Finished my first (and i hope last) 6 months on Roaccutane! (Pics included)
Hi guys,
I just wanted to say how much of a help this website has been during my time on Roaccutane. Thanks for all the tips and support you have given me.
I came off roaccutane towards the end of last month and I am so pleased with the results. It was definately worth the last 6 months of dryness (alcohol and skin!)
Like I have said previously, I have scarring which was caused by the skin, and I believe a touch of Rosacea. I have had acne since about the age of 16 and I am finally now back to just being scarred. Which, I never thought I would be happy with but it has made such a difference. I hope to be spot free for about a year then have laser treatment to get rid of the colouring.
A couple of tips…..
dry lips: carmex worked wonders as its wet but not greasy like vaseline. Also blistex helps if they get sore. Try not to bite your lips, no matter how tempting it is, because I ended up with red bits all over my lips which showed up in photos.
dry body: a mild, perfume free moisturiser. I tried E45 lotion which worked well but I tried several as my skin reacted to different things. My arms were the worst and I got eczema-like rashed on my forearms which was very irritating. I also got “cigarette burn” style sores which went in a coupld of days.
dry face: again, I tried a lot of things but the best I found was Boots No.7 day cream, which I only had to apply in the morning
face washing: I used a neutrogena foam wash but moved on to Simple facewash because it was very mild but did the trick.
make up: i tried not to put face make up on because it would normally burn. But I would apply my moisturiser, then added Boots No.7 make up base, the green one, which neutralised the redness in my face. I then added a Loreal concealer, but just where I needed it the most. I did find that my skin would go dry quickly though.
alcohol: i tried to stay drink free for the 6 months but treated myself to a drink or two occasionally, on special occassions and my blood test results were fine. For the beer drinkers amongst you, alcohol free/low beer is a happy substitute, especially on warm summer evenings.
exercise: I found it hard to do exercise for a long period of time because I would get tired very easily and my muscles would become sore quickly. However, I managed to do the Race for Life in an Ok time so I was happy with that.
I have added two photos below. One (of me looking very boring), taken a couple of days after my first tablets to show you what my skin was like. This photo does not really show the true extent of the acne. The second photo was taken a couple of weeks ago and, I believe I look a lot happier and spot free (if not a little scared!). So for those of you out there who are at the beginning, or in the middle of your course, stay with it and be strong, you’ll get there in the end.
Take Care
Jo
