skinformation.net

Note the sunburned nose. Wear your sunblock religiously while on Accutane!

Right cheek, 10/10/06

Left cheek, 10/10/06

Forehead, 10/10/06

I have just finished my 16th week of my Accutane treatment. My skin is still clear, and it’s still sensitive; not much changes from week to week at this point in the game. I think I’ve fully transitioned from being excited about the improvement in my complexion every week to being excited that I’m nearing the end of my treatment.

This week I noticed a teeny tiny itty bitty little bump under the skin on the right side of my jawline – I have succeeded in not picking at it, but I do touch it a few times a day to see if it’s still there. Why is it there? Why do I have this little pimple-esque bump thing on my face when I have been dutifully taking my Accutane for four months? I try not to worry about such things, but obviously, I do. As much as I try to relax and stay confident that my skin will remain smooth and clear when I am done with Accutane, I do harbor a little bit of fear that my acne will flare up again; but really, who in my situation wouldn’t be at least a little bit worried? In other (miraculous) news, the cyst near my right ear is just about gone. In fact, I can only feel that there is something in that spot when I apply a decent amount of pressure with my finger; if I just lightly run my finger over that area I can’t even feel the cyst at all. I bet it’ll be gone in two weeks.

As for side effects, I still have the same ones: super sensitive really dry skin, insanely dry lips, and muscle soreness. A few weeks after the muscle soreness started, I thought it had reached the height of its intensity, and that it would just stay at that level until I was done with my treatment. Alas, I think my muscles are generally stiffer now than they were a month ago, though other variables (activity level, stress) are in play so I can’t be certain it’s due to the Accutane. The muscle soreness is the side effect I am most excited about being rid of when I finish treatment as it is by far the most bothersome. Though I am looking forward to kicking my obsession with lip balm!

Over the past three weeks or so I’ve been getting intermittent headaches, and I toyed with the thought that they might be Accutane-induced. Headaches are always one of the side effects I’m asked about at my monthly dermatology checkups, and my impression is that headaches are one of the side effects that are taken more seriously. I’ve come to the conclusion that my headaches had nothing to do with Accutane, but were instead caused by too much working and not enough sleeping and relaxing. I really do believe that stress is the worst thing for the body/mind/spirit; it affects everything so negatively.

Despite my lips peeling off my face and my continuously sore muscles, lately I have just been feeling so grateful for Accutane. Anyone who’s struggled with acne, especially severe acne, knows exactly what I mean when I say that being rid of acne has completely changed my outlook on life. The resolution of such a huge problem, and subsequent dissolution of the emotional and psychological burdens that come along with it, has given me the inspiration and energy to focus on making a multitude of positive changes in my life. I hope that my experience encourages and reassures those of you who are currently suffering with acne – regardless of how you choose to treat your acne, please get treatment because there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and boy, is that light bright!

Wow, week 15 already! It’s amazing how quickly time passes – when I first began my Accutane treatment, Fall, and the end of my treatment, seemed so far away. Hard to believe I only have about 5.5 weeks left until I hit magic week number 20! I’ve been wondering if I’ll actually end up taking Accutane for longer than 20 weeks, though, because of iPledge, and the way Accutane is packaged. I’m excited to finish my treatment, but I have to take it for an extra week or two I won’t be bothered at all.

This past week saw a few interesting developments – that is, if you consider pimples interesting. Surprisingly, I had a few tiny pimples on my face, the first I’ve had in a really long time. They were very small and came and went within a day or two each, but I was still a bit unnerved, especially being so far along in my treatment. Of course it was extremely difficult to not mess with them – after all this time of not touching my face due to both a lack of anything to mess with, and amazingly sensitive skin – I was still tempted to touch the pimples! Willpower won out, thank goodness, and they disappeared without leaving a trace.

I have been wondering what could have caused these little blemishes, especially three all at once in random locations (cheek, chin, forehead). I haven’t been eating as well as usual lately, but I’ve also eaten much worse at other times during my treatment. And I don’t think girly hormones are to blame, based on the timing. Who knows? Let’s hope that’s the last of ‘em. Let’s also hope that if I happen to sprout any invisible (yes, these could only be felt, not seen) pimples when I’m off Accutane I have the good sense to keep my hands away from my face, and my cortisol levels low by not freaking out or worrying about them (we all know worrying will only make even more pimples!)!

In other news, I got sunburned yesterday morning. Ran out to the local farmer’s market around 10 am, thinking it would be a quick trip. Of course I’d forgotten my sunscreen layer – I’m often out so early in the morning to go the farmer’s market or the gym that I only use moisturizer, so I think it just didn’t occur to me that I was running later than usual yesterday. And wouldn’t you know, 10 am is peak sunshine time, which means my cheeks and nose were a nice bright pink for the rest of the day (today only my nose is still pink, which looks even weirder!). I will post pictures later on this week so you can see, laugh, and learn from my mistake. I will now put on my sunscreen even when I go to the gym at 6 am and it is still dark!