How many tablets do you take a day?

I recently started taking 70mg and unfortunately the pharmacists had to give me a mix of 20mg and 5mg tablets

Today I took 10 tablets!

- Natalie

End of month 6

I went back to my dermatologist today for a monthly checkup; I've been taking R for 6 months now (mostly at 50mg) and I'm still breaking out. As this is my third time on R I would have hoped it would have cleared my acne up quicker and been completely effective! 

There hasn't been a day that my skin has been completely clear, you might look at pictures and think "what's she complaining about? My skin's much worse than that" but if I'm still getting spots now (6 months in and on the third course) what will happen when I stop taking it and it's out of my system? Why does it never work properly on me? 

At the moment I have 2 large puss filled spots in both of my ears that have been there for about 2 weeks and don't seem to be going! Every day when I wake up and at least one of my ears is filled with fluid!

Because my skin is so dry I keep getting tiny scabs on my face, mostly on my forehead.

My lips are very dry and wearing lipstick is literally impossible because my lips peel constantly.

Anyway, I explained to my doctor that I have still been getting spots and they decided to up my dosage to 70mg. I've only ever taken up to 50mg but they hope the increased dosage will help stop my spots once and for all. 

I'm due back in 3 weeks to check my progress and I'm hoping it works!

- Natalie

Month 5 (50mg)

I am now on my fifth month of my third course of Roaccutane!

I'm still getting spots; some days my skin looks smooth and I start to get excited thinking "this is it!" and the next day I wake up and i'm covered in new spots and I feel like I'm in a never ending cycle of disappointment. 

Today I woke up to an array of tiny spots on my cheeks and jaw.

I have a lot of blackheads on my cheeks and they seem to be developing into tiny whiteheads.

 

As you can see, my lips are still cracked in the corners. Every day I wake up and open my mouth the brush my teeth and they split down the sides leaving me looking like the Joker in Batman... 

I've definitely noticed my hair has been less greasy and last week I managed 3 days without washing it!!! That is unprecedented; before this course of R I was washing it every night and waking up to it being greasy the next day!

That's what makes me worry about my skin when I stop taking R; I've already taken 2 courses and my skin still went back to the way it was before- who's to say it won't this time?? I can't bear to be a 26 year old woman who still has the insecurities of her 16 year old self. 

I'm still completely paranoid about my face and the way I look; I scrutinise my reflection constantly and when people are looking at me and I see their eyes flicker across my face I'm convinced they're judging me for being ugly.

I feel bad because there are horrific things going on in the world right now and my problems are so insignificant in comparison, as often as I feel sad I feel guilty because in other ways I am so fortunate.

- Natalie

Start of month 4 (50mg)

The inside of my nose is all dry and bleeds whenever I blow it, my lip has been cracked at the side for about 3 months and often bleeds, the tops of my arms are incredibly dry, I sweat a lot, and I'm still breaking out daily.

Other than that everything's great...

- Natalie

Burning hands

The tops of my hands are starting to burn again; i have been keeping them moisturised and have been applying Eumovate when necessary but i can feel them starting to develop a rash like last time.

You can see the rash starting to develop and it feels hot/burning.

I've applied some more Eumovate so I'm hoping that it stops a rash from fully developing.

- Natalie

Eumovate

So I bought the Eumovate as recommended by the Dermatology nurse last week!m; If you read my post Rash on hands you will see the pictures of my red, rough, scabby hands (a common side effect of Roacutane).

You only need to use a very small amount; a small, pea sized amount will cover the back of your hand entirely. As it is a topical steroid it is recommended that you only use it twice a day and you shouldn't need to use it for longer than 7 days, obviously if it has had no effect in that time period you should see your doctor.

You shouldn't use it: on your face, genitals, or between your toes.

I literally could see a difference the next day, my hands are smooth and you can't even tell there was anything wrong with them! Honestly, my hands were so rough and red that people were making comments about them. This has made such an unbelievable difference and it cost me less than £7.00!

- Natalie

Start of month 3

I went back to my Dermatologist yesterday for my third prescription of R. 

This time around I've been seeing my consultant on the NHS; I don't have insurance and the consultations and prescriptions are so expensive! For my first appointment I saw my regular consultant but yesterday and the time before I saw two different nurses who were able to prescribe me the Roaccutane. Yesterday I saw a lovely nurse who upped my dosage to 50mg; she noted that the majority of my spots were around my jawline/neck and said she would increase my prescription to try and make the medication work quicker. 

Here is my face after completing 2 months on 40mg:

I'm sure I've mentioned this before but just for the record my skin isn't actually yellow- it's my face cream...

Anyway, as you can see I'm still spotty and they happen to be those horrible big, sore spots that are really difficult to cover with makeup. Today at work I was embarrassed when people spoke to me so I avoided eye contact with them; my friend, who knows I take R said "I don't know why you take them, they just make your skin worse!" Which upset me. Why do people always have to have an opinion on things they know nothing about??? 

Acne is such a horrid thing to have; I was going to send my friend a snapchat before and didn't because my my skin looked hideous in every photo I took. I feel very lonely.

- Natalie