21 Year Old Finally Beginning Accutane. - Kansas City, MO

I'm a 21 year old transgender male who is finally beginning accutane treatment. I've suffered from acne since I was around 13 years old. It was more severe my first run in with puberty. I've tried many different types of topical treatments and oral antibiotics throughout the years. The type of medication that was most effective for me was spironolactone which is an anti-adrogen. I got off that medication when I decided to proceed with my physical transition and begin HRT on testosterone. One other medication that I was on short term was bactrim. That was a miracle drug but my doctor will not prescribe long term for obvious reasons.

I've been on testosterone injections for almost 9 months now. I began with a low dose (half of what most are prescribed), specifically in hopes of minimilizing the issues that I may have with acne. My acne has gotten worse but it is manageable. My current skin regimen is to wash my face twice daily with PanOxyl extra strength 10% benzoyl peroxide and apply lemon juice to blemishes. I also use Cerave lotion if I'm feeling too dry. The main areas I struggle with acne on are my neck, back, and chest. My neck and near my jawline on my cheeks have gotten worse with cystic acne from minor facial hair growth, I presume.

I'm excited but very nervous to see how accutane will effect me. I've done my best to do my research on the drug and prepare myself for what's to come. I'm hoping that I won't experience negative side effects relating to depression or suicidal thoughts. That is the main reason I have avoided going on accutane for years. I've finally decided it's worth a shot.

My two main methods of birth control (yes, this still applies to me since my gender marker still reads female and I have not had a hysterectomy) is abstinence and male latex condom.

I will post pictures and keep everyone up to date on my personal experiences. Wish me luck! I begin treatment tomorrow.

Obviously, I'm very early on in my accutane treatment. But I have noticed a few slight changes so I figured I would update regardless. The first two days, I had a couple of new cystic pimples in places that I NEVER break out, like my chin. I put some lemon juice on them and that seemed to help. One is completely gone and the other has shrunk a little.

The first night I noticed that my skin was a lot dryer than it usually is. Especially on my chin area. I put Cerave lotion on but a few hours later it seemed to be dry again. Then when I got off work, I felt like my face was disgusting and oily. So I washed my face immediately upon getting home.

I invested in some antibacterial bar soap instead of the 10% benzoyl peroxide face wash I was using. It was too harsh on my skin. I haven't been washing my face regularly, which is weird because before I would have to CONSTANTLY wash my face. Now, I'm so dry that it irritates my skin more if I were to wash it. My chin is excessively dry. My lips are starting to get a little dry but nothing too terrible yet.

I happened to come down with a cold (I think) which is really unfortunate. So I'm blowing blood out of my nose constantly. I've never had that issue or had a nose bleed in my life, so that's kind of weird.

That's all the updates for now. I'll be sure to post any other changes I notice.

I'm currently one week in. I feel like I'm starting to break out more than usual. I'm dealing with quite a few cystic pimples. The lemon juice has helped shrink the size fairly quickly. I have been using Neutrogena ultra sensitive face wash. It seems to do the trick without drying me out too bad. Still using the Cerave lotion when I'm dry. Every so often I will feel really greasy and gross. It's happened 2 or 3 times since I've started Accutane. It's usually at the end of my shift and I go home and immediately wash my face. It's probably the reason for the break out I'm getting now.

I'm near the end of my cold, and I haven't been blowing out any blood so that's a relief.

Minor things to note is that I just began taking probiotics today. I'm hoping those will help assist with the acne as well. We will see, I suppose.

The only significant change I have to document is the ULTRA dry lips I'm experiencing and the insatiable thirst. I feel like Iike I constantly have to drink water. I drank a lot to begin with, but now I feel it's really necessary. I'll keep you guys up to date with any new changes. That's all for now!