Welp I was an unlucky one and need round 2. My skin has been breaking out terribly the last couple months and I'm so scared of it going back to the way it was. There's small ones on my nose, blackheads are back all over my nose, my face has been going nuts. Could possibly be that my birth control is changing and I need a new IUD soon but that never made a difference before. Attached see the most recent breakout. July 27th I do bloodwork, August 5th I get my checkup for the blood work, and you can bet I'll be finishing my iPledge questions the same day. Here's to another journey! Updated on 11 Jul 2019: So going back a few months I went to my derm in probably... February or March after being off accutane for over a year. Tell him I’m breaking out a little and I want to go back on accutane. The breakouts weren’t so bad so he gave me doxycycline and those steroid shots that make blemishes go away in like two days. It worked for a little but ultimately it was only a temporary fix. Fast forward I’m going through a lot of stress and things are challenging in my life but my acne never flared up due to stress before accutane. My skin is a little worse and I had two more blemishes come up that I was able to take care of tonight, 07/11/19. Meanwhile until I’m on accutane again in August I will be using facial masks once to twice a week to help control oil on my skin. I have a few from Artistty but what really helped my oil control before was a cucumber peel off mask. It’s a great brand in a green tube. I loved it, so I’ll probably get another bottle of that. I also have a little bit of doxycycline left so I’ll be taking that also until I’m on accutane again. See photos of my face a little worse.
I've been experiencing acne since I was 11 years old when I got my first pinple on my nose. I remember asking my sister "What is this bump?" And she said it was a pimple. She told me I could or should pop it to get rid of it. I remember saying "Ew, no!" Then I did it anyway! Since then I've now had it for 13 years and it's terrible. Partly cystic with some blackheads on my nose and little pimples on my chin. Some have been terrible, others not so much. Because of it I've developed a bad case of excoriation and incessantly pick at my face and caused scarring. Some deep ones, others not that bad. I don't have photos but I've written my journey down in my phone notes and will post it for everyone to read. If I can find photos of before accutane with little to no makeup I'll post them! Updated on 13 Nov 2017: Hi everyone, I’ve missed you all! Unfortunately as I mentioned I haven’t taken progress photos. I do have notes though on all my side effects and doctor comments. I’ll paste them here and you can go through my journey with me! It’s long but detailed July 27th 2017 Day 1 First two doses at 3pm and 12:30am Nothing happened July 28th day 2 Slight peeling on my face July 29th day 3 A little peeling around my cheeks July 30th day 4 Peeling around the bridge and side of my nose and cheeks. Nose is starting to feel dry inside, eyes starting to get a little dry July 31st day 5 Peeling/flaking on/around and under my nose and my forehead near my right eyebrow. Eyes a little dryer than the previous day. Discover nose bleeding a little at 6:43pm PCT in Washington. Wiped it out and put chapstick on a tissue to put inside my nostrils so they're not as dried out. Chapstick in your nostrils is weird... Took my makeup off and put lotion on my face at 7:48pm PCT. Went into a hot tub with Greg and Pete for a few hours and was constantly applying chapstick and putting warm water over my face to open my pores. Showered and washed my face between 11-12 and applied lotion and chapstick before bed. Shoulder blades and upper back has two pimples. Cannot get rid of them. It sucks. August 1st day 6 I showered this morning and I was able to rub off some of the dead peeling skin on my nose. My chin has started to flake and peel and the lower part of my nose is peeling. It seems like I can never scrub and rub the dead skin off my nose no matter how much I try to. My cheeks are also getting those little tiny blemishes that are kind of cluster like. Eyes a bit dry and lips getting very dry. I'm using more chapstick than normal. There's no point in makeup now but I'm still trying to use some because I'm still self conscious. I popped a small blemish on my right cheek and immediately after blood was coming out. Luckily Pete didn't see and that told me "this is serious you cannot manipulate your face while on this drug." So my tools and the magnifying glass will be hidden or thrown away. Maybe after Accutane if it's still bad I'll use the Banish Acne scars kit like Kali - @myfacestory - on instagram. One of the best parts of this journey is that Pete was on accutane in high school or middle school so he's been on this journey and he'll never make me feel ugly or not pretty in any way. Chapstick in my nose again. Still weird. Face isn't really too dry today. Probably because I've been on planes all day going home from Washington. August 2nd day 7 My head has been a bit itchy all day. All upper and sides. Skin flaking but not too badly. Nose hurting inside a little. Could be dry but not sure. Chapstick is my best friend today August 3rd day 8 Nose is getting dry on the ends by my nostrils. My face is a lot less oily,even with makeup and it's really nice. Chapstick still my best friend. Peeling a little on the end of my nose. There's a bunch of little pimples and small bumps on my cheeks, around the bridge of my nose and chin. Still too many blackheads on my nose but those are sucked out with the microdermabrasion I've very slightly squeezed a couple of little pimples by my mouth but nothing where my hands are basically all over my face. I gotta stop that though. No more of that. Feeling the blackheads come out a little on the ends of my nose My torso and abdominal area and scalp and back have been very itchy today August 4th day 9 There are red bumps and small unpainful papules on my face as well as the small clusters of much smaller blemishes that only have a minute amount of pus in them and would go away once it's squeezed out. I got rid of a small pustule yesterday and one of above my lip a few days ago and there's a small red mark there now. Hopefully that goes away. It's so hard to not pick at my face ugh. Crap I popped a small pimple on the left side of my face by my jaw bone. The rest I haven't touched. Blah. Itching in same areas again August 5th day 10 My scalp has been itchy today and yesterday. I was about to walk out of my car to go into Ross but I noticed my scalp was flaky and so my was my forehead by my hair so I put lotion in those areas of the part of my hair and I brushed it. It helped a little so it doesn't look dry. My eyes have been getting drier and my lips are still dry. The good news is when I keep applying chapstick there's no white line of dead skin that I have to wipe. My lips look good but them being so dry all the time is killing me. Ugh. I forgot to take my morning dose so I'll go home after Ross and take it. Scalp was itchy throughout the day still but less so after putting the lotion in the part of my hair. Nose is still very dry inside and my eyes were drier by the end of the day. Face isn't oily any really at all and it's great. Another 18 weeks to go. Also bad me popped a small pimple on my chin. The blackheads on my nose I really want to get but I can't. I'll definitely wait for the microdermabrasion on the 22nd August 6th day 11 The little spot on my chin that I got yesterday turned into a small whitehead so I tried to get that. I put alcohol on it to sanitize it. The inside of my nose is dry still. Probably will be until I stop taking it. Woke up with dry lips. And I think I'll stop wearing mascara or eye makeup since my eyes are dry and I'm squinting them all the time to water them. My cheeks and nose and upper lip are flaking today. Bad. I put makeup on before going out, not sure why, and had to put lotion on my face just now and wipe everything off. Ugh. I also reapplied some primer and did some spot coverage. I'm still insecure and it sucks. It took me like 20 minutes to apply lotion and get my skin not looking flaky. 18 more weeks. 18 more weeks. Hopefully that's all I need and I don't have to have a second treatment. My acne isn't severe but it's bad enough and I'm sick of it. It's been 12 years with it and I'm done. August 7th My skin isn't peeling so much anymore, I think it's because I'm in the Florida air and not the dry Washington air. Stupidly I popped a small pimple at the board plan. It was a tiny one though. Ugh so hard not to do anything Pete said he sees improvement already in my skin. He said the blemishes that are out are not as red, large or inflamed as before. I guess I could agree there, and there's more smaller little pimples and little spots that are skin colored and just a lot of blackheads on my nose and my by the bridge of my nose and around it August 8th This morning before my shower I popped a medium sized pimple on my right cheek closer to my jaw bone. It was was one of those slightly painful ones if you keep pressing on it. I wiped it with alcohol afterward and showered so maybe that helped both that I did pop. I NEED to leave my skin alone otherwise it will never heal but it's SO hard not to touch my skin. I've been doing much better with it but of course caved a few times. Lips still dry as fxck though and I can't go more than two minutes without feeling like I'm gonna freak out when I need chapstick Agh I got a small little white head on my chin that was hurting! I put hand sanitizer on it afterward. There's this small pimple on my cheek I want to get so bad but if I do I know it'll scar. Plus it doesn't give the accutane s chance to work. My face does have less redness and pain from less inflammation but there are those smaller little pimples all over the place on my chin, cheeks, forehead, nose and sides of my nose. Everywhere basically. Even a little on my shoulders and chest. Scalp has been a little itchy the last few days but has calmed down. I haven't really needed lotion but once or twice all day long. Usually in the morning after a shower I use it then I'll apply some in the afternoon at work. Like I said Pete sees improvement already but I don't see too much. Another 4 months and change to go. August 11th The last few days my scalp has been a bit itchy and I popped three pimples :( one yesterday or the day before, another one two days ago and one today. The one today - everything was close to the surface and it came out quick without much effort. Another one was ready to pop when I came out of my shower the other day and another one had blood in it and just needed a tiny bit to come out. REALLY bad. Two weeks and I'm like NO STOP THIS IS BAD. My forehead is starting to breakout and it's really annoying because they're the kind that I can stick a pin in and pop with a little effort. Ugh. My appointment for microdermabrasion is on the 22nd. Seems so far away. August 14th My forehead is still breaking out and it's annooyinnggggg. Saturday night on the way home from a second look with Pete I had one of those pillowy feeling pimples on the side of my face near my ear and I popped that one. It was so easy though I think that one was ready to go. My scalp is still itchy and has been for a couple weeks Other than that I don't see too much else besides dryness & peeling and some itchiness. Especially dry lips and itchy scalp. I got some 2-in-1anti dandruff shampoo and conditioner so I'll see if that helps. Otherwise I'll put lotion on my scalp from my hair part if I need to. It's annoying but I know it's only temporary. I've been seeing less redness but I have a lot of those little tiny blemishes that I know the micro can take out and make my skin smoother again. I'm excited for it honestly. August 18th So earlier this week I popped two pimples on my forehead... they were ready to pop though! Afterward I applied hand sanitizer on them and a neosporin equivalent ointment. And last night I scratched my skin a little on my cheek and had to pop another two. I'll wash my face and apply lotion when I walk in the house (just got home from work and it's 6 now) Otherwise it's going well. I'm doing all I can otherwise to prevent scarring by applying neosporin and chapstick on my skin. And it's only been pimples that are ready to pop or a couple of the hardish ones. And a few on the front of my neck... I really need to stop :/ I go to the dermatologist on the 22nd and I'm excited for the microdermabrasion to get all the crap out. Blah. My skin is looking better though. I can see some improvements. August 25th I went to the dermatologist for my monthly checkup on Tuesday, the 22nd. Dr. Herschthal looked at my blood work and said my liver enzymes were high. For that he's taking me off of it for two weeks and having me get more blood work in those two weeks then seeing him five days later. After that's he's lowering the dose to once a day then he'll pick it right back up again after another month or so. I also got microdermabrasion done while I was in the office. Though my nose is no longer riddled with blackheads and a bunch of dead skin I'm not seeing an improvement in my skin because of it. I also no longer have blackheads in the immediate surrounding areas of my nose - which is absolutely lovely - and there's much less tiny, deep rooted small pimples on my chin. Also lovely. My skin is dry but it isn't uncomfortably dry. I put lotion on sometimes throughout the day and sometimes it helps but other times I feel it doesn't help. I'll definitely put some on though before applying makeup. And wearing makeup hasn't made my skin better or worse on accutane. I use artistry long wear liquid foundation with the loose powder as well as a primer and concealer stick. I've been getting at a few pimples and immediately sanitizing the areas when I do get them. I know I need to stop but it's just so damn satisfying. I can stop though and I will. I just need to not ever look in a mirror stop worrying about it and let the accutane do it's job. More scarring is not what I need. I'll also be getting the Banish acne scars kit again for my skin in about three months after my treatment is over. August 31st Even though I've been off of the accutane for less than a week the isotretinoin is still in my system. My arms have been itchy. So has my forearm and upper arm. My skin is a little less dry on my face but my arms not so much. I'm breaking out a little more and a little less in areas on my cheek. I've been popping and sanitizing some small pimples and I've been putting neosporin on them at night if I need to. I ran out of the lotion they gave me at the dermatologist office but it's $92 and I have to pay another $50 copay when I go back to them on the 12th of September. Ugh. I'll skip the micro this month probably and see what happens. There's also little no absolutely zero blackheads on my nose or around my nose. I haven't had that in god knows how long. Then of course about an inch out from my bridge there are some small blackheads and blemishes. Nothing crazy though. It's my cheeks that are bad and purging. My skin is also a tad more sensitive than before so all I'm doing is slightly picking off some peeling skin in certain areas and leaving my face alone after I pop and sanitize. I'm also trying not to touch my face directly and not very much when I do/have to. My chin is getting clearer of those little tiny pimples. Not blackheads but I'm sure that those are just deep rooted. And right now there are a bunch of other tiny little pimples that are deep rooted. I've also only taken a sanitized tack to my cheek once but I kinda had to. Otherwise I feel like I've been okay. Again- I'm probably going for the Banish Acne Scars kit again after my treatment and until I start back up again in another week or so we'll just be seeing what happens. PS The dove anti dandruff shampoo must be helping because my head isn't as itchy and I'm not scratching it as much. September 8th, 2017 My skin has still been breaking out pretty badly even though I'm not taking the accutane yet still. The isotretinoin is in your system for at least another month even after you stop taking the accutane. It's been really hard to not touch my face but when I do I use alcohol to clean and lotion to help my skin. Honestly my skin is probably going to go crazy when I get back on it. Which it needs to and I'll have to be good when it does purge. It'll seriously suck but it'll be worth it. And I've been using only powder and foundation on my face so less makeup is good. I go back on the 12th and I'll see what he says. Hopefully my liver enzymes are good and the rest of my blood work is good It's been crazy though. We have a hurricane coming and it's gonna be bad. September 15th I started accutane again two days ago on the 13th. Dr. Herschthal prescribed 40mg once a day this time. Even being on it for a month prior my skin is way less oily. I didn't shower this morning because I was lazy so I washed my face with the wash he gave me and I applied lotion three times within about 2 hours before applying a thin layer of makeup and I haven't used the oil absorbing sheets once today. That's really, REALLY nice. My skin has been oily since I can remember. Probably since 6th grade in middle school when I got my first pimple on my nose. Popped it and that was the beginning of the end of clear skin and a face without makeup. The only thing I was told from my mom was don't pick and wash your face twice a day and liquid makeup clogs your pores and all makeup clogs your pores. Totally helpful. Not really. Anyway. So hopefully this month means improvement and there will be no more picking. I promise. And I promise to promise myself that. Actually I'll put a reminder in my calendar to not pick. 3-4 times a day. Maybe more. I'll update again soon September 20th Since I've been taking the accutane again my lips have gotten dry again without any hesitation there. My nose got a little oily again from not taking it for two weeks, or maybe it's just naturally oily. Anyway it's not that bad. Skin is a little dry but nothing major. Maybe I can do 60mg a day once a day instead of 80mg like before it might be a good balance. 40mg seems to be like surface level stuff. Nothing really is happening. Nose is a little dry inside but not bleeding like before. It's bearable at this point. September 26th My face seems to be clearing up a little and I’m only really getting smaller pimples. Lips still dry but my nose isn’t dry like before so I can manage it and deal with it. I kinda don’t think that 40mg is effective though. Maybe the doctor will put me on 60mg instead of 80mg when I go back so who knows. Otherwise the only other thing is some dry skin as usual but nothing major. A couple pimples on my neck though. One was a skin colored bump that I messed with stupidly and the other is an actual pimple that is red and annoying October 4th Last week my nose started getting dry again. There’s a bit of a bloody nose inside but nothing too crazy. I can manage. Yesterday Pete said my skin had gotten better and everything is healing. The acne I’ve gotten has been a lot less and when I do it’s little pimples or very infrequently I’ll get larger ones that kinda hurt. Otherwise my skin is just dry and not oily at all. It’s nice that it’s not oily. No more oil sheets! I’ve also been able to put my hair up and not feel really self conscious. I’ve been at work with my hair up for the last four hours or so and I’m okay with it. That’s actually really nice. Just means I’m slowly getting my confidence back and that’s a big step for me. I can’t wait to be done with this treatment and see the end results. October 9th My nose has continued to be dry and annoying but my skin is really improving. I really like the way it’s looking and I’m wearing less and less makeup. No more big red pimples and - October 17th Oops. Didn’t finish my last entry. So yeah no more larger red and cystic like pimples or ones that I gotta poke with a tack to get the stuff out. My skin is getting a lot smoother and my nose is still dry. Dr. Herschthal kept me on 40mg/day but he gave me two boxes of it. He said he wants to have a lot of drug to play with at the end of everything. I should only be on it for a couple more months, maybe until December since he said 20 weeks originally but he may go longer just to take it that step further and keep things 100% the way they’re going. November 3rd Er mah gerd. I meant to update like four days ago and I didn’t! Ahh! So my nose is still kinda dry so I’m putting aquaphor in it so I don’t keep picking at the dried stuff and getting bloody stuff out. Yes it’s bloody and gross. Not fun. When I wear a full face of makeup it’s weird. Probably because I put lotion on my face all day so it’s weirdly... not sticky but it doesn’t feel normal, even when I put mattifying powder on. So usually I stick with eye makeup, a little bit of foundation on some slightly read spots and I put powder on those spots if anything. I have my next appointment next Wednesday on the 8th and I’ll be getting the microdermabrasion. I also saw this one girl on Instagram using vitamin c serum for her skin while she’s been on accutane and it’s really helped her hyper pigmentation with fading red spots and evening her skin tone. I figure I’ll get some from my business and use the artistry stuff. My eyes are drier today and the last couple days than have been prior in my treatment but it’s still tolerable. My skin isn’t as dry and it’s not peeling as much so it’s nice. I can put on some foundation, like color correcting, and it doesn’t look too terrible. A full face though isn’t really possible. It looks weird and my skin is still very uneven and scarred from all the constant picking I did, and I have some large pores. Yesterday I had a small pimple in the beginning stages but I popped it last night. Unfortunately I had no alcohol so I just left it alone after I got it. It’s slightly scabbed but not really. Just dried out and healing now. Otherwise all is well and my skin is looking much better November 13th So my check up went well on the 8th. He wanted to increase the dosage to 60mg until he saw my blood work and liver enzymes, then he decided to keep it at 40mg a day. He also said “we’re going for perfection here” after I asked a question about the microdermabrasion he has me do. He said “If that doesn’t work we have more powerful lasers and such,” or something along those lines. It seems like my nose is getting used to the drug since it’s not as dry anymore. My skin isn’t as dry either but I put lotion on it every few hours throughout the day. I can wear a little makeup but nothing major still. My skin flakes and look really if I use makeup so I still keep it to a minimum. Updated on 16 Nov 2017: My upper arms and hands have become dry and itchy again. Lubriderm is my lotion of choice. Scent and paraben free and gentle. It’s a great investment, especially since I’ve used it on tattoos that need healing. Also I realize I should have put all my updates on this site as I did them so if you guys want me to redo the updates as different posts and not make on big post let me know! I’ll be posting before and after when I get the photo after my treatment is done. Updated on 23 Nov 2017: Oopsie! Went away with my boyfriend to see his family for thanksgiving! We’re in Orlando and I won’t be able to take it from Wednesday to Saturday night. The plus side is that I can drink angry orchard without feeling like my life is terrible. I’ll ask my doctor about it and get back with everyone. Pot thanksgiving everyone! Updated on 20 Dec 2017: So sorry this took so long! It’s been a while and I found pictures you guys! They’re from last year to this year. You can see the difference in my skin with and without makeup. So I’ve increased my dose from 40mg a day to 60 mg a day. I’ll be doing that for the next three months and update with progress photos again. So far there is still more coming out of my skin and the 60 mg I feel like is really gonna push the remaining out and clear my skin to the fullest. I’m super excited! No dry skin anymore, no nosebleeds, hands are scratching and peeling though a little. And no more oily hair, so amazing! Updated on 24 Dec 2017: So lately being on 60mg a day for sitter less than ten days my nose is getting dry again and a little bloody. It’s not too bad though. Two more months after this one and I’m done! And I found more pics. I’ve sent these to my boyfriend throughout our relationship so don’t judge lol! Updated on 9 Jan 2018: So here is some stuff from September, December and January! I would have updated sooner but I was having trouble with the app so I posted via the web. Love you all! Updated on 8 Feb 2018: So I’ve been experiencing dry hands and arms again but nothing else out of the ordinary. I think my body has started to tolerate the 60mg and hasn’t been doing much else. I’ve gotten s pimple here and there. Usually small ones. And if they’re developed enough excoriation gets the better of me and I’ll take a tack to it to get all the stuff out. Afterwards I don’t touch it. Nose not as dry, lips still very dry though. I need chapstick after everything I do. Updated on 13 Feb 2018: Last Friday, Feb. 9th, my derm took me off accutane! I was super excited but honestly I kinda wanted to go one more month on 80mg a day and just wipe the rest out. Right now I have a small unnoticeable pimple on my right cheek and a few smaller ones that I’m sure will go away if I leave them alone! No more dry hands, lips, arms and nose finally. He wants to work on my scarring and see me in another month for a check up. I’m not able to afford some of the scar treatments right now so I’ll have to wait til I get some $ saved up. Microdermabrasion, chemical peels, etc. I’m very happy with my skin for the most part. It was well worth all the money I put into it and worth the little pain and going through so much stuff. Here’s all a couple photos from today, a few days after being off of it and 6 months after my treatment. Hopefully I don’t have to go back on it in the future but if I do then at least i know I’ll be in good hands with my derm! Updated on 28 Feb 2018: So three weeks off the drug and I’ve been getting these weird looking bumps on my arms. They aren’t pimples. They’re all over the sides and back of my arms and I’m not sure what they are. They don’t hurt though which is good. Also attached is a comparison of some heavy makeup and light makeup from two years ago to a few weeks ago. Updated on 16 Mar 2018: Two months later and my skin hasn’t had any bad breakouts! I do want to get the Banish kit but I’ll have to wait a while unfortunately. This is the best thing I’ve done for myself. I hardly wear makeup, I feel more confident and it’s just amazing not to suffer from acne anymore. Hopefully never again. Updated on 31 May 2018: Hello everyone! My acne has been gone, I’ve gotten a few here and there but I’ve had these small bumps on my arms since February. They’ve gotten worse and there’s a ton of them :( I’ll be going back to the dermatologist in a few weeks or so to see what they say. From research it looks like Ketosis Pilaris. That could be hella wrong but it’s what I found. Will update! Updated on 14 Mar 2019: February of 2019 I’ll be off accutane for one year. I’m satisfied with the results. I have been breaking out though for about a month along my chin area. I went back to Dr. Herschthal on 3/13 and he prescribed Doxycycline which I’ll pick up today 3/14. He also wanted to do some skin resurfacing to get rid of a lot of the scarring I have from picking so much when I did have acne. Accutane healed my skin so much but it could only repair so much from the damage I inflicted myself. Will post updates with the Doxy.
In my opinion, and from the bad experience I had with Dr. Herschthal, it is my opinion that he doesn’t have an artists eye which is necessary to do cosmetic work. He overfilled an area on my face which made a large bump as if I had a 3rd cheek. When I returned a few days later, he tried to convince me that it was my imagination and tried to fix it (I guess my husband and aunt were imagining it too). I have since found an outstanding cosmetic dermatologist in the South Florida area.
Yes it is safe And it will not break down. In fact, the new trend is to inject smaller amounts of Botox mixed with smaller amounts of filler-specifically hyaluronic acid- over the entire face for maximum aesthetic impact.
Thank you for your question, there is no scarring with microneedling when done correctly by someone who is trained in this procedure.
The Herschthal practice has much experience using both CoolSculpting and SculpSure. The SculpSure applicator is much more versatile than the CoolSculpting applicator thereby allowing us much more flexibility and choice of target treatment areas. It is less painful. There are less side effects. You can treat twice as many areas in a treatment session with SculpSure. It cost the patient less money.
