Hi everyone,
I've been avoiding writing this post for almost two weeks now, as I'm finding it hard to come to terms with it let alone write it! But here goes.
I went for an emergency appointment with my dermatologist last Tuesday, as I discovered some unusual symptoms, mainly with regards to digestion. I was willing to brush it off and not worry about it, but thought it best to get it checked out.
As it turns out, I've been told to stop taking Roaccutane :( I'm absolutely gutted, as it was working so well and I was so positive about the effects it was having! It turns out, because my brother has Crohns disease, and we have a history of other stomach problems in the family, it would be safest to stop, as it could cause inflammatory problems.
So I cried my eyes out for a couple of hours and have been prescribed a cream alternative - Adapalene. My amazing friend also went on a beauty-spree for me (as I'm pretty clueless about this kind of thing) and got me the ideal skincare regime for someone in my position (still very sensitive from Roaccutane, but don't want to flare up!). So far, the skincare routine is going very well, as the skin on my face has been about the same as it was before I came off - with one or two new spots appearing. However, I've been getting some new ones on my back and chest again. So hopefully they'll just go away on their own, otherwise it looks like it's back to the drawing board!
So it looks like 'Life on Roaccutane' doesn't make much sense anymore! May have to change the title, or just continue writing about my ongoing acne battle on here...hopefully there won't be any need to!
Hope anyone else on Roaccutane doesn't meet these problems, especially once you've got into the routine and start to notice a difference - it's a cruel twist of fate that I have to stop once it makes a difference..but there we go.
Good luck to you all!
Louise x
Thursday, 1 August 2013
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
The new 'normal'
Hi!
I haven't written a post in ages, mainly because I've been so busy with work and have been spending my weekends enjoying the sunshine when it peeks out from behind the clouds..!
It seems my skin has settled into a Roaccutane routine. For the first month it went through a phase of extremely dry lips, nose, hands, everything, and then suddenly one day I woke up and my hands were completely smooth, my nose was back to normal, by lips weren't cracked anymore... it was very weird.
It seems this has become a bit of a routine, but perhaps on a smaller scale. Now, it seems to change from week to week. The cycle seems to begin with rashy hands - they're very dry but very inflamed - any type of moisturiser would make it go red, bumpy and generally very unhappy. A few days after that, it tends to calm down - it will still be very dry, but I can actually put some moisturiser on it - which is helpful! I am thinking of investing in some very mild body scrub though, as the moisturiser can't do much when there's lots of dead skin on my hands...lovely I know.
Then once this dry stage has finished, it'll suddenly clear up, and be smooth again! And then back to the beginning...
My face, however, seems to work the other way round. When my hands are very dry and scaly, the skin on my face is clear. When my hands are smooth, my skin breaks out. I think it's because of the science behind the pill itself - it's designed to remove all excess moisture from your skin so that spots aren't produced - which makes sense when there's more oil and my hands are smooth, yet my face breaks out.
Other than that, I wouldn't say I have any new symptoms! I went for my first check-up and she said that it seems like it's going well, and I'll continue going as I am (40mg a day). I've had a couple of nosebleeds, but nothing too severe - it tends to be just when I blow my nose rather than out of nowhere! I've also started to get very dry skin on my arms - I'm prone to eczema on my arms, so this didn't come as a huge surprise, and it's not quite as bad as my hands get!
That's all for today - no time to upload any photos yet, so I will add more in due course!
Louise :)
I haven't written a post in ages, mainly because I've been so busy with work and have been spending my weekends enjoying the sunshine when it peeks out from behind the clouds..!
It seems my skin has settled into a Roaccutane routine. For the first month it went through a phase of extremely dry lips, nose, hands, everything, and then suddenly one day I woke up and my hands were completely smooth, my nose was back to normal, by lips weren't cracked anymore... it was very weird.
It seems this has become a bit of a routine, but perhaps on a smaller scale. Now, it seems to change from week to week. The cycle seems to begin with rashy hands - they're very dry but very inflamed - any type of moisturiser would make it go red, bumpy and generally very unhappy. A few days after that, it tends to calm down - it will still be very dry, but I can actually put some moisturiser on it - which is helpful! I am thinking of investing in some very mild body scrub though, as the moisturiser can't do much when there's lots of dead skin on my hands...lovely I know.
Then once this dry stage has finished, it'll suddenly clear up, and be smooth again! And then back to the beginning...
My face, however, seems to work the other way round. When my hands are very dry and scaly, the skin on my face is clear. When my hands are smooth, my skin breaks out. I think it's because of the science behind the pill itself - it's designed to remove all excess moisture from your skin so that spots aren't produced - which makes sense when there's more oil and my hands are smooth, yet my face breaks out.
Other than that, I wouldn't say I have any new symptoms! I went for my first check-up and she said that it seems like it's going well, and I'll continue going as I am (40mg a day). I've had a couple of nosebleeds, but nothing too severe - it tends to be just when I blow my nose rather than out of nowhere! I've also started to get very dry skin on my arms - I'm prone to eczema on my arms, so this didn't come as a huge surprise, and it's not quite as bad as my hands get!
That's all for today - no time to upload any photos yet, so I will add more in due course!
Louise :)
Monday, 27 May 2013
Week 3
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, 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
Saturday, 18 May 2013
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
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
Thursday, 16 May 2013
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.
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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!
.JPG)
That's all for today - I have far too much to do and so little time these days!
:)
Louise x
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.
.JPG)
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!
.JPG)
That's all for today - I have far too much to do and so little time these days!
:)
Louise x
Sunday, 12 May 2013
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!
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 :)
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!
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
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
Thursday, 9 May 2013
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
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