My Journey to Clear Skin

Hi All -

Since I found this blog and having been reading a lot, I thought I would share my story and soon some photos.

I started getting acne in the sixth grade (I remember getting my first pimple). After that it got worse in high school where acne would leave black marks all over my face and my Mom would not let me wear makeup, so I was self conscious and embarrassed throughout high school. I am now 34, and while the acne is not as bad on my face (I still get pimples and the occasional cysts that leave marks), I have more back acne and it has spread to my upper arms. I won't wear anything backless (which has stopped me from purchasing many dresses I like and not wanting to wear a swimsuit) and if I am wearing something sleeveless I put makeup on my arms or throw on a cardigan or shawl. When I talked to my Dermatologist she said we should try Accutane (I am on Claravis) and now I am on my journey.

I am about 3 weeks in so far and I am excited. For the first month I am doing 40MG once a day. My skin did start to get dry by day 5. The second week I had very dry skin, chapped lips, and my skin started to peel. Week 3 was the worst when the acne in my nose and chin came to ahead when I was at a conference and had to speak a lot. I grabbed some of the Biori nose and face strips and that got them right off. My nose has the worst peeling, so I use Vaseline on it and that helps A LOT! For my dry skin I am using a moisturizer from my Dermatologist and Carol's Daughter Acai Shea Butter. Other side effects include cuts on the corners of my mouth, joint pain, dry eyes, and I get SOOOO tired.

Yesterday I picked up my second month prescription which will take me to 80MG a day (40MG in the AM and 40 MG in the PM). I will give another update soon.

So I just finished the second month and wow!!! I already see the difference in my skin. I'm taking the 80 mg (40 in the AM and 40 in the PM) and it has actually worked out well. We are keeping me on the 80 MG for month three.

I've had less fatigue which is great because it was starting to interfere with work (between that and the joint pain I could not get out of bed). I still have achy joints in my back, legs, and feet. I've been doing Pilates to stretch myself out and mild exercise on the elliptical and treadmill. I have gotten headaches which turn into migraines (I have a history with migraines) so I take an Excedrin migraine and feel better. My eyes are starting to get really dry and I have blurry vision. Lots of "eye boogers" especially in my left eye. My lips are still chapped so I'm trying Dr. Dan's Cortibalm which I read about on another patient's post - that should arrive by Monday. I woke up this AM with the cuts on the sides of my lips back, so I will use cortisone again. My skin is not as dry as it was, but is still dry. I'm using my Carol's Daughter Acai Butter at night which helps and a light moisturizer that my derm prescribed in the AM. I was also constipated for 3 days, but I seem to be back to normal. My nose is dry but no nose bleeds.

For my skin, I got about four white heads mainly along my lower left jawline. They came to a head, popped, and went away with minimal scarring. All of the pores in my T Zone open upped and became blackheads. I thought everything had come out of my nose but it hadn't, so I had to break out the Biore pore strips again. The pore strips do make the peeling on my nose worse, but it is better than walking around with blackheads visible on your nose. I'm also beginning to have dark spots fade away and peel, especially on my jaw and chin area. The acne on my chin hasn't come back yet. I have little bumps on my forehead but they haven't turned into acne or blackheads.

All in all, this journey is worth it. I feel confident and I actually look forward to going to work with good skin. I don't need to wear as much makeup and very little concealer. I love not having oily skin and having to constantly blot my face (I hope this stays after the Accutane). I truly hope to only see improvements.

A few photos of my skin.

Also, last night I realized my night vision has become awful! Not sure if it is the darker winter nights, but I had trouble seeing out of my side mirrors. So I plan to limit night driving if possible.