Hi I'm Daphne, and I just completed my 6 month course of Accutane, so I thought I would share
my experiences and tips for anyone who is currently on Accutane or is thinking about
going on Accutane.
I'm going to insert a clip where I explain why I decided to try Accutane.
So it started, maybe 10 years ago, maybe 12.
And of course it started out as teenage acne like on your forehead and like little ones
that don't really hurt and then of course it evolved to adult acne years later, which
is more on your cheeks and jawline and around your mouth and they're big and painful.
I tried a bunch of different skincare products and acne products and the only thing that
I found really kind of worked for me was Proactiv.
Which then I used for the most part of I guess the last 10 years.
It kept it under control but it wasn't perfect.
Like I would still break out and I still had these tiny little bumps on my cheeks.
Actually at one point I decided to try stopping Proactiv completely and see maybe trying some
other products again, but that didn't turn out very well.
It just came back full force like adult acne full force it was all over my face it was
pretty bad.
And I tried a bunch of different products, nothing really worked.
So I went back to Proactiv, and then it settled down.
I've used Proactiv since then, until this year I decided maybe I'd go to the dermatologist
and see what other options there were.
But really I was interested in Accutane because I have a friend who did it too and she said
it was great, so I decided that I would try it and thought it would be worth it.
And I know that you can't really see how bad my acne could be in my video, from the start,
because I was still on Proactiv.
So it's like kind of under control, so if I stopped Proactiv completely you would probably
see the full flare up of acne.
I wanted to explain a little bit about Accutane first.
It's typically a 6 month course and it's used to treat severe acne that cannot be cleared
up by other acne treatments, including antibiotics.
So I'm just reading from the manual here.
And it says that the mechanism of action is not known it's believed to act on the sebaceous
glands, reduce sebum excretion.
So Accutane does include the ingredient Isotretinoin which is a vitamin A derivative, and that's
the reason why they also recommend you not to take any vitamin A supplements because
then in high doses it would have the same side effects as Accutane, which you don't
really want more of.
You also should not be using Accutane if you are pregnant because it can cause birth defects,
do not use if you are breastfeeding, do not give blood while you are on Accutane.
I had to get monthly blood tests, I had to get monthly check ups with the dermatologist
I was told to avoid exposure to the sun, to apply lipbalm every hour, to take my pills
with meals, the fattier the better.
I was told also that I was okay to drink alcohol but I know that other people depending on
your dermatologist or maybe your blood test results you may or may not be allowed.
I was told I was allowed as long as I didn't exceed my current intake levels.
The dosage is 1mg/kg/day so it's based on your body weight.
Each pill is 40mg.
For me it was take one pill every odd day and two pills every even day, and that averaged
out to be 60mg per day.
I live in Canada so the cost is about $100 a month, so if you can get it covered by insurance
or something.
And I just wanted to say disclaimer, whatever I say does not replace the professional medical
advice from your doctors or dermatologist.
So, now I'll take you through my journey.
Today's gonna be day one officially.
Did all the lab tests and everything already.
So it looks like this.
The other thing to keep in mind is that because my dermatologist said I could continue using
my skincare products I am still using my Proactiv, so maybe that's countering some of the breakouts.
I'm noticing more breakouts, big like painful ones, skin just feels itchier, and then like
my scalp so itchy.
After a day it's like really really itchy and then you get all the dandruff.
Lips feel a little funny.
The most annoying thing right now is the itchy scalp, it's like crazy.
Couple more breakouts.
My skin is starting to get drier, my lips are still dry and they feel really weird,
they feel like numb.
And then the corners dry.
Still really itchy scalp, I find that if I wash a little more frequently it feels a little
better.
If I tie my hair up it's a little bit better because it I guess it
just keeps my hair from moving and it's less irritated.
Nosebleeds.
Saturday I got three nosebleeds within 24 hours.
One was a really big nosebleed, lasted for like half an hour.
Like it's not happening every day it's just that I'm more prone to nosebleeds now I think.
So in the last week I haven't had any nosebleeds.
Lips are still the same.
I try not to peel my lips.
Skin is getting a lot drier.
Not too many new breakouts.
Eyes are still okay, they get a little dry at the end of the day if it's a long day,
with my contacts in.
My skin's been really flaky especially around my nose, like it feels really rough and I
always just wanna like pick at it.
I've stopped wearing foundation cause it just doesn't work on the skin right now.
I've stopped using Proactiv in the mornings, I only use the Proactiv at night now and I
think I'm just gonna stop it altogether.
I'm getting a lot of dandruff, it's still itchy.
He just upped my dose but he said that I probably won't notice any increase in side effects.
Skin, overall, still dry.
In a way it's kind of nice not having to deal with oily skin but then now I gotta moisturize
a lot.
Lips are still dry.
Scalp is actually a little better.
It's not as itchy anymore.
I still get dandruff.
I could go like two days and my hair wouldn't be greasy at all, which is different.
Nosebleeds I haven't really gotten many.
I think my skin is starting to look a little bit better.
I think that the little bumps are going away.
And I've also noticed the gunk in my pores.
It wanted to like come out, like it was feeling really rough.
So anyways I used a pore strip and also this tool to get the stuff out of my pores and
it feels better now.
Decrease in scalp itchiness, but it's still like dry.
Actually slight decrease in the dryness of my face but I have noticed that my skin is
like very sticky.
Skin texture has improved a lot.
Very smooth now, I don't have the little bumps anymore.
Occasional zit.
Like that.
Occasional nosebleed, but it's easily manageable.
My eyes are just slightly dry.
Lips are the same.
Stiffness in the back of my ankles in the mornings.
So I just make sure to stretch it out.
I think those are all really just like scars.
Skin is already getting better.
It's just kind of like sticky.
Scars.
Um that's a kind of new one.
But they go away pretty quickly.
I'm halfway through already, I haven't been checking in as much because beyond the first
month or two, it kind of settles down and not a lot changes after that, at least for
me.
So I went to the dermatologist today.
I just asked him about one thing because I noticed on the back of my hands I would get
this like rashy dry reaction.
This is the second time it's happened through the course of the medication so I thought
it was related to the medication, and he said it was.
He said to just keep my hands moisturized, especially after washing.
It shows up and then lasts for like a week or two and then it kind of goes away again.
Things are pretty much stable, the other thing I've noticed is kind of really weird, I was
like am I imagining things so I googled it and I was like other people have noticed it
too so it's not just me.
But I've noticed that my nose kind of looks different.
So it kind of looks like less swollen I guess.
And when I look online, some people said maybe it's because the oil glands have kind of shrunk.
So the swelling or inflammation when down.
Basically he took a look at my skin, said it was fine and I was ready to start my last
month.
I just have to follow up with him in two months time, so about a month after I finish.
And he said there was a cream that I have to use for about six months.
He said maybe depending on how it goes like you might need to use it for longer.
That doesn't seem like too big of a deal.
I'm really yeah excited to finish because like it's really starting to take a toll.
So I'm really noticing the effect of the medication on my body.
Just feeling kind of like old.
And my dermatologist kind of mentioned today he's like yeah feeling old part definitely
comes with the medication, and it's gonna go away within like three to four months after
you finish.
So basically all of these kind of side effects stuff should go away within that time.
I would wake up in the morning and sometimes feel stiffer.
Ankle would feel stiff.
Or my knees hurt when I'm climbing up and down the stairs.
Or my low back, back of my pelvis hurts, it just doesn't feel good.
The other thing is my nasal lining, it's like I know I probably could take better care of
it, I know it sounds gross but it gets like crusty.
Now that I'm completely done I would have to say that I'm very pleased with the results.
My skin is pretty much completely clear I only have some old scars that I'm sure will
fade over time, I'm really hoping it stays this way.
I"m also going to show you the products that I used for my skincare when I was on Accutane.
I used pretty basic like simple products nothing fancy because it worked well enough for me,
but I mean everyone's gonna be different.
So for a cleanser, I just found something that was moisturizing, this one's from The
Face Shop and it's called The Real Blend Rich Cream Soap.
It wasn't drying it wasn't irritating.
And then after that I would use Micellar water just to clean up any more makeup that was
left on my face after cleansing.
Then I would finish off with just moisturizing with Aveeno's Daily Moisturizing Lotion, which
worked really well for me.
The other thing is because your skin is now extra sensitive to the sun, you'll need to
wear sunscreen, this is the one I used, but you can use whichever one you like . I used
Vaseline for my lips and for my nasal lining.
I also used a lipbalm, Nivea Essential, that I just took around with me everywhere.
I used Refresh Tears for keeping my eyes moisturized.
Most of you will want to know about the side effects.
I'll let you know what side effects I'm gonna split it into two, so the first group of side
effects are the ones that I got in the first month or two but then settled down.
There were: nosebleeds, itchy scalp and dandruff, extremely dry skin on the face, sticky skin.
The second group of side effects are the ones that remained for the entire six months or
showed up later: So achy muscles or joints or stiffness in the body.
Basically feeling like I was old.
After a heavy workout especially, I would feel really sore.
LIke in the joints, not just muscle soreness.
Dry lips.
Dry eyes.
And it got especially bad at the end of the course.
So I would wake up with eyelids kind of glued shut to my eyeballs.
It sounds so gross but it kind of really was like that.
I would wake up and be like ugh.
I actually went to the optometrist I guess after the first month or two, it was just
for a checkup but then she said that I had corneal damage from my contacts, and I was
like that's really strange because I take my contacts out everyday.
I think maybe Accutane had something to do with it, in making my eyes drier.
And then that my eyes more at risk to being damaged from my contacts.
Dry hands like I showed you, kind of like dermatitis.
It came in cycles.
Dry crusty kind of bloody nasal lining.
And then, of course, the weird changing of the shape or shrinking of my nose.
Probably not everyone experiences it but from my Google search some people do, so.
So here are some tips for people using Accutane which may or may not work for everyone just
because everyone is different, but for me, these were helpful.
So use vaseline regularly for your nasal lining and your lips.
Use lipbalm, or for other people I think they use Aquaphor.
Set a reminder on your phone to take your pills every day.
For me I set it around lunchtime so that if I did miss lunchtime, I could at least still
have dinner that day to take my pills with.
I also wrote down on the packet of pills next to each pill that date that I was supposed
to take them, like the 26th, 27th.
There was one time where I just couldn't remember if I had taken it the day before, so if your
memory is as bad as mine, then that might be a good idea.
If you do wear contacts, avoid contacts to avoid corneal damage especially if your eyes
are getting dry, you might not even notice them getting dry at first like you might not
even feel that they are that dry, but they could be.
So just avoid contacts, wear glasses if you can.
That's why I've been wearing glasses.
Until it starts to feel better I'm just gonna keep it that way just to avoid damaging my
eyes.
Use hand cream to avoid dry skin, or just use lotion avoid dry skin anywhere.
Yeah so I hope that was helpful, if you are on Accutane or if you're thinking about trying
Accutane I wish you all the best.
If you are interested in seeing an update video maybe in a few months post-Accutane
then let me know.
Yeah, thanks for watching!