Friday, March 12, 2004
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Intro - meet the guinea pig
To start off, my name is Allisan and I've had acne for almost 10 years now. It didn't get bad until a couple of years ago, though, so I'm only recently turning to Accutane. I'm deciding to keep a journal of my results because I read the journal of a girl named Jackie who was generally very optimistic about the therapy and its results and it got me very excited to try it. I am, however, a fairly hard-core cynic and am not expecting the stuff to work as well for me.
But here's hoping!!
So here's my method: I'm going to keep track of all of my symptoms, both physical and psychological. I think that, as someone who's prone to depression and anxiety, as well as overreacting to medication, I'll be a great model of the worst-case scenario. To anyone considering this therapy: it probably doesn't get any worse than what you'll read here!!
day two, week one
current medications/supplements:
- accutane 40mg (duh)
- Yasmin birth control (a.k.a. bitch pills... they make me grouchy)
- iron (for anemia)
- vitamin e (been taking for a few weeks to prep for dry skin)
current products:
- cetaphil moisturizing lotion (as recommended by Jackie)
- blistex lip balm (my favorite)
- lots of water!
current symptoms:
WEEK ONE REPORT: Sort of a "before" picture for you: Severe breakouts (it's the first day of my period), moderate anxiety. Minimal depression today. Since my skin is super sensitive and dry as it is, I've been hydrating and bulking up on vitamin e for a couple of weeks. Optimistic but skeptical! Took my very first pill with a virgin margarita to celebrate. They put you through hell to start this stuff! Pregnancy tests, blood tests, a million pages of crap to sign... and then the nurses at the dermo's office forgot to put a date on the perscription, and you can't call or fax Accutane perscriptions, so I had to walk ALL the way to the office and haul myself BACK to the pharmacy... so heck yeah, I get to celebrate my first pill!
RECOMMENDATIONS: - make sure they put a date on your Accutane sticker!!
- take that first dose with style! just not a frozen drink, it makes it hard to swallow the stupid thing.
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The Guinea Pig |
My name is Allisan, I'm a 21-year-old college student with very bad acne and a chip on my shoulder. I'm taking Accutane to kick the thing in the butt once and for all, and documenting the experience for the benefit of anyone else considering giving it a shot. Read on, fellow acne sufferers!!
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About Accutane |
In Laman's terms... Accutane limits the body's production a natural oil called Sebum that builds up in your pores and causes acne. Generally you spend 5 months on it, and most people see results within 2 months. It has a 75% success rate after the first round, 85% after 2 rounds - that means that the acne never, ever comes back for most people. During the course of the therapy, the most common side effects are dry flaky skin, chapped lips, dehydration, irritation while wearing contacts, and backaches. Basically it makes your body tissue really sensitive to EVERYTHING. Some people also experience moodiness and, in rare cases, severe depression. It also causes some nasty birth defects, so they make absolutely sure you can't get pregnant while you're on it.
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Products I Swear By |
- Mary Kay medium coverage foundation
- blistex original lip balm
- neosporin cream (not ointment)
- St. Ives 24-Hour body lotion
- Cetaphil moisturizer & face wash
- Generic vitamin e supplements
- Visine original eye drops
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Products I Swear *At* |
Blistex Complete Moisture lip balm - Jackie recommends it, but I disagree! It's really thin (heavy petroleum-based ointments are the best) and makes your breath smell funky.
Victoria's Secret lotion - Love the smell, but it stings like a mofo. Same goes for Bath&Body or any other heavily scented lotion, accutane makes your skin VERY sensitive to that kind of stuff.
Proactiv products - great for semi-problematic skin, but totally useless for severe acne. They *do* give your money back, so it *is* worth a try. But if you're serious about dealing with your acne, try something else.
erythromycin - if you get this, make sure they prescribe the capsules, not the tablets. This stuff is powerful, it can really upset your stomach.
Yasmin birth control - makes acne *worse*, turns you into a hormonal one-woman soap opera.
Chapstick brand lip balm - nothin but glorified ear wax. Buy the medicated stuff, folks.
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