My journey to clearer skin with the use of Accutane has finally come to an end. My doctor placed me on the medication for seven months, and I am now in “acne remission.” I began the first month with a daily dosage of 60 mg, and I spent the rest of the cycle on 80 mg. I’ve never liked taking medication, and I also have a problem with missing doses, but I’m proud of my consistency with the medication. I only missed a few doses throughout the entire seven months.
The first few days were rough for me because I had to adjust to the large size of the pill. I gagged each time, but was eventually able to swallow without any problems. The first two months were the worst for me simply because of the changes occurring. Dryness became a new problem, and I struggled with determining which skincare products worked best for me.
Throughout the entire seven months, there were no suicidal thoughts or hair loss, and I didn’t experience additional sensitivity when I would get my hair relaxed. Still, here are some of the side effects that I experienced:
Sun Sensitivity
I never really had a sun protection plan. My normal life consisted of applying a moisturizer with an SPF of about 25, and that was it. If I stood in direct sunlight a little too long, I’d just get darker without getting burned. Times have changed as I got a sunburn twice on my face, and once on the tops of my feet and hands. I’ve also had heat rashes – something that I haven’t had since my high school all-star band camp days. After a short period in the sun, my skin would become tender and stinging to the touch. Peeling occurred a day or two later, and I got hyperpigmentation around my mouth because of it.
General Sensitivity
I found random scratches on my body because my skin became sensitive to anytime my nails touched it. A few rashes on my hands, arms, and neck appeared out of nowhere, but it wasn’t eczema.
Dryness Everywhere
This was my major issue. My nose, eyes, face (especially around my mouth), lips, scalp, cuticles, and overall body were all dry. One day my eyes were just red. I quickly adjusted to the nose and eye dryness, and didn’t use anything to treat it. I just didn’t notice it after a while.
My lips got so dry that the skin continuously peeled to the point that I lost my natural lip color and was left with this pink almost raw-looking shade. The lip dryness also sucked because it seemed as though every lip color I owned had a trendy matte finish. The nurse recommended Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm for some relief. and although it does work, I don’t like the mineral oil ingredient that leaves it feeling kind of greasy.
