POSTED UNDER Accutane REVIEWS
My Accutane Story. Salisbury, NC
ORIGINAL POST
Hi everyone! I am a 19 year old female who suffers...
kchristine15July 4, 2016
Hi everyone! I am a 19 year old female who suffers from cystic acne. Before last year, I had never suffered with acne to the point where I needed to see a dermatologist, it never made me that insecure. Within the past few months, though, I had developed cystic acne around my chin and mouth. I read online that the cause of this could be hormones, but either way nothing would help it and I began to scar. So I made a trip to the dermatologist finally and he put me on accutane. At first I was really nervous about the medication because of all the horror stories that went along with it, so I did alot of research to see if it would be worth the journey or not. This very blog/review site helped me in making the decision to be put on the medication! I was prescribed one 40mg pill a day for the first two weeks, then two 40 mg pills (80mg) a day for the rest of my treatment. Currently, I am on day 12 and have experienced quite a bit of symptoms.
Symptoms that I have experienced include: extremely chapped lips I have to reapply Aquaphor(lip balm) every 15-30 min it seems
-Excessive dryness and peeling throughout my face, which I expected but wearing makeup is such a losing battle while on this medication, my foundation around my T-zone(chin and forehead especially) never fails to be flaky I love doing my makeup but I'm starting to feel very insecure about it.
-This one I didn't expect but I am tired 24/7, I find myself to be sleeping so much and constantly feel fatigued even after taking naps throughout the day.
-My scalp, skin, and face itch constantly even though I reapply lotion throughout the day.
-My skin on my face is extremely sensitive.
I was in the middle of a breakout when I started accutane, but I believe I am starting to have my initial breakout because I am breaking out in places other than just around my mouth and chin.
I feel hopeful about this medication and believe it will be worth all the side effects! I will keep anyone who cares to follow along updated :) The reason I am blogging about this is because I wish to help someone else, like these same reviews did, on whether to start the treatment or not and if it's worth it.
Symptoms that I have experienced include: extremely chapped lips I have to reapply Aquaphor(lip balm) every 15-30 min it seems
-Excessive dryness and peeling throughout my face, which I expected but wearing makeup is such a losing battle while on this medication, my foundation around my T-zone(chin and forehead especially) never fails to be flaky I love doing my makeup but I'm starting to feel very insecure about it.
-This one I didn't expect but I am tired 24/7, I find myself to be sleeping so much and constantly feel fatigued even after taking naps throughout the day.
-My scalp, skin, and face itch constantly even though I reapply lotion throughout the day.
-My skin on my face is extremely sensitive.
I was in the middle of a breakout when I started accutane, but I believe I am starting to have my initial breakout because I am breaking out in places other than just around my mouth and chin.
I feel hopeful about this medication and believe it will be worth all the side effects! I will keep anyone who cares to follow along updated :) The reason I am blogging about this is because I wish to help someone else, like these same reviews did, on whether to start the treatment or not and if it's worth it.
Replies (21)
July 5, 2016
Hi I'm sorry to hear you have been experiencing all these symptoms and I know it won't be much help but this is all normal. Please don't give up or lose hope as I too was on roaccutane around your age and it was the best thing I ever did. I would experience flushing and mood swings...also some dry skin but believe me it is all worth it in the end. Hope it gets better for you I'm the coming weeks. Good luck
July 6, 2016
I too had cystic acne and took accutane. It did clear my skin but believe me the acne comes back. This is temporary fix for a life long problem. I tried all kids of soaps, lotions and potions and then read a lot of research on where acne comes from. Acne really starts in your gut, impurities, imbalanced bacteria that roams around your body. So my first transformation was getting my gut in check. I purchased chewable probiotics that contained at least 3 different types of good bacteria. Then I read about the hormonal imbalance in depth, which helps to produce excess oils in your skin which is cystic acne types don't need. So I read that zinc assists with hormonal imbalances although you should not take more than 50mg. I started taking these every night. Now I also had to find a facial wash system that was better than proactive...and any of the other acne systems so my face would not get damaged from me trying to dry it out all the time. So I found out about a product called Aqua Glycolic that contains glycolic acid to keep pores clear and remove the excess old skin and dirt on a regular basis. So I purchased the face cleaner, facial toner and night cream and was using that consistently. As far as a facial lotion I use a benzoyl peroxide gel 10% to control the oil and bacteria during the day. Now every 2 days, I use what is called Morrocan brown clay and apple cider vinegar which removes impurities, controls oil and gets rid of acne spots. Lastly, I'm a green tea drinker which helps to clean out your system completely. My skin has never been so clear! Even with my period I maybe have one pimple but it's small and goes away literally right away with a dab of alcohol. Look I have searched and search and this has been the only regimen that has worked! So brief recap:
Aqua Glycolic system
Benzoyl peroxide gel 10%
Morrocan brown clay and apple cider vinager
Zinc 50mg
Probiotic
Oh one more thing vitamin d3!!!!
Good luck and getting your clear skin is possible. For us it just takes some work because we are so sensitive. Let me know how it goes if you try!
Aqua Glycolic system
Benzoyl peroxide gel 10%
Morrocan brown clay and apple cider vinager
Zinc 50mg
Probiotic
Oh one more thing vitamin d3!!!!
Good luck and getting your clear skin is possible. For us it just takes some work because we are so sensitive. Let me know how it goes if you try!
July 7, 2016
Great tips cdcrigler2012! You should start a review about your acne journey. How many cups of green tea do you drink a day. Did you mix the clay and ACV together as a mask? If so, how long did you leave it on your skin for?
July 12, 2016
Cutting out all processed food/sugar, red meat, food with chemicals, and dairy and taking probiotics to clean the gut worked for me. I also wash the face with baking soda at night (keeping it on in the shower for a few min) and moisturize with coconut oil/tea tree oil before I go to bed. I use to have to blot my face every chance I got during the day. I now haven't had oil on my face since I start eating right. I also went on birth control to balance the hormones. One time they put me on a different birth control (before I started my clean diet) and BAM! I started breaking out all over my chin and cheeks with painful to the touch acne. After getting back on my normal BC it cleared up in 2 weeks. I'm not surprised your regimen is clearing everything up, the gut is our second brain in the body. I notice a huge difference when I eat crap or dairy now.
July 6, 2016
Hi there! I am in month 2 of Accutane myself. The worst is over now. So, just know that the first 2 weeks, is some initial dryness then in say week 3-6 you may have even more break outs, then they recede. Use Dan's Cortibalm. Ask Walmart to order it for you, it takes about 1-2 days to get in. I tried everything but Dans, healed them up to where they are now softer than before I saw Accutane. Also drink lots of water and I mean LOTS! If you are not peeing often, you are not drinking enough. Also Vani Cream(walmart) has kept my skin with 0 peeling and chaping, nothing! I put it on my entire body and face, every day and on days that I shower, and I space them out to every other day, I put on Vani then I put on my Bath and body works lotion of choice, not on my face though. My derm said my skin was one of the softest he has felt, and looked amazing all because I was staying on top of hydration, cortibalm, vani cream and so on. Also watch your corners of your lips. If they get red and swollen like, use come antifungal cream 3xs a day on it. Its Angular Chilitis. Watch for depression. If you feel like you are more down, let the doc know and see about starting a mild antidepressant to go along with it. It does not effect everyone that way, but some do experience it, like myself. If you do not hydrate yourself then you WILL be more tired. I love it though, myself. LOVE the changes. It was rough with all the acne the first few weeks, but then BAM! Hang in there!
July 6, 2016
You are correct!! Lots of water! Olive oil and coconut oil work well in nose and on lips.
July 27, 2016
I agree with putting coconut oil in the nose, every night with a q-tip to prevent cracking. I tried on lips and it just didnt work for me, personally. The Dans is amazing and stays.
Welcome to the community. I'm thrilled that you found us and decided to start a review. Just as you found RealSelff helpful in your decision to start Accutane, countless others will appreciate you paying it forward by sharing your story.
Sorry to hear you're feeling so fatigued, I found the following Q&A that I thought you might find helpful: Does Accutane Cause Fatigue?
What kind of lotion are you using to help with your dry skin? How are you dealing with your itchy scalp at this point?
I encourage you to check in here to connect with people at different stages of their journey. Good Luck!