30 Years Old and Finally on Accutane! - Baltimore, MD

So it's been 2 months and now I've begun to experience some progress. I'm on 40mg, once a day. My lips get quite chapped, pretty quickly, so I always have a zillion little, tiny tubs of Vaseline or Aquaphor around. I can go one day without washing my hair and my scalp does itch. I drink about 96oz of water everyday. My back and joints def notice if I don't drink enough. I haven't had any other major problems...but the progress has been nice. I have about 7 active pimples, but they aren't as big and painful. Its mostly just redness that will fade with time....I can't wait to see what month 3 will bring!

I meant to post this last month, but kept putting it off. Anyhoo, I was only on 20mg for the first month, so didn't experience any side effects or progress, really. The swelling went down a bit, but my skin continued to have explosive breakouts...every single day. I started a dry skin regimen before I started the accutane, since you never want to wait until you skin is dry to start moisturizing it. Maybe that is why I didn't notice any drying or chapped lips etc? Not sure...but I was kind of disappointed that I had such little progress. But I know, it takes time!

I'm writing this review to track my own progress and to possibly help someone else make the decision for or against Accutane. I've suffered with acne since my preteen years and it's been pretty bad at different times in my life. I started a taking Ortho Tri-Cyclin Lo on Novemever 1st and my skin freaked out....I've never had acne this bad, ever. Over the past year, I've been able to manage my skin with a routine. I'd still get a pimple like once a week, and a few around my menstrual cycle, but I'd be able to clear it up relatively quickly. It was the best it's ever been...until the birth control. I decided to get on the birth control as an effort to regulate my hormones and possibly deal with the acne that way. What an epic fail. I'm posting my pre-birth control skin and my current skin. I'm not on the birth control anymore. I'm practicing abstinence while on the Accutane, as you must be on 2 forms of birth control.