Beginning Accutane - Wichita Falls, TX

My acne has seemed to come back full force. I'm not sure if I can attribute that to me not taking my last month...But it's like I never went on Accutane at all. This summer I was able to enjoy the clearest skin of my life. I loved going to the beach and having a natural glowy look. My acne scars were finally starting to fade away, I had near perfect skin for about 2months. In July, I noticed little whiteheads coming back. I bought salicylic acid pads and it kept them at bay. Then In August i was getting full on cystic bumps...fast forward to today, I have multiple large, painful red bumps all over my forehead and temples. Some near the corner of my eye. The hard to control under the skin cheek bumps are coming back. I feel like I barely got to enjoy my skin before this returned. I 100% want to get back on Accutane, no topical medicine has worked and I've tried everything. I'm going to see a dermatologist here as soon as I can to see if I can be perscribed another treatment. I know that my acne is not something I can control, I can't just eat right or wash my face twice a day and use creams. I feel helpless to it. I wondered if it was stress, or my eating habits, but no, it is just my skin. Hopefully I can get this resolved soon!

So just a brief update: I moved to Los Angeles this September and had already been on accutane for about 5 months, so I decided not to do my last month. I figured it would be more of a hassle to find a doctor, get seen, go through insurance and all that just for one month's supply. I'm satisfied with my skin so I'm done with accutane. My only worry is that it will come back, but only time will tell. I have a few little marks left over from before, some indentions but no acne. I haven't had acne in awhile and that's a blessing. The picture is what my face looks like as of today. Hope this helped!

It's been about two months since I updated, so I'll just give a brief summary of whats been going on cause nothing has really changed. My lips have been awful, whats new. They're constantly dry but its manageable. The skin on my chin and around my nose is so dry i think it literally cracks in the morning, regardless of me putting on moisturizer before bed. The good thing is the skin on my chin has always been uneven and bumpy, and I'm not sure why. But, with accutane, it peeled so much that it seems like I have a brand new chin! Something i never thought id see. I hope it stays like this. As of today, my skin has stopped peeling. When I say skin I just mean my two problem areas (chin and upper lip/nose area) so I guess its not that bad. My skin is regenerating and improves more and more everyday. Everyone is constantly telling me "oh my gosh your skin looks so good!" and i don't even realize how much its improved until i look at pictures that I took literally a few weeks before. It is crazy. I'm sorry for treating this like a diary instead of an informative review. I will (somewhat) switch to that part. Before, i was taking a brand called absorbica. It was a huge, 40 mg pill that I took once a day. I think it worked fine. In July my doctor switched me to a brand called Claravis because I switched pharmacies. I now take one 20mg pill three times a day. In the beginning, i forgot to take my third pill quite often, but it didn't seem to have any effect on me. I haven't noticed much of a difference with the upped dosage. One thing that has gotten a little annoying is how dry my nose is! Nose bleeds are apparently common with accutane but I've never had one in my life and still haven't. However, my nose is constantly caked with blood on the inside, and (tmi alert) if a booger comes out it peels the skin off of my inner nostril and burns like crazy! Not the worst side effect but still uncomfortable. My eyes are also pretty dry but I have worn contacts since 5th grade so I'm used to that. I did see my optometrist to get my prescription renewed and he said I have little white dots on my waterline (ok, he used the actual medical term but I forgot it) which I've never had, so I'm going to attribute it to the accutane and the dryness I've experienced. Other than that, so far so good.
Something I want to mention for others who may read my review in the future or for people who were constantly worrying about tanning and drinking on accutane:
I know you're not supposed to have a lot of sun exposure on accutane, but it's summertime! What's a girl to do?! Stay pale?! I've tanned a couple of days during this summer, each time about 3-4 hours laying out by the pool. I did use sunscreen. I got a really nice tan. No adverse affects, appointments went fine. Also went hiking/swimming at a waterfall one day from about 10 am-5pm. I DID get burnt that day. I used sunscreen but I was literally in the sun all day. Afterward I had a nice-ER tan. I'm not saying you should do it, and everyone is different but you don't have to freak out like I did. :)
About the drinking: I'm in college, its summertime, friends birthdays are coming up, sometimes it happens! The first time I had a marg while on accutane I was so nervous, looking up every possible review online and worrying myself sick. I drank it and ended up being fine. Over time I became less worried and drank a little (lot) more. I will say, 1. you do get drunk quicker and 2. it feels different. i can't really explain but it does. Again I'm not condoning this or advising anyone to do it, but you will be okay if you decide to do it every so often.
Sorry this post was so long! hope this helped!!