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If you are reading reviews to decide whether or...
If you are reading reviews to decide whether or not to take Accutane, PLEASE keep reading! I am a 23 female and I have had acne since I was 13. Started out with just puberty little pimples, as I got older they became huge and sore and red; it was horrible. I could not even leave my house without makeup. Told myself I finally have to do something permanent. I have tried ProActiv, every single antibiotic, every single topical cream, been to 3 different dermatologists and I finally knew it was being caused by something inside me, not on the outside. If you have giant cystic acne bumps on your face and have the mindset that you want to finally end the misery of acne, please keep reading!
I was so scared to start Accutane after reading some reviews, but my cycle was not too bad! The beginning is the worst, but please trust me just keep pushing. Your body is a machine and it cannot work overnight. My side effects were dry skin, SUPER chapped lips, joint pain (mostly in my hands), bad night vision, and horrible fatigue. I know that sounds like absolute hell, but just think of the outcome. My doctor had this chapstick that has medicine in it for the chapped lips (BUY IT). I hardly drank water, which is horrible because Accutane is basically just a ton of vitamin A which dries up your sebaceous oil glands in your body. So buy the chapstick, and drink a TON of water. The joint pain was pretty bad, but only was in my hands and only came once in a while. Again, probably because I was dehydrated. Night vision, just don't drive at night if you feel it is a problem. The fatigue was honestly horrible. I am not going to sugar coat it, but also that is just what happened to me. As all these symptoms will be different for everyone, I just want to give a heads up on what you can do to avoid them or how to deal with them for 6 months. The whole controversy of the suicide attempts and depression, in my opinion, is honestly because you do not see results in a night. When you have acne you are so insecure and are desperate for a clear face, but it does take a while to kick in and start doing its job. You get tired and 6 months is a very long time, but please please go into with a good mindset! If you are having trouble or need someone, reach out and get help! It is so worth it!
So now you know the hard stuff, here is the easy part. I googled doctor's in my area that prescribe Accutane. Made an appointment and he saw me right away. Told him my story how I have tried everything under the sun, he evaluated my cystic acne and prescribed me 30mg pills. It is based off of your weight. Every month, for females, you take a blood pregnancy test. DO NOT GET PREGGO! Also, males and females get a iPledge account. It's an easy website where you log in and take little quizzes on how to not get pregnant, not donate blood while you are on Accutane, and how you go about the cycle. So I took the first pregnancy test, went right to my doctor's office after, he wrote a prescription, dropped it off at Jewel, picked it up and started it the next day. You take one in the morning and one at night. I just kept doing that for 6 months and I have not had a pimple in probably 7/8 weeks! The pills themselves were $30 a month and I forgot how much the blood work was, but hoping insurance covered it haha.
Obviously there is redness and healing your skin has to do itself after, but I do not even care right now. It is about how I feel!. I feel so light in my face! I can wait for my body to clear up the redness itself (as my doctor told me it would). My skin is so flat and clear and feels so good not to pick and pop and squeeze every morning. Looking at the before pictures and after feeling my face I cried tears of absolute happiness. I read that vitamin C lotion helps with the tone of your skin, so I am now trying that just to help a little. But, I am 110% happy with my results!!!!
My biggest suggestions to remember if you are going to go on this AMAZING journey is 1. DRINK WATER LIKE ITS YOUR JOB!!!!!!! 2. Please don't give up. Just don't do it. Do not have negative thoughts and go in it 100%, if that is what you want. 3. Enjoy the hell out of your baby soft skin afterwards.
*100% my own opinion, my own journey, my own suggestions. I am not a doctor, not forcing anything on anyone, just wanted to show that it can work!!!! :)*
- They also tell you not to drink alcohol, because vitamin A gets metabolized by your liver, but its not like CRAZY serious strict, well rather I didn't follow it strictly and I am perfectly fine. They take a blood test to see if your liver function is good and cholesterol is normal, then once that comes back great you are set to go.
- Also, cannot believe I showed my face, but I wanted to show you guys I didn't just google images on the internet.
I was so scared to start Accutane after reading some reviews, but my cycle was not too bad! The beginning is the worst, but please trust me just keep pushing. Your body is a machine and it cannot work overnight. My side effects were dry skin, SUPER chapped lips, joint pain (mostly in my hands), bad night vision, and horrible fatigue. I know that sounds like absolute hell, but just think of the outcome. My doctor had this chapstick that has medicine in it for the chapped lips (BUY IT). I hardly drank water, which is horrible because Accutane is basically just a ton of vitamin A which dries up your sebaceous oil glands in your body. So buy the chapstick, and drink a TON of water. The joint pain was pretty bad, but only was in my hands and only came once in a while. Again, probably because I was dehydrated. Night vision, just don't drive at night if you feel it is a problem. The fatigue was honestly horrible. I am not going to sugar coat it, but also that is just what happened to me. As all these symptoms will be different for everyone, I just want to give a heads up on what you can do to avoid them or how to deal with them for 6 months. The whole controversy of the suicide attempts and depression, in my opinion, is honestly because you do not see results in a night. When you have acne you are so insecure and are desperate for a clear face, but it does take a while to kick in and start doing its job. You get tired and 6 months is a very long time, but please please go into with a good mindset! If you are having trouble or need someone, reach out and get help! It is so worth it!
So now you know the hard stuff, here is the easy part. I googled doctor's in my area that prescribe Accutane. Made an appointment and he saw me right away. Told him my story how I have tried everything under the sun, he evaluated my cystic acne and prescribed me 30mg pills. It is based off of your weight. Every month, for females, you take a blood pregnancy test. DO NOT GET PREGGO! Also, males and females get a iPledge account. It's an easy website where you log in and take little quizzes on how to not get pregnant, not donate blood while you are on Accutane, and how you go about the cycle. So I took the first pregnancy test, went right to my doctor's office after, he wrote a prescription, dropped it off at Jewel, picked it up and started it the next day. You take one in the morning and one at night. I just kept doing that for 6 months and I have not had a pimple in probably 7/8 weeks! The pills themselves were $30 a month and I forgot how much the blood work was, but hoping insurance covered it haha.
Obviously there is redness and healing your skin has to do itself after, but I do not even care right now. It is about how I feel!. I feel so light in my face! I can wait for my body to clear up the redness itself (as my doctor told me it would). My skin is so flat and clear and feels so good not to pick and pop and squeeze every morning. Looking at the before pictures and after feeling my face I cried tears of absolute happiness. I read that vitamin C lotion helps with the tone of your skin, so I am now trying that just to help a little. But, I am 110% happy with my results!!!!
My biggest suggestions to remember if you are going to go on this AMAZING journey is 1. DRINK WATER LIKE ITS YOUR JOB!!!!!!! 2. Please don't give up. Just don't do it. Do not have negative thoughts and go in it 100%, if that is what you want. 3. Enjoy the hell out of your baby soft skin afterwards.
*100% my own opinion, my own journey, my own suggestions. I am not a doctor, not forcing anything on anyone, just wanted to show that it can work!!!! :)*
- They also tell you not to drink alcohol, because vitamin A gets metabolized by your liver, but its not like CRAZY serious strict, well rather I didn't follow it strictly and I am perfectly fine. They take a blood test to see if your liver function is good and cholesterol is normal, then once that comes back great you are set to go.
- Also, cannot believe I showed my face, but I wanted to show you guys I didn't just google images on the internet.
Provider Review
Board Certified Dermatologist
800 Biesterfield Rd., Elk Grove Village, Illinois
HE IS WONDERFUL! He assured me that I would be fine and that I was a great candidate and how excited he was for me to finally have the beautiful skin I deserve to show off!