Month 3, Clear Skin. Sydney, AU

I am 25 years old and have suffered from mild to moderate (in some rare cases severe) acne since I was 19. Since I am always caking on my make up, most people wouldn't even notice. There were still times when my skin was particularly bad, and I would catch other people scanning my bumpy, imperfect skin. Over the years I have tried everything you can think of from antibiotics, creams, face washes - both natural and harsh, strict diet and even doing nothing at all! Needless to say, nothing worked long term, if at all. After researching roaccutane or accutane as we call it in Australia, my doctor refused to give me a referral to the derm since my skin 'wasn't that bad'. It just so happened that I was having a 'good' skin day with only 5 or so pimples. After visiting another doc on what can only be called a skin 'disaster' day, I was finally referred.
I started seeing real improvements midway through the second month.
I am currently onto the third month of my treatment and haven't had a pimple for nearly three weeks. That is amazing for me!
There are side effects but I manage them well. For dry lips I use Blistex SPF 40+ intense moisturiser throughout the day, every hour or so. After a shower I also break out in a rash on my shoulders, upper arms and on my chest, and also get these red raised bumps all over my hands. I thought my dog had fleas at first since the bumps were so weird! Now, I just rub dermaveen eczema cream onto these areas before my shower, and it prevents the reaction.
Total cost includes 3 visits to the derm and 4 months worth of medication (thank you medicare!)
In Australia we are not required to do the i-pledge but we still need to do monthly blood tests.
I highly recommend this medication to anyway who suffers from acne, as long as they are willing to take care of themselves, both physically and internally.
I am hoping that my acne will not return, fingers crossed!

Hey guys, I thought that I would post an update on my skin! I apologise for not having any photos on the progress of my skin.. the way my skin was I wouldn't have been caught dead taking a photo without makeup! Actually I even avoided the camera with makeup on! Maybe next post i'll snap a makeup-less shot to show you my pimple free skin with only marks and scars remaining.

Since my last post I've only had about 3 pimples.. that's only one per month! I have noticed that even though I don't touch/ pop them they still take a few weeks to disappear and seem to leave a mark behind. One mark has been there for nearly three months, it's red and on my left cheek. Another was in an odd spot - in the middle of my eyebrows, and even thought the pimple is gone it has left what I can only describe as a 'crease' behind. I have considered the line being my first ever wrinkle but it's in such an odd spot. I've been applying bio oil daily on the mark in hopes that it helps and it does seem to have helped a little.
I have noticed that my skin is a lot dryer than it was three months ago. Instead of moisterising once a day I now do it twice.

My skin routine includes:
- Washing my face with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser morning and night. I use this and fragrance free baby wipes to remove my makeup. This routine is gentle enough that it doesn't irritate my skin. It isn't great at removing make up but I've found this trick to work - Wet a baby wipe with some water, squirt some cleanser on it and gently wipe your face in circles with the wipe. It usually takes 3-4 wipes before my face is make-up free.
- I apply Cetaphil Moisterising Lotion morning and night after washing my face - it's lightweight enough not to cause breakouts. For the people who suffer ridiculously dry sky this might not cut it.. but it works well for me.
- Moisturising eye cream (any brand) morning and night.
- I apply Blistex Intensive Repair SPF 15 religiously throughout the day. Blistex has honestly been my saving grace I can't praise it enough! I always put it on before I go to sleep and wake up with smooth lips. One day I left my little miracle pot at home and had to spend an uncomfortable day at work with very dry lips that ended up cracking. I now keep a back up in my desk draw. Be warned this stuff tingles your lips so some people might find this annoying but it doesn't bother me. My boyfriend always gets a shock if he steals a kiss after I have just put this bad boy on, he isn't a fan lol!

Last post I mentioned the strange rash I was getting after having a shower. After speaking to my derm he advised me to stop taking such hot showers and now I no longer have this problem. I still occasionally get small raised bumps on my hands and my derm isn't sure what could be causing this, I'm just monitoring it for now - it's a small price to pay for clear skin!

:)