Accutane - Week 2 - Milford, CT

So this is my first review ever on this site and I'm hoping to get through this journey with others who are doing the same.

I've struggled with acne for about 9 years now since the age of 15. I've tried pretty much anything you can think of from antibiotics to topical medications to three piece kits nothing has cured my acne. My dermatologist suggested Accutane as the last resort and I was very hesitant due to all the side affects and horror stories I've seen. However, as terrified as I am to be taking this medication I believe it may be the only thing that'll help. It's been 2 weeks and my skin has already become dry (nothing too bad), my lips however are the driest and a bit painful. I've been drinking 1 gallon of water a day so hopefully this is as bad as it'll get. I'm currently on 40MG 1x a day and hope that my dosage does not need to be increased.

In the last year I've pretty much limited my entire life because of my acne. I've kept myself home, stopped hanging out with friends, called out of work several times and even skipped family events because I did not want to see anyone. Dating has become nonexistent due to not wanting to leave my house. Makeup does not seem to help as it only highlights the problem areas I have. I've always been an extrovert and someone who is extremely chatty, fun and energetic - much of this has changed because I no longer enjoy even being looked at. My friends always try to reassure me I look fine and no one notices but when you're not comfortable in the skin you're in and hate looking in the mirror that's really all that matters.

I'm hoping to write an update every 2-3 weeks or so. My doctor has prescribed this to me for 5 months so I'm hoping to see some progress after the 4-8 week mark. I'm not brave enough to post full face photos but I'll post what my acne looks like thus far.

Feel free to leave comments or ask me any questions! :)

Hey all! So I wanted to share a short update with everyone. I just started a new dose yesterday, I was on 40mg for the first month now 60mg for the second month. Overall the first month was pretty smooth sailing. The skin on my body was not overly dry, I put lotion on in the morning and sometimes none at all just like my normal life. My face was a bit dry at times (flaky under makeup). I found that Cetaphil works wonders! I put it on in the morning then apply my makeup (only powder) and it looks fine all day. My face is no longer oily and shiny which is a great plus. My hair has become a lot more dry which I'm not too happy about. I have thick curly hair that soaks up all products I apply pretty quickly so that will take some adjusting to. My lips have been the biggest issue since starting the medication. They are super dry and hurt at times. I live by Vaseline lip therapy, its the only thing that makes them feel as normal as possible. It comes in a cherry color too so you can feel like you're adding some tint at times.

As for my progress I am feeling it drying out but it does not seem to look extremely different. Week 3 was by far the worst so I am hoping by the end of Week 5/6 I'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'll be updating with pictures next week.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions/comments feel free to share :)

I just wanted to share some updated photos of week 6. I'm super discouraged since I thought I started to see some progress. Hopefully by the end of this month things start to change.