Why I'm Starting Accutane (Isotretinoin) For My Cystic Acne |40mg Accutane Journey
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- I have now stared accutane for acne. As I embark on my accutane journey (2023) I wanted to share the beginning of me taking 40mg Isotretinoin for my hormonal acne which has been chronic / a never ending cycle of acne, cycstic acne, scarring and pigmentation.
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I have started accutane for my acne! Starting my accutane journey wasn't such an easy decision for me to make as I am aware that accutane is a strong drug and can be quite tough on the body. Accutane is mainly prescribed to acne sufferers as a last resort, meaning that one has tried all other avenues. For me that looked like tretinoin, antibiotics, adapalene, chemical peels and so so much more. All of which have provided me with some form of result. However, I have never been able to achieve a clear complexion. I have been able to manage my acne and reduce the frequency of my acne but I was always stuck in the cycle of acne forming and then leaving a post inflammatory mark (over and over) - so I would always have pigmentation or acne spots on my face.
The longer I've suffered with acne and the more inflamed and cystic my breakouts have become leaving me with the higher chances of scarring (indentations) forming on my skin too. Which is incredibly difficult to treat.
Ultimately, I reached a point where I wanted to break the acne cycle I was stuck in and try the closest thing we have to an acne 'cure' - however, this does come with the •common• side effects (that are certainly off-putting)
Dry skin, lips, nose and eyes
-Back pain, joint and muscle pain
-Other skin problems, including rashes, and mild itching
-Sore or dry mouth or throat
-Headaches
With the potential of dealing with the above for 4-6 months. As well as the lifestyle changes needed for accutane treatment.
Within this series I will be sharing my accutane journey in ways such as:
◂ Accutane Skincare routine - what products are helping to combat the dry accutane skin
◂ Makeup for accutane dry skin
◂ Documenting the side effects
◂ Sharing how I got to this decision in detail
◂ Accutane and birth control / contraception
◂ Accutane before and after results
◂ Accutnane preparation - things you have to do prior to treatment
Recent Videos:
Antibiotics for Acne //Adapalene Gel ONE MONTH UPDATE
LATEST VIDEO bit.ly/3bGqK3F
Instagram @Kaycia.k bit.ly/3gizyhP
#cysticacnestory #acnetreatment #acnescars #acneproneskin #acnecommunity #isotretinoina #tretinoin #doxycycline #doxy #skin
Leave any accutane advice and product recs below 😊
You won’t regret it. It really is life changing to not have to worry about acne after years of battling it. I can now eat and drink what I want, and have a simple skincare routine and not get a single spot.
I avoided accutane for close to 10 years. Tried every topical available, with some success but it never completely stopped the acne.
Did 6 months of accutane, only 10mg daily but it worked incredibly well so my dermatologist didn’t feel the need to up the dose. I was clear going into the 2nd month and stayed clear pretty much through out the remainder of the treatment.
Only side effect was I was always so tired first thing in the morning, no matter how much I slept.
Take the pill with fats, stay hydrated, keep the lips moisturised and get a thick face moisturiser. All the best.
It seems like a fantasy to have the possibility of not having to deal with acne!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! It's amazing to read a successful story.
Staying hydrated is a recurring point people have been making, so I am actively trying to get more water/fluids in! Thanks for the well wishes!
Wow that’s great, I am very happy for you ❤Can I ask, did you have skin purging after starting with 10mg of acne?
@@venosheniravichandran3352No purging. My skin dried up over the first couple of weeks and the spots just stopped coming.
Do you still feel tired or was it only a symptom during the treatment?
I will say I wish i went on accutane much sooner. Would’ve saved me scars. The reason I waited was bc I was afraid but it was much better than I expected. Always have lip oil and drink lots of water. Accutane works Amazing for skin that overproduces oil and doesn’t permanently respond to other meds.
Similar boat to me! I've waited out of 'what if' (something else clears my acne) and also being apprehensive about the common side effects and potential other side effects. Thanks so much for leaving your advice! I'm really trying to up my water/fluid intake! My lips have already started to crack and split in the corners so I've been smothering them in aquaphor and lip oils!
If it makes you feel any better, I was on this when I was 18 (this was in 1991 to show my age!). It worked. Three decades later I just started again. My skin is nowhere near as bad as it was, but it was enough that I said “Let’s do it again.” It’s hard and though I’ve had no side effects again (yet), I’m sure they’ll come. Look at it this way, yeah it sucks to do this for 4-6-8 months, but it does work else I’d have not done it again. Good luck!
Hi there. I came to your channel recently bc I found your Tret advice and encouragements really helpful from a mental health perspective (I really appreciate that!).
My journey is soo similar to yours. I'm 37 now but have been struggling with acne all my life since my early teens. My severity used to be like yours. I did Accutane TWICE for that reason (they used to prescribe it more liberally back in the day, now derms are a lot more hesitant giving it out from the get go). It was honestly the best decision at the time for the TYPE of severity I had. It really saved me massively from having any deep acne scars. I had the best skin of my life so I know just by looking at your skin that you have made the right decision. Good luck to you !!! I know it will go well. The best advice will be to take SPF seriously but you already do that. I got a sun spot/damage during my Accutane days bc I wasn't applying SPF religiously. Other than that, a lot of body parts will feel dry not just the face. I remember even my eyes felt really dry!
My own problem is that now I have more of a hormonal component to my acne and since I don't want to go through Accutane a 3rd time I'm trying to hold it off by trying Tret first bc I've never tried that. My acne severity is nothing like what it was when I was in my teens/20s and I can honestly say that that is due to Accutane. I'm currently suffering from the dreaded Tret purge and your videos have helped a lot so thank you for that! I hope that for me Tret would be the answer. I also hate it when ppl mention diet and lifestyle changes that worked for them but have had no effect on my skin whatsoever. Also, I HATE milk too. Your expression in the video cracked me up! Lol.
I’m off BC for the first time in years and my cystic acne has come back probably worse then it was in high school. Honestly I’m interested in starting this if tret/clindamycin doesn’t work. A lot of people think my skin isn’t that bad as it’s only in my chin but it is so exhausting to always be thinking about your skin. Besides accurate can help w acne that is persistent rather than the worst if that makes sense. Can’t wait to see how this works out for you, in a few months we,lol see if I’ll be doing the same thing haha good luck ❤
Theres nothing like accutane. Its one of the most effective treatments. The only issue is it really only works while you are on it. The oiliness comes back when your off it. Thats why some people go on a low dose for longer periods.
Well done on sharing this video on the highs and lows so far and your reasons for starting accutane. So much of it resonates with me! Only advice from my experience on being on it, similar to everyone else’s, would be lip balms (maybe one with SPF too), SPF and water. Meditation and a good sleep routine will also support your body whilst getting used to the changes, but from your video, like you said you are doing all the things you know should. Keep going and stay strong 😘
I'm glad this video resonated with you! I'm definitely on it with the SPF and constant lip balm!! Thanks for the the well-being tips too, I think that's also really important too. Thanks so much for sharing!
this video was like a phone call with a friend. I can’t explain it any better. and you said everything i’ve been thinking. thank you for sharing 🤍
Hey there from the US! (Apologizing for the long comment in advance 😆)
I've been following your channel for a little while now, and your journey with your skin is soo much like mine. I'm now in my 20s but I've had acne since my early teen years. When the pandemic hit, that's when my acne morphed from something moderate but manageable to a severity I'd never experienced before. I used tretinoin for a few years, which brought me some clarity, but not fully, so I went on doxycycline around the end of last year. Like you, it was also my first oral acne treatment, and I was very nervous to go on it. Similarly, I was also trying out all these lifestyle changes like cutting out dairy and sugar, but with little to no tangible results. The way people talk about acne, it's easy to feel like it's our fault - like we're living our lives wrong somehow and the acne is a consequence of that. I felt so much of that shame, and I hated how much of a hold over my life my skin had. Those things finally pushed me to try doxycycline because, like you, I was just sick of it all. And it worked very well for me too - for a few months I had very clear skin. But, once I was off doxycycline, the acne slowly started to creep back. Not to the same severity as before doxycycline, but enough for me to finally decide to go on Accutane. I've been on it for about 1.5 months now (started on 30 mg, now on 60mg).
Anyway, sorry for my long spiel but it's amazing how similar our journeys have been. The things you say in this vid feel as if you're speaking my thoughts out loud haha. It's videos like yours that make me feel a whole lot less alone in this ordeal. Thank you for making these videos, and crossing my fingers that we both ultimately reach a point where we feel happy in our skin 💕
You told your story so articulately! It's practically identical to my journey, It's nice to hear from someone that has also felt this weird pressure to 'figure' out and pinpoint the exact acne cause (extremely hard when multiple factors come into play!). I totally relate! I hope your treatment is going well and I hope that accutane can be the answer for us both! Life without acne feels like a fantasy at this point but I am really hopeful. 💓 Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and thoughts - it was so lovely to read.
Hi, I'm 34 y.o man. I have big problem with acne. In a way that I think after my death my corpse will have acne. about 4 month ago I've accidentally noticed that Azithromycin cured my acne. but after 3 months it came back and Azithromycin didn't worked again. I used levofloxacin (one 500 pills per day for 5 days) (It has very dangerous side effects so I didn't take it longer) It helped and I'm continuing with doxycycline 100 for a short period. I know it will come back so I'm looking to use Accutane in the future. I will be happy to use your exprience. So I subscribe. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and exprience.
Hey, thanks for sharing your acne experience! I'm sorry to hear about the back and forth with various medications. I will be sharing the journey and aim to provide a realistic acne journey whilst on accutane, so I hope that gives you some more insight into the treatment.
I came here from your doxycycline video and I just wanna say I'm sorry you're still dealing with it and Accutane is the only option left rn... I did a 7 month course and had clear skin for a year afterwards, which was amazing! Unfortunately it came back a year later and now I'm on doxycycline for the next few weeks while me and my doctor decide what the next step will be (I really want to try spironolactone but my doctor prefers the idea of a second Accutane course, which for me it the absolute last resort). It's absolutely disheartening to see your skin get worse again every time you think you found something that fixed it. I genuinely hope this will be the end of it for you! Good luck! And from experience, the second half of my course was super manageable as my side effects kind of disappeared and my skin FINALLY started showing some progress, so hang in there!
I respect kaycia a lot, I am In the same boat as her, I went as far as changing my lifestyle, diet, buying every supplement, every cleanse, every retinoid, every moisturizer every spf every ..... etc etc. I know the struggle
I’ve waited almost 7 years. I tried everything 😢
Your story is so similar to me. Thank you for sharing ❤
How did you get prescribed? I feel like GP’s couldn’t care less about your cystic acne and will do everything to not refer you to a derm.
These are the reasons why i tried accutane . Im on my 2nd months now . I hope i will get my desired result which is acne free. ❤
Wonderful video, thank you! I’m about to start next week 🙏🏼🇦🇺
Me too honey, I really really learned A lot about my skin, hair , body, mental health.....cz of my acne 🥺♥️
I really wish you would've tried tazarotene before accutane because im like you I couldn't tolerate tretinoin and hated it, Adapalene worked well for me but tazarotene gel 0.1% gave me the results with less side effects than 0.5% tretinoin cream.
yes tazorac is more potent but with less side effects which is a dream.
Hi!
Well, I haven't tried accutane, but there was a time when i seriously considered to do it (however my doctor didn't allow me to start it. According to him my acne wasn't that bad objectively (altough, I thought it was pretty bad subjectively 😅😂), however I honestly think I can relate to you. When I was considering to start it, I was just so tired of everything . I hated that no matter how I tried my problems didn't go away and always left me pinky spots all over my face. All of my relatives who has never suffered told me not to focus on them cause it's not a big problem, but for me ye, it is. So, I was just depressed and dissapointed. That was the time when I got so some advice (obviously i didn't ask for them 😅) on eating healthier, cutting off sugar, sleeping well and that's it. Well, ofc those never changed anything on my face, but thanks😅.
So, I really understand why you wanted to use accutane. If you really feel the worst and there is a slightly chance that it could help do it.
So, I never got the prescription but I did some research beforehand: Stay hydrated it's important, use moisturising creams a lot, use mouisturising SPF and stay away from those which contain alcohol cause they can be irritating, use vaseline around your mouth and nose, and try to use facial oils (jojoba oil, rosehip oil). Dr Dray youtube channel is a must, I really recommend it, she literally the best when it comes to any kind of acne treatments.
I hope accutane will help you and I wish you the best on your journey but do not forget that no matter what acne dosn't define you, girl!❤❤❤
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with acne and what you found when researching accutane! I'm so glad that you could relate and see where I'm coming from with the changes being made and nothing actually helping your skin, the unsolicited advice gets very tiring!
Dr Dray is a go to for me on here, I too have researched the topic of accutane long before considering the treatment. Thank you for your advice, I've found a hyrdrating SPF from Soltan and I'm trying out cacay oil at the moment, I'm still trying to combat the accutane dry skin so I really appreciate your advice and recommendations.
Accutane (Isotretinoin) is the best thing ever, I have tried eveything my skin is sooo oily, the only way is to reduce the oil and that is only done by Isotretinoin IMO it really helped me so much and I commit to take it for the ever really
Thanks for sharing!!
Update of your skin
I thought to leave a comment as you requested. So i know everyone's experience is different and as you erre soeaking about the acne coming back my thoughts were, just change your diet but I like that you delved into that discussion and showed what you typically eat, my apologies.
I could write books on the journey of skin issues and the comments from people with clear skin.
When you showed the pimple you popped (I know youve probably heard a million times about popping a pimple so ill not say anything further), and said that was the last straw, I reached that point. I made the decision to see a dermatologist because i was tired. Tired of looking at the face and not being happy, ita not even looking at whether my features are big or small as people often complain about but its just having clear skin.
I stared my journey end of April, the dryness doesn't seem bad at first but some days I felt like I could feel the dryness from inside the face only to look in the mirror and the look moisturised.
The items the derm recommend i buy - I was targeting some acne but mainly hypermigmentation (this is my current problem): avene gentle cleanser, niacinamide LaRoche, vitamin c 10%, lipikar AP+m LaRoche (I had my own suncreen spf50) - this was for my face. My body I continued using what I usually used before.
Side affects - after mayne two months eczema on my hands, a bit of sore joints, lower back pain. My face seemed swollen sometimes but I can say for sure thats the tablets.
My acne wasn't so bad but i didn't get acne - I didn't take note of when the ones I jad went but I also bought pimple patch to assist me.
About 2.5 months in, I hurt myself and it wasn't healing, went to the doctor for treatment and so I stopped the tablets. Got better but didn't want to continue with the tablets. My aches and pains were gone.
For my follow up appointment months later (August), and doctor put me back on the meds and hydroquinone, the hyperpigmentation is clearing but due to the other actives making my skin brighter, the dark marks are especially dark but theres been improvements.
moisturize moisturize moisturize and wear a lot of sunscreen. sadly accutane didn't work for me it left me with permanent joint pain, excessive perspiration (that went away after 3 years) and suicidal thoughts. Plus after 1 year all my acne came back
Thanks so much for sharing your personal experience! I'm sorry to hear that accutane impacted your life so negatively. I hope you are in a better place now. 💓 Thank you for the advice too, I'll keep moisturing and reapplying SPF!
How old are you and for how many months did you take it?
I heard that after accutane your skin with time go back to normal therefore ppl say u need to continue using adapalene after u done with accutane I this true?
Currently struggling on my acne journey and can relate to your pain. So frustrating trying to fix it yourself for years and spending SO much money. Always dealt with painful, deep nodular cysts. After coming off BC for the first time in over a decade I got hormonal acne. Tret and clindamycin only staved it off temporarily but as soon the clindamycin was removed it would come back. I went to the GP (UK based) and they said I had to have tried BC and two antibiotics to even be considered for a dermatologist referral and that my acne wasn’t ‘severe enough’ anyway. Like you I never went before to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the NHS and now it feels like I would’ve been better off if I had. In my thirties now and didn’t think I’d still be struggling so much. Fed up of people who’ve never had acne telling me it’s just a few spots and to not let it get to me. Well done on pushing through and taking the plunge to try roaccutane! I hope it gives you the results you dream of 💞
I feel u. I’ve had acne since I was in middle school. I’ve done everything the dermatologist recommended: tretinoin, creams, doxycycline, and finally, accutane. I did 2 courses of it. First time, I was 18 and I didn’t finish my dose. But my skin was clear for two-three years. It came back so I did a full round, completed all the doses. My skin was clear for four years, then the acne returned 💔 idk if it’s due to my stressful life changes right now, or if it’s bc I’m in my late 20s, idk. I’m trying tretinoin (again), and I’m on month 2. In feeling hopeful but it is ultimately exhausting and annoying to have this anxiety. I’m hoping I don’t have to do a third round of Accutane, but we will see.
Anyway, I am rooting for you and ur journey. Accutane is great bc even if the issue returns, I don’t think it’ll ever reach the height of ur worst breakout ever again
My doctor put me on accutane and I am teenager and I have high testosterone will accutane work for me ?
So tret didn’t help you?
THAAAANK YEWWWWWW
9 months and i had baby clear skin while eating the unhealthiest food and no skin care.
i just took my first pill and im fkn scared lol
We can do this!
How are you getting on? I started 30mg/daily almost 2 weeks ago
@@hjspriupdate please ?
@@fadwaechaabi7013 i'm on 40mg daily now instead of 30mg and still no improvements after 3+ months, dry lips and skin isn't really too bad only on my chin/lower cheek in the morning but nothing that can't be solved with moisturiser. The worst part for me is that i'm a sprinter and my joints are hurting so badly after training, hips and knees mostly, apart from that all good
I understand the private company is a sponsor but getting your potentially young viewers who might be naive to use them and spend a ton of money is nasty at best. Also, the audacity to keep banging on about how bad the NHS is. Which it is, but you’re making out it’s bad because of waiting times, you already said you spoke to TWO dermatologists from the nhs. One said you could have accutane. One said you couldn’t. So you’re irritated that one refused you, and declined accutane when offered it according to you. And you wanted to go back, no wonder the waiting times are so long then if you’re telling the truth, you want THREE initial appointments to see an nhs derm
Whilst I understand your concern. My viewers are old enough to make adult decisions. I have a following which shows me ages 25+. These are not young impressionable viewers. I am extremely transparent. The NHS is an amazing privilege and unfortunately very under resourced. However, having had acne for over a decade I do not consider 3 appoints regarding my skin to be an issue? Its health care that I am entitled to and pay my national insurance with every paycheque?
I’m not simply annoyed for two varying appointments. Ultimately, you don’t know me and I don’t know you but I am certain that for people that suffer with acne long term or severely, often don’t feel seen and are eligible to use a private service if they wish.