New face!

So this is an untouched picture of my new face as of a couple weeks ago. No makeup, just moisturizer. If you haven't seen my posts from 2009, go back and see that the change is AMAZING! It's worth the dry skin, the flakiness, the itching, the monthly blood tests, everything. I'm so much more confident now.

Super clear skin is possible!

So it's been a while since I've posted mainly because things got way crazier as the wedding got closer than I had imagined. I had very little acne by the time November 7, 2009 rolled around so I had beautiful wedding pictures! Here are a couple:

Getting my makeup done

The finished product in the mirror!

I still had some dark marks but no breakouts at all! I felt gorgeous that day. These two pictures speak for themselves.

Catch-Up Post

All right, so I've been awful about keeping up my blog but I've been pretty good about taking pictures weekly. From the pictures, it doesn't look like much progress, but it really has gotten much better. The big cystic bumps under my skin are almost 100% gone but there are still some little bumps and dark marks. My derm switched me a couple of weeks ago to 80mg a day (I was on 60mg a day for the first two months). It's making me more dry than I already was and I have to moisturize like crazy, but I'm about halfway through my treatment and I think it's going well. I haven't had any other side effects other than dryness. No depression, no vision problems, a bit of joint pain and backaches, but I think this is due in part to my increased workout schedule. I am making sure to take calcium supplements twice daily to keep my bones strong while I'm on this drug. I'm supposed to take five months total so I'm scheduled to be done right around my wedding on November 7th. We'll see how these next two months go... (crossing fingers!)

Front view

Right side view

Left side view

Chest

Back

Week Five

I have a confession. I have not been very good at not picking at my zits. :-( I have had more breakouts this week and I don't know if it's just because it's getting worse before it gets better, if it's because I'm off the Claravis for a bit, if I'm picking at them, or any combination of the above. I'm really trying to stop, but it's so hard. Especially when I see a whitehead - I just want to get the gunk out. That's probably a big reason why my forehead is much worse than it has been. Also, my back has had a few more breakouts that make me itchy and I end up scratching them without thinking about it then they scab over. I know it's gross and I need to stop. It's going to take a lot more willpower than I have right now.

I do have a new development which is interesting and I wonder what my doctor has to say about it. I've gotten itchy, painful rashes on both of my arms and nothing is really helping. I thought it may be the lotion that I've been using, but I've been using it for a while now so I don't think that's it. I'm kind of confused about what brought on the incredible dryness and itchiness on my arms. Maybe I need some different lotion or maybe it's something else. It seems like either an allergic reaction or eczema.

Anyway, pictures for week five are below. Keep in mind that this week was without any Claravis at all. Next week, I have my derm appointment on Thursday and hopefully I can get my new prescription then. So I'll have about two weeks with no medicine. :-( Maybe my skin will get back on track after I go back on it. Here's hoping.

Week Four

So... maybe I was wrong about my chest. About two days after my last post, I had a monster break out right in the middle of my chest (see the picture below). My other really annoying zit was right in between my upper lip and my nose. It got so dry and cracked that it bled almost every time I washed my face. I don't think my face, chest, or back have gotten much better quite yet, but it's only been a month. I'm not really looking foward to next week because I am not getting my new prescription yet. I'm starting a new job (with new insurance) and it will just be easier to wait until my insurance kicks in and I can save a bit of money on my appointments and medicine - it's a better plan than my other one was. So a little time off from the Claravis may or may not be a good thing... we'll see.