Week One

I've been dealing with acne for a long time now and I am fed up!  I'm 26 years old and it has never been this bad.  It even hurts to wash my face at times.  I have tried topical stuff both from the store and from the doctor, antibiotics, cleansing systems (i.e. Murad and the like) and nothing has worked.  I am at the end of my rope.  I decided to go on Accutane recently as a last resort because I just want it gone.  I was nervous because of all the possible side effects but honestly, having clear skin is more important to me at this point and will hopefully outweigh all of that.  I am getting married on November 7, 2009 and I would really like to have beautiful wedding pictures that don't include caked on makeup all over my body.

I started on 60mg of Claravis (generic Accutane) a day last Friday (20mg 3 times a day - but I take them all at once at dinner time).  Already I definitely can feel and see a difference.  I am starting to have a lot of dryness on my face, especially around my mouth and nose, but I don't think I've had any new developments since I started.  I am using Aquaphor ointment that I got religiously on my lips to keep them from drying out.  Last night, I had a hard time falling asleep because my scalp was so dry and itchy.  I contemplated taking a shower around midnight just to get it to stop.

This morning, I took pictures of my face after I washed it and pictures of my back and chest after a shower.  I am going to try to post pictures and blog weekly to track my progress.  I'd say I'm starting out with moderately severe acne on my face, and moderate on my back, shoulders, and chest.

My back after a shower

My chest after a shower