Tuesday, June 22, 2004
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day ninety-seven, week fourteen
And I'm back to the point of no hope again, where I feel like my face will never clear up, and I'll always be zitty and blotchy and gross, and I'll have to go back to "just dealing" again. I'll get back to the point where I forget I ever got my hopes up, and get used to feeling ugly again, and then KAZAAM, I'll wake up one morning with clear skin (without a doubt, it'll be the day of my dermotologist appointment) and start the whole stupid process over again.
current medications/supplements:
- accutane 80mg
- Yasmin
- vitamin e
current products:
- generic SPF 30 waterproof sunscreen
- Neosporin cream with pain relief
- Visine Original and Visine for contacts
- St. Ives 24-hour lotion
- cetaphil moisturizing lotion
- cetaphil face wash
- blistex lip balm
- lots of water
current symptoms:
- irritation, anger
- bloody nose
- extreme sensitivity to sunlight and heat
- severly dry, chafed skin and rashes all over the place
- dry, irritated eyes
- dry lips
- dehydration
WEEK FOURTEEN REPORT: I feel like I'm on a massive physiological roller coaster that costs twice as much as my rent does. Seriously. For $500 a month, I get to experience flattering symptoms and attractive mood swings... and meanwhile my face isn't getting any better. Most people have had GREAT results by now, I don't understand why I still look like the swamp creature.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Next week I'll have something here to say about keeping your hopes alive and not losing faith... but you'll have to wait till then because we're fresh out of optimism today.
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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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