Week 3

Hi!

So I've reached the end of week three, and quite a lot has changed for me with Roaccutane symptoms. The beginning of the week was generally the same as before, with symptoms such as:
- dry lips
- dry hands
- outbreak of spots on forehead and jawline

I also had different symptoms:
- dry skin on inside of nose - which resulted in a nosebleed!
- flaky skin on arms and legs

So generally it was all the same for the entire week, however, just a couple of days ago I woke up and the skin on my hands was completely clear and smooth! It's crazy how quick it changed, and I can't stop feeling my hands haha! As well as that, the skin on my face has also cleared up dramatically - I still have some on my chest and jawline but the forehead is basically clear!

     

 
So generally, things are looking up! Feeling very positive this week, and it's nearly time to go back to the dermatologist for my first check-up :)
Keeping the faith! I'll be back in another week!

Louise x

Weekend break

Hi!

So I went away for a short break to Windsor with my boyfriend and his parents, and had a lovely time :) however, over the weekend I had a couple of things that were bothering me symptom-wise.

Firstly, on Friday night, I went out with my closest friends, and found myself feeling really low at the beginning of the evening - I had that feeling in my chest that you get when something has gone wrong? Well nothing was wrong, so I knew it was Roaccutane...
Anyway I told my friends about it (I was with my best who was the one who recommended it to me) and they were really understanding and wonderful :) then they managed to turn it around and I had a fantastic evening and felt great by the end of it!

I also had the same thing in Windsor - I didn't feel down the whole time because of my wonderful boyfriend making me laugh the whole time :) I'm a very lucky lady.
It's surprising that I was so high-spirited when you have hands like mine at the moment... the photo below will help you understand this...! The dryness has got pretty bad, but the sensitivity is what was the worst - I applied my Clinique hand cream, and Elizabeth Arden 8-hour hand cream (on different occasions) and both of them left my hands extremely inflamed, it almost started to look like a rash!

This isn't even it at its worst, and it's been burning all weekend. Now that I'm home and I have all of my products to choose from, I've slapped on some Sudocrem and it seems to be feeling okay - feels quite thick and sticky, but anyone who has used Sudocrem before will know that that's normal!
It seems to be calming the redness and burning, but not helping the dryness...I'll have to keep searching for the perfect hand cream!! I've also noticed rashes up my arms as well, which I assume is also related to Roaccutane, and not just random rashes!

Anyway :) better unpack!
Louise x

2 weeks in...

Hi!

So I've reached (and passed) the 2-week mark, and a few more symptoms have been creeping in:
- Dry skin on face - starting to flake more now
- Dry hands - appears very scaly, even after applying copious amounts of hand cream!
- Dry lips - again, applying something every half hour or so.
- Dry and flaky scalp, which is bloody annoying cus it looks terrible! I've been using anti-dandruff shampoo but it doesn't seem to be helping :(
- Dry eyes - I've been struggling a bit with this at work (as my job involves a great deal of reading), and find I feel very tired at the end of the day.
- Moodiness - yes, unfortunately, I've noticed I've been a bit more snappy than usual.

My skin on my chest has worsened again, but it's known to get better, then worse, then better again, then worse again - and like I've said before, I'm pretty used to that!

That's all for today - I have far too much to do and so little time these days!
:)

Louise x

Unlucky for some... Day 13

Hi there!

Well it's Day 13 now, and I wouldn't say anything has changed hugely from Day 10 when I last posted. My skin is just as bad as it was before I went on Roaccutane, except I have added symptoms from the pill itself. As my dermatologist said, the first month is all about the symptoms with no benefits...

Symptoms on Day 13:
- New spots appearing
- Very dry skin on hands
- Dry lips (need to apply lip balm every 20 minutes or so)
- Skin on face feels very tight, but once moisturiser is applied it appears oily
- Skin on face also peels and is quite flakey around spots themselves
- Spots on chest appear to be drying out and healing up slightly
- Red inflamed skin - looks like sunburn
- Skin feels very smooth and clear on cheeks! Hoorah!

Day 13

To be honest, none of these symptoms are anything I'm finding too unusual anymore. The thing with Roaccutane is that it is quite a serious drug, when you think too hard about it and what it's doing to your body. But the side effects themselves have been nothing too terrible so far - I may be getting new spots but by now I'm well used to the annoyance of new spots appearing - and all the other symptoms are clearly steps in the right direction. Finding my skin incredibly dry isn't cause for worry as that's what the pills are supposed to be doing! So generally I'm pretty positive :)

New spots appearing by ears and neck.

I did have a bit of a weird moment yesterday (Day 12) when I went food shopping with my mum. I was absolutely fine the whole time, when near the end I started to notice a lot of people were peering at my face in a strange way. Now, at first I thought I was just being paranoid, and most of you reading this will think I was being paranoid too, but every time I walked into a different aisle, someone would look closely at my face. It was quite strange...

Anyway, I went up to my mum and asked if my face was doing something weird, like all the skin was peeling off or it was rashy or something, and she said nothing seemed unusual, just a little red like sunburn. Or as my mum said "They're just looking at you because you're so beautiful!"...I'm more inclined to believe they thought I was sunburnt!

The classic dry vs oily battle... bizarre!

I thought it would be useful to include this photo, as it shows how much of a conflict my skin is going through - as you can see there are new whiteheads on the chin, but the lips and just above, the skin is extremely dry. It's hard to know whether to slap on the moisturiser or let it be! I've decided, for the time being, to only moisturise after I wash my face, as it feels tightest then anyway. My skin feels quite tight a lot of the time, but not so bad that I feel I have to put something on it!

Update on products I've been using:
Face wash: Simple Refreshing Facial Wash
Body wash: Dead Sea Salt Magik Bath and Shower Gel
Day moisturiser: Body Shop Aloe Soothing Moisture Lotion SPF 15
Evening moisturiser: Elizabeth Arden 8-hour Cream Skin Protectant
Lip balm: Nivea Soothe + Protect SPF 12
Hand cream:  Elizabeth Arden 8-hour Hand cream

Overall, I feel like I've got things covered for the time being. I have also been using Simple wipes to get rid of eye make-up, but I might have to reconsider this - I usually wipe off my make-up and then wipe my whole face, but it seems to aggravate it at the moment! Something to consider...

Anyway! Off to finish my weekend :) think spot-free, people!

Louise x

Day 10

Day 10 is much like day 9 - the outbreak continues, and the symptoms worsen.

Today I noticed the spots on my chest got even worse - worse than they ever were before, which is quite something! I also have a lot of newer spots on my face, but nothing I'm not used to from years of acne. 

Spots on chest - Day 10

I did, however, notice very dry hands whilst at work. They felt no drier than usual, but it wasn't until I looked down at them that I realised how bad they were! 

Dry skin on my hands.

I used Clinique Deep Comfort hand cream, but I do think I need to start carrying around the Elizabeth Arden 8-hour hand cream I've been saving. 

It's very strange though, I was talking to my friend about it and said how its almost like my skin is having a conflict with itself - it is somehow managing to be both extremely dry and oily at the same time. She explained that your skin is trying to produce more oil to make up for the extreme dryness, which makes sense. But it's still weird having both oily patches and dry skin that is so tight you can barely smile! 

Anyway, time for dinner! 

Keep the spot-free faith! :)

Louise x

The inevitable...

Hi!

Yes I'm afraid the title of this post is said with a slight hint of scorn. People have been commenting on how clear my skin has looked over the bank holiday weekend - despite the fact I've been slapping on sun cream and moisturiser, leaving my skin in a dewy, shiny 'glow'. However, my wiser friends who have been on Roaccutane themselves, have hastened to tell me that it will get worse before it gets better.

Well, today is the day. Day 9 has reared it's ugly head and I've had a break out.
I mentioned in my first post about a break out of spots I got on my chest which became infected - and was the reason I even went on antibiotics in the first place, which then lead me to Roaccutane. Well, they're back with a vengeance. They're very red and sore, and it's not the nicest place for a girl to get spots as it's pretty visible - especially now the weather is warmer and I won't be wrapping up!

As well as this, my forehead has also had a break-out, and my chin. On top of this, my symptoms are the usual - my cheeks especially feel very tight a lot of the time! I haven't felt like my skin is dry enough to have to slap on the Elizabeth Arden Eight-hour Cream yet (as it simply makes my skin very shiny at this stage), but I'm still carrying it in my bag just in case. I've been using a Body Shop Aloe Vera SPF 15 Daily moisturiser, which is quite light and fine for the time being.

My lips also appear to be drying out almost every half hour, and I've been using Nivea Soothe and Protect SPF 12 lip balm, which is really nourishing, and with added SPF it certainly can't hurt.

Speaking of SPF, I've been piling on the 50, on my face, neck, arms, wherever might be exposed, and still find myself with burnt arms and face! As you can see my face is quite red (I still don't know if it's burnt from the sun or a side effect of the pills...) and my arms are patchy and red from where they've been burnt.

I'm not losing hope! I know it's going to be a long process, so I'm keeping positive, I know it'll all be worth it by the end. On the plus side, I had a lovely bank holiday weekend, even though my boyfriend told me my emotions had been a bit higher than usual - I hadn't even noticed any different, so it's always useful to hear from someone close to you if they notice any side effects you may have overlooked!

Louise x

Almost at the end of week 1...

Hey!

A lot has changed over the past day or so for my skin. Yesterday was Day 5, and my skin was really much clearer - quite astonishing results really (see pic below). My symptoms from day 5 include:

- Dry skin on face
- Skin a lot clearer - not as inflamed in acne areas
- Chapped lips - they cracked at the edge when I yawned...ouuuchhhhh!
- Dry eyes / eyes stinging
- Skin very sensitive to any product
- Dry hands

Day 5

As you can see, the skin on my face had started to peel - especially on the chin. Other than that it looks so much clearer, it's amazing!

Day 6, however, was a complete turn-around. Not much of a surprise to me - as I expect anyone with acne would agree, it really does change from day to day. Before I went on Roaccutane, one day I would wake up with clearer skin, the next I have 6 new spots and it's inflamed! So a difference from day to day came as no surprise...
The sensitivity of my skin was just as before from Day 5 - any product I would put on it (be it using a Simple wipe, soothing moisturiser or even sun cream) would make it sting, as though what I was putting on it was toxic (which I'm hoping is most definitely not..)! My symptoms from Day 6 include...

- Dry skin on face - flakey
- Itchy skin on face
- New spots appearing
- Red/inflamed skin - not specifically in acne areas, but as a general pigment (similar to sunburn)
- Chapped lips
- Dry eyes / eyes stinging
- Skin very sensitive to any product
- Dry hands
- Worsened asthma (I usually only have asthma which is manageable and controlled - I used to be able to last all day from my morning and evening inhalers - however today I found that I needed one during the day)
- Tiredness / restless sleep

It seems the sensitivity I have has resulted in redness, and the itchiness is one step away from extremely dry skin - believe me, I've been warned as to how dry it can get!

Day 6

Everyone wants to know how to keep these symptoms at bay, or at least make them more bearable. As I've said before, I'll be trying out different products to see what helps me personally, at each stage of this process!


Products I have tried so far:

For my hands, I've been using Clinique Deep Comfort hand and cuticle cream, which I've always used and loved. However, I don't think my hands have got the worst of it yet, so I may be giving a very different review if the skin gets any drier there! I am also running low on that, and have bought myself Elizabeth Arden 8-hour Hand Cream for when that time comes...watch this space for when I give that one a go!

I've read a couple of forums regarding what moisturisers to buy etc etc, and so many people have been recommending Elizabeth Arden 8 hour Cream, so I thought I would invest. It's certainly an interesting cream. It's much stiffer than I expected - I suspected it would be creamy like a normal moisturiser, but it was thick like hair wax. This made it quite difficult to use - the skin on my face is getting quite flakey, so applying a sticky moisturiser made it a bit tricky, and I found I had to dab my face afterwards with a towel and give my hands a good wash! However, it really is called 8 hour for a reason, and my skin hasn't dried out all day...although it has had a bit of a shine to it which isn't the best!

I was also told that Roaccutane can make you very sensitive to the sun, and as the weather is (finally) hotting up here in UK, I've wanted to make the most of it! I've been using a regular SPF 50 on my arms and neck. My friend recommended Clinique City Block, which is a SPF 40 face protector cream. I quite like it! It is slightly tinted (again, not what I expected), so it almost evens out your skin tone at the same time as protecting it from the sun.

I must say though, I'm finding all this very out of the ordinary. As I've avoided wearing face make-up for years now (except for the odd occasion), it feels very uncomfortable having all this product on my face - I'm used to letting my skin breath! It was a real relief to take it all off at night, but if it's there to help protect / moisturise then I'm prepared to cope with that one!

So there we have it, almost one week down, another 5 months and 4 weeks left... cor, it really feels like Everest is in front of me at the moment..!

I'm off to enjoy my long weekend in the sunshine (with a high SPF on, of course)!

Louise x

The start of the journey

Hi!

I'm Louise, 21 years of age, and just started taking Roaccutane. This blog has been created for anyone who is also taking it, anyone who is considering going on it, or anyone who is just curious about it!

I'm going to provide a regular update of my life on Roaccutane - the symptoms, the skin improvements, the ups, the downs. Before I launch into my first few days, here's some background info.

What is Roaccutane?
Roaccutane is a drug prescribed for severe acne problems - or acne that is in danger of scarring. It is usually viewed as a last resort - if all antibiotics and creams have proved unsuccessful, then it's the next step to battling acne. It's a pretty intense drug, and you can only be prescribed it through a dermatologist.

What does it do?
This part is based on what my dermatologist told me (I asked her about a million questions...).
Roaccutane helps to balance out the levels of oil in your skin. When you have severe acne, the levels of oil are much higher than they should be, and during the course of Roaccutane, it'll be forced lower. By the time the course finishes, it should regulate and settle into a happy, spot-free medium. My dermatologist also said that the oils in the skin produce something similar to a 'bug', so that whenever you touch your face or get any kind of germ on the skin, it'll inflame and a spot will appear.

What are the supposed side effects?
Like any drug, you're warned and warned about the side effects that could occur, but in this instance, there are precautions that have to be taken. The main one they warn about is birth defects that are likely to occur if you got pregnant whilst on Roaccutane. This is why they only prescribe it when you are on a contraceptive pill, although if you are sexually active, it would be best to use two forms just to be safe.
There is also a huge list of possible side effects, from very common to rare. Dry skin, chapped lips, sensitivity to sunlight, the list goes on - but as my blog continues and time rolls on, I'll be able to give you a personal account of the side effects I encounter!

Now a bit about me! Thinking about it, I first got acne around the age of 16, probably when I first started to get hormonal. I ignored it for a while, tried covering it up with makeup, but found that makeup simply aggravated it (although I did continue to wear it for confidence sake). I went to my GP and was initially prescribed Oxytetracycline - the weakest pill for acne. As expected, it didn't do much at all. My GP told me that when I wanted to try something else, to go on a combined pill. I then met my boyfriend (who I have now been with for 5 years), and before long, decided it would be best to go on the pill anyway! I was then prescribed Dianette.

I personally found Dianette quite effective, but you aren't supposed to be on it for longer than 18 months at a time, so once that 18 months was up, I was put onto a regular contraceptive pill, Microgynon, and took nothing for acne (at this point I was 17). For a while, my skin was relatively clear - not red or inflamed, but still always seemed to have at least one spot.

I stayed like this for about 2 years - simply coping and trying to ignore it. At one point I also decided to stop wearing face make-up (I still wore eyeshadow and mascara), to see if it would make a difference and stop aggravating my skin. I still only wear it on occasions.

At the start of 2012, I got a spot on my chest. Nothing too bad, just one of my regular spots. However, it never went away. I realised after 2 months that it had been there for quite a long time, and then decided to stop wearing a necklace as I thought it would be making it worse. By July 2012, I decided enough was enough, and went to my GP. He was pretty annoyed I'd waited so long to do anything about it, as it had become infected, and I went on a course of antibiotics to get rid of it.

May 2012 - clear(ish) face, spot on chest.

It went away, but left bad scarring, and once the course had finished, another one appeared in the same region, and my skin on my face was 10 times worse than it had been before going on antibiotics. So I went back.

I was then put on a course of Erythromycin. It was a long course of around 3 months, and it seemed to clear my skin a bit - to a manageable state. I reached a point where I was unsure whether it was the Erythromycin making my skin clear, or that my body had simply run its course of acne and that was the end (wishful thinking...). At the end of last year, I decided to come off everything - came off Erythromycin and Microgynon and left my body to figure out what the hell was going on.

My skin worsened. A month ago (April 2013), I'd reached my limit, and went back to my GP. He had mentioned going to a dermatologist a couple of times, but this time I thought enough was enough, and I requested to be referred to one. He put me on Erythromycin to clear it up in the meantime, and I was referred.

April 2013 - before last course of antibiotics.

May 2013 - morning of dermatologist appointment.

This brings us almost up to date! I went to the dermatologist (Hove Skin Clinic) on Tuesday this week, and was prescribed Roaccutane. I was expecting it - I'm lucky enough to have two best friends who have both been on it, and they had been raving about it to me for ages. They had, however, told me that I would need a blood test beforehand, and being the complete sissy that I am, I had avoided it due to my fear of needles. However, this all changed recently when my best friend's sister went on Roaccutane, and she never had to have a blood test! So when I was prescribed it, I asked about the blood test situation, and she asked me if I binge drink, which I don't (I barely drink any alcohol), and she said the blood test is only to check your liver, and as you're young and don't drink it's not necessary. So I was pretty happy with that!

Next thing I know, I'm picking up my prescription and knocking back the pills. I'm on 40mg a day (2 pills - around the same size as a Nurofen Express tablet), been prescribed for a 6-month course, and have been taking them for 5 days now. My friend has told me that I won't notice any side effects yet, and I've been driving my family and boyfriend crazy by suspecting every little thing is a side effect! Day 1, I was touching my hands going, "God, they're so dry!" and "I'm struggling to see things in the dark, this is happening so quickly!" (that's another side effect I read in the brochure).

5 days on Roaccutane.

Realistically, now after 5 days, my skin has cleared up quite drastically. I have been warned, however, that it is likely to get worse before it gets better, so I'm expecting a break out! My dermatologist also said "The first month you'll experience the side effects without the benefits", so I'm excited to see the back of this first month already! I've started to experience the dry lips I was warned about. I yawned yesterday and my lip split slightly at the side and I thought, ohhhh it all starts from here! I've been piling on the lip balm, so hopefully it'll keep it at bay for the time being.

So there we have it! The beginning of the journey to clearer skin and a whole new bout of confidence. I have been stocking up on products that my friends have recommended, so when these dry-skin side effects start to kick in, I'll let you know which products I've found useful :)

Louise x