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1. helen

   

   17th Mar, 09
   

   hi abi your skin looks great. im 4 months into my second course of roaccutane, im praying that this course mite do the trick but as you know thats not always the case! how long after your second course did your acne return? mine slowly crept back after a few months and became worse than ever, i am still getting quite bad breakouts but they clear up pretty quickly. im sure first time round my skin was much clearer by this stage. have you found the improvement in your skin different every time?xx

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2. Abi

   

   17th Mar, 09
   

   Hiya Helen!

   After my second course i had clear skin for about 7 months and then started to break out again so decided to have a third course before the situation escalated!! My derm told me that sometimes the sebaceous glands don’t stay shrunk so your pores can block again and the spots return, so i’m hoping after a third course that my sebeceous glands have taken the hint!!!!! What dosage you taking and for how long??

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3. helen

   

   17th Mar, 09
   

   i started on 20mg this time as my acne was quite bad and the derm said because of the likely initial breakout he didnt want them to be horendous! there was a slow but good improvment and at 12 wks he doubled my dose, that was 8 wks ago and my skin has only just started to calm down. i had constant breakouts as soon as my dose increased and the sunburnt face and dry skin came back worse than ever! i dont know how long this course will be, derm says to see how it goes,im back there nxt week and im guessing it will be a fair bit longer. how long was your second course, i mite mention to the derm about a low dose for longer like you, did your derm think this mite improve your chances of not relapsing?xxxx

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4. Abi

   

   17th Mar, 09
   

   Hey again Helen,

   For my second course i was given a short course so i didn’t end up taking my “cumulative dose”. On my third course i made sure i ended up taking the amount i was supposed to (your derm should calculate this for you).

   I decided to take a lower dose for longer as i wanted to draw my course out aslong as possible, my skin is really good whilst im on roacc, so i wanted to be on it as long as i could. Whilst taking roacc i feel much more comfortable as i know theres something in my body fighting the spots! Also, taking a lower dose means sides effects are reduced
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5. Kashfia

   

   26th Mar, 09
   

   Hi Abi

   Great to see your skin all clear and glowing! Unfortunately for me its not all good news :’( After 10 months of almost clear skin its coming back again!! I have been getting boil like ones and have been prescribed Duac gel. Have you tried this? Do you know if this works at all? I am contemplating roaccutane again. Did you do your treatment through a private doctor? Would you be able to give me an idea of costs, in case my GP delays referring me through NHS….oh I feel so frustrated right now!! Take care and hope you don’t have to go back to it again.

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6. Abi

   

   26th Mar, 09
   

   Hiya Kashfia,

   I’m so sorry to hear you’ve relapsed, it’s so frustrating isn’t it. I’ve never tried the duac, but in my experience, not many of the creams have been particularly helpful.

   I went private the last 2 times i used roaccutane as the waiting lists were stupidly long through the NHS. My consultations with the derm cost £60 and my prescriptions cost about £30 each month. Luckily I have very kind parents who helped me to pay. You also have to pay for your blood and pregnancy tests, however, i used to get my pregnancy tests done for free at my local doctors then take confirmation that i wasnt pregant to my appointments, so that meant i managed to save some money that way.

   Good luck with whatever u decide to do!

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7. Kashfia

   

   27th Mar, 09
   

   Hey Abi

   Thanks for all the advice. Going private is really expensive!!! Your parents are wonderful to have paid for this. Luckily I am starting work next month so I am hoping that I will be able to manage it somehow. But that means cutting down on shoes and bags and eating out But I guess clear skin is a priority….

   Anyways the positive thing is this time its healing quicker and not scaring as bad…not sure if its to do with duac gel or an effect of roacc…whatever it is I feel much happier and am hoping I don’t have to go back to roaccutane. Will let you know on what I decide.

   You have been through a lot yourself, and its about time you enjoyed having flawless skin Take care.

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8. Abi

   

   30th Mar, 09
   

   Thanks Kashfia, I’m definetly enjoying my skin being clear, just praying it lasts!!!!

   And i know what you mean about clear skin being a priority. I’d like to come off dianette now i’ve finished roacc, but i came off it last time i finished a course and i broke out again, so i think remaining on it will hopefully keep my skin clear, even though it makes me a moody mare!!!!

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9. Becky

   

   29th Apr, 09
   

   Hi Abi, I started following your diary posts a while ago now (prob about 18 months ago) when i started my course of roaccutane, i took it for 9 months and it cleared my skin up great, (apart from awful scarring which never healed)
   But after a whole year of clear skin its come back with a vengeance!!
   I have these huge boil like things on my cheeks and really sore spots all around my lips.
   I went to my G.P who took one look and wrote the letter of referral to my derm straight away,
   my appointment is a month away and im counting the days!
   My skin is so sore and red & angry, im getting to the point now where im cancelling going out and want to hide away
   I start my new job as a nurse soon and am terrified i’ll scare the patients!
   my last reaction to roaccutane was similar to yours, the dryness took over everything.
   but i remember thinking how worth it it was to have clear skin!
   reading your diary gives me hope that, even after a second or even third course, my skin will stay clear
   Anyway sorry ive gone on!!
   I look forward to reading your next post….im always eager to know what your skin is doing as my experience with roaccutane seems to be following yours lol.
   becky x x x

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10. Abi

    

    30th Apr, 09
    

    Hiya Becky!

    I can completely relate to how you are feeling right now. It is so disheartening to go through several months of roaccutane, get clear skin, and then it starts to get bad again. After my first course my skin stayed good for quite a while but then i was put on the pill “microgynon” and suddenly all my spots started coming back! I was so gutted cos id got a new bf who had never seen me with bad skin so i started avoiding him. I tried very expensive and completely useless laser treatment (all it did was cover me in little red bruises – very attractive!). So i guess it was around then i realised that i wanted a second course of roaccutane. It worked an absolute treat and my confidence came soaring back, but then after about 7 months my acne started returning. I have to say at this point i became incredibly depressed and rarely left my house because i just felt so self-concious. I managed to convince my derm to let me have roaccutane again, and now, 2 months after my third course, my skin is still looking fabulous!!! I am still taking dianette and i think that is helping to keep my skin clear, however, my GP said i’m only allowed to take it for another 3 months as the levels of oestrogen in it are very high and it can be dangerous to be on it for prolonged periods of time. Therefore I am quite concerned that when i have to come off that my skin could break out again. I think in that circumstance I would ask my derm to be put on a low dose of roacc on a long-term basis. I think for me, it’s just such a relief to know that there is a tablet that can completely clear my skin up, cos when i was taking antibiotics for years and years and they were doing nothing, i honestly never thought my skin would ever get better. Someays i’m in the shower and il be washing my face and the skin feels smooth, and i still can’t believe it, after so many years of touching my face and feeling bumps and scabs.

    On another positive note, even though after my 1st and 2nd course my acne has returned (not as bad as pre-roaccutane though), my skin has never gone back to how oily it was before roaccutane, and i also used to have bad acne on my back, and after my first course of roacc, iv never had another spot there since!

    Really hope your new job goes well for you, and try to stay positive, once you are back on the roacc i’m sure you will start to see improvements in your skin in no time Let me know how you get on!

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11. MrSingh

    

    4th May, 09
    

    Hey Abi, I just stumbled on your website just today and have been reading for the past few hour’s and can see why you choose roaccutane, I strongly believe that I need to take this drug also to treat my acne.

    In regards to my acne it started when I was near enough the same age as you I was about 12 – 13 years old and can remember working for my dad at his warehouse and due to this I was working with a lot of wool fabric around me…. I broke out with a rash on my shoulders and also chest and back… thinking it was just an allergic rash I went to the doctor and was prescribed some pills and a cream… for about a month my acne had gone and the treatment had worked… however within a few months it was back again all over my torso/back and now and then my face this was also after forbidding myself to wear wool ever again…… from then on I tried near enough most of the treatments the NHS would allow me to take from creams such as Benzoyl peroxide (which ruined a whole load of my wardrobe due to the bleaching), the zinc and sulphur lotion and then the antibiotics ( minocycline and tetracycline)… I took tetracycline for about 6 months and for a while saw a small difference… there was a definite clear up of the area of any new spots but still had a lot of scarring so decided to take some vitamin e supplements and also creams to try to clear the scars. In the past month the acne is back and it seems with vengeance, i don’t even get small whiteheads anymore they are usually the big cysts fair enough my face isnt to bad but I need to get my Chest/Back and shoulders sorted out as I cant go on like this it’s even painful when i lie on my back to try go to sleep due to the spots i get….

    I’ve decided I need to bite the bullet and go private so hopefully if you get a chance to read this can you send me an email in regards to advice where I can go private for some roaccutane treatment…

    wishing you prolonged clear skin…

    Mr Singh.

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12. abi

    

    5th May, 09
    

    Hello Mr Singh,

    It sounds like you have endured a very long and tedious battle with your acne! From my experience, the only treatment that really makes any true difference is roaccutane. Unfortunetly, you have to try everything else first before they will let you take it! As you have tried several treatments already, your best idea is to see your GP and tell them you wish to try roaccutane as everything else has failed for you. They will either refer you to a dermatologist or you can ask them about where you will be able to see a dermatologist privately (i choose private as you can normally get an appointment within a week).

    Good luck!!!

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13. MrSingh

    

    6th May, 09
    

    Thanks for your speedy reply, will contact my doctor tmrw… I rang a private clinic near me today and just for an initial appointment they asked for 150 – 200 pounds and then any other costs will be extra such as blood tests and so forth…. I guess I will see what the doctor says and see how to go about it.

    If it comes down to it I think going private will have to happen even if you end up paying a high cost as long as you get clear skin then it does not matter.. will keep you updated.

    Thanks again

    Mr Singh

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14. dan

    

    24th May, 09
    

    hey…looking good! i’ve just started my third course as well…

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15. jennie123

    

    27th May, 09
    

    Hey Abi,

    Your skin looks amazing! I was wondering whether you’d be able to give me some advice? I’ve just finished my first course (2 months on 30mg, 2 months on 40mg and then finally 2 months on 50mg) and I’m starting to get spots under my skin again. Its been nearly 4 weeks since I took my last tablet and my skin has got slightly oily again and I seem to be getting new spots every day. They do seem to go quite quickly but its so hard to have to deal with it again after you’ve had clear skin. I also had open pores around my nose/cheek area and they all went and now they’ve come back. I’m not sure what I should be doing? I’ve just moved to London too so I don’t even have a dermatologist down here and worry if I went to one they wouldn’t think it was bad enough to be on roaccutane ( Don’t get me wrong, its no where near as bad as it was before I went on the tablets but I’m worried that it’ll just get worse, plus the condition of my skin doesn’t look at all as good since coming off the tablets xxx

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16. Ryanw

    

    7th Mar, 10
    

    how have you managed to get three courses of R, in your before picture you have 4 spots..

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