Best of luck buddy! You're on your way to clear skin soon

DAY 2

Thanks for the encouragement Anton!

I am currently on my second day and not really feeling side effects atm, although I did have a slight headache yesterday. My acne is still very much the same, with around 3 actives (small-medium white heads) and 1 cyst on the jaw line (which was there before the tane).

I have decided to take the following supplements to help battle the side effects of my course:

fish oil - dry skin

Vitamin D3 + calcium - joint paint

Vitamin E

Vitamin C - wound healing

Grape seed extract - wound healing

Also in combatting dryness, I use a humidifier every night when I sleep (it is winter in Australia, so it is quite dry).

For moisturiser atm I'm using clinique's dramatically different moisturising gel with a pump of organic aloe to aid in redness and wound healing. I have already purchased richer moisturisers off Paula's choice in preparation for when my skin dries out.

I also apply vaseline liberally to my lips and nostrils. I also slather on the aveeno dry skin lotion all over the body. So far my mood has been good and I am excited to keep progressing with the course.

If anyone has any tips, tricks or guidance it is very much appreciated.

Day 4

Side effects still the same, with a little extra joint and muscle pain (maybe because I did weight training) and a dull headache before I sleep

I think I'm experiencing the dreaded initial break out/purge. I can see dormant bumps becoming inflamed, also the back of my neck/scalp (which used to be a huge problem area, but was clear prior to tane) started breaking out.

Currently I have 9 active bumps on my face (a few white heads, but most are still under the skin bumps). My skin is beginning to really dry out, I'm just hoping that there is a light at the end of this tunnel and hopefully it is soon. This is pretty disheartening as uni starts tomorrow but just got to solider on!

My question for accutane users, is it normal to experience such a bad ib so early in the course of treatment on such a low dose for someone my body size?

Day 6

So far my side effects have been getting better. Still slightly dry and a little achey. My skin has been the same, with 3 cysts on my right cheek which is usually breakout free. The rest of my face is ok, just mainly red marks and a few small white heads.

One of the cysts is coming to a head, while the other 2 are still just a red bump that hurts to touch. I know this is an initial break out as the cyst which is coming to a head had been a dormant bump (which didn't hurt and wasn't red) for around 2-3 weeks. But it got inflamed 3-4 days into my accutane treatment.

I'm just hoping that my active acne can calm down along with the slight redness in my face. I'm also hoping that when I increase my dosage I dont go through a bad break out again

UPDATE: At the end of the day, the huge cyst which was coming to a head popped on its own and a LOT of pus came out (TMI). I pressed on it gently with tissues wrapped around my fingers (no squeezing) and cleansed it with a cotton ball soaked in bioderma and slathered on a layer of aloe vera to help it heal. However the cyst hasn't subsided yet, as it was formed by 3 white heads, and only 1 of them has been drained.

Day 6

 

So far my side effects have been getting better. Still slightly dry and a little achey. My skin has been the same, with 3 cysts on my right cheek which is usually breakout free. The rest of my face is ok, just mainly red marks and a few small white heads.

 

One of the cysts is coming to a head, while the other 2 are still just a red bump that hurts to touch. I know this is an initial break out as the cyst which is coming to a head had been a dormant bump (which didn't hurt and wasn't red) for around 2-3 weeks. But it got inflamed 3-4 days into my accutane treatment.

 

I'm just hoping that my active acne can calm down along with the slight redness in my face. I'm also hoping that when I increase my dosage I dont go through a bad break out again

 

UPDATE: At the end of the day, the huge cyst which was coming to a head popped on its own and a LOT of pus came out (TMI). I pressed on it gently with tissues wrapped around my fingers (no squeezing) and cleansed it with a cotton ball soaked in bioderma and slathered on a layer of aloe vera to help it heal. However the cyst hasn't subsided yet, as it was formed by 3 white heads, and only 1 of them has been drained.

I'm on Day 10 and experiencing roughly the same side effects as you. What has helped me so far is drinking more water than I thought possible. While at work I'm literally refilling my bottle at least every hour, if not more. This seems to help with the joint pain I've had, although my wrists and shoulder are still a bit sore.

As for the initial breakout, we just gotta stick through it! I've read (and this might be nonsense) but the worse your IB is, the better the medicine is working on you, so that's a silver lining I suppose. Wishing you the best of luck!

-Jacob

 

I'm on Day 10 and experiencing roughly the same side effects as you. What has helped me so far is drinking more water than I thought possible. While at work I'm literally refilling my bottle at least every hour, if not more. This seems to help with the joint pain I've had, although my wrists and shoulder are still a bit sore.

 

As for the initial breakout, we just gotta stick through it! I've read (and this might be nonsense) but the worse your IB is, the better the medicine is working on you, so that's a silver lining I suppose. Wishing you the best of luck!

 

-Jacob

Hey, thanks for the reply. Yea the IB sucks but it's a part of the process I guess. Also for joint pain have you tried taking fish oil? People on the forum swear by it. I have also read about vit d + calcium and magnesium as well.

Great work, keep at it!

Always been scared to try Accutane as I have heard of the long term side effects...........

Week 1 update:

• The skin on my face is still oily
• lips and eyes SLIGHTLY dry (no sever chapping or burning)
• Initial break out began day 3, however is starting to heal up a bit as of now (still a while to go with 3 big and painful cysts on right cheek and one coming to a head, left cheek which used to be more problematic is now clear)
• joint and muscle pain and headaches was worse the first few days, less so now

Overall, the initial break out was rough and I had to take a few days off uni (but its only first week so haha). It has shown signs of improvement, but this is still the very beginning and I am prepared to break out again.

Great work, keep at it!
Always been scared to try Accutane as I have heard of the long term side effects...........

Hi LoudCloudy, I was just like you, absolutely terrified of all the horror stories I have read online. It is however really really important to get educated on the topic and that means reading published studies and taking forum posts and online stories with a grain of salt. Furthermore, if acne is affecting you emotionally and psychologically or run the risk of scarring, accutane should definitely be an option to discuss with your dermatologist. As with any drug/procedure there are risks, but with that said there are definitely ways to minimise the risks through following the direction of your derm and a healthy lifestyle. I hope that your battle against acne ends soon!

Hey, thanks for the reply. Yea the IB sucks but it's a part of the process I guess. Also for joint pain have you tried taking fish oil? People on the forum swear by it. I have also read about vit d + calcium and magnesium as well.

I'm hoping that since mine came on so quickly it will be harsh (which is has been) but then not last super long.

I think I'm going to buy some fish oil, I've read up on it but never pulled the trigger. A friend of mine also said it worked wonders for him while he was on accutane, thanks for the suggestion!

Day 8:
Skin is very much the same, with 4 cysts on my right cheek, 1 coming to a head and painful, another drying out and the other 2 still under the skin and red. I'm hoping that these bumps either surface soon or just flatten out. A cyst is starting to form on my left cheek, but I was sort of expecting it as prior to accutane the spot had a slightly raised and non-inflamed bump.

I'm hoping that since mine came on so quickly it will be harsh (which is has been) but then not last super long.

I think I'm going to buy some fish oil, I've read up on it but never pulled the trigger. A friend of mine also said it worked wonders for him while he was on accutane, thanks for the suggestion!

Mhhh that's an interesting theory. Prior to me starting accutane, I had one of the worst break outs of my life (which was one of the reasons why I decided to go on accutane). Maybe that is also a reason that my IB has not been absolutely terrible (although still quite bad).

With that said, accutane break outs are a complete guessing game. Some people clear in 1 month, others clear 2 months after a 6 month course. We just have to work with what we got. Don't forget that you still have to be diligent with your skin care routine even on accutane. I try to follow DKR in terms of the directions for cleansing and moisturising (minus the BP).

NOTE: I also use 2% BHA (which I have been using for a year now) every night. It hasn't overly dried or irritated my skin. But I plan on using it for a maximum length of 3 more weeks (1 month mark).

Day 10

So my initial break out is still continuing. 3 cysts are drying and and in the process of peeling off and are now healing (will leave behind a red mark), however I still have 3 cysts on my right cheek and 1 on my left (which has started to come to a head - its a mishmash of 3 white heads). Also the nodule which has been on my right jaw for around 12 months (yes, it's chronic :\!) seems to be becoming more and more inflamed and I am really really hoping that the accutane will purge and make it come to a head, as I just really want it gone. Lastly the black heads on my nose are now becoming really prominent, where before it was almost completely clear of any blackheads.

My side effects are now only limited to really dry skin. I have been sort of lazy with moisturising my face and body due to laziness. But then I realised that dry flakey skin is unhealthy and will therefore make it harder for the skin to heal from acne lesions. I will now try to moisturise my skin liberally twice a day for the face and once every 2 days for the body.

Quick update: day 11 - acne still very much the same, 3 cysts on right cheek still not coming to a head (hurry up already!) Right jaw becoming more inflamed, left jaw is has a big dried scab from a deep cyst from before accutane.

I just shaved today (I didn't shave for a week as nothing important has been on) and I often break out after shaving, we will see how the next few days go.

Really hoping that my actives will either come to a head or just quickly flatten out (a lot of my cysts just flatten out without being drained/coming to a head).

My mood has been really great, but my body is becoming more and more dry and often itching, but I dont have time to moisturise my body these days!

Week 2 update:

Skin is still very much broken out. I have a cluster of white heads on my right cheek, but they seem it be drying up. The two dormant cysts are still there, but I think they are coming to a head/flattening out soon. My left cheek is ok, with 1 small breakout. However recently, I developed a bump on my chin, which is usually clear. Finally my jaw is still very much a problem area with cysts on both sides of my jaw.

Hoping this IB can calm down soon

Side effects are ok, just a little dryness and muscle aches (especially the days after working out)

aw dude feel for you. It's a shame you're having such an initial breakout at 20mg. On the plus side your title cracks me up i'd tane with you if I could lol (preparatory stuff needs to hurry up)

Day 20 (3 week update)

My skin is still very much breaking out. Here is a quick run down based on the sections of my face (sections that are not mentioned are clear).

Left cheek: A cluster of 3 deeper white heads (2 coming to a head, 1 still a red bump, all painful to touch)

Right cheek: Dormant bumps came to a head and are now healing, the cluster of pimples are all dry and scabby (gross), a new break out just appeared today right above one of the dormant bumps which came to a head a few days ago (deep white head)

Jaw line: Cysts on jaw line are healing, but constantly scabby and some times slightly bloody after washing face, a new break out just below my chin on my jawline/neck (medium sized white head)

Nose: black heads more prominent and a little bit rough, hopefully they will go away soon

My break outs seem to be forming really close to each other (in clusters), does anyone have any explanation for this? or any way to minimise the issue?

I think the 2 new break outs I got today is caused by my moisturiser, which I used the night before the break outs. It was a moisturiser for dry skin, it felt heavy and looked greasy. Good thing I only got a few samples, I will be discontinuing use and only using my usual moisturiser.

Side effects are minimal, slightly dry skin (no more oil break through after a long day!), lips feel dry but are not chapped. Slight back ache after a long long day (and after doing back at the gym)

aw dude feel for you. It's a shame you're having such an initial breakout at 20mg. On the plus side your title cracks me up i'd tane with you if I could lol (preparatory stuff needs to hurry up)

Thanks haha, I know breaking out sucks but its all part of the process! Gota keep soldiering on, even if some days you just want to hide. To be honest we are our hardest critics, other people don't really realise that you got a new pimple.

Good luck with your accutane journey, hopefully it goes well! Make sure to do plenty of research to prepare yourself for the possible physical and emotional side effects.

Day 23 update:

My skin seems to be only getting worse. As soon I think I'm beginning to heal, I get more painful bumps, which sucks. I'm planning on giving 0 f's at this point about how I look and ready to ask my derm to bump me up to 60mg/day and stay there for the rest of the course, because I don't want to deal with the risk of getting another IB after increasing dosage

poor you. really hope it improves soon.

If you're feeling brave would be good to see pics of IB to prepare ourselves x

poor you. really hope it improves soon.

If you're feeling brave would be good to see pics of IB to prepare ourselves x

I am too disheartened right now to post any pictures, I have taken them but I'll post them once my IB ends.

Quick update:

My acne is definitely the worst it has ever been in my life. I have about 14 actives on my face majority of which are deep painful white heads, a few cysts and 2 medium sized white heads. The majority of my break outs are on my cheeks with a few on my jawline. This really really sucks

ok, hang in there, it supposedly clears almost everyone by the end x

 

poor you. really hope it improves soon.

If you're feeling brave would be good to see pics of IB to prepare ourselves x

I am too disheartened right now to post any pictures, I have taken them but I'll post them once my IB ends.

 

Quick update:

 

My acne is definitely the worst it has ever been in my life. I have about 14 actives on my face majority of which are deep painful white heads, a few cysts and 2 medium sized white heads. The majority of my break outs are on my cheeks with a few on my jawline. This really really sucks

Stick with it bro! You're on accutane, and you are well on your way to getting it clear. Think if this as your "last major breakout", and its only gonna get better from there!

month 1 update:

just got bumped up to 40mg/day, IB still raging now

Left cheek: 4 active and painful cysts, 2 healing scabs, 1 medium white head

right cheek: 3 healing scabs, 1 tiny white head

Jawline: 3 healing scabs, 1 active cyst, 1 dormant cyst

update day 33:

a cyst emerged on my left cheek, right next to the cluster of other cysts. a few medium sized white heads here and there.

Question: why is it that my cystic acne always show up next to other cysts?

day 35 update:

My skin is only getting worse, it is literally filled with deep cysts and scabs. Increasing the dosage made me break out ontop of my already horrible intial break out.

I am planning on discontinuing as my acne was mild to begin with.

noooo you gotta keep going. Ive seen terrible outbreaks and then people get flawless.

day 35 update:

 

My skin is only getting worse, it is literally filled with deep cysts and scabs. Increasing the dosage made me break out ontop of my already horrible intial break out.

 

I am planning on discontinuing as my acne was mild to begin with.

if you stop, you would of gotten all those cysts for nothing. It would remain a regret for as long as you have acne. If you go on, however, accutane will eventually cure it and you will never look back.