Post-Accutane, Day 4
So I'm done. I made it through, for the most part. I hadn't updated since August because there really wasn't anything new to talk about. Same old side effects. Same clear complexion. I thought I was starting to sound like a broken record. I did get lax and reduce my dose to help some of the joint pain subside (instead of 80 MG every day -- two 40MG pills -- I started taking two pills one day, one pill the next). It helped, I think, or at least it made the pain tolerable again.
So. October 7 was my official end date of the 5-month course. I have happily chucked all my leftover pills in the trash can -- my dermatologist said not to worry about taking pills until they were gone, but was more concerned with the amount of time I was on the drug, so I was all too thrilled to comply. I go back on Wednesday to get one more check of my blood work, and then we'll discuss going back to using the Retin-A for maintenance or something similar.
I haven't posted any pictures of the progress, partly out of vanity, and partly because I don't really have any good pre-treatment pics. I avoided letting people take pictures of my face closeup when I started having problems, and I certainly didn't take any of myself because it shamed me to have to see how bad it had gotten. However, I did find one I could use as a 'before' comparison, and I did take a few (kinda shitty) webcam shots of the progress. I'll put these under a cut so as not to spam your feeds.
All these pics were taken post-shower, without makeup, unless otherwise specified.
BEFORE:
Taken at Wolf Night Karaoke. Not so bad, you say? Hang on...
BAM. Close-up, you can see the detail. Imagine this, but worse, and on both sides of my face. And this is with heavy makeup on, btw.
DURING:
First day:
These were taken the first day of Accutane treatment -- and keep in mind, this is after six months of Retin-A, an oral antibiotic, and a topical antibiotic. The picture isn't great, but you can kind of tell that the chin area is covered in cysts -- the skin has that bumpy, uneven look to it, even though there aren't any visible zits. Everything is buried under the surface. And for the record, very painful.
Three weeks in:
Awesome.
Five weeks in:
A little too dark. Hair is also wet and I look especially gross in these.
About two months in:
Also a little too dark.
Three months-ish:
It's now smooth, but the redness from the scarring is still there.
Five months:
I took these this past Saturday, two days after finishing. Again, no makeup. Crazy, huh?
And then, just for good measure, one where I actually look presentable:
Me and Jimmy, taken at Natural Bridge a few weeks ago. I AM wearing some translucent powder here, and just a little of the Bare Minerals makeup over the reddish spots, but that's it.
So, there you have it. I'll try to update again Wednesday after my last doctor's appointment with my final thoughts on this whole process.
So. October 7 was my official end date of the 5-month course. I have happily chucked all my leftover pills in the trash can -- my dermatologist said not to worry about taking pills until they were gone, but was more concerned with the amount of time I was on the drug, so I was all too thrilled to comply. I go back on Wednesday to get one more check of my blood work, and then we'll discuss going back to using the Retin-A for maintenance or something similar.
I haven't posted any pictures of the progress, partly out of vanity, and partly because I don't really have any good pre-treatment pics. I avoided letting people take pictures of my face closeup when I started having problems, and I certainly didn't take any of myself because it shamed me to have to see how bad it had gotten. However, I did find one I could use as a 'before' comparison, and I did take a few (kinda shitty) webcam shots of the progress. I'll put these under a cut so as not to spam your feeds.
All these pics were taken post-shower, without makeup, unless otherwise specified.
BEFORE:
Taken at Wolf Night Karaoke. Not so bad, you say? Hang on...
BAM. Close-up, you can see the detail. Imagine this, but worse, and on both sides of my face. And this is with heavy makeup on, btw.
DURING:
First day:
These were taken the first day of Accutane treatment -- and keep in mind, this is after six months of Retin-A, an oral antibiotic, and a topical antibiotic. The picture isn't great, but you can kind of tell that the chin area is covered in cysts -- the skin has that bumpy, uneven look to it, even though there aren't any visible zits. Everything is buried under the surface. And for the record, very painful.
Three weeks in:
Awesome.
Five weeks in:
A little too dark. Hair is also wet and I look especially gross in these.
About two months in:
Also a little too dark.
Three months-ish:
It's now smooth, but the redness from the scarring is still there.
Five months:
I took these this past Saturday, two days after finishing. Again, no makeup. Crazy, huh?
And then, just for good measure, one where I actually look presentable:
Me and Jimmy, taken at Natural Bridge a few weeks ago. I AM wearing some translucent powder here, and just a little of the Bare Minerals makeup over the reddish spots, but that's it.
So, there you have it. I'll try to update again Wednesday after my last doctor's appointment with my final thoughts on this whole process.