones, im actually going to cut back to 20mg eod. i beileve if 20mg ed cleared me up this much then 20mg eod will clear the little i got left and keep me clear.
I should have been on a higher dose. Every time i stopped accutane the acne came back. Came back as cysts, just what they were originally. Used accutane a few more times at the same low dosage. Completely removed acne. Health was not affected. Then stopped accutane indefinitely. All my acne is back. I really should have been on a higher dose.