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Isotretinoin starting at 30mg 22M

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 02/19/2018 11:07 am

Hi everyone last Friday, February 16th, I started 30mg of accutane after fighting with my acne for 5 years.

Let me just give a little background here. So I played hockey through high school and never had an issue with my skin, like not a zit anywhere. Fast forward to my senior year and I started to get cystic acne on the back of my neck out of the blue, it was pretty painful but wasn't awful and didn't really look too bad. By the end of my hockey season my skin got pretty bad with some gross big cysts all on my shoulders and back. Luckily my face has always remained relatively clear, but from the neck down not so much. 

After I stopped playing hockey it only seemed like the right thing to jump into bodybuilding, not really but that's what I did. So I started my effort to try to get big at around 18. I trained hard, ate well, and even competed in a bodybuilding show as a natural athlete. All the while my skin plagued me. It would be worse or better depending on the season, with winter being the worst in cold New England.

After years of following my passion I decided to take that big step most people frown upon. I told my self if i could get my skin clear that I would go on steroids. Crazy right? Right. Well when I started in May I had my acne almost completely cleared, for the record I will post pictures in chronological order of these events at the end of this. 

So I began my basic cycle of test E 500mg a week with some Anavar. To my amazement my acne pretty much entirely cleared up. I was using pharmaceutical test and for whatever reason my skin looked better than it had in 5 years. I decided that I would do a show in November, which required switching the current cycle I was using. This is where my errors began, I switched from pharmaceutical test only to other compounds from not as reputable a source. Within two weeks I had pustules covering my shoulders back and neck. I ignored every warning sign possible and chalked it up as one thing or the other.

Come to find out these other compounds are much more likely to cause acne than just Testosterone alone, I had a coach at the time running me through this who I shouldn't have trusted but we all trust close friends, needless to say we no longer speak. Anyway after my show I was a complete mess. I couldn't sleep on my back and the pain was incredibly bad. About a month goes by and I finally got an appointment with my dermatologist. She was horrified at what my back looked like and knew that if she put me on accutane it would only get worse.

I had gone to a different dermatologist two times prior and based on what people said I avoided accutane which my first derm recommended. This was before I ever even considered steroids I want to add. I had tried all the normal antibiotic treatments and creams to no avail as well. So when I went to my new dermatologist I knew ultimately accutane would be my only solution. To get there I needed my current acne to calm down. She gave me prednisone, to help with inflammation, and minocylcine, which I had before and did nothing. The prednisone did help though. 

I had been off of any anabolic steroid for 2 months at this point and it got worse and worse due to hormones crashing again thanks to a not so good friend.  Now I am 4 months post cycle and my acne has not improved as much as I would've liked. I finally decided to throw in the towel and go on accutane. I want to note that ketoconozole was a huge help in the meantime and anyone that is worried about the side effects associsiated with accutane should try ketoconazole first which can actually help with hormonal acne. All my levels were good when coming off of my cycle so there was no issue there and I was able to get the accutane prescribed no problem fortunately. 

So here I am 4 days into accutane, with prednisone too, and here's what I have noticed:
It feels like I am not even taking accutane. I have noticed no dry lips, no dry skin, nothing, but I am ready for the worst. The only things I have noticed thus far, and I know this is just the beginning, I had some acne recently on my face and neck as well, in places i dont normally get but since going on it seems to have improved already quite a bit. Again this is not cystic acne and just some small blemishes which explains the quick healing. I am praying my inital breakout is not bad but I will keep everyone updated throughout this course. 
 
I am preparing for a bad IB but fingers crossed it won't happen.
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here I was 18, no steroids just bad skin
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Here was 3 months into cycle, test was used.
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here is immediately after my show, before the hormone crashIMG_8483.PNG
my acne at its height
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4 into accutane.

 When I was going through this, no one really had experience on steroids with severe acne just a few zits on their shoulders. I know what I did made my skin worse so please don't jump on here saying that cause I know it. This is solely to help anyone that might be trying to find someone to talk to or figure out what to do, and hopefully will provide a good transformation by the end, who knows?

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 02/24/2018 12:26 pm

Day 8
So I have decided to do these check ins every Saturday as I do my check ins for my coach then as well. 

The picture I show will probably not show a huge difference because for some reason the lighting where I take my pictures makes my skin look worse but, in person my skin has significantly improved. 

I only have maybe 4-5 actives on my back at the moment, aside from a lot of dark spots, and no real big cysts at the moment, except for one.

I used to have pockets of blood in random spot trapped basically under my skin and the accutane has forced them out. A lot of the red spots have lightened as well which is nice. 

My face seems to be going up and down though, I have a few actives on my face, nothing that is cystic, but they seem to keep coming up and in places I don't usually get them. I'm hopeful my face will clear up soon. 

Side effects:
As of now I have no real side effects thankfully. My lips seem slightly dryer but not even enough to need chapstick. Fingers crossed this stays this way but, I am still expecting the worst lol

Day 8.png

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(@laserlukas)

Posted : 02/26/2018 12:37 pm

When I started lifting, my skin got worse, even though I didn't use any steroids. It was also caused by the amount of diary (milk, cheese) I was eating. Good luck with accutane :)

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 03/07/2018 9:39 am

Day 20
Just finished my second pack of accutane. Wanted to check in sooner but ended up going to Ohio for the Arnold Sports Festival and didn™t really have time.

So far I have noticed minimal side effects. My lips are dry, which is very manageable using aquaphor like recommended by many on here. I have no joint pain, in fact my strength is going up and I™ve been training harder and I™ve noticed nothing negative in regards to that. Also nothing negative in regards to digestion. I got somewhat of a breakout on my face and then started moisturizing again and it seems to be clearing that up which has been nice. I™ve had a little bit of a breakout on my back literally last night, but I™m noticing I™m not getting big cysts anymore just rather the occasional little zit or possibly a small cyst that never even hurts that bad. The red marks seem to be slowly residing which is also pretty nice. I™m feeling very hopeful I will have a good experience on accutane at this point as everything seems to be headed in the right direction. Any acne I do get now seems to be healing much quicker as well. I will update again on Saturday and then I have a derm appointment next week as well. I am hoping she will up my dose as I believe 30 is a little low but we will see. Picture was from this morning. 39C8C7AB-C3AD-4022-BBEC-423534470C4F.png

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 03/12/2018 8:57 am

Day 25
I wanted to keep these check ins to Saturday™s but my check ins are all over the place now so I™ll just check in when I check in with my coach.

As of now no new side effects, same dry lips, and the initial breakout I got around my mouth and nose has completely gone which is nice cause those little guys were painful. My forehead still has bits around my temple but it™s not awful. 

As as far as my back goes I am seeing progress which I am happy with. No more bleeding which has been awesome cause I went months with having to avoid light colored shirts and sleeping on a towel cause my back would not stop bleeding, ever. 

I have a small breakout occuring on the lower right part of my back, but they are little, non-cystic or painful, zits that I am certain will clear up quickly as it all seems to be with the accutane. 

Wednesday I go back to my derm to see how we will proceed with my course but as of now I am very happy with my results and I hope everything continues in a positive direction. I also want to note I have tapered down to 10mg of prednisone a day for 15 days and that will be ending in 11 days. A51A9CDB-7ED4-488A-9E2B-B132F4731D84.png

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 03/22/2018 8:24 am

Day 35
Well I ran into my first headache with Ipledge. I don™t really wanna go into detail with it but if you™re using accutane soon prepare yourself for some difficulty at some point filling a prescription. 

Progress is still being made, my derm was very happy with how it™s been going. I have another month at 30mg and then we plan on bumping up the dosage up to 60mg for 4 more months.

Side effects have been the same expect I keep getting blood in my nose, not enough to actually run out but if I blow my nose there™s quite a bit sometimes. I have started using a saline spray to try to counteract that. 

Red marks seem to be fading top to bottom. If you can see the marks on the upper part of my back are much lighter than the bottom. Anyway probably will update again on Monday. If anyone has any questions ask away. 

Sidenote I believe the acne on my face was an initial breakout cause now my skin is almost completely clear. Also I can™t use any form of moisturizer or I actually break out which I find odd.C1E19FCC-40BB-4168-B93E-E2315BD1830E.thumb.png.481fe5f036e27e02226a72704b3f4a99.png

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(@jpablo)

Posted : 03/22/2018 8:53 am

Great difference from your first post!

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 03/27/2018 8:21 am

@jPablo thanks!

Day 40
Not a huge amount of difference to report. I currently have on larger zit on the upper part of my back but that™s about it aside from some smaller stuff. Again though still not cystic which has been great cause there has been no pain.

Bloody noses seemed to have cleared up within the past few days which has been great. Face is still clearing as well. 

As as far as my training goes, my strength is still moving in a positive direction, in some cases stronger than when I was on cycle which is great. My diet has been pretty good and I™ve had no issue getting my 6 meals in everyday. I have yet to see a negative impact on my bodybuilding.26958597-608A-4980-AA61-C8A494D19F98.thumb.png.fb82725c03b97cfdbf8e1ee9e1141887.png

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(@robinclooney)

Posted : 03/27/2018 9:38 am

I totally see a huge difference from your start pics to the most recent one! I feel so bad that it was causing you physical pain as well..I can barely stand the pressure of one cyst and my ass is at the derm getting that kenelog injection...

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 04/03/2018 4:13 pm

I™m just gonna ignore the negativity that is the response above me. If I take steroids I understand risk and reward, this is something I can™t get rid of and is something that has plagued my life since I was 17-18 so I view this to be worth it, I™ve read all the horror stories before btw.

DAY 47

Still no bad side effects to report. Training has been good appetite is down a bit, which makes sense cause strong oral drugs do that to you. Overall I still feel great, though I am nursing a cold at the moment.

I got a rather large cyst in the middle of my back which has come and is almost gone since my last post. The turnover rate of them is much quicker, and I believe if I had left it alone, I did some picking, it never would™ve even gotten to the point it did. I™m really trying to just not touch my back cause that seems to be when it does best.86403486-3D93-460B-AE2F-D2020F8443B3.thumb.png.3010b5a1008cfbce8faa63efb3ceb643.png
 

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 04/19/2018 11:58 am

Day 63
Not much new to report. My skin just seems to be healing up and aside from the random zit here or there I have nothing to complain about. My derm bumped me up to 40mg which we will stay at because she is very happy with my progress. Overall I feel like my body has œsettled into the acutane and it feels normal at this point. Overall very happy with my experience thus far.269B58E4-008B-48BB-BD61-086B3CB4FC22.thumb.png.ee4ff0340d543d26130e9b08253c83dc.png

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(@jpablo)

Posted : 04/19/2018 12:51 pm

Looking good dude!

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 04/30/2018 12:30 pm

On 4/19/2018 at 1:51 PM, jPablo said:

Looking good dude! 

Thank You!

Day 74
Had a bit of a breakout on Friday which has somehow already healed up by Monday.

Weird places I would breakout like behind my ears, on my neck, on the inside of my thigh have finally all stopped breaking out. The side of my glute still has a few cysts on it but theyre shrinking and going away at this point. My face is almost crystal clear at this point minus the one or two small little zits that come and go in a day or two. 

On my back they've stopped popping up, except for last friday, and the scarring is really healing now. As I said before I am now on 40mg and have not felt any difference in sides, but my skin seems to be great!
IMG_8948.thumb.PNG.070efe8c1c2bc1bceafd9a05c2161202.PNG

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 05/29/2018 8:08 am

Day 103

Havent posted as much due to the fact not a whole lot is happening. Slowly just healing up dark spots and scars, but no new acne is forming. 

Havent had a zit on my face in weeks which is nice cause that hasn™t happened since I was about 15. 

Overall I feel great, no digestional issues, no complaints at all really. The one thing I can note is my joints are rather achey but that isn™t necessarily from the accutane so I don™t even consider it a side effect. Probably heavy lifting or lack of omega-3s in my diet.

Ill post again in a few weeks but just on 40mg of accutane still, with my last dose being on August 15th!392A10A8-D0C3-430C-B3FF-18F1367CBBCF.thumb.png.510ad55b85940fc23fbb1e6cb77147f9.png

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 06/27/2018 12:08 pm

Day 132

Things are still moving in a positive direction! I have no complaints and I just got all my blood work done and nothing is even slightly elevated, so really no complaints.

Recently starting taking a vegan omega 3 supplement that has definitely helped lighten some of my scarring which is awesome, though I™m looking forward to some real scar treatments once I am done with the accutane.

(ignore the lines on my back from laying in bed )

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(@toughemail)

Posted : 08/22/2018 8:24 am

Finished

I haven™t posted on here in a while seeing as I didn™t receive much engagement, which is fine cause that was never my intention. Neverless I started this to show anyone who was in a similar low point as me that it is in fact possible to concur this monster that is acne, but it™s gonna take patience, and consistency to get there, which I™m finding anything worth going after in life does. 

Looking back my biggest regret was obsessing over my skin to the point I did. I would™ve spent 10,000$ on a cream if it promised to eliminate my acne. Not literally but I probably spent hundreds of dollars on products over a short period of time which probably made my problem even worse. Not to mention in my delusion I must have thought popping every zit and getting every last bit of pus and blood out cause that™s what I did. 

If you can take anything from this post I would hope it would be trust the process. I read more horror stories about accutane, which are important to read, but these are usually extreme cases, or people trying to draw lines that don™t exist. œI was on accutane, never had this before, now I do, must be the accutane. While this may be the case you also 6-12 months older and could™ve developed the problem regardless. Personally I had a bit of dry lips, and some joint pain towards the end. Was it worth it? absolutely, will I go back on if I need to? Absolutely. This is very case by case, and given how my body reacted I would consider myself lucky to not have to deal with any harsh side effects, and such a dramatic success at the same time.

here is my final transformation:
B21EA42B-D62B-4E67-B364-AC8118D3DDA3.thumb.jpeg.10dfa264f7888a9f1467be0a3557860d.jpeg

Left was this morning, the right was the worst photo I could find (for dramatic effect ;))

thanks to all who have read this far and remember, you will get over this.

deades and jPablo liked
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(@jpablo)

Posted : 08/22/2018 9:55 am

1 hour ago, ToughEmail said:
Finished

I haven™t posted on here in a while seeing as I didn™t receive much engagement, which is fine cause that was never my intention. Neverless I started this to show anyone who was in a similar low point as me that it is in fact possible to concur this monster that is acne, but it™s gonna take patience, and consistency to get there, which I™m finding anything worth going after in life does. 

Looking back my biggest regret was obsessing over my skin to the point I did. I would™ve spent 10,000$ on a cream if it promised to eliminate my acne. Not literally but I probably spent hundreds of dollars on products over a short period of time which probably made my problem even worse. Not to mention in my delusion I must have thought popping every zit and getting every last bit of pus and blood out cause that™s what I did. 

If you can take anything from this post I would hope it would be trust the process. I read more horror stories about accutane, which are important to read, but these are usually extreme cases, or people trying to draw lines that don™t exist. œI was on accutane, never had this before, now I do, must be the accutane. While this may be the case you also 6-12 months older and could™ve developed the problem regardless. Personally I had a bit of dry lips, and some joint pain towards the end. Was it worth it? absolutely, will I go back on if I need to? Absolutely. This is very case by case, and given how my body reacted I would consider myself lucky to not have to deal with any harsh side effects, and such a dramatic success at the same time.

here is my final transformation:
B21EA42B-D62B-4E67-B364-AC8118D3DDA3.thumb.jpeg.10dfa264f7888a9f1467be0a3557860d.jpeg

Left was this morning, the right was the worst photo I could find (for dramatic effect ;))

thanks to all who have read this far and remember, you will get over this.

Sweet bro, happy it worked!

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(@knasty)

Posted : 12/02/2018 2:45 pm

Very inspirational. Losing hope and I found this. My chest back and shoulders after tren have been eating me alive. I havent left my house . Hate going to work. And stoped lifting temporarily until my skin clears . Im currently in my pct and taking accutane under derm supervision . Trying to have the long goal in mind. Thanks for your journey

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