My Accutane Adventure - Kitchener, ON

I was 16 when I began taking accutane. My skin was a huge insecurity and it got to a point where I was sick of letting my acne get in the way of how I look at myself. My skin was combination to oily and my acne ranged anywhere to my face, chest, back and sometimes even my legs. I took accutane for about 5 months, even though I was only originally supposed to be on it for three. The first week was bad, I broke out a lot and my skin and lips automatically became dry. It was extremely discouraging... Week three would have to be the worst, I actually remember staying home from school because it was THAT bad. I had dryness on the upper part of my nose and for the first 3 months, the sides of my chin were always peeling which is a complete pain in the butt when you wear makeup. The only plus side of the dryness is that your face makeup would remain flawless throughout the day, minus the peeling. I had to alter my makeup routine, things that I found that worked for me were MAC Studio Fix Fluid and the MAC Fix + Setting Spray. I applied my foundation with a circular sponge in a patting motion so I wouldn't exfoliate the dry skin and bring it to surface, MAC Fix + was sacred to me while I was on accutane - it made my face appear so smooth! I began to see results after 6 weeks, I know its difficult to wait that long but I promise you, it was worth it. It took longer to work on my chest and my back, I started seeing results for them near the very end. Facial products I used that helped me the most were just the basic Nivea cream, I would plaster it all over the dry spots on my face whenever I could, mostly before I went to sleep. I believe my biggest pain with accutane was how long it took to really work, and how much it broke me out at first; I still have scarring from that really bad 3 week breakout as well as the dryness around my chin and the creases on the ends of my lips which would crack every time I opened my mouth. I've been off of accutane for nearly 2 months now. I get very small, barely noticeable zits on my face and occasionally get a zit or two on my back. Was it worth it? Definitely, you just need to be prepared for what you're getting yourself into. Make sure this is something that you really want because it can get very discouraging at times.
Best of luck to all you beautiful accutane patients, stay strong. The wait is worth it.