Things are Looking Up on Week 13
April 22nd, 2008
WARNING: Accutane is a serious drug that can have long term effects on your liver, skin, joints and more. Try the Acne Products out there first. We recommend Murad Acne Complex.
Sorry if anyone has noticed that I didn’t post this week’s update when I was supposed to. Something has gone wrong with the site but now I am back on and ready to share!
I have officially begun taking 40 mg of the Claravis (Isotretinoin). Here is what I have seen…
Breakouts: Slight change in the face status. I just recently got my period and I would have usually expected my face to explode the few days leading up to its arrival. Oddly enough, this was not the case. I didn’t even know I was gonna get my period (cuz I went off birth control) and so it came as a surprise when I did cuz my face was showing no signs. Yeahhh!! Also, Dave…birth control does make your boobies bigger, this is correct…and thanks for the love!
Lips: Definitely worse since I started the 40 mg. The worst part is the area RIGHT next to my lips (on the side) where it is technically my face. Just gotta keep on top of the moisturization. Daniel, if I HAD to use chapstick (because I do like the more lotiony kind, not so much the stick)..I would use Blistex Fruit Smoothies. Actually, no… I only use it because I lost my Burt’s Bees (the million Burt’s Bees I had in every purse, jacket, and sweatshirt I own) which is my absolute fav, no competition. I really like the medicated kind (and I unfortunately haven’t tried the lifeguard kind, which I also hear is a treat).
Dry Skin: Still the same…no real changes, ninjas. It is kinda weird to haveta worry about dry skin when the weather is getting so much better and people are anxiously awaiting going to the beach…damn.
Body: Mouth. dry. all. the. time. So Horrible! I still haven’t seen any changes from going off the birth control either (for the record). The only plus is that I got my period exactly when I would have expected it on the bc so I am super happy that I am still regulated!
Catch you on the flipside….
April 29th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Hang in there! It is interesting to see what you are going through. I read the requirements for accutane and I just could not bring myself to do it. I’m deathly afraid of needles so I can’t have the monthly blood pregnancy tests. Also, I was not comfortable with some of the other side effects like depression and suicidal ideation. I know it only happens in an incredibly tiny percentage of the population but I just wasn’t ready for it.
I opted for Retin-A, topical sulfa lotion and 1 month on sulfa-based antibiotics. The cystic stuff has cleared up for me, but I’m black. That means I have hyperpigmentations to get rid of in place of all the acne. It will take months to clear that mess up.
So…you hang in there. I hope the best for you.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
hahah nice! so check this im officially done my 2nd week tonight! but this past sat i partys and got a lil crunk if u will and didnt get much sleep. so i pretty much took a step back cuz i broke out some. so dont party! whats more important? partying or this so called perfect skin lol. tough i know. and i deff know how u feel about the side of ur lips/ face lol. i hate that spot! it hurts so much. the other day i forgot to put on chapstick… yea never forget lol. poor bloody lips. u should hit me up on myspace and ummm… yea lol may Sir Burt’s Bees LIVE FOREVER!
May 1st, 2008 at 4:47 pm
hey, im juli, im 14 and have had sever acne since i was 10 its on my back and chest and rarly my face but anyways i have done every single antibiotic there is and have been to 15 differnt skin doctors including the UofI about 6 times each, you do the math. anyways, i have been asked to do auccutane a few times but i was younger and ym mom was scared having a slight background of depression and i finially got the okay because im getting worse and worse and nothings getting better expecially the scars.. getting off topic again i was wondering if its bad or scary or the sideeffects are really bad ive been through so much it got so bad i had to go to a plastic surgen and a wound specialist they bolth told me im too young and can grow up and nothing will be bad.. im 14 everything is bad i dont understand why they would tell me that but they gave me some silver paches and sent me out the door. i don’t know i guess im just wondering about it because i dont know a lot ive reasearched and stuff but you never really know because it differs from person to person if you could send me an email or something that would be GREAT!
my emails is: jaahoolee@aim.com
thank you!
May 7th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Hey Juli.
Here is what I think about Accutane…
It is scary, really scary. That’s why I put it off for so long. I heard a lot of terrifying things about it and I kept freaking out and deciding not to take it. My skin doesn’t seem to be as severe as you so I am sure that I wouldn’t be on the same dosage or for the same amount of time as you would be if you were put on it. I am not having unbearable side effects but they are there and I am aware of them. You can read through all of my posts since I started (almost 4 months ago). I am pretty happy with the results as of right now but you deffinetly have to be really determined and motivated to do it if you are going to do it. It truly is a commitment (and not for like a week, probably for around 5-6 months). It will deffinetly limit your fun over the summer (if you do it during that time) because you haveta be really careful in the sun. You gotta weigh the pros and cons and what makes sense for you in your life and decide if it is the best option for you. It makes sense for certain people in certain situations but if you arent’t 100 million percent sure that you want to do it and stick with it all the way through, then I deffinetly would not recommend it. If you are even a little bit hesitant, than it probably isn’t the best route for you to go. As for your mom being unsure, my mom is exactly the same way. She is really nervous about the lack of research and results (for it hasn’t been tracked for very long) and scared about the physical and health consequences that I might face in the long run. The only thing is, I don’t really care what she thinks lol. She isn’t going through what I am going through and wouldn’t understand how strongly I feel about it. However, it would be nice to have had her support when I was making my decision. I don’t really know what to tell you though because it truly is really differnt for every different situation. I hope that helps and let me know what you decide/if you have any more questions….
Good Luck!
p.s. things WILL get better…trust.