26 and Fed Up with Acne! - Tallahassee, FL

Thank you so much for responding. I can't picture myself without acne BUT I will be because every opportunity to take a picture I will be front and center .... I seemingly am only having headaches I am 2 days into my course for now and I am gonna ask the doctor if I can take ibuprofen while I'm on it jus becaus I know it can get bad! I used to have a page on acne.org sometimes the persons on there aren't too kind BUT I will consider joining to be apart of the community and I will definitely be writing and PMing you! Are you on accutane ?

Drinking more water may help with the headache as accutane will dry you out.....bad (inside and out). I am not on accutane but i did blood work today to possibly see if it is an option for me. TBH, i don't want to go on it again but i am at a standstill so......

I totally understand!!!! It's about decision to make (again) but I learned that it's not the dosage per month but the total dosage meaning if you weigh 130lbs your weight in kg is like 56 so do each kg at the end of your cycle you should have 125-150mg isotretonoin in your system that's what I learned .... I have not been drinking enough water I need to increase it significantly ... I never drink much water BUT Ihave increased lately but obviously gotta increase my increase lol ... I really hope things get better for you and if you're approved we can tread this journey together love

Don't give you lady! You are so beautiful. You will get through this, I am starting in 11 days as well! I have researched accutane fully, and have finally decided to take the plunge, after years of oral and topical antibiotics that only worked for an extended amount of time. I even tried spironolactone, that seemed to have messed up my hormones even more. I have come to conclusion that acne is an auto immune disorder, where our hormones over respond to stressors and thus create acne. It is out of our control. Insulin spike doesn't help either. I have a very clean diet as well. Have you cut out dairy, sugar and caffeine?? That may help A LOT. It has for me. I hope you don't take this information like I am trying to tell you what to do, because I am coming from such a personal/vulnerable place, because I totally identify with your feelings. I am have come to a few conclusions of how I am going to prepare myself for treatment. Maybe these tips can help you as well :) Drink a lot of water! Don't drink alcohol, limit exercise and take extra care of your body during treatment. Your body is going to be very sensitive. I would also limit the blow dryer and hot tools on your hair, as accutane essentially sucks out all the oils form your body. Keep your eyes. lips, muscles and hair lubricated at all times. Get a good leave-in conditioner. Get good sleep, and even months after accutane it will still be in your system so possibly look into taking probiotics to rebuild the gut. I drink a lot of kombucha and I am not sure if I will be able to drink it during treatment but it helps a lot with digestion and the function of your gut, which may be effected by accutane. But I know that if you are careful and take all the necessary precautions your body will recover over time. :) Keep updating from week to week! I want to know how you are doing :) Remember your skin may get worse before it gets better, but don't pick! This happens to most everyone, and your not alone, it is pushing out all the gunk to reveal your clear skin :)

Please read my most recent comment I hit add comment instead of reply to your message but I asked a few thousand questions lol

To think this was the start of out journey Im so happy

Thank you so much I appreciate the support ... I'm happy to have joined real self !!! So far in week 1 no real side effects besides headaches here and there .... Oh and dry eyes ! Im so encouraged and my mommy is praying me through which puts me at ease ! Because after so many failed attempts of clearing up I've gotta be made a believer but I'm definitely optimistic !

That's supposed to say how not hoe lol.

Thank you lol my phone is horrible with the how's and hoes too lol but honestly I would never say someone's acne is "not that bad" because everyone is different ... I have wished to be in their shoes as opposed to mine. The worse part about acne is when you feel your acne is getting better and here come the "experts" telling you about how their skin use to be as bad as yours and give you some mundane remedy that you've probably tried unsuccessfully before lol My course is 6 months on an inclining dosage 40 this month 60 next month

Thanks accutane is working quite alright for me no complaints !! I'm happy that works for you though :)

Awwww I'm glad you joined my journey and I too have had acne since I was a preteen I think it was centralized to my forehead in 5th grade then got horrid as I got older... Accutane has been a blessing and I can see my skin shining through ! I haven't had any of the symptoms they scare you about but who knows if I will have perfect skin at the end I sure hope since I don't have insurance I'm paying for the skin I get and praying my results are like everyone else's !!! I have Til the end of January tho! I hope you aren't scared I knew about accutane for like 7 years but was so scared bc of all the side effects and I was under the impression it would effect pregnancy in the future for me :( but my derm put that to rest and respected my wish to only use accutane having failed with everything else.... It wasn't until I got fed up that my courage to navigate accutane proved to be a major blessing!! So I recommend 100% but always ask the derm if it's right for you but make sure it's a doctor in the ipledge system bc others might not believe in it or be apart of the program!!! How old are u may I ask?

Also thank you for the compliment :)

thank you so much and you are welcome iam 22yrs old from new york and it does scare me i have alot of medical problem weak imunne sysyem and a digestive disease n im under weight so im like frail lol i should b in a bubble it sucks though its alot of stress which of course affects my skin i as well strted with my forehead n then just made its way everywhere its worse on my cheecks n chin area i have dark spots n redness.. i discovered accutane threw google i research everything before i buy it but looking at ur results as well as otherels it seems worth the try n the side affects i cnt have kids suppossively but i hope it doesnt affect my chances any worst

Well good thing is that it doesn't affect your ability to have children only u can't have it in ur system during pregnancy because it's super high doses of vitamin A which causes deformities in gestation.... Being that the medicine is fat soluble u definitely wanna take it with a fatty meal and I think they would make ur highest dose like 40mg if you're underweight ! But they may start you at like 10mg then 20mg then 30/40mg I started at 40 and my skin was soooo bad it's still not good skin which is what I want but it's Better! I jus got through the rough part and now the healing should start I have until the end of jan to see what results I have :) overall I am excited so far .... I'm not sure what your chances of severe side effects are with pre existing conditions but aside from acne I'm perfectly healthy which is why it took so long to decide .. Many consider it elective surgery but honestly acne can really tear down your confidence cause depression and sometimes suicide bc ppl can be so cruel... But I had accepted I was gonna always hbe acne until I decided I no longer had to and that accutane would be the answer and I'm still praying and hoping this is the case honestly! But I hope you're approved and can give it a shot! Xoxo

i feel relieved this like a sanctuary to me kuz not alot ppl understand not even my friends they have beauty skin but they never judge or make me feel like the ugly girl in the group so thst helps my confidence alot i use to b on the verg the deepest depression but now im up n living with some confidence n a smile n so will u acne or not ur beautiful n seem like a wondeful person on the inside thank again for the response i will talk to my doctor about it and see where it goes xoxo reenie much love to you darling

Out of curiosity were you approved to try accutane or has anything changed? Well wishes xoxo

I am praying that my side effects stay minimal also I'm trying to update weekly for those who are curious about the step by step symptoms of others... My derm I believe she was right by saying it is an awesome drug with a bad rap sheet!

It's worth it .... Most acne medications causes you to get worse before better but my initial breakout wasn't so bad it was jus acne coming to a head persè but I opted out of the meds that u can take to keep ur initial break out under control it's a steroid I think prednisone but I'm unsure

Congrats I'm not happy about having to buy the medicine or pay for the visit maybe she will pro bono me after a while (doubt it lol) but I'm jus excited it's such a longggg journey you're a week ahead of me so I hope you update with pix also !!! Everyone's major question to me is "So after you're done how do u make sure it stays gone?" To me that only confirms that they have internalized acne as apart of my being which I have also so I understand .... But my answer is I do What ever other person with clear skin does I wash my face and go about my business .... I really hope this takes my acne away for good and I'm just enjoying this journey / transformation of everyone !!!!

Yeah it really sucks having to pay just to pee and get blood taken. I saw her yesterday and she upped my dosage to 60mg starting after I finish up my 40. She also poked some deep blackheads on my forehead so I guess that's good. I really hope both of our acne stays away after this long process. I have faith. I'm going to post more pictures after my first month is up. I think I can see a slight change but it's probably just me overthinking again lol. Can't wait for your next update!

Yep sounds like your and my doctor are on the same page ! She said she is most likely going to have me at the 80mg dosage for a few months I think she said 40-60-60-80-80-40 bc she wants me to kind of "ween" off of it and she said her clients have stayed in remission by doing so she showed me a correllation between time on the medication and dosage equals a longer time in acne remission. So I am way excited about that. She mention 100mg but I'm gonna nip that in the butt when she offers it I don't desire to go that high at all she can do 40-60-70-80-80-50 I wouldn't mind but not going for the 100mg. But we are a weeks time difference ... And aww thanks for being there it means a lot! Makes me feel good to know someone cares about my journey and I can't wait to see yours !!! I feel super good hope my body isn't getting immune because I'm experiencing NOTHING no dry lips nothing so I was worried! But I'm embracing it for what it is the drug is still in my body !! Question: what fatty meals do you eat typically? I take mine late so I'm running out of ideas :(

I didn't even know they had 100mg! Wow. Whatever it takes though. My parents are over here overreacting about me going up to 60! lol I don't think you're getting immune. Everyone is different. Some people experience all of the side effects where as others experience none at all. My lips just recently started getting bad. They looked horrible a few days ago, I didn't even want to leave the house lol. Well I usually take them during my lunch break at work and I'll take them with fries or anything really greasy. My derm says that if you don't have anything fatty just take with a full glass of milk. Hope that helps! :-)

Thank you! that really does help actually because I always thought that milk was a dilute it would dilute the medicine but if I can take it with that then I will start doing that but it's one problem ...i hate milk Lol.... And yea it would be 2 40mg a day plus a 20mg a day. May I ask how you're gonna take the 60? Whether the 40/20 same time or one at dinner one at breakfast? Do you get drowsy after taking it I kind of do and I guess I should update it as a symptom !! I'm so use to things working then my body becoming immune so I hope not but not much longer and I will be increasing exponentially lol I would say try aquafor and also 100% shea butter my lips have no time to get dry lol I forgot my aquafor at home today but I honestly can say it worked out fine not too dry at all ... The shea butter lasts sooooo long but I rather look like I've been eating chicken than to bare the pain

Ok. I'm going to take the 40/20 at the same time. I feel like I'm always tired so I wouldn't know if I get drowsy or not lol. But it is said that it makes you sleepy. I tried Aquaphor but it's not enough so I'm trying what my derm recommended; Dr. Dans CortiBalm and it's doing pretty good. If it doesn't work then I'll try the shea butter. Yeah me too! The pain is crazy. People can stare at my chicken lips all they want lol :-)

Right!!!! I am allergic to a lot of stuff only on my lips they swell up so I didn't wanna get addicted to Carmex again so I tried aquafor and I really like it but I have to remind myself that I've only just began week 2 lol feels longer tho! Have you had the problem of confiding in other non- acne having friends and they say "well that sounds dangerous you should definitely not do that " I get so aggravated but remember they're ignorant to the journey they just love me! Lol but I get that every time I talk to someone almost and I'm honest about the risks and rewards it seems

I hate poking and prodding I hope mine doesn't do that! OMG I definitely thought I responded to u I must have on your page sorry! You're gonna be fab! I'm ready to see everyone's before and after and jus see the beauty. I'm hoping everyone makes it through without having to stop so they don't have to Worry about remission status !!! Good luck again you know I'm all invested in everyone's journeys lol Sidenote I updated lol

@mia87 this was directed to you I guess I hit add comment and not reply

Thank you

most definitely doll!!!! So far I'm feeling great this has been a great day aside from me slacking off on my water intake and getting a headache I've had NO side effects #KnockOnWood ! Lol thanks for keeping up with my journey I see you updated I'm about to go bask in it.... I feel so encouraged by everyone sharing their stories showin love etc it is just amazing

Haha you are funny. But yes it's def amazing and encouraging. I had terrible scares but i'm back hopefully. I love my results so far, i would hate to give it up.

What were your scares?

Lol that's me for sure and I always set out to be a token of laughter if possible !