So today marks 1 week of using isotretinoin gel. Ive noticed my face is much smoother but no real change with breakouts yet.

Im getting spots in places where there were clogged pores previously which isnt too surprising

my face started peeling form day 4 onwards, but its nothing i cant handle, seeing it peel makes me feel better as its a sign that the skin is renewing itself.

i know this will be a long journey but i hope it will pay off eventually.

2 weeks was done yesterday. I'm still breaking out on the side of my face that hardly got spots which is surprising.

The number of active spots on my face have gone from 6 to 2, and the 2 left over are under the skin spots, so i know it will be a week before theyre gone then a month for the marks to disappear.

I have noticed that my face is smoother even though there is no visible improvement on the red marks being left over - i know this will take time so im not so bothered yet.

i also noticed that the time it takes for the spots to come to a head and start healing has gone down too, before it would take a under the skin spot 1 week to come to a head, now it takes 3 days.

these 2 weeks have been hard, i cant even go for a walk without make up, more becuase of the marks than active spots- makes my face look worse than it is.

on the leaflet it says dont expect anything for 6 weeks so this is the only thing keeping from breaking down when i look in the mirror. fingers crossed it gets better soon. will keep you updated

Week 3

good news and bad news - one side of my face has finally stopped breaking out and is currently recovering from all the hyperpigmentation. the other side of my face however (usually my better side) is breaking out really bad. in the space of 1 week i got 8 under the skin spots in a small area; im trying to not get too worried as they were all clogged pores - but why cant they come to the surface without getting infected

im currently in the middle of my cycle (i.e. ovulating) which is when i break out - so as a result i got 2 small spots on my chin which i wont even complain about when compared to the left side of my face

cant wait for the left side to clear so it can start to recover - if it gets any worse i may go to the doctors for some antibiotics

Fingers crossed x

Week 4

so my left cheek has finally stopped breaking out, but now im left with horrible hyperpigmentation marks; literally 9 in just one area

my right cheek which was ok for a week has got a new whitehead which i assume is because my period is coming up.

my face feels so much smoother when i wash it, cant say the same thing about my forehead though, i think its going through a late purge and getting everything under the skin out.

i realised my face is more oily during the day, but i wont complain as long as i dont have to worry about spots

I believe im week 9 now, and i can say my deep under the skin red spots have stopped coming up but im still getting white heads and red blemishes on either side of my nose. the hyperpigmentation left from the previous deep spots look horrible and are taking much longer than usual to go away.

I went to see my family doctor yesterday and he wants me to try azelaic acid in the mornings alongside the isotrex in the evening. this should help the acne and the hyperpigmentation.

i hope this is the kick my skin needs, if not the last resort if accutant

so its been nearly 2 weeks ive been on azelaic acid (skinoren), at first it didnt seem to do much but now i feel like its helping. I have not had any new spots for a week and the old ones seems to be fading (even old sunspots)

I have a dermatology appointment in a months time, so if things go downhill again im going to request to go on accutane.

Hi

I had used zinerty in the past, which works but leave the area really raw. I was on doxy and zinerty, and it clears me for a few months. Then, spots come back. I now been prescribed isotrex, I didn't use it on my face as it smells of rubbing alcohol. Did you try it all over your face and did you experience any dryness from using it?

anyway, best of luck with the progress.

Hi

I had used zinerty in the past, which works but leave the area really raw. I was on doxy and zinerty, and it clears me for a few months. Then, spots come back. I now been prescribed isotrex, I didn't use it on my face as it smells of rubbing alcohol. Did you try it all over your face and did you experience any dryness from using it?

 

anyway, best of luck with the progress.

Hi

My skin never got dry, if anything it got more oily. but at first even though my skin was oily it would appear a bit flaky when applying make up, but this went after the first 2 weeks.

I used it all over my face, just so they were all on the same level (my forehead was the only part that was slightly spared). and yes it does small of alcohol but thats just the base that the medication is in. it dries up really quickly on the skin and doesnt leave a smell

I didnt really see good results with isotrex until after week 7-8, and now using skinoren with it has made the difference but im still getting small spots here and there.

hope that answers your question.

Hey, thanks for the reply. I have used skinoren before also, but i think it will be suited to superficial spots, not the inflammed ones i got. I am starting to use isotrex last Wednesday, only on my jawline and some lower cheek area. I will see how it goes. People reported here initial breakout here, hope it is not that bad.

I used to have oily skin before, now it is more towards normal state.

I am currently using some supplements and other natural topical, if it helps, I will definitely post on this site.

Best of luck with skinoren for you.

Hey, thanks for the reply. I have used skinoren before also, but i think it will be suited to superficial spots, not the inflammed ones i got. I am starting to use isotrex last Wednesday, only on my jawline and some lower cheek area. I will see how it goes. People reported here initial breakout here, hope it is not that bad.

 

I used to have oily skin before, now it is more towards normal state.

 

I am currently using some supplements and other natural topical, if it helps, I will definitely post on this site.

Best of luck with skinoren for you.

I had inflamed spots too, with isotrex and skinoren they became more surface ones.

I had an initial breakout from week 1-3, where all the clogged pores turned into deep inflamed spots (and i still have the marks left

good luck!

Are you from uk? Did you check your hormones if you are a lady. This is because I strongly believe that spots are sign of an internal problem. I wonder if anyone in uk manage to get their GP to check for these. And the ones I am meeting are not into checking these for me. They just throw things like antibiotics and accutance at patients, not really looking into what is the root cause.

I was 100% clear after 8 months on 100mg doxy a day. But it comes back after 3-4 months on my back first, then on my face.

Are you from uk? Did you check your hormones if you are a lady. This is because I strongly believe that spots are sign of an internal problem. I wonder if anyone in uk manage to get their GP to check for these. And the ones I am meeting are not into checking these for me. They just throw things like antibiotics and accutance at patients, not really looking into what is the root cause.

 

I was 100% clear after 8 months on 100mg doxy a day. But it comes back after 3-4 months on my back first, then on my face.

Yep I am from the UK. I got the GP to check my hormones because i was suspecting PCOS, and with blood results and ultrasound they confirmed i had PCOS.

Confirming hormonal problems doesnt really make a difference, i was given the contraceptive pill and i felt really uncomfortable taking in exogenous hormones, and when i stopped taking the pill my acne came back so its not a permanent solution