Week Three

Day Fifteen – Monday 18th March 2013The spots that I could feel under the skin yesterday have all broken out today. During the day my skin has not felt good, I thought I did not look my best, the acne has been bothering me as it has been quite nasty and painful. In normal times this would have been the start of another depressing outbreak and I would have been actively plastering on all the spot creams I could find. However, I am feeling different as I am much more positive in the belief that this is one of the last times I will have to go through this. Roaccutane is my cure. As I start my third week I am pleased to say that I still do not feel any different in myself and am not suffering from any side effects apart from the changes in the skin on my face. No emotional changes or aches and pains.

Day Sixteen – Tuesday 19th March 2013

This morning I had a lot of dry flaky skin around my nose and across my chin; more than the other days. I was surprised because it was only last night that I started the full dose of Isotretinoin. I was expecting changes with the larger 70mg dose but not that quick! Again, it was all brought under control with my new buddy Hydromol!
My mum saw me today for the first time without make up and she commented on how good I looked (ignoring the spots) and how the natural colour of my skin was better than when I covered it up with foundation. I have always used foundation through my life as a mask to cover up all the spots and tried to match the colour as close to my natural skin colour as possible. Thinking back I probably applied the foundation too thick and whilst it may have covered the spots, the make-up itself was too obvious. It’s nice to know that I can and will look better without it. Here’s looking forward to a spot free face and glowing skin colour without the make-up!

Day Seventeen – Wednesday 20th March 2013

Nothing much to report today other than how amazed I am at how quickly the spots I am getting are healing. A spot that used to last 7-10 days is now gone in three.

Day Eighteen – Thursday 21st March 2013

Last night before I went to sleep I put a thin layer of Vaseline all over my face just like I did in week two because of the increased dryness I was feeling. Just like last time this worked a treat so I think I might do this a bit more often now. I think it will work better this way rather than wait for the dryness first. I am pleased that apart from my lips and my face there is no other dryness on the rest of my body. My hair is still normal too, the dermatologist said to expect my hair to go dry and that it would be like old rope but I have no signs of that so far. He also told me to expect nose bleeds from the inside of my nose becoming dry but I have not experienced this either yet.

Day Nineteen – Friday 22nd March 2013

Nothing much to tell you today other than the leaflet in the box of Roaccutane says Isotretinoin has a very common side effect of muscle and joint pain but this hasn’t happened to me. It advises to cut down on intensive exercise so no more going to the gym for me…. did I go before? No! So far my experience on Roaccutane is a good one and I am wishing I had the opportunity a long time ago.

Day Twenty – Saturday 23rd March 2013OK so the day has come that I must make sure I put Vaseline on every night now before I sleep without fail. I haven’t put any on since Wednesday night as my skin has felt fine but I woke up with quite a lot of flaky dry skin this morning. I am surprised that the effects I am getting are only around my problem acne areas, I would have expected the drug to affect all my skin as this was the impression I was given. I am happy that my legs and arms are not drying out.

Day Twenty One – Sunday 24th March 2013

Today is the last day of the third week that I have been on Roaccutane and I am feeling positive and happy. I am so glad I decided to follow the route of Isotretinoin to cure my acne. I have no major side effects and all the minor side effects are totally manageable. The facial dryness is only when I wake and my dry lips are now a permanent feature, so everywhere I go my Vaseline goes with me! My face feels smoother and my complexion looks better than before I started the treatment.
New side effect alert: I have dry and flaky skin inside my ears in the mornings.

Click here to continue to Week Four

Q: Can I dye my hair whilst taking Roaccutane?
A: I coloured my own hair at the end of week 3 and only because my hair was still normal and healthy. It was not dry or damaged so I felt confident in using my normal hair dye (Clairol Perfect 10). It was perfectly successful for me. I was going to have a loose perm but my hairdresser advised against it due to the possible medication effects.