Start of month 4

I am still getting a few spots here and there but not anything like I was getting in the past!

When I went to see my dermatologist last week he said he could see my skin was definitely drying out because I has no sheen on my forehead whatsoever!

You can see all my scars along my cheeks/chin; I'm still wearing makeup to cover these up but not as much as I used to!

I've had no side effects from R really other than the dry skin. I did notice I wa getting a lot more irritable at the beginning on month 3 but that seems to have (hopefully) passed!

- Natalie

My skin, end of Month 1

I have just finished my first month of 20mg Roaccutane and from today start taking 40mg!

Here's my skin after 1 month, can you see a difference?

I've not had any side effects other than dry skin! Mostly on my lips which make wearing lipstick a bit of a pain!

I went to see my dermatologist yesterday to get a repeat prescription and he said because my blood tests were fine I didn't have to have anymore!!! He said I could just buy cheap pregnancy tests and do them at the clinic to make sure I'm not pregnant but that's it!!

- Natalie

What does Roaccutane look like?

The blister pack that contains Roaccutane makes the tablets look really big:

But once you take them out of there they are quite small

They are easy to take but have a slightly "plasticky" aftertaste!

- Natalie

Cetaphil

When I went to see my Dermatologist I told him my face was really itchy and it was difficult as, because of the acne, when I scratched it bled.

He recommended products by Cetaphil; they contain no perfume or lanolin so they don't block pores, are non greasy, and are specifically designed for skin following dermatological treatment. 

http://m.boots.com/mt/www.boots.com/en/Boots-Brands-A-to-Z/Cetaphil/

http://www.cetaphil.com

It helps add moisture into the skin so I'm hoping it will help combat the dryness caused by Roaccutane.

And if it's recommended by a dermatologist why not give it a try eh? The start from £8.99 so not too bad in comparison to products I have bought in the past...

I have very sensitive skin as well so I have to be careful what I put on it, so far I have had no nasty side effects or stinging sensations. I especially like the moisturising lotion for my body as my chest/back/shoulders are particularly dry!

- Natalie

My skin, month 1

Here are pictures of my skin 9 days after being prescribed 20mg of Roaccutane daily.

- Natalie

Roaccutane, again!

So after getting slightly depressed about my skin and the fact that it is as bad as ever I decided to pay another visit to my dermatologist at Pall Mall medical (61 King Street, Manchester).

For those who live in Manchester or the UK; Pall Mall is a good place to go because you don't need a referral so you don't have to go through the process of seeing your GP and waiting to get an appointment! It's especially good if, like me, you have taken Roaccutane before as you will not have to try everything else before being prescribed R and can get it relatively quickly. However it is private and therefore expensive if you are self funding.

If you have read my previous posts about R you will know that before it is prescribed you have to have a liver function and cholestrol test (as well as taking the pill for at least a month before/ having a pregnancy test if you are female).

I however did not come prepared so after agreeing to prescribe me the Dr had to send me away while I got the tests done and told me to come back in 1 month...

... 2 weeks later I returned (I'm very inpatient) with results in hand. "When is your next period?" "Not for 5 days" *silence*. 

I didn't know this but they tend to want 2 ways to prove you're not pregnant: the negative test and for you to be on your period just before you start taking R. It is important because if you do fall pregnant whilst taking it you have to have an abortion. 

Anyway, after proving my lack of pregnancy I was able to get my prescription, a one month supply of 20mg capsules with the agreement that I should quickly move up to 40mg.

I had to get 2 boxes of 10mg so I take two a day.

I have been taking them for about 9 days now and the only effect I have had so far is dry lips. It's the kind of dryness where if you open your mouth wide enough you can feel the sides split... In fact as I was typing that I scratched my mouth and made it bleed.

I'll keep you updated of any changes and will take regular pictures of my face so we can all see the (fingers crossed) changes!

If you have any questions let me know.

- Natalie 

Micropeel

I'm feeling like I want to cry, my grandad just said to me "what's wrong with your face? There?" And pointed at my chin. Aghhhh why do people do this?! What do you think is wrong with my face?

I had my Micropeel yesterday! 

First they double cleansed my face (I like this part, I wish someone would double cleanse my face for me everyday!) and then they applied a mild glycolic people all over my face. They waited for it to dry and then over the areas that are badly infected they put a higher percentage, stronger peel. 

It tingled but didn't sting, I said from a scale of 1-10 the tingling sensation was a 2 overall.

The peel is activated with cold water so they then put strips of gauze over my entire face wherever the peel had been applied and poured cold water over it!!! By the end of it I was pretty soggy... I could feel the areas that had the stronger peel on turning very hot but once the hotness and tingling sensations had faded they took the gauze off and began prepping for the microdermabrasion.

Now I think I have a high tolerance when it comes to painful treatments on my face, I don't know if it was anything to do with the peel but I found yesterday's microdermabrasion quite painful! My eyes were watering at one point.

They even microdermed over the large spots on my chin, that was pretty uncomfortable but no pain no gain!

At the end of it they applied a cooling mask and an SPF and I was in there for just over half an hour!

I have my 2nd one booked on the 8th May so I'll see if it's made a difference before then!

This was hanging on the back of the door in the treatment room, I thought it was cute

- Natalie

Pictures of my skin today

Sometimes I feel like I'm going backwards with my skin, it's so much worse now than it has been in the last few weeks!

The majority of my acne is around my chin which, if face mapping is correct, is due to hormones. I've recently started taking Dianette again and I had hoped that that would help control the hormonal effects!

These spots are so persistent; they have been there for 2 weeks now and if one fades another pustule pops up next to where that one was!!!

I'm going for a Micro Peel tomorrow (combination between a microdermabrasion and a peel). Usually, the practitioner will avoid doing the microderm in any area where there is active acne to avoid spreading the bacteria so hopefully the peel will help get rid of it!

The spots were cystic, they've gone down a little bit now but have definitely caused scarring around that area. Lumps are the worst because even if you cover them you can still see them!

It doesn't look too bad on there but I have zoomed in quite a lot, the most embarrassing thing was that before my friend put the picture on facebook she airbrushed my face... Should I be thankful she did it or upset that she thinks my face needs airbrushing?

I was really impressed with Lorde who posted a picture of herself on Twitter naturally next to one that had been airbrushed by photographers! 

She's a good role model for young girls to have!

- Natalie

Food Intolerance catch up

So my last post was about the food intolerance test; I received this in the post shortly after writing that

There was a needle to prick your finger with (which doesn't hurt) and then a cotton swab to absorb the blood, you write your details on the container, pop the swab in, an put it in the post.

When you get the results it lists every food/drink you could possibly be allergic to. It's then split into red/orange/green categories (red being very allergic and green being not allergic at all). 

Mine came back with a slight intolerance to yeast and dairy. 

I rang the number on the form and booked an appointment for a dietician to call me to discuss the results. From that day I followed a strict diet that cut out all yeast and dairy.

Unfortunately, it didn't help clear up any acne. It was a long shot but I was hoping, after reading other people's success stories that it work.

Has a diet change ever made your skin better?

- Natalie