Accutane

diary of an accutane user

accutane experiences

The last time I wrote I said I was using Retin A. I don't remember what happened with that. I probably just finished up the tube and stopped using it. Anyway, over the summer, I started using Proactiv, a very popular and well known product. You see, Accutane does not make you perfectly clear, but it does help a TON.

I have been using Proactiv for several months and I am really pleased with the results. I am not very consistent with using it sometimes, but I do not fuss with my skin anymore now. I never look in the mirror and think I have horrible blemishes. I've gone out with just powder on my face! I still like to wear foundation though. A lot of the hyperpigmentation has faded. I still have some though.

This week I had a bunch of small clogged pores, but I haven't been washing my face sometimes. That is really bad, I know.

I found out that eBay is a really good place to buy Proactiv. I found this out because I had some extras from a kit and I am selling them. There is a lot of demand. The Proactiv club where they send you a shipment every two months sounds like a good idea, but if you use certain things more than others, you have to change up the shipments and sell some stuff... The mask is really good. I would buy the full size.

I have to say that Proactiv does not work miracles unless you are consistent with it. But it does a really really good job. Accutane really helps with the deep down acne, and Proactiv takes care of the rest.

- Friday, November 22, 2002 / 10:13 p.m.

Now new major blemishes in a long time. A few clogged pores, but nothing to even give a second thought. My skin is no longer dry from the Accunatne. In fact, it is starting to get a little oily. What a welcomed relief! I use Retin A every other night to try and smooth out my cheeks. I can't say if it's working or not. It makes me a little flaky, but that's all.

- Sunday, March 10, 2002 / 02:23 a.m.

I am finally off Accutane and have been off of it for a week. I have some extra left that I don't know what to do with. My dermatologist wants me to wait a bit and then in mid-February start using Retin A on my discolorated spots and smooth everything out. My next appointment is not until April. My skin is smooth. I look forward to it getting back to normal so I don't have to slather on so much moisturizer.

- Wednesday, January 23, 2002 / 01:45 p.m.

I was off of Accutane for awhile in the summer. When I started back up again, my doctor wanted to go slow. I think I did 20 mg, then 40. I am back on 60 mg now and have been for about three months.

My skin is looking really good now. There is a lot of hyperpigmentation. It's not a result of the accutane. It's just something weird with my skin. I scar easily and hyperpigment easily as well. My doctor assures me it will go away.

I was in for an appintment about a week before Christmas and she said I was looking good. She said to keep on at 60 mg for another month. I'll probably stop after that. She said accutane keeps working three months after you stop using it.

The visit before last she said she'd put me back on Retin A just to smooth my skin out. Last time I was on Retin A I got major flakiness. I'll ask if there's a lower dosage I can go on.

The corners of my lips are cracking badly right now. It hadn't been a problem for the past few months, but my lips have been bleeding lately.

Also, I've found that heavy exfoliation and heavy moisturization work wonders. It's probably a no-no to doctors, but it was worked well for me and has not aggravated my skin.

I use a scrub-like sponge... like a Buf-Puf... with cleanser and scrub fairly vigorously (but not painfully!) to remove flakes. Then I dry my face on put on a night cream like Oil of Olay.

I usually just do this at night, and only when I need it. I use the night cream in the daytime too if my skin is crying out for it. Oil free creams feel so much better than thin lotions.

This scrubbing and moisturizing regimine keeps flaky skin away and makes makeup look so much better.

- Thursday, December 27, 2001 / 08:44 p.m.

I am back at school now. A guy from downstairs saw the telltale packaging of the medication and asked, "Is that Accutane?" I said yes. Apparently he had been on it for 7 months. He had been on tetracycline and minocycline previous to that and nothing helped. He is acne free now, but he does have marks on his face that show how he used to look. I wouldn't have noticed except he let us look up close.

My skin is doing really well. The right corner of my mouth has cracked and it makes opening my mouth wide to brush my teeth a little difficult. I have another dermatologist appointment on the 17th or so. I hope my triglycerides are decent.

- Thursday, September 6, 2001 / 10:39 a.m.

My blood work was a mess and so I was off Accutane for awhile. My skin didn't get work at first, but later it did. Now I am back on Accutane, but only 40 mg a day instead of the prescribed 60 mg. My skin is getting better again. I have not been to my dermatologist in a long time. My next appointment is on the 14th. Hopefully we'll go back to the regular dosage and hopefully my blood will cooperate. I go back to school soon, so I can't have problems like that anymore. Even on just a few weeks at 40 mg my lips are very dry.

- Thursday, August 9, 2001 / 11:02 p.m.

I haven't been taking Accutane for a few weeks. My lips are not as dry! And my face has not gotten any worse. This is a good thing because my skin was a little worse during my last visit.

Anyway, the reason I haven't been on Accutane was because of the levels of fat in my blood. I have gotten glood drawn 3 or 4 times in one month and I get to have it done again this Saturday. Lovely. So I've had to watch what I eat even though I'm not a pig. My doctor has come to the conclusion that my body is slow at ridding itself of fat. GREAT. So no matter what I eat, it's just worse for me than normal people. I have no idea what to eat anymore. And I hate talking to my doctor. She is the nicest ever, but I'm getting very very impatient. My veins keep getting invaded. I am not happy.

- Wednesday, July 4, 2001 / 03:22 p.m.

Two weeks ago I went to my dermatologist. I got blood drawn, got a prescription, went on my merry way. The other day my doctor calls me and says my triglycerides are up and that I should give her a call back. I do. She tell me to stop eating fat and stop taking Accutane. And she needs another blood sample. So yesterday morning I went. Empty stomach. And I had just been drinking water since I heard, even though my diet is not all that fatty. Then yesterday afternoon she called to say she had the results back and that my levels were much better, but still a little high. And she is going on vacation. So I have to go to a lab to get my blood drawn next week. I am supposed to eat very very healthy until then. And once the results are good again, I can start taking Accutane again. But you know what? My skin is SO DRY!! I hope it'll get less dry during this off-time.

Since my appointment last month I'd say my skin has gotten worse, but the doctor says it will get better. I think I believe her. I need to try not to pick so much. I need some new moisturizer.

- Friday, June 22, 2001 / 08:31 p.m.

I went to my monthly dermatologist appointment about two weeks ago. She said I was doing surprisingly well for someone who had only been on Accutane for a month. I had blood drawn. It took awhile for the brusing to go away. Lots of dryness around my mouth. I had a dry patch on my right hand. They blamed it on the Accutane, but I had gotten something like it before I even took Accutane. She wrote me a prescription for some sort of cream for it. They didn't have it at the pharmacy, and I haven't been back to get it after they ordered it. My hand has gotten better all by itself. I sometimes get itchy though.

- Saturday, May 26, 2001 / 12:42 p.m.

Nothing at all new to report. The same excessive dryness and peeling is all. No new blemishes though.

- Monday, May 7, 2001 / 05:05 p.m.

I got a large pus-filled pimple on my right cheek, and it is going away now. My skin is very very dry. My lips feel like plastic. My scalp itches lots. My eyes are dry, but not too dry. I'm okay. I just need to slather myself in moisturizer from head to toe. Quite literally. I'm starting to take vitamins. Zinc, E, and C. Wish me well.

- Saturday, April 28, 2001 / 02:44 p.m.

I got a pimple on my forehead, but it's nothing to cry about. My skin is really flaking out and my lips are dry a lot. I'm doing pretty well except for the flaking. Makeup looks horrible over flakes. But I usually have flakey skin so it's not a huge deal. I still have not been strict about taking 60 mg a day. I have to take Accutane with food in order to be able to swallow it. And I never have soft foods around at night. I should make more of an effort I guess.

- Monday, April 23, 2001 / 06:47 p.m.

I've been on Accutane for a little over one week and I can feel it working already! I have no new large pimples, only a few minor clogged pores. I no longer have to use Benzamycin. It would be too drying. Each morning I wake up to no new spots. All I have to do now is wash my face and take Accutane and let time pass. One big problem I have is hyperpigmentation. It seems like I've had the same red spots on my face forever. Whenever one blemish heals, a red spot is left, then a new blemish pops up in that same area and the old spot never gets a chance to fade away. From the results so far, I think my dark spots will finally get a chance to go away! I am really looking forward to that. My skin is always so red and angry looking. I am used to dry skin and chapped lips, so nothing feels out of the ordinary right now.

- Wednesday, April 18, 2001 / 03:14 p.m.

I've been taking Accutane since Monday. I was prescribed 60 mg a day, but I've really been only taking 40 a day so far. I think I had ONE day where I actually took all three pills. I will have to do a better job with the doses. Also, I wanted to see if I would experience any adverse effects. My skin is just about the same. I have been experiencing a scattering of clogged pores. They are annoying. I have flakiness because I have still be using the Benzamycin gel. I am afraid if I stop using it, my face will erupt. My skin is always flaky. My skin has been oily this week I think. I don't think I noticed until today. Maybe it is my imagination, the weather, my makeup, or the combination thereof. My skin has not yet begun horribly drying out, nor have my lips. Thank God!

- Saturday, April 14, 2001 / 09:40 p.m.

I am 19 and female. I have acne. It's not horrible, but I have not had a day where I have not had a pimple in years. I look in magazines and on television and I see tall, thin models with beautiful hair and clear skin. I am in college and today I got my first "batch" of Accutane. I am confident it will work and I can't wait to see the results. I also bought some Blistex Herbal Answer because I know my lips will dry out. My dermatologist said, "You will get the worst chapped lips of your life." I don't mind that if it means I will have clear skin. I hear your skin gets worse the first month and I am worried about that. But my skin is fairly okay right now, so getting worse won't be the end of the world. This means that by May I will be on the road to clear skin. June, July, August. It will just get better. I will write about it all in here. Maybe by the time I turn 20, I will feel good about myself again.

- Monday, April 9, 2001 / 03:52 p.m.