Ahh I can not tell you how happy I am to have another month under my belt! It is such a good feeling to know I am that much closer to being done with this life altering medication. This month has certainly been much easier than the last two. My headaches have drastically slowed down, making day to day life so much more bearable. I cannot say whether that is because my preventative headache medicine is finally working as it should or I've gotten adjusted to the new lower dose at 20mgs.

So what have I noticed this month?

Pros:
- Fewer to no headaches
- The continuance of lesser and lesser breakouts

Cons:
- Still have extremely dry eyes
- Terribly dry and peeling lips
- Dry Hair
- Dare I say other lady areas are also becoming quite dry! EEK!
- I'm starting to see my acne scars more prominently
- My under eye area is so thin
- Dry nose, constant scabs/ bleeds in nose

Well as you can see the cons seem to out weigh the pros. There are days I question whether this is worth all the cons but I'm trying to stay positive and remind myself this is only temporary. Things will improve and only get better. 

I never noticed how terrible my acne scaring was until this month. I knew I had some deep pores that needed some correcting and pigment problems but I never realized the depth of my skin issues, pun intended! I've yet to talk to my dermatologist this month but from what I've learned thus far I can guess the reason I can see my scars so well is because my skin has become quite thin. It's especially bad around my chin. I hope I can fix this in the future. I can't tell you enough how much it bugs me. It's weird seeing your face change so much in such a short amount of time, I haven't had a lot time to adjust.


When I first looked into accutane I didn't find a lot of informative blogs sharing about their experiences. Most of the information I found was in chat forms about experiences that where hard to believe because there was no story to follow. Or if there were their photos were terrible, mostly consisting of web cam picts. I would like these post to help others who might be considering some form of Accutane. If there is any questions I can help answer please don't hesitate to ask.

As I mentioned above, there are several drying cons. Living in Colorado, the weather is already very dry and in the winter it's even dryer. Despite winter being the dryest time of the year, I've actually picked the best time to do accutane. Your skin is more likely to get burned and even get skin cancer while on this medication. Then add the fact that I am 6,035 feet above sea level and that much closer to the sun... well that really raises the odds. I believe my doc said I had a 40% higher chance. No thank you! The reason winter is better is because we cover our skin more. I'm greatly hoping to be finished before summer is in full gear. *fingers crossed*



Last time I mentioned I was going to share a bit about my current skin routine. I'm really limited as to what I can use. Most of it is really heavy and while I'm sure it's great for wrinkles and night use (which I love) day time isn't as great.
 All of the following products were recommended by my dermatologist except #6 which was recommended by my optometrist. With the exception of #7 they are all over the counter products that you can find anywhere from Walgreens, Target, to Walmart and everywhere in between.

1. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser - I've been using this skin cleaner for years. It's wonderfully mild, smooth (Like lotion), and NEVER feels irritating on the skin. It's so mild you can even leave a thin layer on. I don't but it says you can. It's even mild enough for baby. I love how soft my skin feels after using it.

2. Vaniply Ointment: Skin Protectant / Dry Skin - My dermatologist gave me a wonderfully large goody bag full of samples to try. So many that honestly if I wanted, I wouldn't need to purchase a single product through the whole duration of this medication. But eventually you find faves... anyhoo, she suggested I use this under and around my eyes. Unlike some of the other ointments, this one is lighter and even works under makeup as long as you blend well.

3. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream / Sensitive Skin - I honestly bounce back and fourth with my all over face creams. It depends on how dry it is outside. This one is mild and light, one of my favorites. But as dry as my skin is, I have to sometimes apply it twice. However I prefer this over the heavier creams and ointments that feel very greasy on the skin

4. Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion - As long as my skin isn't miserably dry, this is my general all over moisturizer. It's light, non greasy, and keeps my skin from feeling chapped for a time. I also love that it isn't heavily scented, just a nice faint shea butter and oats smell. When my skin is extremely chapped I use the ointment version of this lotion.

5. Aquaphor Healing Ointment - This is the one and only lip balm I prefer to use. I have a few others that I dabble with but this is the only one that gets the job done right. My lips are so chapped ALL THE TIME. I'm really bad about picking at them too. This ointment is wonderful for helping to keep me from being a shriveled raisin, well mostly. I've tried other lip balms but the waxy content of them builds up on your lips fast! When you're applying your lip balm about every 15 mins or so it gets gross.

6. Blink Gel Tears - These eye drops are like my lip balms, they're EVERYWHERE! Don't get the other kinds, they can irritate your eyes over time. These hydrate your eyes. They do a pretty good job too, sadly my eyes still hold a lot of redness/ irritation and as such I wear my glasses more often than I ever have.

7. EpiCeram - This is a cream my dermatologist prescribed to me for my dry skin. It basically helps create a barrier on your skin and alone it's nice but adding another lotion over it is like power charging your regular lotion. It's extremely good for those who have eczema.

I'm not a doctor so please be sure to ask your own dermatologist if you are unsure about any of these products. I've had people ask why I don't use natural products. I am always open to the idea of natural products, I still use my homemade natural soaps. I probably always will. Unfortunately when it comes to lotions and face creams I have terribly sensitive skin and I get irritates easily.

Sorry for the EXTREMELY long post! Oh but one more thing I forgot to add to the product pic above... I mentioned drying of a certain lady area. Accutane (claravis to be specific) is to blame. My gyno recommended a product called Refresh. Basically a inserted lotion. It works wonderfully and I completely recommend it! I had no irritation what so ever, this coming from a gal who is very sensitive to products. You can find this at Target.

Take Care,
Heather