19 Years Old, Acne That Progressively Got Worse with Age

I went on accutane because after I graduated highschool in 2015, my acne began to her worse and I had no idea why. In highschool I did suffer from acne but never anything as extreme as after highschool. When I was 12-13 I suffered from getting a lot of pimples on forehead but once I started to take better care of my skin, in the following years that problem went away. From the ages of 14-17 I would get the odd pimple on my nose, temples, forehead or chin These would come and go with my eating habits or hormones. Keep in mind during these ages I drank alcohol a decent amount and ate fast food, and my physical activity started to lack after I got a drivers license. I had creams and face washes that would help these aches to subside and go away. Close to my 18th birthday I started to get the occasional cystic acne in my temples or between my eyebrows. I had never suffered from cystic acne yet at that point so I didn't think much of it and eventually they went away. Although they did leave light scarring. The summer that I graduated I started to get cystic acne all across my jawline and slightly on my lower cheeks. These cystic acnes arrived in August and didn't start to go away until late September/early October. I then started getting them on my chin as well. I began to feel very self conscious about these acnes that would just not go away. I went to my doctor and was prescribed benzoyl peroxide. I used that for about 2 months and I honestly think that just made it worse. The acnes I used it on would go away for a few days but then just come back. Finally I resorted to trying tea tree oil products from the body shop. I bought the face wash, toner, & tea tree oil itself. I used these for about 6 months and my acne calmed down a lot. I was also trying to eat cleaner too. But in September 2016 my acne started to come back again with a lot of whiteheads, blackheads, and harsh bump and unevenness all across my face. I was fed up and finally decided to go on Accutane. Also I had already been on birth control for 2 years before starting accutane. I didn't know much about it besides from what my dermatologist had told me and some girls I had known who had used it years previously. I was prescribed 40 mg. The first month I didn't notice much difference in my face at all. Within a week of being on the medication I did notice I started to get slight eczema on the top of my hand, dry lips, my hair wasn't getting oily and my skin wasn't very oily either (it was VERY oily before I went on accutane) 2 months into the treatment I got a CRAZY initial breakout. I felt it was almost worse then my acne before taking accutane. I also started to get mood swings and bursts of anger and rage which were hard to control. Sometimes I felt really out of touch with my emotions. In month 4 my initial breaking out started to subside and I finally started to see results and acne that was not coming back! I started getting really goopy and dry eyes though. In month 5 I started to get joint pain in my knees and hips. I have been working out for a year & a half non stop so I refused to quit working out just because of the treatment. I just had to change my workouts and use lighter weight. In my 5th and 6th month I was not getting any acne at all, my scarring from the initial breakout had started to fade away and I only got 1 small pimple right before my period that went away after 2 days. All my side effects still continued, I started to get better control over my mood swings and outbursts. In my 6th month my skin started to become so beautiful and flawless. My joint pain got really bad in my 6th month though. And I ended up cutting off 2 inches of my hair while on accutane because the medication really dried it out. I took fish oil the last 3 month of my treatment which helped my hair so much!! My last few weeks of accutane I got 1 pimple again during my period but again it went away fast. My scarring really cleared up and my skin really did a 360 considering everything it had been through. Now that I have finished accutane I can say I have never loved my skin so much in my life :) I still have a bit of scarring and hyper-pigmentation but I'm sure in time that will all go away. If needed I am willing to get a procedure to help with that down the road. My experience on accutane was challenging mentally and physically. It really pushed my body and mentality to its limits. It was a hard drug for me to deal with sometimes but I do believe it was worth it :) I really do urge anyone going into this drug to mentally be in a strong mindset, because it will mess around with your emotions. Overall I am very happy with my skin and hoping that accutane is a long term fix for me. Thank you for reading :)