Acne Advice Thread

Macca3000

So one week on and for a drug that is taken over a 6-8 month period it works fast. Two of the larger spots on my face have pretty much shrunk and lost their redness. Other spots look kind of dry.

Only side effect so far is dry lips, but nothing more serious than what you would expect this time of year. Just keep the lipbalm handy. Around my nose, the skin is getting a bit flaky.

It is only one week but I'll keep posting in here every so often so people can know how it's going and maybe decide to go for it (or not) themselves.

Roomic Cube

Got the aul dry lips myself alright, and my face is a tad bit dry too, never had spots on my face so its slightly noticable, growing a moustache for movember too, which is making me want to pull my nose off!itchy!!

caavan shooter

Cian92 wrote: »

That is worrying...

yaa i didnt get the bad effects of roaccutane until over a month after stopping taking the drug

matt1986

i had acne for years..then went on roacutane (hope thats the right spelling) low dose for two years and boom all my acne was gone!! through the process of the pills, i used seba med face/body wash and i give it 10/10! just worked perfect for me...first post by the way!!

Lenno87

Ive recently heard that natural honey is a very good substance for clearing up acne......Can anyone shed any light on this for me. Is it true? What is the best brand to buy?
Cheers for any info.

Screaminmidget

lads, buy 7 towels, put one on your pillow every night, wash towels at end of week. repeat untill success. simple

Macca3000

So one month on roaccutane now. The worst effects I've had are very dry skin and I've had to resort to moisturiser, which kills me because I'm just not one of those guys lol. Dry cracked lips, quite sore. And inside my nose is quite dry as well.

Apart from that the acne has really cleared up which surprised after one month on a low dose. The redness has totally gone. And blackheads on my nose and cheekbone have halved. (All a bit gross but it's worth giving people as much info as possible because it's such a hardcore drug.)

Got my first review appointment with the dermatologist next week so it will be interesting to get professional opinion. I'll let you know what he says next week.

Cian92

I shall be starting Roaccutane from the 22nd of June! Nothing else ever cleared it hopefully this will. I got the perscription filled today, just hope I don't suffer from any of the weird side effects

I've been on Roaccutane 2 and a half weeks now. It is working but slowly... Very dry skin and lips, one morning I woke up with my lips bleeding! Nothing Vaseline won't fix though. I am on 30mg, that won't be changed untill the end of July, as that is my first appointment with the dermatologist since I started Roaccutane.

About the moisturising I wasn't told wether or not to use it, so I just use it in the morning after a shower, this is when my skin is at its driest.

After 6 weeks on Roaccutane I went back for a check up! My dosage was upped from 30mg to 70mg! So that should be good. She also gave me aload of moisturisers and prescibed me this cream called ointment H for crusty parts of my skin. I was told I should see a dramatic change in my acne in the next 2 months

I was on 30mg for first month and on 70mg from there on in. Im on it now for nearly 5 months, I don't know how long I will still be on it for. It has worked wonders! Recently people keep telling me how much my skin has improved.

Side effects can be severe though, the dry skin and lips. I use Oilatum natural face repair moisturiser, as I think it is the best. Unfortuneately when I go to bed the vaseline won't last the whole night and I wake up with bleeding lips. I solved this problem by buying Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream on my lips, expensive at €30 but worth it.

Anyother dry spots not on my face (eg my arms get dry) I put on some cheap nivea moisturiser.

Probarly not much use for ye at the moment but when it is sunny, put on sun cream! I was like a lombster one day as I didn't realise it makes you more sensitive to sun.

It definitley "heightens your emotions" but I didn't realise this untill I was upped to 70mg, just watch out for it. When I didn't get this side effect originally I didn't think I would get it at all...

Overall I would say it is a miracle drug, be careful on it. I don't think I will be on it for too long more, maybe 3 months max... I will be glad to get off it, but I think it was a great descion to go on it

Well I took my last dose of tablets Saturday! According to my Deramtologist in 2 weeks my lips will be back to normal, and in a month the Roaccutane would be completley out of my system

It was definitley worth going on Roaccutane, it is a very harsh drug, but it does work. I have no blackheads left I though it might just get rid of the cystic acne, but it has gotten rid of every single spot I have. There are a few blotches and small scars left form the acne... When I look at photos of myself from just before going on Roaccutane I grimace looking at all the spots, my face is completley changed from what it was in these pictures. The changes were so rapid. My dermatologist said I was a perfect example of the drug working at its best . She also reckons that I will never ever again have to deal with acne . The figures were 80% of people my age (18) will never have acne again after being on Roaccutane.

Im just waiting now for my skin to get less dry, when that happens I will be delighted. I can stop carrying about small moisturisers and vaseline with me ( The Vaseline company must be making a fortune out of this drug).

I'll give a final post when the Roaccutane is out of my sysetm. The drug is great! I didn't believe that anything would be this good at clearing it.

Siog-Alainn

^ Congrats Cian! I was back at the dermatologist yesterday, unfortunately I'll be on it a bit more. There's a mg per kg formula and I haven't reached my target yet because I started on a low dose and have been on (and still am on) 50mg a day. Have to put up with it a bit longer but hopefully it'll be worth it Looking forward to hearing how you get on after

Roomic Cube

Macca3000 wrote: »

So one month on roaccutane now. The worst effects I've had are very dry skin and I've had to resort to moisturiser, which kills me because I'm just not one of those guys lol. Dry cracked lips, quite sore. And inside my nose is quite dry as well.

Apart from that the acne has really cleared up which surprised after one month on a low dose. The redness has totally gone. And blackheads on my nose and cheekbone have halved. (All a bit gross but it's worth giving people as much info as possible because it's such a hardcore drug.)

Got my first review appointment with the dermatologist next week so it will be interesting to get professional opinion. I'll let you know what he says next week.

pretty much the exact same with me so far, nice to see it ease off especially the blackheads on my nose they are disappearing quickly!

have to moisturise too, which is not something i'd have done before,my face is peeling/flaky and ive been growing my beard back which is super itchy now. have a tin of vaseline for my lips too as they are quite dry.

ohthebaby

Ugh I'm hating this Roaccutane at the minute. My dose was doubled a week ago and already I'm so much worse than I was before. My face is always incredibly red. It's awful. Nowhere else is red, just my face. And my skin is gone all funny so that make up doesn't sit right or else just comes off within 10 minutes, which means I can't even cover the redness. I'm really self conscious anyway and this just makes it worse. And my lips are a disaster. The only way I can describe how they feel is if you put a face mask on and then you can feel it getting hard. That's how my lips feel.

And in the last week I've been having a lot of mood swings, a lot more than usual, and been very, very down. Which makes me think the tablets maybe are behind it?

But anyway gotta keep going! No pain, no gain. I just don't want him to put it up anymore...

Siog-Alainn

ohthebaby wrote: »

Ugh I'm hating this Roaccutane at the minute. My dose was doubled a week ago and already I'm so much worse than I was before. My face is always incredibly red. It's awful. Nowhere else is red, just my face. And my skin is gone all funny so that make up doesn't sit right or else just comes off within 10 minutes, which means I can't even cover the redness. I'm really self conscious anyway and this just makes it worse. And my lips are a disaster. The only way I can describe how they feel is if you put a face mask on and then you can feel it getting hard. That's how my lips feel.

And in the last week I've been having a lot of mood swings, a lot more than usual, and been very, very down. Which makes me think the tablets maybe are behind it?

But anyway gotta keep going! No pain, no gain. I just don't want him to put it up anymore...

My face can be very red at times too. My dad commented saying "what did you do to your face?!" which was wonderfully sensitive of him but he was just worried. I don't know what your budget is like but if you can stretch to €28, I've found Clinique's Anti Redness foundation quite good. It has a dewy kind of finish too so I assume it's moisturising. My face wouldn't be red all the time though so it might not work for you. I won't be of much help with the lips as although mine are dry, vaseline is working fine for me. Make sure you mention all this at your next appointment, I doubt the derm would increase it when the side effects are so serious

Hope your mood improves too

ohthebaby

Siog-Alainn wrote: »

My face can be very red at times too. My dad commented saying "what did you do to your face?!" which was wonderfully sensitive of him but he was just worried. I don't know what your budget is like but if you can stretch to €28, I've found Clinique's Anti Redness foundation quite good. It has a dewy kind of finish too so I assume it's moisturising. My face wouldn't be red all the time though so it might not work for you. I won't be of much help with the lips as although mine are dry, vaseline is working fine for me. Make sure you mention all this at your next appointment, I doubt the derm would increase it when the side effects are so serious

Hope your mood improves too

Thanks!

I actually have that foundation! It was really good the last few weeks but I think I'm a lost cause at this stage!!!

Hope you're getting on ok with all too!

ziggy23

I was on Roaccutane for 8 months earlier this year. It is horrible to be on but well worth it in the end. As an above poster said within 2 weeks of comin off it your lips and skin will be back to normal actually your skin will be much softer and gorgeous after guys:D Stick with it it's well worth it in the end...My only regret is I didnt go on it earlier!

Macca3000

Had my first review appointment with the derm today. He was very very pleased with how I was coming along. I actually thought he was a little too excited, but anyway. He left me on 40mg for the next month and said I will probably be on that again for the third month. I was kind of hoping to be bumped up but they know best.

I've been quite lucky so far. Only dry skin and very dry lips. No headaches or mood swings. On the contrary I'm a lot happier in myself. I'm still drinking nearly every weekend and my liver functions are all fine. Still going to the gym and swimming and no muscle or back aches. But I'm not gloating yet, I still ahve a few months to go.

Macca3000

Ohthebaby, defo tell your dermatologist all this. Don't wait until your next appointment, phone them now. It says on the leaflet you get in the box to take immediate action if you get severe reactions. And particularly the mood swings. Just make sure you look after yourself. Yes, try persevere, think of the end result and all that. But if you can't enjoy the results what would be the point in going through hassle now. And it's nearly Christmas so you want to be able to enjoy that too. Just look after yourself. It is a great drug but is also one not to be taken lightly.

RockMan94

Sorry but the Doctors do not know everything they were only trained in the conventional medicine/ Clearasil is toxic on your skin and contains alcohal which strips the essential oils from your skin and can actually cause rashes and make it worse do not use Sudocream you make it worse in the long term as it will it will only clog pores and give you a nice load of Blackheads a friend reccomended that I try Clarins Radiant mask apply a small amount wow this really calmed down the spot and left it on by morning was already healing and its gentle try it out

Insect Overlord

RockMan94 wrote: »

Sorry but the Doctors do not know everything they were only trained in the conventional medicine/ Clearasil is toxic on your skin and contains alcohal which strips the essential oils from your skin and can actually cause rashes and make it worse do not use Sudocream you make it worse in the long term as it will it will only clog pores and give you a nice load of Blackheads a friend reccomended that I try Clarins Radiant mask apply a small amount wow this really calmed down the spot and left it on by morning was already healing and its gentle try it out

Doctors know a hell of a lot more than you do

Most of us would agree with you about Clearasil, though. Pointless stuff. Have a read through the rest of the thread to see that.

WhoDat

I get mild acne around my forehead and along my jaw line, just below my ears. The spots are quite sore and a little bit itchy (which doesn't help with trying to not touch them), which is the main thing that's bothering me. They aren't ridiculously noticeable, so they're not getting me down in that respect, but they're just kinda painful. Any recommendations on how I could get rid of them? A friend of mine said Sudocrem works well for mild acne.

Roomic Cube

Missed my first check up appointment, had it recheduled for next week though doing ok at the mo, lips can be quite sore at times, and my face has been very dry and a little flaky because its hard to moisturise under my beard, thinking of shaving it off.....

my eyes have been watering up alot lately which to me seems strange as id have expected em to be the opposite, i'll say it to the derm in my checkup

had no trouble drinking when i go out so that's been pretty normal,
moods been pretty good from what i can tell too altho I asked this girl I like out for a drink and got shot down so that was pretty lame, but other then that its been grand so far

Dave!

I was on roaccutane for about 2 years, pretty rough stuff with annoying side-effects, but it did the job... eventually I think I was a rare case, most people only need to be on it for about 6 months.

Siog-Alainn

Yesterday a few things went wrong all at once. Insignificant things, which normally I'd be a little annoyed at, or if I've had a particularly bad day I'd have a little cry over. Last night though, I cried far longer than I should have, about 20 mins. I wonder if that's Roaccutane?

corcaighabu92

Will someone please tell me if clearasil is any good??I just cant get rid of some spots. What about Sudocream?

Roomic Cube

corcaighabu92 wrote: »

Will someone please tell me if clearasil is any good??I just cant get rid of some spots. What about Sudocream?

Long story short, no, I think that's the answer you'll get from most people here

Give sudocreme a go, it'll dry out the spots pretty well usually

corcaighabu92

Roomic Cube wrote: »

Long story short, no, I think that's the answer you'll get from most people here

Give sudocreme a go, it'll dry out the spots pretty well usually

Thanks, was kinda of guessing that was the case.

Non-alcoholic, soap-free face wash, followed by Benzoyl Peroxide, followed by non-alcoholic, soap-free moisturiser seems to be helping for the last week or two, but it's not really been long enough to tell. I might post here in another few weeks.

I get a really nice benzoyl peroxide cream called "Quinoderm" which contains 5% active ingredient as well as an anti-bacterial, and it's in a form which easily spreads across my face.

So cool. :cool:

Sigma Force

My 11 yo has very bad skin (since she was 7!) and have tried the usual brands but someone mentions Minox, has anyone tried it am going to see what doc says and give it a go.

I found sudocreme didn't work really her skin is itchy (it is acne though) but I find a good quality Calomine lotion helps relieve the itch and dry up the acne without drying out the skin.

As someone said it's a combination of diet, fresh air and conventional treatments. Don't like to use medicines but am hoping the Minox might help.

ohthebaby

Ugh this Roaccutane stuff is really annoying me now. My face is so dry, it will just about take foundation but after about an hour I look like a 12 year old who can't put on make up to save their life. It goes all clumpy and not blended looking. And my face is so red all the time! It's awful! It's so embarrassing. And my spots have gotten worse. My lips are so sore and dry, I went through three tubes of Blistex intensive moisturiser in just over a week. I have two coldsores, I have never had one before. My hair is like straw and my nails are all breaking, which is weird and highly distressing for somebody obsessed with nail varnish and the likes. So yeah I don't like Roaccutane anymore.

Roomic Cube

ohthebaby wrote: »

Ugh this Roaccutane stuff is really annoying me now. My face is so dry, it will just about take foundation but after about an hour I look like a 12 year old who can't put on make up to save their life. It goes all clumpy and not blended looking. And my face is so red all the time! It's awful! It's so embarrassing. And my spots have gotten worse. My lips are so sore and dry, I went through three tubes of Blistex intensive moisturiser in just over a week. I have two coldsores, I have never had one before. My hair is like straw and my nails are all breaking, which is weird and highly distressing for somebody obsessed with nail varnish and the likes. So yeah I don't like Roaccutane anymore.

chin up you :P

Review with the Derm today, bumped up to 70mg I've a feeling it's gonna get a bit heavy duty now. Least I didnt pass out getting the bloods today, Skin is rather dry, my eyes keep tearing up which is bloody annoying as it looks like i've been bawling my eyes out!

scoopmine

Has any1 had any success with face masks or is there any ones suitable for male skin prone to spots?