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Day 16
Just a little over two weeks taking one 20 mg Accutane pill a day. I think my face looks quite a bit better actually besides a new pimple right in the middle of my chin. It was just a small white head but I had to go and pop it a few days ago and now it looks like this...
As for side effects, my lips are quite dry. The lip mask for at night is awesome for while I'm sleeping. But during the day they dry out quite often. I have been starting to use my Vaseline lip balm in the mix with the First Aid Beauty lip balm and the Aquaphor. It just depends on how I am feeling and how long I want it to last for. I think the Vaseline has helped quite a bit. Because of the lip mask at night, I usually have quite a bit of skin come off of my lips every morning when I'm washing my face. I have kept up my same face routine as described in my first post. Anyway, as for any other side effects, I do think that my joints and muscles are more sore than usual. I haven't been working out very often or hard, but my carpal tunnel has been the worst it has ever been (I bought a nice [RS bleep]-up splint from Amazon which is doing wonders!!), my knees have been hurting some, my elbows, etc. I just feel kind of sore overall for basically no reason. Oh, and I did get sunburned and part of it is still really red after like 6 days so make sure to wear a lot of sunscreen when you are out! The sunburn is on my back, not my face. I have been good about reapplying sunscreen during the day if I know I'm going to be spending any amount of time outside (I live in Florida so, you can imagine just how important sunscreen is).
I am including photos I took just today and then two that I found on my phone from December (just to show how bad my acne really has been). I know when I started taking Accutane my acne wasn't as bad as it has been so I wanted you guys to see how it was and why it drove me to try Accutane in the first place.
As for side effects, my lips are quite dry. The lip mask for at night is awesome for while I'm sleeping. But during the day they dry out quite often. I have been starting to use my Vaseline lip balm in the mix with the First Aid Beauty lip balm and the Aquaphor. It just depends on how I am feeling and how long I want it to last for. I think the Vaseline has helped quite a bit. Because of the lip mask at night, I usually have quite a bit of skin come off of my lips every morning when I'm washing my face. I have kept up my same face routine as described in my first post. Anyway, as for any other side effects, I do think that my joints and muscles are more sore than usual. I haven't been working out very often or hard, but my carpal tunnel has been the worst it has ever been (I bought a nice [RS bleep]-up splint from Amazon which is doing wonders!!), my knees have been hurting some, my elbows, etc. I just feel kind of sore overall for basically no reason. Oh, and I did get sunburned and part of it is still really red after like 6 days so make sure to wear a lot of sunscreen when you are out! The sunburn is on my back, not my face. I have been good about reapplying sunscreen during the day if I know I'm going to be spending any amount of time outside (I live in Florida so, you can imagine just how important sunscreen is).
I am including photos I took just today and then two that I found on my phone from December (just to show how bad my acne really has been). I know when I started taking Accutane my acne wasn't as bad as it has been so I wanted you guys to see how it was and why it drove me to try Accutane in the first place.
From last August to February I have had the worst...
From last August to February I have had the worst acne of my life. It was all along my jawline and chin, which when I used to get acne, it was always my T-zone. Anyway, so I gave it ample time to go away and it wasn't and I was sick of pain mostly from the cystic acne (but I have both the whiteheads and cystic). So I made a dermatology apt and the only options I was given were to go on antibiotics for who knows how long or to go on Accutane, which I had briefly read about online and knew that it should prevent me from having acne the rest of my life, so I figured, sure, let's do that!
So I took the first urine test of the iPledge (which I hate, btw). I have an IUD and my bf has a vasectomy so we are pretty good at not getting pregnant. In the month I had to wait for my next apt, they prescribed me an antibiotic to help with my skin, but I decided not to take it. I knew it would likely make my skin break out more, which the Accutane is supposed to do as well, so I didn't feel the need to do this back-to-back. I also had a friend who took that antibiotic and was really nauseous and then there were some other side effects, like a possible yeast infection, that made me decide to decline the prescription.
So then I went back to the dermatologist and did my next urine test (still negative) and talked about what dose I wanted. I went with the 20 mg dose because it should dry out my skin less and will ease me into the medication more. She also gave me the option of the 40 mg dose but that would have meant patches of my skin being dry (more than just on my face...). So then I went and tried to get my prescription from CVS, but they wanted $448, even though my insurance said it should only be $10. So I got the clinic to send the prescription to my insurance's preferred pharmacy, which is a mail-order pharmacy. They told me they could do my prescription so I waited while they verified that they could charge my card and such. So I had to go redo my urine test (two weeks later) and I called them and they told me that they couldn't fill my prescription (excuse me, you just told me you could TWO WEEKS AGO and I WASTED TWO WEEKS waiting for this). So then the clinic sent the prescription to a mail-order pharmacy (Medrock) and they only charged the $10. I talked to them Monday afternoon and it came by Thursday afternoon, so it didn't take too long to arrive.
So, I received my Accutane on April 19th and I have been taking it ever since (so for a week now). It is only the 20 mg and I am supposed to take it with my largest meal of the day, which means if I eat a good lunch, I typically take it then since I don't always eat much for dinner. When I knew I was only to be going on Accutane I started to change my lifestyle a little then so that I could be prepared for going on it. I used to drink 2-4 drinks typically if I went out and this would be 2-3 a week but you are supposed to limit the amount you drink (preferably two tops but I know people can get away with more if they don't do it too often). So I try to only drink two drinks top now (luckily I like the fancy drinks that taste like coconut and I can get buzzed off one or two anyway). I have also become better about using sunscreen. I used to never use sunscreen until I knew I had to with Accutane. I decided to spend a lot and get a good moisturizer, sunscreen combination since I knew the Accutane would make me dry anyway. I decided to get it from FAB (First Aid Beauty). It was $30 but they had a 15% coupon for your first purchase and free shipping over $50, so I found some other good products that were on really good sales in their sale section. I spent $66 but got 5 products plus a larger sample size plus four baby sample sizes and free shipping, so it was a pretty good deal. I got an overnight mask to help with any dryness, a hydrating mist which feels AMAZING so I have started to carry that in my purse so I don't have to deal with applying more moisturizer during the day. I also got a really good lip balm that keeps my lips moist for hours! I will post a picture of all of the products I am using, including my face wash.
My typical face routine is pretty simple. I wash my face with a neutrogena deep clean face cleanser, I use an acne reducing (but I am almost out of this so I think I will switch back to my lush spray-on toner, which is refreshing and not drying) (I am also still not sure if I should be using a toner.... so there's that, lol), and then I sometimes put Clean and Clear advantage acne spot treatment on my acne (it works pretty well at getting rid of acne scars! It hasn't gotten rid of all of mine but my face looked much better once I started to use it), then I use a moisturizer if my skin is really dry, but now I just use the FAB Ultra Repair Pure Mineral Sunscreen Moisturizer (SPF 40 Broad Spectrum--make sure it is BROAD). That's all I do. Then for lip balm, I use Aquaphor or Ultra Repair Lip Therapy from FAB. Both are great but I think the FAB one stays on a little longer and costs more so I use that one more when I know I won't be eating soon and my lips are pretty dry. At night, I use Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (vanilla) on my lips. This helps keep them moisturized overnight and can help make them less dry in the morning. Otherwise, unless I'm taking a shower or my skin feels really gross, I don't typically wash my face or put anything on it. Otherwise, I just copy the morning routine and use a moisturizer that doesn't have sunscreen or I use the overnight mask from FAB. I get lazy at night... lol.
Okay, I think that covers my skincare routine. So, I have been taking Accutane for a week now. I could feel the dryness in my lips after just a day or two, but it wasn't too bad. It took more like 5 or 6 days for the dryness to be noticeable with my face. Starting on day 7, the dryness around my acne is really bad. It is just flaking. I woke up this morning and all like 5 of my bad acne (which I have popped all of them so they are scabby now...) are covered in a flake of skin and are surrounded by flakes of skin. I, of course, scraped/pulled most of it off so it doesn't look bad anymore. I had like 3 acne issues when I started Accutane and now those three are mostly gone and I have like 5 others now. This isn't out of the ordinary. I am posting pictures of my face from the first day and then ones of me on Day 8. Both have no make-up on.
I was a little scared to start this journey and I am unsure as to whether all of the money, time, energy, dryness, etc. will be worth it since my acne isn't too bad anymore, but if it were to really stop my face from having acne, then I think it will be worth it. So not that I have the Accutane, I am excited to see what happens and I will try to post on here every so often to update everyone on my symptoms. I read through a few of these reviews before I got Accutane because I wanted to know what sort of products I needed and how symptoms would develop and such, so I want to have a review that I hope others can look at in the future and find helpful! Wish me luck!
So I took the first urine test of the iPledge (which I hate, btw). I have an IUD and my bf has a vasectomy so we are pretty good at not getting pregnant. In the month I had to wait for my next apt, they prescribed me an antibiotic to help with my skin, but I decided not to take it. I knew it would likely make my skin break out more, which the Accutane is supposed to do as well, so I didn't feel the need to do this back-to-back. I also had a friend who took that antibiotic and was really nauseous and then there were some other side effects, like a possible yeast infection, that made me decide to decline the prescription.
So then I went back to the dermatologist and did my next urine test (still negative) and talked about what dose I wanted. I went with the 20 mg dose because it should dry out my skin less and will ease me into the medication more. She also gave me the option of the 40 mg dose but that would have meant patches of my skin being dry (more than just on my face...). So then I went and tried to get my prescription from CVS, but they wanted $448, even though my insurance said it should only be $10. So I got the clinic to send the prescription to my insurance's preferred pharmacy, which is a mail-order pharmacy. They told me they could do my prescription so I waited while they verified that they could charge my card and such. So I had to go redo my urine test (two weeks later) and I called them and they told me that they couldn't fill my prescription (excuse me, you just told me you could TWO WEEKS AGO and I WASTED TWO WEEKS waiting for this). So then the clinic sent the prescription to a mail-order pharmacy (Medrock) and they only charged the $10. I talked to them Monday afternoon and it came by Thursday afternoon, so it didn't take too long to arrive.
So, I received my Accutane on April 19th and I have been taking it ever since (so for a week now). It is only the 20 mg and I am supposed to take it with my largest meal of the day, which means if I eat a good lunch, I typically take it then since I don't always eat much for dinner. When I knew I was only to be going on Accutane I started to change my lifestyle a little then so that I could be prepared for going on it. I used to drink 2-4 drinks typically if I went out and this would be 2-3 a week but you are supposed to limit the amount you drink (preferably two tops but I know people can get away with more if they don't do it too often). So I try to only drink two drinks top now (luckily I like the fancy drinks that taste like coconut and I can get buzzed off one or two anyway). I have also become better about using sunscreen. I used to never use sunscreen until I knew I had to with Accutane. I decided to spend a lot and get a good moisturizer, sunscreen combination since I knew the Accutane would make me dry anyway. I decided to get it from FAB (First Aid Beauty). It was $30 but they had a 15% coupon for your first purchase and free shipping over $50, so I found some other good products that were on really good sales in their sale section. I spent $66 but got 5 products plus a larger sample size plus four baby sample sizes and free shipping, so it was a pretty good deal. I got an overnight mask to help with any dryness, a hydrating mist which feels AMAZING so I have started to carry that in my purse so I don't have to deal with applying more moisturizer during the day. I also got a really good lip balm that keeps my lips moist for hours! I will post a picture of all of the products I am using, including my face wash.
My typical face routine is pretty simple. I wash my face with a neutrogena deep clean face cleanser, I use an acne reducing (but I am almost out of this so I think I will switch back to my lush spray-on toner, which is refreshing and not drying) (I am also still not sure if I should be using a toner.... so there's that, lol), and then I sometimes put Clean and Clear advantage acne spot treatment on my acne (it works pretty well at getting rid of acne scars! It hasn't gotten rid of all of mine but my face looked much better once I started to use it), then I use a moisturizer if my skin is really dry, but now I just use the FAB Ultra Repair Pure Mineral Sunscreen Moisturizer (SPF 40 Broad Spectrum--make sure it is BROAD). That's all I do. Then for lip balm, I use Aquaphor or Ultra Repair Lip Therapy from FAB. Both are great but I think the FAB one stays on a little longer and costs more so I use that one more when I know I won't be eating soon and my lips are pretty dry. At night, I use Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (vanilla) on my lips. This helps keep them moisturized overnight and can help make them less dry in the morning. Otherwise, unless I'm taking a shower or my skin feels really gross, I don't typically wash my face or put anything on it. Otherwise, I just copy the morning routine and use a moisturizer that doesn't have sunscreen or I use the overnight mask from FAB. I get lazy at night... lol.
Okay, I think that covers my skincare routine. So, I have been taking Accutane for a week now. I could feel the dryness in my lips after just a day or two, but it wasn't too bad. It took more like 5 or 6 days for the dryness to be noticeable with my face. Starting on day 7, the dryness around my acne is really bad. It is just flaking. I woke up this morning and all like 5 of my bad acne (which I have popped all of them so they are scabby now...) are covered in a flake of skin and are surrounded by flakes of skin. I, of course, scraped/pulled most of it off so it doesn't look bad anymore. I had like 3 acne issues when I started Accutane and now those three are mostly gone and I have like 5 others now. This isn't out of the ordinary. I am posting pictures of my face from the first day and then ones of me on Day 8. Both have no make-up on.
I was a little scared to start this journey and I am unsure as to whether all of the money, time, energy, dryness, etc. will be worth it since my acne isn't too bad anymore, but if it were to really stop my face from having acne, then I think it will be worth it. So not that I have the Accutane, I am excited to see what happens and I will try to post on here every so often to update everyone on my symptoms. I read through a few of these reviews before I got Accutane because I wanted to know what sort of products I needed and how symptoms would develop and such, so I want to have a review that I hope others can look at in the future and find helpful! Wish me luck!
Provider Review
Dr. Zoe Storey