Week Four

Day Twenty Two – Monday 25th March 2013

Last week I had noticed some dry skin peeling in my ears. For the first time last night I applied some Vaseline to the inside of my ears before going to sleep. This seems to have done the trick as they were fine this morning. My neck has been mildly itchy the last few days and I think this may be one of the effects of Isotretinoin. The reason I say this is because I have a number of moles on my neck that have never irritated me before, so the chances are that it is very likely to be the treatment that is causing the itching. My overall complexion is still good today although the skin on my chin is very dry. I woke this morning very pleased because I could see how good my skin looked and I can imagine how great it will be! The improvements so far are very encouraging.

Day Twenty Three – Tuesday 26th March 2013

I am starting to use the cream and Vaseline on my face more during the day. Whereas before it was just first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I cannot stand to be too long without applying the Vaseline on my dry lips. My lips are not cracking or peeling, just dry.

Day Twenty Four – Wednesday 27th March 2013

I noticed a very small area of dry and rough skin (but not flaking) on my neck today so I checked the leaflet inside the box and it does say that mild itching, slight peeling and red fragile skin are very common side effects. Last Saturday ( Day Twenty) I commented on how my side effects were only in my problem acne areas, however today I have had some itching and noticed a slight rash on my forearms. Knowing that this is so common I am not overly worried about this. I can cope with it and I will see how it progresses. I’ve not had any new spots for the last couple of days, my skin is looking quite clear and healthy at the moment. It just feels dry and rough, and some days it is red and a bit sensitive and sore. I say sore but actually it feels more like sun burn!

Day Twenty Five – Thursday 28th March 2013

Today the dry rash on my forearms is less, no longer itchy but still there. My neck is not so bad either now. Over the last couple of days I have had a dry rough patch on the front of my left shoulder but there was nothing visible. This afternoon, however, after a shower, the patch was enlarged and quite red as you can see from the photo. It looks like I have been scalded! I gave it a moisturising treat and within a couple of hours it was barely visible again and back to being just dry and rough. The peeling in my ears has calmed down too.
I am trying my best to watch my cholesterol levels as my pre treatment blood test was borderline and I read on the Roaccutane leaflet at the start of my treatment that Isotretinoin can commonly increase blood fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides. So I try to be careful with my diet and I chose not to drink any alcohol from day one for the duration. I’m halfway through week four and whilst I am not missing it I did used to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine in the evening or at the weekend and a Brandy or 2 per week. I’m looking forward to that first glass to celebrate at the end of my experience.

Day Twenty Six – Friday 29th March 2013

The rash on my forearms is worse and has spread a bit. You will see on todays photo’s that the rash on the backs of my hands is quite prominent and looks like I’ve scraped or grazed my skin. Then I have a blotchy rash up my arms. I guess you could liken it to eczema in appearance. This is common according to other peoples stories and according to the leaflet. It has been slightly itchy today and sometimes sore.
Another common side effect is that the inside of the nose can become dry and “crusted”. This has started slightly but not severe enough yet to give me nosebleeds. Other than that I’m happy not to be getting the spots that I used to get. I’m liking how smooth my skin feels, it’s actually nice to be putting moisturiser on my face instead of all the spot creams.

Day Twenty Seven – Saturday 30th March 2013

A funny thing happened today, no I should say, an unpleasant thing happened today: I used my hand gel sanitizer as I always have but on this occasion I had to run immediately to rinse it off under running water, it stung the back of my hands so much. This will be because of the rash. I have noticed my skin becoming more sensitive and fragile over the last couple of days although the itching is intermittent and has been fairly mild today.

Day Twenty Eight – Sunday 31st March 2013

Happy Easter! x
I am proud of myself for doing an enforced alcohol detox and keeping up a healthy eating diet. I did indulge in an Easter treat of a mini box of Cadbury mini eggs. Mmmmmmm chocolate tasted extra good!
I had 3 little pimples along my jawline yesterday and they’ve nearly gone today. I can’t explain how different my skin is. It’s so much better, that the few spots I am getting are no where near as troublesome and not lasting like they used to. They are so much easier to live with than the horrible cystic whiteheads that used to cover my nose and chin area. I’m letting the Isotretinoin do its job and it’s working brilliantly with minimum intervention from me! I have read that other people on Roaccutane do gentle exfoliations with baking soda and other products, but in my opinion that’s only going to make my skin sore and more fragile. The backs of my hands feel sun burnt even when they rub slightly against something. I am happy using my ointment to wash with and my cream to moisturise and that is keeping my skin the best I can in the conditions it is facing!
I was out and about with the family today and I felt very confident in my appearance for the first time ever. I didn’t have any foundation make-up on my face and no massive ugly painful spots! I think (and I never would have dreamed that I would ever say this) that in the future after my treatment, I will be wearing only eye and lip makeup and no more foundation at all.

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