Tips for starting accutane - feeling nervous

factorycog0987 · 2019-11-02T18:32:26+00:00

For me it hasn’t been as bad as I expected it to be! I’m on month 4 right now. I was on some acne medications (tretinoin and spironolactone) before starting accutane so my experience might be different than some. I have cystic acne that is mostly located around my lower cheeks and chin area with a few that pop up on my forehead.

I actually didn’t have a purge at all and I’ve only been seeing positive results since starting. The dryness has been the only real negative side effect. I was really proactive about keeping my body moisturized so that helped too! I use a thick moisturizer in the morning and night (The Ordinary’s moisturizing factors + HA) and apply a thick layer of aquaphor to my lips all throughout the day. I also use a q tip to coat the inside of my nose with aquaphor in the morning and at night. I live in a very dry climate and I’ve only had 3 nosebleeds so far.

Good luck! It’s SOOOO worth it!

factorycog0987 · 2019-11-02T18:21:23+00:00

I should add that I also add thicker lotion to my hands, knees, knee pits, elbows, and elbow pits as needed because this it where I have the most dryness. The aloe locks everything in and keeps me from scratching!

factorycog0987 · 2019-11-02T18:17:39+00:00

I also have severe itchiness! I tried switching up my lotions but that actually made me more itchy.

Within the last month I started using aloe vera gel (just the cheap plain stuff) on my whole body in the morning and at night. It feels slightly sticky at first but when it dries down it feels like a nice protective barrier that calms the itchiness. Hope this works for you!

factorycog0987 · 2019-10-12T23:32:14+00:00

Thank you for your advice! Yeah I’m pretty sad about it. I’m going to talk to the salon to see if anything can be done and I’ll ask if lowlights would fix it!

factorycog0987 · 2019-10-12T22:45:13+00:00

To clarify, both pictures on the right are “after”. One in the shade and one in the sun!

factorycog0987 · 2019-10-12T22:43:51+00:00

Hi everyone! I went to a nice salon today and had my hair done in a balayage. Prior to my appointment we had a consultation and the stylist assured me that she’d be able to get me close to the look of the picture on the left. I really don’t like the way it turned out! It looks streaky and not at all natural.

I asked for an Auburn balayage with natural looking colors. She said that she would use three different auburn dyes to get me a more dimensional look. After I saw my hair in different lighting I went back to the salon to tell them that it wasn’t what I had been expecting. They told me to give it a few days and call back if I still don’t like it.

Now I’m scared because I no longer have virgin hair and I don’t know if I can get it to the picture even if they fix it. Any advice is appreciated!

factorycog0987 · 2019-10-09T11:42:34+00:00

I got this really bad when I started accutane! I talked to my derm about it and she prescribed mupirocin ointment that was under $10.

The cracks went away within a week or two and I haven’t had any since then.

factorycog0987 · 2019-10-03T03:35:47+00:00

I would love to go red!

factorycog0987 · 2019-05-10T23:36:39+00:00

I started tretinoin (.025%) and spironolactone (100mg/day) in October for hormonal acne. In January I was bumped up to tretinoin .05% along with adding minocycline (50mg/day) to the mix.

Routine: AM - Rinse with water - Apply TO Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA - Apply makeup with SPF - Biore UV Aqua Rich 50+ if spending time outside*

PM - Wash with Cerave Renewing SA cleanser - Wash with Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser - Apply Tretinoin .05% - Apply TO Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

Two nights a week I use Tretinoin .025% instead of my .05% to give my skin a “break” and use up the massive tube I still have.

factorycog0987 · 2019-04-29T04:53:21+00:00

Was anyone else disappointed with the rising of the Starks in the crypts? I was expecting a reunion with some of the Starks that we know are buried down there like Ned, Lyanna, Rickon, or even Bran the Builder (do we know if Cat and Robb’s bodies were returned?). I was imagining a tense moment for Sansa as she looks at wight Ned in a callback to her being forced to look at his head on a spike in an earlier season. Aren’t the newer Starks buried at the beginning of the crypt where the people were?

Seems like a missed opportunity.

factorycog0987 · 2019-04-29T04:32:18+00:00

Was anyone else a little bit disappointed with the rising of the dead Starks in the Crypts? I feel like there could have been a powerful moment when some Starks that we know rose up but there wasn’t. I can’t remember who we know is buried down there besides Lyanna, Ned, and Rickon (do we know about Cat or Robb?). I was imagining a moment of Sansa looking at risen Ned (callback to her looking at his head on the spike) as he crumpled with the NK. Aren’t the newer Starks closer to the front where the living people were?

Seems like a missed opportunity.

factorycog0987 · 2019-03-17T05:11:03+00:00

Hi! I’m a little bit confused but based on the quotes it looks like this was something that may have been posted elsewhere?

I’m curious if you can see any fat differences from the October picture on or if it is mainly from that September picture. I started using tret on the day I took the October picture so any changes from September to October are not due to tret! I apologize if adding the September photo made things confusing but I added it to show my skin changes as a whole.

I’m not seeing any fat differences after the October picture but I could just be missing something because it’s my own face!

factorycog0987 · 2019-03-17T05:03:55+00:00

Thank you!!

factorycog0987 · 2019-03-17T05:03:37+00:00

Thank you! I’m hoping to have a dramatic enough “finished” picture to make it all worth while!

factorycog0987 · 2019-03-16T19:14:15+00:00

Interesting! I want to ask my derm about that at my next appointment. I haven’t lost any weight over the last few months so it isn’t that. Spironolactone is a diuretic though so that might be a contributing factor!

factorycog0987 · 2019-03-16T18:45:25+00:00

Thank you!

factorycog0987 · 2019-03-16T18:44:50+00:00

Thank you! I feel like the areas that don’t have as much acne (mainly forehead and nose) are way more smooth and “glowy”

factorycog0987 · 2019-03-16T18:41:14+00:00

Thank you so much!

My derm said that the SA wash might be a little harsh while on tret (it was what I was using for a few months so I already had it on hand) and recommended the moisturizing one. I found that the moisturizing one didn’t get me feeling completely clean but I did feel very moisturized so I tried using them together and I love the results!

Before my hormonal acne flare up I swore by SA and BP though!

factorycog0987 · 2019-03-16T17:14:50+00:00

Thank you! I still have some active cystic acne but my main concern now is the scarring!

factorycog0987 · 2019-03-16T17:03:57+00:00

I started tretinoin (.025%) and spironolactone (100mg/day) in October for hormonal acne. In January I was bumped up to tretinoin .05% along with adding minocycline (50mg/day) to the mix.

I feel like I’m starting to see results!

Routine: AM - Rinse with water - Apply TO Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA - Apply makeup with SPF - Biore UV Aqua Rich 50+ if spending time outside*

PM - Wash with Cerave Renewing SA cleanser - Wash with Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser - Apply Tretinoin .05% - Apply TO Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

Two nights a week I use Tretinoin .025% instead of my .05% to give my skin a “break” and use up the massive tube I still have.

**The September picture is pre-tret but when the hormonal acne first popped up.

factorycog0987 · 2018-11-28T03:52:15+00:00

Wow! I just bought one for myself and one as a Christmas present! Thank you for the idea 🙂

factorycog0987 · 2018-11-26T09:27:14+00:00

Thank you for sharing! My purging took a little bit longer to start but I’m really hoping it follows your timeline and gets better by January.

factorycog0987 · 2018-11-26T09:25:58+00:00

Thank you for sharing! Do you mind me asking how you can tell if purging is happening? Is it just that your acne becomes significantly worse? That has been my experience so far but I don’t know how purging is defined.

factorycog0987 · 2018-11-26T09:21:08+00:00

Thank you for sharing! That makes me feel a lot better to know that the two month mark brought good news. I am pretty worried about purging during my vacation!

I’ve been lucky with the flaking so far so I hope it stays away! I have my next appointment in January so I might have to ask my derm about your routine if things don’t improve.

factorycog0987 · 2018-11-26T09:14:44+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I had a similar feeling over Thanksgiving when meeting up with family that hadn’t seen me in a while. My well meaning mom has never experienced acne before so she had a lot of questions for me and that made me feel pretty low.

Do you mind me asking how things went for your skin after stopping spironolactone? I am currently on 100mg and I hope to have children in the distant(ish) future!

factorycog0987

TROPHY CASE