My Acne Diary - Isotretinoin, Roaccutane, Accutane

Firstly, I apologise for not posting for so long…I could give excuses but I won’t bore you. Instead I will just get on with it.

Well, to catch up since my last post way back in April. I am still on 40mg daily, my dermatologist has not wanted to increase the dose as my eyes and lips are still very dry. I have had every drop on the market and from the GP and they still bother me, I just try to ignore it! As for my lips I am still using Carmex, I find this works best for me.

So, over the last six weeks I haven’t been feeling too great. I have had an awful ear infection and needed to take antibiotics for a week, I found it hard to take the Isotreinoin every day while I felt so ill so I cut back to 40mg every other day. I have woken up every day with a headache, I take a painkiller every morning! In general I have been feeling very tired.

I am trying to take my 40mg dose every day, though I am not always managing it. Sometimes just the thought of taking them is enough to make me feel sick, so I make sure I take it at least every other day.

So now for the interesting bit…My skin.

Well (I think) it looks amazing! And I don’t think that is over the top! It is worth feeling so crap. I have had no new spots since the last time I posted, all the blackheads on my nose have gone, completely. The flakiness has improved, I am using Simple Rich Moisturiser which is great, I am also using a gentle exfoliator once a week (Simple gentle scrub) which I know is not advised but I find it gets rid of all the build up of skin cells, creams, sun creams ect.

I do not get any shine on my face at all now,  I use a tinted moisturiser or very light foundation (Estee Lauder Double Wear Light is great). My face is not like an oil slick anymore so I can put on make up in the morning and I don’t even have to touch up or powder all day! I don’t need to use any concealer and I only need just a light dust of powder.

My skin is very smooth and the bumpy texture on my chin is noticeably reducing. I think it looks like I have had a few skin peels as the skin is quite fresh looking. My scars are fading nicely too.

One other thing to note. I used to have to wash my hair every day as it was so greasy, the longest I have left it without washing is 5 days! And it still looks good. I haven’t tried any longer.

So, as far as I am concerned the benefits outweigh the negatives. I feel much better within myself, I have more confidence and am doing things that I would not have done when my skin was so bad and unpredictable. I suppose the one big worry I have is that it will all come crashing back when I stop the course…I am trying not to think about it too much as I would be devastated.

I will post pictures tonight.