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First Time Using Isotretinoin(80Mg/day)17 Y/o Male Mild Acne Log

 
MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/14/2015 1:25 pm

Backstory: About three years ago, I had cysctic acne, but it was resolved with several courses of antibiotics. I've become unresponsive to them though, and even though I don't have cysts anymore, I still break out with a lot of white heads and became frustrated, so I typed up my dermatologist a paper on why I'm a candidate for accutane, and he approved. So now I'm on 80mg/ day.

I've been meaning to make one of these logs for a while, but I never pursued it until now. So anyway, on to the log-

 

 

Day 1 (July 28,2015): I stopped using my antibiotics (Minocycline) and took my first isotretinoin pill. There wasn't a noticeable difference (of course) but I was still hopeful.

 

Day 2 (July 29): When I woke up, there was not a single pimple on my face.Everything was absolutely gone. I was shocked. I knew it wouldnt last long though (I'm a pessimist)

 

Day 3(July 30): Same as the day before! I was a bit baffled because I had read you don't see results until month 2

 

Day 4 (July 31): I started to break out...VERY bad.My lips and face felt dry, and i started getting huge whiteheads on my face.

 

Day 5-7(August 1-3): the acne stats clearing up again

 

Day 8 (August 4): side effects kick in. I get SEVERELY dry skin on my face. It's actually funny, I went school shopping and I had to carry a bottle of face lotion in my pocket because skin was literally fluttering off my face. I attempted to exfoliate, but it hurt too much so I just kept "gluing" the skin down with lotion. My lips were ridiculously dry too, it almost hurt. I of course used tons of chap stick ( I bought 6 sticks)

 

Day 9-16 (August 5-12): I have about 6 whiteheads on my face (including two on my forehead,which is seriously weird, because I've never had forehead acne). I started using ammonium lactate on my face (Amlactin) to help with the dryness. It kind of burned at first, but the pain goes away.

 

Day 16-18 (August 13-14): The Amlactin really helped my dry skin. My lips don't feel as dry either ( I used it alongside my chapstick). I thankfully no longer have super oily skin, but I still do have breakouts, though not as severe. Hopefully I get "cured" of acne faster.

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MemberMember
33
(@fudgesicle87)

Posted : 08/14/2015 4:36 pm

Wow! 80mgs is a high start! I'm on 40mg (I'm 63kg) and I'm going up to 60kg for month two with the expectation of being on 80mg in a few months. What do you weigh, if you don't mind me asking?

 

I've found my side effects to be better than I expected. A lot of lip balm is controlling my dry lips (especially in the crease) and moisturizing regularly feels luxurious. Lol! I had sore joints a couple of times and even that went away quickly!

 

How's your initial breakout? My skin has been back and forth. I just think it's getting better and then more comes to the surface.

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/14/2015 6:20 pm

Wow! 80mgs is a high start! I'm on 40mg (I'm 63kg) and I'm going up to 60kg for month two with the expectation of being on 80mg in a few months. What do you weigh, if you don't mind me asking?

 

I've found my side effects to be better than I expected. A lot of lip balm is controlling my dry lips (especially in the crease) and moisturizing regularly feels luxurious. Lol! I had sore joints a couple of times and even that went away quickly!

 

How's your initial breakout? My skin has been back and forth. I just think it's getting better and then more comes to the surface.

I weigh 165 pounds. My face got better, then worse and I hope it'll get better quickly before school starts.

 

I'm 5'10" by the way.

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MemberMember
2
(@pdf97)

Posted : 08/14/2015 10:34 pm

I'm roughly 2 weeks into month two at 80 mg a day. I weigh a little less than you do though. Just a little tip I would give is that once you are relatively clear you should check out

 

http://www.dermstore.com/product_Physical+Fusion+UV+Defense+Sunscreen+SPF+50_33348.htm

 

It is a universal tint and it doesn't look like make up or anything. It just makes your skin look somewhat flawless and great. I only ever got whiteheads on my face but now that they are very small this works on getting rid of that tane burn look and will give you a more even tone. Great for reducing the look of red marks.

 

Also check out Aquaphor. It's way better than chapstick

Tcoun liked
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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/15/2015 1:25 am

I'm roughly 2 weeks into month two at 80 mg a day. I weigh a little less than you do though. Just a little tip I would give is that once you are relatively clear you should check out

 

http://www.dermstore.com/product_Physical+Fusion+UV+Defense+Sunscreen+SPF+50_33348.htm

 

It is a universal tint and it doesn't look like make up or anything. It just makes your skin look somewhat flawless and great. I only ever got whiteheads on my face but now that they are very small this works on getting rid of that tane burn look and will give you a more even tone. Great for reducing the look of red marks.

 

Also check out Aquaphor. It's way better than chapstick

Thanks! Yeah, Chapstick isn't working out for me unfortunately, so I'll look into the Aquaphor. Oh yeah, I can't believe I forgot to mention, around day 6, I suddenly got dandruff.It's pretty crazy though because I haven't had dandruff in sooooo many years. I had to cut my hair really short and use coconut oil, and that resolved the problem,but I don't like my hair this short . I do believe it is a side effect of the accutane but whatever though, it's a small sacrifice to make for clear skin. Oh, and concerning the tinted mineral sunscreen, thanks! that's a great idea...but is it non-comedogenic? I don't wan't to make my breakouts worse!

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MemberMember
14
(@freakingthefrackout)

Posted : 08/15/2015 4:30 am

why would you have to cut your hair short cos of dandruff!?

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/15/2015 12:57 pm

why would you have to cut your hair short cos of dandruff!?

Its easier for me to take care of my scalp with less hair. I used to never have to moisturize my hair daily like I do now. I'm sure it's possible, but I kept having to wash my hair to get the dandruff out, but now that I have less hair, I can make sure the dandruff has been fully eradicated.

 

Day 19 (August 15, 2015): I'm so happy! I woke up almost clear again. Usually when I shave, I break out really bad the next day ( I shave twice a week). Today, all I have is three tiny whiteheads, and a single dried up pimple. My face is seriously dry, but thankfully, the dryness has stayed local to my head region. I'll just put on Ammonium lactate and that'll solve the problem. I hope everything is uphill from here ! I have school in 10 days!

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MemberMember
2
(@pdf97)

Posted : 08/15/2015 1:28 pm

The sunscreen is non-comedogenic. Also if you aren't already, you should take fish oil capsules (I take 2 a day but was told to take 3). It'll help lower triglyceride levels and take a load off of your liver.

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/15/2015 3:22 pm

The sunscreen is non-comedogenic. Also if you aren't already, you should take fish oil capsules (I take 2 a day but was told to take 3). It'll help lower triglyceride levels and take a load off of your liver.

Great tip! Thanks! :)

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/16/2015 3:05 am

I don't know how this will impact me (until I get my next cholesterol test), but I have to stay in nutritional ketosis because I do not tolerate sugar,gluten, or excess carbs well ( I eat about 20 or less carbs per day, and 6 or less grams of sugar. I used to be pre-diabetic). I know that this somewhat strains the liver (because it has to produce so many ketone bodies to keep you alive) and I am stressing now because i don't want liver failure. I have no clue what to do and I doubt my dermatologist would know either. Maybe I'll make a new post about this.

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/16/2015 4:09 am

Never mind about that ^^^^ I posted my concern in the correct forum. Oh, and I forgot to mention, since I've started taking the accutane, I've had severe insomnia, and If I don't take Benadryl, then I won't fall asleep at all (and even with benadryl I wake up a bajillion times per night). I have no clue why this is, and I know you may be thinking "well why are you typing this message at 5am? Shouldn't you be trying to sleep?" and all I can respond with is "lol no" because I'd rather do something...ANYTHING else than stare at my ceiling fan all night and count it spin 3,000 something times until I hear my dad's alarm go off at 7am(true story). So anyway, good night/morning.

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/16/2015 12:31 pm

Day 20 (August 16,2015): I woke up with no white heads at all. It's quite a relief.My face is pretty red though, and the area where the acne was is slightly puffy.The skin is not smooth there yet either, but I'm sure this will get better asap. I'm starting to feel optimistic!

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/17/2015 10:20 pm

Day 21 (August 17, 2015): When I woke up this morning, I had four whiteheads. One was on my lip unfortunately. It hurts too much to remove, so I left it alone. I'm going tomorrow to get my cholesterol labs done. Hopefully everything goes well. Honesty though, my face has cleared up so much already, i'm worried that my derm may decrease my dose. I was kind of a recluse, because of my weight/acne, but now that I've lost weight, I was still so shy because of my acne, but now I feel more confident!

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/18/2015 11:23 pm

Day 22 (August 18,2015): sorry, I know I'm late. My computer somehow has a virus and is not operational right now. I'm debating whether I should record my skin condition everyday, or every other day, or once a week. I don't know, what do you think? I had my cholesterol labs done today, I'll let everyone know the results tomorrow or Thursday. Today I woke up with more acne than usual. About 7 pimples, including one on my forehead. I have NO clue why, but my nose which used to be perfectly spotless, now has tons of blackheads...and it looks like I'm growing hair there too. Ewww how's that even possible? My lips were so dry today, I started to feel frustrated. After exfoliating them, it got better though. That's all for today, goodnight.

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MemberMember
2
(@pdf97)

Posted : 08/19/2015 12:49 am

I'd probably only do it once a week. Counting every day that goes by is just going to make it feel like the treatment takes forever.

Tcoun liked
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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/19/2015 10:35 pm

August 19, 2015 (Day 23): Yeah @pdf97 , I agree, I'll start doing it once a week, but while I'm here, I may as well "log" what went on today.I broke out really bad, on both cheeks and on my forehead. I was basically forced out the house today, because I didn't want to have to face society. Oh well, I know it'll get better soon. See you guys next week.

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/25/2015 3:38 pm

August 25,2015 (Day 29): I just left the dermatologists office. He says I'll only need 2 months of accutane total! Not 4 :)!

He said I'm already at 80% clearance so we can cut my treatment to 2 months. I'm just worried that I'll have a relapse.

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 08/26/2015 9:40 pm

August 26,2015 (Day 30): My face is SO dry. It's so ridiculous. The right side of my mouth, where my lips connect is a bloody mess. The skin was so dry that even after using amlactin, the skin cracked open, and I had to go to school looking stupid. It's only my 2nd day in school and I'm super embarrassed. I could barely talk and lunch was nearly impossible to eat because it hurt too bad to open my mouth. It scabbed over in the course of the school day, but now, the rest of my face is peeling really bad. I don't know why. I didn't have a lot of Vitamin A or anything. Maybe it's because I exfoliated with sugar last night? That's the only thing I can think of. I don't know why it would make my peeling skin worse though. I really hope this problem resolved soon. I made a mask out of egg yolk, Greek yogurt, and oatmeal to help with the dryness and itchiness, then I put a thin layer of coconut oil and chamomile extract on my face. I also had to take an ibuprofen because my cracked mouth corner decided to get very inflamed. My hands are so dry, they're peeling too. It's ridiculous. I don't even know what to do

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MemberMember
14
(@freakingthefrackout)

Posted : 08/27/2015 4:24 am

you poor thing :( go to your doctor and ask for something they give to severe dry skin sufferers such as eczema. I do medication at work and those creams are so effective, such as 'maderma'. There's also 'blistex relief cream' which has ammonia in it and hurts to apply but is very good at healing chappedness, as well as eucerin lip balm, eucerin 10 percent urea treatment, eucerin aquaphore.

 

Good luck xx

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MemberMember
33
(@fudgesicle87)

Posted : 08/30/2015 12:21 pm

August 26,2015 (Day 30): My face is SO dry. It's so ridiculous. The right side of my mouth, where my lips connect is a bloody mess. The skin was so dry that even after using amlactin, the skin cracked open, and I had to go to school looking stupid. It's only my 2nd day in school and I'm super embarrassed. I could barely talk and lunch was nearly impossible to eat because it hurt too bad to open my mouth. It scabbed over in the course of the school day, but now, the rest of my face is peeling really bad. I don't know why. I didn't have a lot of Vitamin A or anything. Maybe it's because I exfoliated with sugar last night? That's the only thing I can think of. I don't know why it would make my peeling skin worse though. I really hope this problem resolved soon. I made a mask out of egg yolk, Greek yogurt, and oatmeal to help with the dryness and itchiness, then I put a thin layer of coconut oil and chamomile extract on my face. I also had to take an ibuprofen because my cracked mouth corner decided to get very inflamed. My hands are so dry, they're peeling too. It's ridiculous. I don't even know what to do

 

Wow, you are definitely a lot drier than I am. I guess it's because of the higher dosage, but wow. It sounds like you're using a lot of products, and if one of them irritates you, it'll be impossible to tell which one it is. Your skin is different on Accutane so it might react differently to some products that were okay before. Coconut oil is very moisturizing, but it's also highly comedogenic. Natural remedies are great to try on clear, healthy skin, but, at least for me, I'd rather stick with my dermatologist's recommendations. I think there's a huge chance that that sugar scrub was just way too intense for your sensitive skin right now. Damaging that top layer of skin would make it peel off once it's completely dried out (ie. the next day).

 

I'm on 60mg and in week 6. My skin is definitely not extremely dry. It's more normal/dry, really, compared to my previous oily skin, but I do have a religious Accutane skincare routine that I'm following. I think it's keeping the dryness and peeling at bay, but I can't confirm that because I've never missed a day to see what would happen.

 

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser - basically following the acne.org regimen by barely touching my face, but, if I notice it's a little flaky, I gently exfoliate using a wet facecloth. Then I let my skin dry completely, so when I moisturize, it can sink in better.

Acne.org Moisturizer - I gently apply one full pump of this to my face and neck and then leave it to soak in for about 15 minutes. It stays wet for a while, so you need to give it time to soak in. I also have a bottle of jojoba oil that I've been using to take off my makeup, but you won't have to worry about that. You should get the jojoba oil though if you need extra moisture. This moisturizing routine is really calming because of the licorice root, so I think it would be really good for you post-shave.

Cetaphil Moisturizer - I have a big jar of thick cetaphil moisturizer that I use on my body. It's really thick, so I only use it after showers, and at night if I feel like it. It's really moisturizing and it's non comedogenic, so you could absolutely use it on dry, sore areas on your face, but probably not all over.

Aquaphor and Lip Treatment - Eucerin has Aquaphor in a large tube and in a small tub, and they have a different lip treatment in an easier small tube. All this stuff is great. You need to be applying it and working it into the corners of your mouth constantly. My lips were sore and cracking in the corners. Eating was painful, until I started working this stuff into the corners of my mouth. My lips are fine now. The problem went away completely with using this stuff. I can eat a sub. haha. Now that my lips are healed, I only need to apply it a few times a day.

Cetaphil Body Wash - I went with this because I knew it would be non-irritating and unscented

Live Clean Shampoo and Conditioner (argan oil) - I did some searching and this is the most affordable brand with the least comedogenic ingredients. Be sure not to get the coconut oil version. I have issues with bacne, so I didn't want comedogenic ingredients running down my back.

 

That's it! And, I really do think that's all you should be using. Cerave, Cetaphil, and Acne.org are really the brand names you should be staying within at this time. Then you know you're not introducing any extra irritation. Be gentle and kind, and definitely no scrubs! Dan says to stay away from scrubs all the time, but I think staying away from scrubs while you're on Accutane is a must. This is all just my opinion. We are all doing what we think we need to do. :)

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 09/06/2015 5:30 pm

September 6, 2015 (Day 41): Sorry I havent posted in a while! I've been so busy with school work. So anyway, I still have severe dyness, but I control it by using vaseline on my face (which is non comegogenic). Sure, my face is shiny all day, but it's either that, or super dry peeling skin. Being so self conscious of my dry skin is really making it hard for me to make friends at school. I'm not the most socialable person because of my skin right now. I carry 3 bottles of face lotion, a small mirror, and 4 chapsticks in my book bag. I have to constantly reapply lotion and chapstick every few minutes. My breakouts are definitely not as bad as they used to be, but I still do occasionally break out and I have a lot of old acne marks that need to clear up. My cheeks have red patches also. I've been telling people I have sunburn, and at first that lie worked, but I doubt you stay sunburnt for 2 weeks with no improvement. I take 500 mg ibuprofen twice per day, because my skin likes to swell for some reason and the inuprofen helps with that and my redness.

 

 

August 26,2015 (Day 30): My face is SO dry. It's so ridiculous. The right side of my mouth, where my lips connect is a bloody mess. The skin was so dry that even after using amlactin, the skin cracked open, and I had to go to school looking stupid. It's only my 2nd day in school and I'm super embarrassed. I could barely talk and lunch was nearly impossible to eat because it hurt too bad to open my mouth. It scabbed over in the course of the school day, but now, the rest of my face is peeling really bad. I don't know why. I didn't have a lot of Vitamin A or anything. Maybe it's because I exfoliated with sugar last night? That's the only thing I can think of. I don't know why it would make my peeling skin worse though. I really hope this problem resolved soon. I made a mask out of egg yolk, Greek yogurt, and oatmeal to help with the dryness and itchiness, then I put a thin layer of coconut oil and chamomile extract on my face. I also had to take an ibuprofen because my cracked mouth corner decided to get very inflamed. My hands are so dry, they're peeling too. It's ridiculous. I don't even know what to do

 

Wow, you are definitely a lot drier than I am. I guess it's because of the higher dosage, but wow. It sounds like you're using a lot of products, and if one of them irritates you, it'll be impossible to tell which one it is. Your skin is different on Accutane so it might react differently to some products that were okay before. Coconut oil is very moisturizing, but it's also highly comedogenic. Natural remedies are great to try on clear, healthy skin, but, at least for me, I'd rather stick with my dermatologist's recommendations. I think there's a huge chance that that sugar scrub was just way too intense for your sensitive skin right now. Damaging that top layer of skin would make it peel off once it's completely dried out (ie. the next day).

 

I'm on 60mg and in week 6. My skin is definitely not extremely dry. It's more normal/dry, really, compared to my previous oily skin, but I do have a religious Accutane skincare routine that I'm following. I think it's keeping the dryness and peeling at bay, but I can't confirm that because I've never missed a day to see what would happen.

 

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser - basically following the acne.org regimen by barely touching my face, but, if I notice it's a little flaky, I gently exfoliate using a wet facecloth. Then I let my skin dry completely, so when I moisturize, it can sink in better.

Acne.org Moisturizer - I gently apply one full pump of this to my face and neck and then leave it to soak in for about 15 minutes. It stays wet for a while, so you need to give it time to soak in. I also have a bottle of jojoba oil that I've been using to take off my makeup, but you won't have to worry about that. You should get the jojoba oil though if you need extra moisture. This moisturizing routine is really calming because of the licorice root, so I think it would be really good for you post-shave.

Cetaphil Moisturizer - I have a big jar of thick cetaphil moisturizer that I use on my body. It's really thick, so I only use it after showers, and at night if I feel like it. It's really moisturizing and it's non comedogenic, so you could absolutely use it on dry, sore areas on your face, but probably not all over.

Aquaphor and Lip Treatment - Eucerin has Aquaphor in a large tube and in a small tub, and they have a different lip treatment in an easier small tube. All this stuff is great. You need to be applying it and working it into the corners of your mouth constantly. My lips were sore and cracking in the corners. Eating was painful, until I started working this stuff into the corners of my mouth. My lips are fine now. The problem went away completely with using this stuff. I can eat a sub. haha. Now that my lips are healed, I only need to apply it a few times a day.

Cetaphil Body Wash - I went with this because I knew it would be non-irritating and unscented

Live Clean Shampoo and Conditioner (argan oil) - I did some searching and this is the most affordable brand with the least comedogenic ingredients. Be sure not to get the coconut oil version. I have issues with bacne, so I didn't want comedogenic ingredients running down my back.

 

That's it! And, I really do think that's all you should be using. Cerave, Cetaphil, and Acne.org are really the brand names you should be staying within at this time. Then you know you're not introducing any extra irritation. Be gentle and kind, and definitely no scrubs! Dan says to stay away from scrubs all the time, but I think staying away from scrubs while you're on Accutane is a must. This is all just my opinion. We are all doing what we think we need to do. :)

Thanks for the great advice! And yes, Iknow coconut oil is comedogenic, but at the time, I was willing to have a pimple if the coconut oil helped with the pain of dryness. Since then, I've been using vaseline. Ill also definietley buy that lip treatment you mentioned.

 

you poor thing :( go to your doctor and ask for something they give to severe dry skin sufferers such as eczema. I do medication at work and those creams are so effective, such as 'maderma'. There's also 'blistex relief cream' which has ammonia in it and hurts to apply but is very good at healing chappedness, as well as eucerin lip balm, eucerin 10 percent urea treatment, eucerin aquaphore.

 

Good luck xx

Im already using ammonium lactate with ammonia! My doctor is very uncaring though for things like this though, so I'm pretty much on my own. I switched over to Blistex moisture therapy with CoQ10, but my lips are still dry! I use vaseline now and that's much better. :)

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MemberMember
14
(@freakingthefrackout)

Posted : 09/06/2015 5:42 pm

I find Vaseline totally rubbish, not a fan of eucerin aquaphore either. What has helped my dry BP'd skin is eucerin atocontrol face care cream with 12 percent omega and licorice. It has reduced my extreme dryness to nothing and feels comfortable, no fragrance. Really brilliant and 12 pounds, I've paid more.

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 09/07/2015 1:58 pm

I find Vaseline totally rubbish, not a fan of eucerin aquaphore either. What has helped my dry BP'd skin is eucerin atocontrol face care cream with 12 percent omega and licorice. It has reduced my extreme dryness to nothing and feels comfortable, no fragrance. Really brilliant and 12 pounds, I've paid more.

I'll look into it! Thanks :)

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 09/14/2015 9:38 pm

September 14,2015 (Day 49):

My extremely dry skin has been resolved since last time I complained about it, and I still get super dry lips, but I still use Vaseline and it helps. I haven't seen any of the lip balms anyone suggested :(. Two days ago I broke out in a rash. It was REALLY bad. Bumps all over my hands, face, ears, neck, arms, basically everywhere (but not the chest or legs). It started on my hands and forehead, then day by day, it spread to my forearm, and now it's on my shoulders. I was too scared to tell my parents about it because I was worried they'd take me to the doctor and he'd take me off of accutane. I couldn't hide it for longer than 3 days though because they noticed that my ears are extremely red as well as my face, and I'm covered in bumps. It looks really weird. Hundreds and hundreds of bumps on my hand, arms and face. I'm really embarrassed. I did a bit of research and I found out that you can get "accutane induced eczema". I think once you stop the meds, it goes away. My dad gave me some of his eczema treatment creams, so that should help. Honestly, I'm not sure if accutane will fully heal me. I'm getting discouraged. I break out daily, and my doctor said this will probably be my last month of treatment because I've cleared up a lot since the beginning of my course. Hopefully I can get him to let me take one more month.

 

Oh, and on another note, my cholesterol is getting extremely high. That's another reason I may have to end testament early. The doctor and I are both very confused. He said I am a healthy kid, so he blames the meds on raising my triglycerides. I started to take a ton of Omega-3 and Olive oil so I hope that'll help. Does anyone have an idea on a way to temporarily "reduce" blood triglyceride levels? At least for one day so when my test comes back, it'll appear good? I was considering fasting for 24 hours.

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MemberMember
5
(@tcoun)

Posted : 09/27/2015 1:32 am

September 27,2015 (Day 62): Friday, Spetember 25 at my doctors appointment, my dermatologist told me I no longer need accutane and he discontinued my prescription. Although I still break out, it is no where as bad as it used to be (according to him), and he claims that I've reached "75% acne clearance". I begged for one more month, but he doesn't want to risk any side effects. I took my very last pill today. I hope I still continue clearing up.

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