Hey there!
With a feeling of dejavu, I've taken my first dose of Roaccutane for a second time.
My first treatment was 5-ish years ago - I was 19 years old and had been suffering with moderate to severe acne for all my teenage life. Apart from the extremely dry skin I had no major issues and it worked a treat.
Now as an almost 24 year old I find myself back to square 1. I've been on dianette continuously since the previous round of treatment, lymecycline and later tetracycline. Nothing has worked the same way roaccutane did.
After jumping through many hoops for my GP to refer me to dermatology I've now got my prescription for a second course of roaccutane. The consultant has decided to throw me in at the deep-end with a full dosage - 70mg a day. Here's hoping for no major side effects.
Anyway, since it's been a while any recommendations for products, hints or tips and general advice would be appreciated! I'll be updating this log along the way. As things stand just now:
- Moderate cystic acne on the jawline and cheek areas
- Sporadic breakouts on forehead
- Hyperpigmentation covering the majority of face (I am an extremely pale redhead so this was almost unavoidable) ...
- And EXTREMELY oily skin.
UPDATE: AFTER 1 MONTH-ish
With reference to my original post above - this is an update 1 month after starting roaccutane.
In short; things are okay. The long story is as follows -
About a week after taking my first dose I went on holiday to a much sunnier and drier climate to where I'm from. This normally would be a welcome change but given I had recently started roaccutane my skin didn't necessarily agree.
There was of course the initial break-out, though not as severe as I had feared. The main issue was dry-ness; which was only exasperated in the desert heat. Aquaphor hesling ointment became my best friend which I coupled with Cetaphil moisturiser for dry skin. My lips cracked at the corner of my mouth and aquaphor saved the day once again.
I'm now back home and the moisture in the air has helped my skin recover. I don't need to use the aquaphor every night, only as and when required. The cetaphil moisturiser is enough for now.
I've also seen my dermatologist for a review - she seems to be happy with how I'm progressing with no side effects other than the aforementioned dryness. The 90mg dose continues.
Break-outs; they're still happening though in terms of numbers there are fewer actual spots. I currently have a rather large one on my cheek that's finding it difficult to say goodbye and a couple on my forehead. That's about the extent of it just now.
I'll check-in again in a month or so.
Hi Heather93, things are sounding good!! Good luck with the rest of your course!! How amazing that with a high dose you don't have too many side effects! well done!!
I started my second course accutane a month ago as well but on a much lower dose as my doctor says it's better this way. I feel like I'm still in the breakout stage... so many of them on the lower half of my face it's quite disheartening.. I know it should get better but definitely quite hard at the moment.
On 16/07/2017 at 8:26 AM, artemis_aurora said:Hi Heather93, things are sounding good!! Good luck with the rest of your course!! How amazing that with a high dose you don't have too many side effects! well done!!
I started my second course accutane a month ago as well but on a much lower dose as my doctor says it's better this way. I feel like I'm still in the breakout stage... so many of them on the lower half of my face it's quite disheartening.. I know it should get better but definitely quite hard at the moment.
I'm pretty pleased with how well my skin is coping! It definitely wasn't this easy the first time.
I know how disheartening it can feel at times and I hope you're feeling better now. Sometimes the pain of breakouts are necessary and it'll feel so much better when you come out the other side ... with clear skin!
On 2017/8/8 at 9:47 AM, Heather93 said:I'm pretty pleased with how well my skin is coping! It definitely wasn't this easy the first time.I know how disheartening it can feel at times and I hope you're feeling better now. Sometimes the pain of breakouts are necessary and it'll feel so much better when you come out the other side ... with clear skin!
Thanks Heather93!! I'mjust waiting for that light at the end of the tunnel, don't remember it being this bad during my first course haha
oh well still keeping faith!!
On 14/08/2017 at 10:58 AM, Jollyhohnson said:Hi Heather - do you have any top tips for looking after your skin while on Roaccutante?
I've been really lucky - as I've mentioned this is my second course of roaccutane and my skin is coping a lot better this time.
Simple, gentle and moisturising are the main things I look for. Right now I'm washing my face with cetaphil cleanser, moisturising with cetaphil lotion and using an emollient when required. My lips have been quite dry recently too and I'm now using Blistex relief cream for that.
12 Week Update:
I've made it to 12 weeks - I've now been on roaccutane for almost 3 months.
In terms of benefits; I'm quite happy with my progress. I'm no longer getting new breakouts and existing spots have disappeared too. After almost 10 years of having acne and a failed first round of roaccutane it's a great feeling not having to worry about any active blemishes. For that reason alone it's definitely been worth the pain.
The dryness is still there but is manageable with the right products (see my post above for more detail on what I've been using).
Now that my skin is clearing up I'm noticing a fair bit of redness - on my face and body. I mentioned this to my dermatologist today and she assured me it was a normal side effect of being on the medication. Here's hoping 
All going well this will be my last 4 weeks of roaccutane and I have mixed feelings about it. I want to give my skin the best chance of staying clear and I worry 4 months isn't long enough to guarantee this. However; getting a bit of moisture back in my skin can't be a bad hung either! In terms of my mood I've been feeling quite anxious over the past 2 weeks and I'm hoping after this 4 weeks that'll improve too.
If I can be of any help to somebody reading this then please let me know. Happy to give advice to anyone needing it
4 hours ago, Moonsss said:Hey Heather93,
I'm 23 too and just started on Roaccutane 20mg a day for 6 months... My skin has gotten a lot bumpier and haven't seen much improvement yet, although I did only start a week ago!
Just curious, did you get an initial breakout?
Hey! I definitely did get an initial breakout; which was really difficult when you're expecting accutane miracles 
Keep positive and it will get better
hey, heather. i feel so bad i havent tried accutane before, cuz acne ruined my life basically, and i didnt manage to do anything about, absolutely horrendous turn of events.
with time flow my acne cleared itself mostly on my face, but occasionaly i still get break outs and it can ruin my weekm plus i got it bad on my back still, which limits me from going pool and so on.
how has the side effects been for you? i heard people have to use eye drops, because it dries hella out of ur eyes as well, and u get no saliva in mouth, so u get more opened to mouth/teeth infection, joint pain etc :S