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POSTED UNDER Accutane REVIEWS

19 Years Old Starting Accutane - Chicago, IL

ORIGINAL POST

4/15/2015 Today is the first day I'm starting the...

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jennakerr18
$118
4/15/2015

Today is the first day I'm starting the generic brand of Accutane (Zentane). For some unknown reason Accutane is on back order. Meaning they aren't producing enough for the demand or the company is calling it back because of issues with the drug OR it could be a completely different reason. I'm not sure. Anyway I've had acne since I was about 12 years old in the 6th grade. It got worse as the years went on. I began using make up in like 7th grade to cover them up. My path of ugly acne and a low self esteem began then. Now I'm 19 and I've had ENOUGH! Today was my first day. It's a 30 mg dosage. I'm taking this daily for 6 months. I pray that it works! I'll try to post weekly to show my progress. Xoxo

Excuse my ugliness right now. I've been really stressed out and I need sleep!

jennakerr18's provider

Bethanee Jean Schlosser

Board Certified Dermatologist

jennakerr18

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Replies (15)

April 16, 2015
Best of luck, stay strong
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April 17, 2015
Make sure you have a small arsenal of chapsticks and mousturizer at the ready! The dryness hits fast. Best of luck to you.
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April 20, 2015
Thank you!!! I did feel like my lips got a little dry after the first day but they haven't been bad
April 17, 2015
Wish you the best, Dryness will hit hard on the second day, I'm gonna follow your story to see your progress, best of luck :)
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April 20, 2015
Yea I did notice it but not bad. Yes please do! Thank you so much!!
April 20, 2015
First week - 40 mg everyday, lips, skin and eye were killing me. Second week - didnt take any, because i was sick. Third week - as of now 40 mg every other day, i think I'm doing better. Yes, i will follow your story, now that use realself more than i use facebook hehe :D
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April 17, 2015
Hey..you are not ugly at all! Yes you have acne but it has not ruined your face...you still have a pretty face! I'm having to deal with acne and perioral dermatitis at the moment. So not pretty at all! I started on 20mg and I am now over one week and have not really experienced any side effects. I don't know if this is becuase of the low dose or becuase I have kept on top of it so here's my little advice. Get all the lip balms in the world and start using them before your lips get dry, get Alchohol free moisturizer, if you know where to get pure African Shea butter (Amazon obv) get it and use it on offending dry spots like knees, elbows, feet etcs. Hopefully you'll not experience side effects too xx good luck and hopefully you'll start seeing results soon.
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April 20, 2015
Omg you're so sweet! Thank you :) thanks for the advise. I'm queen of procrastination so I'm glad you said to moisturize ahead of time. Haha good luck to you too! I actually have been seeing results. I'm going to post in a little. Thanks again! I really appreciate it
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April 20, 2015
You're beautiful! As an acne sufferer myself, i too use makeup to cover up but finds it clogs the pores even more. Stock up on lip balm n moisturizer. Best of luck
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April 20, 2015
Omg you're so sweet! Thank you :) thanks for the advise. I'm queen of procrastination so I'm glad you said to moisturize ahead of time. Haha good luck to you too! How long have you been on it?
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April 20, 2015
Whoops wrong person! But thank you as well! I literally won't go anywhere without make up! But all I use is pressed powder by Neutrogena. Doesn't cover up much but it does cover up the redness and the idea of it gives me comfort if that makes sense
UPDATED FROM jennakerr18
4 days post

4/19/15 Accutane Dose 5: Progress already!! :)

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jennakerr18
So I'm posting a few days earlier than I said. This is because I'm already seeing good results and plus I feel like I should tell you guys a little more about my personal life to allow people to relate to my condition more.

I wear make up daily. Just Neutrogena's pressed powder. This doesn't cover my acne but it does disguise the redness. I do have a lot of stress, most self inflicted, but nonetheless stress. I don't eat the best of foods. One it's hard to resist the great tasting bad foods America loves advertising. Two good food is expensive for the most part. I wash my face once a day: at night. I do rinse my face in the morning with cold/warm water then reapply my lotion. I've been using Ponds cold cream cleanser and daily lotion for about 3 or so months now. I just LOVE it! I did see an improvement of my skin after using that but obv not enough since I'm on meds to rid me of this unpleasantness. Anyway I have to get a new day time lotion bc Ponds, for whatever reason, doesn't have SPF in it which is very important while on this medicine bc of the increased risk of skin cancer. My mom just got me this Aveeno face lotion with SPF 30 so I'm going to try that out. I like Aveeno (body lotion) bc it's really light. It's not oily and thick like other brands. So I'm hoping for the same with the facial lotion.

As for side effects I haven't really been experiencing any. My lips have been slightly dryer than usual and earlier today my face was really red. Hopefully I don't deal with much more but I'm ready for them.

Debating if I'll post Wednesday bc it may be pointless but we shall see! Thanks for all the positive feedback so far!

Also for the future I'll try to keep my posts shorter. Haha! Goodnight

Replies (4)

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April 20, 2015
Wow...your face looks better. I'm glad it working for you!
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April 23, 2015
Thank you!!!
April 22, 2015
Your body looks like its responding really well to the medication!
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April 22, 2015
It is!! I'm so thankful too :))
UPDATED FROM jennakerr18
7 days post

Week 1 complete!

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jennakerr18
Hey guys! No pictures today. There hasn't been much progress since the last time. I have been breaking out a little on my right cheek and by my lip. I hate bumps by the mouth bc ppl tend to freak out and stare "/ I haven't been sleeping much. I have a bunch of homework and exams that I'm getting prepared for along with working. Loss of sleep definitely shows thru my skin.

Anyway, dryness has definitely sprouted. Under my powder makeup it looks pretty bad. My lips have been sooo crusty! I keep applying Vaseline and other stuff and it's just getting the best of me. I definitely stopped using that Aveeno face lotion bc it burns the crap out of me. So back to my ponds! I think I'm going to get a baby facial sunblock. I feel like it'll be gentler on my skin.

Any suggestions for moisturizers? Ones with an SPF of 50 or more preferably considering summer is around the corner.

Thanks! Xoxo

Replies (1)

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April 24, 2015
Neutrogena has a great moisturizing sunscreen with SPF 50. I use it everyday rain or shine and my skin is happier with it!