POSTED UNDER Accutane REVIEWS
Roaccutane: I Hope It's Worth It. - Australia, AU
ORIGINAL POST
I was about ten years old when I got my first...
amayjJune 1, 2013
WORTH IT$250
I was about ten years old when I got my first pimple. I had never noticed them on other people in my school, or even on my older brother - until I got my first one. I asked my mum about it, and she told me to leave it alone and it would go away.
Fast forward five years, and I'm fifteen, being put on the pill and antibiotics at the same time to try and combat bad skin, after trying a multitude of over-the-counter products, and having many facials for problem skin. Many people reassured me that my skin "wasn't that bad" and "it wasn't like I had acne".
But I still remember coming home on the bus from school one afternoon, covering my face because I was so embarrassed by my face.
Fast forward six more years; I'm twenty-one, and still having skin problems. I've literally tried everything - antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide, facials (by beauticians), pH balances, over-the-counter face wash and facial scrubs - you name it, I've tried it! And yet some nights I still find myself making excuses to not appear at social events, because I'm embarrassed by my face. When I look in the mirror, I often wonder "is this really as good as it's going to get?" and "I thought it would get better after teenage years?".
My mum still gets upset when I come for a visit, and my skin is red, bumpy and sore.
However, after waiting for a few months, I finally got in to a dermatologist, who looked at my face for a few moments with his special goggles and recommended I try a course of Roaccutane. He told me that I most definitely had acne - and a complex case of acne that would continue to get worse, which is consistent with my symptoms.
My skin has progressively gotten a lot worse in the past eight months. I had a period where it had gotten better, and I thought I had finally escaped the clutches of acne! And then it got worse, and worse, and worse.
Currently, my forehead is constantly sore, and my face is always very red. Often I have flare-ups on my chin which are very painful. I have several (at least seven) large, painful cysts on my face, which have been present for several months with no recovery.
It was a bit of a relief when my doctor recommended Roaccutane. But I'm a little worried about the scary side effects. Luckily, I'm heading home for a month halfway through June during my university holidays, where my family can keep and eye on me, just in case I have any mood changes.
I'm also a little worried about the initial worsening of my acne at the start of the medication, but my mum has already said I can hide out at home if it gets too bad!
I know it will be worth it if it helps my skin to become clearer and less sore. I'm hoping to have clear skin for my university graduation in December.
I'm still signing all the documents, and am getting my blood test on Monday. However, I am supposed to begin my Roaccutane treatment next Thursday.
So hopefully in the next month or two I will see some positive results for my poor skin! I'll update soon regarding my skin progress.
Fast forward five years, and I'm fifteen, being put on the pill and antibiotics at the same time to try and combat bad skin, after trying a multitude of over-the-counter products, and having many facials for problem skin. Many people reassured me that my skin "wasn't that bad" and "it wasn't like I had acne".
But I still remember coming home on the bus from school one afternoon, covering my face because I was so embarrassed by my face.
Fast forward six more years; I'm twenty-one, and still having skin problems. I've literally tried everything - antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide, facials (by beauticians), pH balances, over-the-counter face wash and facial scrubs - you name it, I've tried it! And yet some nights I still find myself making excuses to not appear at social events, because I'm embarrassed by my face. When I look in the mirror, I often wonder "is this really as good as it's going to get?" and "I thought it would get better after teenage years?".
My mum still gets upset when I come for a visit, and my skin is red, bumpy and sore.
However, after waiting for a few months, I finally got in to a dermatologist, who looked at my face for a few moments with his special goggles and recommended I try a course of Roaccutane. He told me that I most definitely had acne - and a complex case of acne that would continue to get worse, which is consistent with my symptoms.
My skin has progressively gotten a lot worse in the past eight months. I had a period where it had gotten better, and I thought I had finally escaped the clutches of acne! And then it got worse, and worse, and worse.
Currently, my forehead is constantly sore, and my face is always very red. Often I have flare-ups on my chin which are very painful. I have several (at least seven) large, painful cysts on my face, which have been present for several months with no recovery.
It was a bit of a relief when my doctor recommended Roaccutane. But I'm a little worried about the scary side effects. Luckily, I'm heading home for a month halfway through June during my university holidays, where my family can keep and eye on me, just in case I have any mood changes.
I'm also a little worried about the initial worsening of my acne at the start of the medication, but my mum has already said I can hide out at home if it gets too bad!
I know it will be worth it if it helps my skin to become clearer and less sore. I'm hoping to have clear skin for my university graduation in December.
I'm still signing all the documents, and am getting my blood test on Monday. However, I am supposed to begin my Roaccutane treatment next Thursday.
So hopefully in the next month or two I will see some positive results for my poor skin! I'll update soon regarding my skin progress.
UPDATED FROM amayj
25 days post
Three weeks in.
amayjJune 27, 2013
I started my Roaccutane treatment three weeks ago today, and next Thursday I get to double my dosage.
So far the most annoying aspect has been my dry (and occasionally cracked) lips, but I combat that by always having paw paw ointment on me, and especially using it before bed. It usually keep my lips fairly smooth.
I am feeling very good about my overall progress with Roaccutane so far, and look forward to hopefully continuing down a path to clearer skin in the next month.
The first thing I really found that my skin was actually clearing up! I came home to my parents, and my mother sang the praises of Roaccutane. Something I did find, however was that my skin was more oily than usual (and it was usually fairly oily!), and my hair was very very oily and my scalp was very dry and itchy. I looked like I had quite severe dandruff at one point.
I was a little worried about how oily my skin was, and was worried that the medication was having the reverse effect - making my skin more oily, instead of drying it out!
However, I woke up a few days ago, and all of a sudden my skin was dry. I didn't have to wash my hair for several days because it wasn't oily at all (which is very unusual, I usually need to wash my hair every second day, or everyday). Also, my dry, itchy scalp has settled right down. I guess my body just took nearly three weeks to expel all of the oil in my skin.
However, I have found that I am peeling quite badly on my nose, which is a shame. It makes it seem like I badly sunburned my nose. I have been using moisturizer regularly, and especially before bed to try and fix this up.
But the good news is that some of the cysts look like they're healing up. A few have shrunk in size.
The bad news is that I'm starting to get the break-out that I was warned about when I started Roaccutane. My face has been quite sore over the past few days due to a sudden flare up of several of my cysts at once.
However, I am very happy to report that even though my skin is flaring up, my face is not as red as it usually is - it's only red where my acne is! Improvement!!
I haven't found there to be any change in my mood or demeanor - if anything, I think I've been feeling a lot happier!
So far the only side effects I have found is oilier skin, then dry skin, and the occasional nose bleed (which are very small anyway, and usually in the morning).
So far the most annoying aspect has been my dry (and occasionally cracked) lips, but I combat that by always having paw paw ointment on me, and especially using it before bed. It usually keep my lips fairly smooth.
I am feeling very good about my overall progress with Roaccutane so far, and look forward to hopefully continuing down a path to clearer skin in the next month.
The first thing I really found that my skin was actually clearing up! I came home to my parents, and my mother sang the praises of Roaccutane. Something I did find, however was that my skin was more oily than usual (and it was usually fairly oily!), and my hair was very very oily and my scalp was very dry and itchy. I looked like I had quite severe dandruff at one point.
I was a little worried about how oily my skin was, and was worried that the medication was having the reverse effect - making my skin more oily, instead of drying it out!
However, I woke up a few days ago, and all of a sudden my skin was dry. I didn't have to wash my hair for several days because it wasn't oily at all (which is very unusual, I usually need to wash my hair every second day, or everyday). Also, my dry, itchy scalp has settled right down. I guess my body just took nearly three weeks to expel all of the oil in my skin.
However, I have found that I am peeling quite badly on my nose, which is a shame. It makes it seem like I badly sunburned my nose. I have been using moisturizer regularly, and especially before bed to try and fix this up.
But the good news is that some of the cysts look like they're healing up. A few have shrunk in size.
The bad news is that I'm starting to get the break-out that I was warned about when I started Roaccutane. My face has been quite sore over the past few days due to a sudden flare up of several of my cysts at once.
However, I am very happy to report that even though my skin is flaring up, my face is not as red as it usually is - it's only red where my acne is! Improvement!!
I haven't found there to be any change in my mood or demeanor - if anything, I think I've been feeling a lot happier!
So far the only side effects I have found is oilier skin, then dry skin, and the occasional nose bleed (which are very small anyway, and usually in the morning).
Replies (3)
June 27, 2013
It really is having the reverse effect but not in the way you think it is. Your purging ... well.. the medication is purging you. As the meds kick in, its squeezing your sebaceous glands and shrinking them. Its also drawing ance to the surface of your skin which is a good thing cause its easier to treat. Don't worry about the dandruff, When I was on Accutane, lol... I got it too. Just keep washing with an anti dandruff shampoo like Head and shoulders. If you find thats still not helping, Get a good oily conditioner like "Got 2b" Oil-Licious. Leave it in your hair and on your scalp for a good couple of mins and it should do the trick. Remember .. you have to totally switch up your thinking especially as your dose increases and you take more meds. While on Accutane, you're not not an acne sufferer anymore, youre an eczema sufferer and need to treat your skin as such! Moisturisers are your best friend now. Not the enemy. Don't get discouraged!!! For most ppl on Accutane, its not until about the 3rd month that they start seeing amazing results. You will notice one thing soon though if you haven't already... your skin is about to get super smooth. Kinda of like just having a chemical skin peel. You might also get some red blotching on your face. Its normal.
When I was on Tane I also peeled quite a bit. To fight this, at bedtime I would pile on a thick moisturizer like Nivea especially in places like my nose and ear lobes as they peeled a lot! Then in the morning, after my shower, I would use a light moisturizer to wear for the day and kept it with me incase I started peeling again. The moisturizer will also help with any scarring that may come up as acne heals. Its kind of like getting a tattoo. If you have even gotten one, they encourage you to slather your tattoo with moisturizer to help repair the skin and keep the scabing and scar tissue to to a minimum. Its the same thing with acne. You want it to heal... just... not to fast. And last, if you find your getting any kind of skin tenderness, there might be other things causing it along with the Accutane. Wash your bed sheets and pillows with a mild scent free laundry soap and skip on high perfume fabric softeners. Also polyester ANYTHING can irritate the skin. Sheets , cloths, anything that can come in contact with your face or body can irritate you. Switch out for %100 cotton especially sheets, pillowcases and blankets! Cotton also soaks up and absorbs excess moisture as opposed to polyester that just leaves it in contact with your skin. Hope some of this info helps you along the way. Cheers from Canada!
June 27, 2013
PS: As for the nosebleeds.. I got those too. There's one sure fire remedy and its going to sound terrible. And it is terrible,, but it works. This is where that product I recommended comes in called Aquaphor by a company called Eucerin. Before bed, you take a small amount of Aquaphor and put it on a q-tip. Then .. apply it up your nose and coat it as high as the sinensis. Do this twice a week and I promise you, It does the job! Awful.. but extremely effective. It helps keep the blood vessels moist and prevents nose bleeds. You're headed into winter right now depending on what side of AU your on and i'm sure the climate is very drying on the skin. The nosebleeds will only get worse if you don't treat them.
June 30, 2013
Thanks again for your advice! Yes I am loving using moisturizer at the moment! I have three different types for when my skin is behaving in different ways.
I'm also really not liking mineral makeup (which is what I was told to use as it doesn't add oil to the skin), because I feel like it's not doing anything at all! But overall I'm mostly trying to avoid using makeup anyway.
And yes I have tried using a ointment in my nose! It does help, but the problem is that once it settles down, I forget to do it for a few days (aka until my nose bleeds again...).
And in regards to wintertime - I actually live in a quite humid place! But in two weeks I'll be moving to somewhere very dry for two months so I'll have to be even more vigilant then.
UPDATED FROM amayj
2 months post
Third Month Blues.
amayjAugust 6, 2013
I've started my third month of Roaccutane today, and I start it sad. My face has flared up, is very red, very sore and very bumpy. Today, I could not wear my sunglasses or my reading glasses due to a very large painful lump on the side of my nose, that I convinced myself that no one noticed. It's disheartening that I've been taking the Roaccutane for two months now, and my skins looks as bad as ever.
However, I'm still hopeful! Hopefully in the next month or so, my skin will really start to clear up, and all the big nasty lumps will disappear.
I don't go back to my doctor for another month and a half yet, but I'm hoping that if all is not well by then he may up my dosage.
I've been having more trouble with side effects too. The good news, is my hair is not going as oily as fast as it used too! I used to have to wash my hair daily/every second day, but now I can go 4-7 days without washing it, which has been really good for my hair. I still suffer with a tiny bit of dandruff, but it's totally managable.
The not so nice side effects are: dry skin and lips (my feet are scaly on one side!! Ew!), nose bleeds, and a very nasty rash that has taken over both my arms. I have to consciously ensure that I don't scratch my arms, or else I end up making myself bleed, due to my skin being quite fragile from the Roaccutane! So my arms are a bit scabbed up at the moment, and I really need to go to a pharmacy to get some cream to fix my arms up. They've been like this for about 3 weeks now, but I've been quite busy so it hasn't been a priority (it's currently winter here, so I wear long sleeves/cardigans every day). But it's getting to be a problem so I need to have it fixed!
However, I still haven't found that I've had any mood changes yet, so I'm very happy about that. All I need now is for my skin to start clearing up, and I'll be very very happy!
Here's hoping my skin will clear up in the next month.
However, I'm still hopeful! Hopefully in the next month or so, my skin will really start to clear up, and all the big nasty lumps will disappear.
I don't go back to my doctor for another month and a half yet, but I'm hoping that if all is not well by then he may up my dosage.
I've been having more trouble with side effects too. The good news, is my hair is not going as oily as fast as it used too! I used to have to wash my hair daily/every second day, but now I can go 4-7 days without washing it, which has been really good for my hair. I still suffer with a tiny bit of dandruff, but it's totally managable.
The not so nice side effects are: dry skin and lips (my feet are scaly on one side!! Ew!), nose bleeds, and a very nasty rash that has taken over both my arms. I have to consciously ensure that I don't scratch my arms, or else I end up making myself bleed, due to my skin being quite fragile from the Roaccutane! So my arms are a bit scabbed up at the moment, and I really need to go to a pharmacy to get some cream to fix my arms up. They've been like this for about 3 weeks now, but I've been quite busy so it hasn't been a priority (it's currently winter here, so I wear long sleeves/cardigans every day). But it's getting to be a problem so I need to have it fixed!
However, I still haven't found that I've had any mood changes yet, so I'm very happy about that. All I need now is for my skin to start clearing up, and I'll be very very happy!
Here's hoping my skin will clear up in the next month.
Replies (3)
August 18, 2013
Hey I'm nearly 4mths on roaccutane and I'm from syd Australia. I'm abit upset also as I only have 6 wks left and still getting the odd pimple. I did start on very low mg but am now on 60. So I guess I'm catching up. Have been very moody when I see a new breakout. Alone and scared... Someone help.
Replies (3)