Skin after Roaccutane

I finished my second round of Roaccutane in March this year. 

This is my skin now:

 

As you can see I still have spots, enlarged pores, oily skin, and scars!!!

My skin is not perfect and this bothers me but the result this time is so much better than the results from the first time I took R.

My dermatologist said that some people need to be prescribed more than once for it to make a difference and also that regardless of age acne can return and there's the potential I'll need to take it again.

I'm constantly scrutinising my skin and am still very self conscious, but I will now go out without makeup (only to walk my dogs but still- progress!).

I have regular Micropeels to remove dead skin cells and try and get rid of some of the scarring...

I'd love to hear how everyone else felt after finishing their course of Roaccutane!

- Natalie

Start of month 5

Sorry I've not posted in a while but let me continue from where I left off (40mg Roaccutane per day, month 5):

As you can see my acne was clearing up well at around month 5! I am so pleased with how Roaccutane has helped me this time, especially after being so disheartened with it the first time around.

I was (and am) still getting a few spots and my Dermatologist said that this is normal; I should still expect to get one or two spots every now and again but R should stop me getting so many so frequently.

I kept getting scabs, like the one on my chin in the picture above, that weren't spots but more like tiny open wounds ( that's the only way I can describe them). My mum said maybe it was because my skin was so dry it was causing it to crack! These took a while to disappear and it didn't matter how much I moisturised. I also had a line of dry skin down my nose which looked scaly and was raw if the skin peeled off- I think that happened because I was scrubbing my skin a bit too vigorously when trying to get rid of flakes.

The main problem I have been having is dry lips!!!! I do NOT remember this being such a problem last time 

The sides of my mouth cracked and every morning when I went to brush my teeth my lips would be stuck together and would bleed when I opened my mouth- it was painful. The sides have healed but I looked like I had cold sores on both sides.

The skin all over my lips kept (and still is) peeling causing them to bleed in the centre. All of this was very annoying because I love wearing lipstick and wearing it would just draw attention to the problem! I tried every type of lip balm I could think of but none really made a difference- I just kept reapplying, tried not to lick them to avoid drying them even more, and drinking lots of water.

Another problem that started occurring at around month 5 was that the inside of my nose started bleeding; at the moment the inside of my nose is full of scabs and if I blow my nose the scabs come lose and the inside of my nose stings... 

I am, however, happy with my skin at the moment. It's not perfect and maybe it will never be but it's so much better than it ever has been.

I'll do a post about my skin at the moment as I am in the middle of month 6! I hope you all had an excellent Christmas and New Year 💕

- Natalie

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