Jamie's Accutane Journal

[Jamie]

Thanks so much Roxy for your advice, I did pick up the Dr. Phill book a while ago but haven't read it yet. I should probably get on that, my husband isn't a real big Dr. Phill fan, but I am so I think I'll read it anyway even though he isn't interested and maybe I can learn from it as you have. You guys I'm happy to report that although I was very broken out just a couple of days ago right now my skin is looking amazing! Its crazy how in just a few days I look like I have different skin. My pores are smaller and my skin looks tighter. The acne that was there a few days ago is gone and I have just some red spots. I do still have a couple spots but since I started my treatment this is the best my skin has looked. Thanks for all of your encouragment.

Luv ya, Jamie

[Jamie]

Week 7

Well I'm almost on my 2nd month of Accutane and I have to say that the time has really flown bye. I am almost clear, but my red spots are really standing out. I try to always wear sunscreen when I go outside since a derm once told me that the sun really burns the red marks into your face, making them extremely hard to get rid of and taking twice as long to heal.
I like Olay all day mosture cream with spf 15 it is so light and helps with the dry skin. for my lips I use beauticontrol lip balm. It is an awesome product that contains mineral oil and potrolium jelly. When I feel like some color I wear victoria secret lip gloss, it also contains mineral oil and is really nurishing. I mean when they say that you get dry lips on this drug they really mean it. My lips are so dry in the morning that the sides of my mouth crack and bleed and I have scabs. Not the most attractive thing in the world but whatever. I know that I wasn't suppost to but last night I did an at home micro-dermabrasion mine is by beauticontrol and it works so good. I was using it before I wen't on accutane and you can apply your own amount of pressure so anyway I did it and my face looked like a giant strawberry. I was so red. I just hoped that the redness would go down and my face burned. Just looked like a bad sunburn. But thankfully the redness subsided. Your skin really is super sensitive on this drug. I don't know if its just me, but my scarring seems to be improving along with my acne. That would be a sweet deal if it clears up my scarring as well. Since it is minor to moderate. Lets hope. Anyway I'm rambling. Hope all is well with everybody here.
Take care, Jamie

[Jamie]

Two Months in

Hi guys. Well its been two months since I started and although my skin had significantly improved it has gotten a bit worse lately. Not horrible but it is kind of discouraging because I thought that I was in the clear. Maybe its just stress from running my home bussiness. Or the fact that once my skin was clearing up I thought that I could eat whatever I wanted. I really don't know how doctors can say that your diet has nothing to do with your acne.Thats so crazy. I know that my body dosen't tolerate sugar well and white bread causes me brake outs but I thought that because I was on tane that I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. Wrong. I still do. I also have gained weight since starting Accutane. 10 pounds in two months is kind of alot especially since I'm short. My doctor even asked me If I was gaining weight! how embarrasing is that. Oh well. honestly I would trade being a few pounds heavier for clear skin. But I guess my hormones get to decide that not me. My skin is supper dry, my eyes are becoming dry too. My lips are scabing and sometimes bleed. I will certanly not miss the side affects when I go off this thing. But I am thankful that I have not had anything major. I have a history of depression and I have not been depressed at all well nothing more than the norm. Also my blood work is fine. My derm says that I had one of the worst brakeout reactions hes seen to this drug. So I might be on it 6 months or more, Its up to me he said. Finally somethings up to me when It comes to my skin. Lets hope it clears me up as I had hoped.

I will post my results in a few weeks or if anything exciting happens.

Jamie

[roxtar]

Hi, Jamie. Glad your skin is doing better overall, but I totally agree about the diet thing. I was a bit less careful w/ my diet a few weeks ago, and I broke out. Nothing aweful, but there nevertheless. And I've been more careful since, and my skin is essentially clear again (some residual bumps are healing along the neckline).

The weight thing ... I'm sure you'll sort it out. Your body is going through a major change w/ this medication. You'll adjust, I'm sure.

O.K. The main reason I wanted to post was about your lips. Ouch! They're scabbing and bleeding? Well, I know how common this is for accutane users. Anyway, I just posted this for Imagine365 in his thread (Yet Another Accutane Journal), so I thought you might find it useful:

[Jamie]

Two months two weeks

Hey guys, My skin is doing pretty good thus far. Still has room for improvement, but overall I'm pretty happy with the results. I just wanted to share what I'm currently using on my face. I use Olay foaming face wash for Sensitive Skin. It is so gentle and has added oil free mosturizers. For my sun block I'm using Faces with pro-retinol. It has vitamins A,C,E and pro-vitamin b5. and an SPF of 30. My mosturizer is Olay active hydrating cream. I use an assortment of lip balms I even use my face lotion for my lips because I know that it doesn't brake me out around my mouth. Thanks Roxy for the lip balm tip, I'll have to add it to my collection. My hair is so dry I wash it like every six days. I like the Garnier Fructis conditioner. smells so yummy. I no longer wear mosturizer to bed because I found that I sweat in my sleep and then I brake out. This has helped alot. I also no longer wear makeup on a daily basis only for church on sundays. Like God dosen't know what I really look like or something. I think that I'm starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin. My complexion is in know way perfect, but I feel so much more normal, and even without make up I don't feel like people are staring at my acne, I feel like their just looking at me, which is a really great feeling.
Have a good evening , Jamie

[Imagine365]

[Jamie]

Three months in

I haven't posted lately because I haven't had anything new to report. My skin is pretty much cleared. I am extremely happy with the results so far. I take back what I said earlier. I am starting to get rashes on my stomach and on the inside of my arms. My skin gets irratated very easily. I haven't mentioned this in previous posts but when I first started accutane I broke out in cystic acne on my back, which was really gross but that too is gone. I'm going to be on Tane for a total of 6 months so I am half way done. I am excited to have things back to normal, but a little scared about how my skin will react when I am no longer on it. I love having my skin clear. You can see scarring, but with makeup I feel like my skin is flawless compared to how it was before. I only pray it stays clear. My diet is in no way strict I just try not to have alot of sugar or dairy, but I still have it. Maybe I'll have to do a stricter diet when I stop Tane. Because I know my skin reacts to food. I am excited to be done and work on my scarring. It is mild to moderate in some places. I wonder what the best treatment for me would be. If anybody has any information about different treatments, I would greatly appreciate it. I would prefer something that I could go to a dermatologist for. Instead of a face surgen. Also I was wondering if anybody knows the amount I of time I have to wait after accutane in order to have something done. My Doctor is a physician so he dosen't know all the details that a derm. would. thanks. me.

[roxtar]

Jamie,

That's awesome about your skin. Isn't great to be clear?! (I'm not totally clear anymore, as some acne is gradually creeping up, but I was delighted at 1st when the antibiotics cleared me ... I think I'll manage; but this isn't about me!)

As for your scarring, you asked for suggestions as to how to address it. I personally only had mostly hyperpigmentation marks (a few slightly pitted scars, but barely noticeable unless examining up close). These tend to fade w/ time, though they might be helped along some w/ a variety of options.

If you would like suggestions in regards to whether or not you should be seeing a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon, the 1st thing to determine is what type of scars you have. There are at least 1/2 dozen or so scar types. You can prob. not go wrong in seeing a very good cosmetic dermatologist (in particular one that addresses scarring and has a variety of high-tech tools at his/her disposal, eg: lasers, IPL, microdermabrasion, etc., so these are available in case they are needed). The derm will be able to best assess what can be done, and if in some cases you might need referral to a plastic surgeon (capable dermatologists also do some of these surgical procedures).

If you're not even sure whether or not you need to see a derm or if you could manage w/ at home treatments, I would suggest a couple of things. Read around and even start posting in the scar board. Maya is particularly familiar w/ a variety of at home-trtmts, derm procedures, resources and a variety of other suggestions. Also, you can visit the scar forums at the acne.org board ( http://www.acne.org/messageboard/ towards the middle of the page, 2 forums, on scars and red marks ... you may even find some of Maya's older posts/threads there, though she doesn't post there any more).

And, esp. if you want to learn the terminology of scars (if you're not already familiar w/ it), which will help you determine the ideal trtmnt(s) for you, look around in acne.org picture gallery for scar types ( http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php?act=module&module=gallery ), or try a web search.

Here's a very helpful simple explanation of scar types, w/ diagrams, at http://www.acneguide.ca/acne_scar_treatments/types_acne_scars.html (<--*start here 1st*).

Good luck in working on the scars. I hope all else is well in your life as well, as you were rather down a few months back. You do sound more upbeat, at least in regards to your skin, which is great!

Cheers, Roxy.
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Looking for a permanent, non-toxic solution.

[Jamie]

Thanks Roxtar for the info. It was very helpful in seeing the different kinds of scarring and what treatments can be used for which. I think that I have mild rolling scarring and a few boxed scars. I'm still not exactly sure which route to take or how much it will cost, I'm sure an arm and a leg. I had microderm done $600. later, skin broke out worse from the treatment. I thought it was painful, everybody says that it dosen't hurt, that it just feels like a cat licking your face. To me it felt like someone was violently rubbing my face with sand paper. I have an at home one that I really like though, it has the same alluminum-oxide cristals and you can apply your own pressure. It takes longer to see results though.
Yes I am also doing much better with my home life, thank you for asking.
Well good luck with your skin and life. Take care, Jamie

[roxtar]

Jamie, I'm glad the info was helpful. So you have some types of pitted scarring.

I agree w/ you on the microdermabrasion (MDA). It's not as "pain-free" as some make it out. I had a series of 5 or so a few years ago, following the relatively successful treatment of another moderate bout of acne. I didn't find them that helpful myself either. I mean, MDA does give you very good exfoliation, but I think you can get similar results doing less over a longer period w/out being so harsh on the skin. I haven't tried the aluminum-oxide crystals myself, but I do have a home rotating exfoliating device. I haven't used it in over a year, as I'm even scared of the potential "harshness". I think the less invasive the trtmnt, the better. It's sort of paradoxical, since you want major improvement, so it's hard to imagine minimalism being the best approach. Perhaps I'm wrong about this, but I find it to generally hold up in my case.

If you had hyperpigmentation only, and based on my own experience w/ this, I would have said you could prob. manage it on your own. However, unless you want to leave it be, it's prob. best to seek professional advice in the case of managing pitted scarring. Again, I'm not sure Maya visits this accutane forum much, as I've not seen her post here for a long time, but perhaps direct your questions at her in the scar forum as well as read her old posts on the topic. She seems very knowledgable on this. Also, in the scar removal forum, she posted an excellent thread recently on nutritional/holistic support for people seeking surgical/dermatologic procedures. If you haven't read this, it's a must:
http://www.clearskin.net/viewtopic.php?t=6809 . It provides great nutritional guidelines for support of proper tissue healing. You can obviously use your judgment and adapt it to your needs as you see fit.

Take care, sweetie. Roxy.
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Looking for a permanent, non-toxic solution.

[Jamie]

Well I'm at the end of my fourth month and everything is going great so far. I haven't had any acne in over a month. I have only a few red marks and some mild and in some places moderate scarring. For my daily routine I use oil free baby wash to cleanse my skin. A scar treatment called Demarkable and Cetaphil mosturizer. That is all I use. Its nice to have such a simple routine, unlike before I started Accutane I had a whole medicine cabinet of stuff that I was using on my skin. The only new side effect that I've developed is some muscle pain, like if I've been sitting too long or excercized. I usually notice this in my lower back. But then it goes away. I am going to be on Tane for a total of 7 months. I really hope the results last. Good luck to anyone who is planning to go on Accutane. I don't think that it is for everyone. However for me it was definatly the right choice. I am amazed at the results and wish everyone the best of luck in clearing up their skin, and not letting the acne control your life. My next post will probably be when my treatment is finished in two months.

[jennygirl]

Hi Jamie,

I just wanted to say thank you for posting your journal on here. I am 20 years old and I just took my first dose of Accutane today.... I am praying that it really does work for me - and I am terrified that it won't at the same time. I've been dealing with this Acne mess for too long, and I'm ready to say goodbye to it. It was so nice to read your week by week account and see that I can make it through, because I've spent most of the evening in tears worrying about what it's going to do to me and whether or not it's going to work. I randomly got online and I found your journal - what a blessing! Thank you so much. I hope your treatment continues to go well over the next couple of months. Pray that mine does, too.
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JennyGirl - my dream...

"My complexion is in no way perfect, but I feel so much more normal, and even without make up I don't feel like people are staring at my acne, I feel like their just looking at me, which is a really great feeling. " - Jamie

[Heather]

Hey! Jamie I'm glad things are going good for you. I was on accutane about 2 years ago now I guess its was a 6 month course and went well enough I guess! I was extremely dry and uncomfy during the tane but just to encourage you and Jenny as well my acne did go away. i had severe acne on my neck and back all throughout high school and mild on my face, after accutane i have not had one mark on my back or neck , not even one for two years! My face occasionally gets a mark or two but nothing too serious unless I'm not getting enough sleep or get to stressed but for the majority of the time no acne!! So hopefully you guys have good results if u have any q's feel free to ask!!!

Heather
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~People are like slinkies. Not very useful, but you can't help but laugh when they fall down the stairs. ~

[Jamie]

End of Month Five.


Hey guys I just thought that I'd send you an update. My skin has stayed clear these last couple of months and as a result my post acne red marks are virtually gone. I am so happy with the results. It is wonderful since every acne mark would leave a red mark or scar on my face.
My doctor is keeping me on it one more month, so a total of six months. hopefully after my recovery time I can look in to getting something cosmetic done for my scarring. My skin seems like it has thinned out kind of hard to explain, it mainly looks tighter. I have mixed scarring. My major scarring is below my mouth by my chin where when I smile it looks like I have huge laugh lines. Kind of makes you not want to smile. But I still do I also used a home microdermabrasion kit while I was on it. I am so impatient! I am not sure but suspect that the tiny crystals may have left some tiny scarring, however it did help with my large scars. So don't do it people. Ya the doctor tells you but if your like me and just want to fix everything now. you can end up in trouble. I have since stopped using the microderm. I hope my skin continues to improve. I am excited and nervous about stopping the Accutane. I have not felt like myself lately. I have a history of depression. However taking the tane has not made me terribly depressed I do feel tired all the time, sad sometimes for no reason and I find myself worrying about the dumbest things. I also don't sleep well. I read somewhere maybe on this site that accutane affects your sleep patterns. I have found that to be true.
Also I have found myself loosing a lot of hair. not all at one time but gradually. I don't have any bald spots or anything. But my hair is definatly thinner. I like it though because my hair was way too thick before. I also have uncomftorable dry eyes. I use eye drops all the time. besides these side affects and obviously dry lips, I am doing good.
Well ,I'll try to update after my course of accutane is finished.
I wish you all well and Happy Holidays!

[Idunno?]

Hey jaime,
where do you live so that you could get prescribed accutane without cystic acne???? I keep trying and i've literally gone through 4 derms and nothing. : I hope all is still well and please if you could help me wtih how you got your derm to prescribe it then please!
Ok well jah bless
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someone please say somethin' productive!