Hello people! I'll try to make this as brief as possible!......I'm a 30yr old male from England, I have suffered from extremely oily skin for the majority of my adult life, I also usually have 2-3 generally small spots daily, many blackheads, a few red blemishes from previous spots and the occasional cystic type spot. To some extent this has ruined the social aspects of my life (I'm sure most of you feel this too!) For too long I hoped it would resolve with age....not happened yet! I'm pretty sure the oil is the cause of all my issues so for the past few years I have tried to reduce my extreme production to no avail. I tried a load of the otc products (some help the spots but do nothing for oil) I tried b5 mega dose (worked a little but caused hair loss and digestive issues) antibiotics help spots but again do nothing for my oil reserves! My last hope.....Accutane / isotretinoin!
Thanks to all you wonderful people sharing you experience with isotretinoin on acne.org I have decided to try a low dose regime (5mg/day) in the hope this gives me a much needed break!
Therefore, I think it's only fair to share my experience & hopefully help someone else.
I am currently on day 16......here's what I've observed so far -
Days 1-3, No change
Days 4-10, Only a couple of small spots & slightly dry lips (oil possibly increased)
Days 11 - Current, No new spots, slightly drier lips, possible sight oil reduction (not too sure though)
Throughout this time I also have a slight headache on and off but I guess I'm just getting use to it.
Overall I'm quite happy so far & hopefully the dry skin will arrive soon!
Anyways......I'll do my best to keep updating and any feedback / experiences you guys have would be great.
Peace out,
Tony.
Thanks for your comments, although, as far as I'm aware, accutane isn't an antibiotic. I'm guessing you haven't had the same issues as myself or you wouldn't suggest just using facial wipes! I'm wanting a break from the constant flow of oil, wipes don't even scratch the surface. I'm completely aware of all the risks associated and this is my last resort. The low dose route should minimise these risks.
Thanks again.
Quick update....
Days 17-20, definitely less oil produced, only one new small spot, slightly dry lips, no headache anymore.
I've also been pretty much living off takeaways for the last few days and normally this would cause a few extra spots but not this time!
Things are looking positive and hopefully just get better!
Peace out people.
I am almost 40, and I also have very oil skin. After spending a year trying to get Roaccutane/Accutane, I finally received the 5mg for the first time.
My result is similar to yours, except I have a rather higher-than-normal breakout rate during the first two or three weeks of Roaccutane treatment.
My skin is less oily (for now). I do hope the less oily skin can last after Roaccutane course.
I am almost 40, and I also have very oil skin. After spending a year trying to get Roaccutane/Accutane, I finally received the 5mg for the first time.
My result is similar to yours, except I have a rather higher-than-normal breakout rate during the first two or three weeks of Roaccutane treatment.
My skin is less oily (for now). I do hope the less oily skin can last after Roaccutane course.
Thanks for your comment, hope all goes well for you. Can I ask how long you have been on the 5mg and if you're oil is still reducing?
I'm on approx day 40, not too much change so far. I have had a few spots (possibly initial breakout?) Which did take longer to heal! Oil production still seems less but I still shine! Dry lips are annoying and I've had some flaky skin in some facial areas (just washing with water only helps this) Hopefully things continue to improve....keep you posted!
Good luck people.
I am on about day 55 (that's almost the end of the first course (60 days)). I haven't had new breakout on my fast for last 2 weeks at least.
I can feel that I have some minor new acne on my back. (I need to get my partner to take photo of my back for me, and haven't been doing that on daily basis.)
My lips can still get dry, however, I won't worry about lips as lip balm does a good job.
I hope Roaccutane works for you. To me, dry lips is the only side effect I have so far.
I was told not to use soap to wash my face, but to use facial wash (the one from supermarket will do, just not the very strong one).
My oil skin actually got less oily just about 1 or 2 months before I started the Roaccutane course. Before Roaccutane, I had a very bad skin peeling due to sun damage. A friend of my suggested me to apply more moisturizer, I then applied double to triple of the normal amount. Since then, I noticed my skin getting less oil, and Roaccutane further reduced the oiliness.
If you are getting moisturizer, you need to get the right type of moisturizer for your skin. Basically, I used water-based moisturizer. The other version makes my skin extremely oily.
I'm taking Roaccutane low dose aka 5mg per day for almost 1 year now and i would say i'm 80% less oily. The cons are my lips and my skin are more more sensitive. A lot more. And i have got an itchy scalp.
But it Worth it.
A normal course is your pound x 150 so i can take it while 5 years.