Hey everyone,
I've been taking accutane since it was prescribed to me 2 months and a few days ago now.
Over this time I've tried to take the advice I've found here on the forums in order to get the best out of my treatment.
However, I've had a few ups and downs so far, and found varying or vague answers to a few of my questions and was wondering if anyone could help me out.
Firstly, general acne related question Im confused about: I understand that I should only be washing my face twice daily to avoid irritation, but is it okay to splash my face or have a quick cool shower a few times separate from this? I'm pretty active during the day and it's also very humid where I live.
In relation to my accutane treatment: I started off with very good results over the first few weeks, before breaking out a little bit and experiencing the usual dryness just before my first appointment with my derm at the 1 months mark. After this my dosage was upped, and the dryness continued for about a week before subsiding almost completely. This was about 3 weeks ago now and since I have not had to moisturize at all. On the negative side though, about 1 week after this I broke out much worse than I can remember in quite a while.
I'm just wondering whether this is anything to worry about or just part of the process, or a result of the upped dosage?
It was weird how it followed as the dryness left.
Also would it be okay to use tea tree oil or something to spot treat the pimples from this breakout? My original breakout on month one cleared very quickly but this one seems much more persistent.
Thanks in advanced for any answers to my questions, or advice about where I'm at in the treatment. I just really want to get the best results I possibly can.
Sorry about the rambling!
you're gonna get a gazilliion different answers and theories on this forum...one thing i learned is to ask your derm. I only use this site for social support as i go through accutane...or to ask about people's experiences i.e my derm told me not to drink too much but i want to hear from ppl who didn't listen to that...
Good luck!
You are definitely going to get a lot of answers, but certain skincare habits will be overlooked by your derm. Not that they are bad, but their job is to prescribe and monitor your accutane course and small details can go by the wayside.
The Initial breakout you exerpienced is 100% normal. Accutane causes your skin cells to turn over much quicker than they normally would, thus, it pushes new acne up a little quicker than usual. The upped dosage can spur another initial breakout as well. I definitely noticed the effect was a little stronger when I upped my dosage. Many people will say this means it "working". The breakouts should subside the further you get into your course.
I found my best success was washing 2x a day with a gentle cleanser (dan's). I would try to avoid splashing your face with water. Dan recomends blotting sweat with a clean paper towel, toilet paper, etc. In my experience this was good advice.
Hi
The 2nd break out could be from the increased dosage..I have read that is pretty common
Im a girl..so I just splash in the am with water and only use gentle cleanser at night
I would try to only use a cleanser 1x a day and water other times to avoid dryness/irritation
Also, my derm said it was OK to spot with BP or tea tree oil
Im about 46 days in and have realized my skin has become more sensitive..so just be careful..the skin was getting VERY red and top layer peeling off which isnt pretty either
Good luck!!
kim
Thanks heaps for the responses,
I've got a few very vague answers from my derm particuarly in response to the over washing question.
I found my best success was washing 2x a day with a gentle cleanser (dan's). I would try to avoid splashing your face with water. Dan recomends blotting sweat with a clean paper towel, toilet paper, etc. In my experience this was good advice.
So would it be better to leave all showering to the two times daily I wash my face?
I guess this is a case of seeing conflicting reports about having to wash as soon as possible after sweating and how often to wash on these forums.
The water on your face is fine. Some people are on swim teams and swim twice a day while on Accutane. You just don't want to rub vigorously with a towel or use harsh chemicals like strong soaps.
As for the dryness coming and going, this is normal. It can fluctuate between oily and dry in while it works, but by the end, it should be all dry.
I think it is purging your skin of all the oil that was trapped under the sticky cells, and that's why some days are oiler than others, but it could also be hormone fluctuations or something else.
Try not to worry too much about the daily changes. Your skin should start really looking good soon! Better than ever!
Hope this helps!
A lot of it is personal preference, and everyones skin reacts different to accutane. If your skin isn't getting overly dry, then go for the splashing water. I tried to plan my showers around washing my face, but everyone's schedule is different. I would sometimes take a shower without cleansing my face (just water) if i hit the gym in the middle of the day and leave my cleansing to AM and PM.
Sometimes you just gotta do what works for you. As legomom said above, the accutane will have your skin looking great in no time so no worries!