jennifer: Jen & Accutane: Week 21.5. clear skin. a confession. pictures.
June 27th, 2009Hi everyone! How are you?
I’m late putting my post up this week, so let’s call this week 21.5. It’s been an uneventful week. I’m still taking 80 mg per day. I’ve had no new spots. My skin is dry. My lips are chapped. I’ve still never had a nosebleed, and my back pain is still mild and easily relieved with gentle stretching. The only change is that this week, for the first time, my skin below the neck is dry. Suddenly my arms, stomach, and shoulders feel so dry that they tingle and itch. Until now, only my face had been dry. It’s probably due to sun exposure; I’ve been taking walks during the day and I spent a few days by the pool last week.
My mood continues to improve. I was very sad for a while because I was dreading the loss of my best friend. I knew she was moving to New York City soon. I think Accutane made me more emotional than I would’ve been otherwise. But now that Samantha has left, I’ve discovered that life goes on.
And since I have clearer skin, I’m more confident about going out and meeting new people. My skin remarkably clear. It doesn’t seem like my face! I feel like I’m wearing a nice mask. I even leave the house with no makeup! The marks from old zits are less visible. They’ve turned light brown instead of red.
My face is so delicate that I don’t do much to it. I wash with cool water in the morning. In the evening, I wash with Cetaphil cleanser. I avoid using moisturizer unless absolutely necessary. I never, ever touch or pick my face. I use Aquaphor on my lips at least ten times a day.
Hey, what was that about touching and picking my skin? Hmm?
I am going to make a confession: I think I caused my acne by picking my skin too much.
Before Accutane, I squeezed my face. A lot. At first I just squeezed the occasional spot. Then I began to squeeze tiny bumps that weren’t visible to anyone else. I absentmindedly ran my hands over my face while I read (and I read a lot) and picked at any area that didn’t feel completely smooth. The more I did this, the more irritated and broken out my skin became, so I did it more, so my skin became worse, and the nasty habit spiraled out of control.
It was like an addictive form of self-injury.
Being told that I needed Accutane was a wake-up call. I decided that after day 1 of Accutane, I would stop picking. I relapsed a couple of times, but I think I’ve kicked the habit. I know that Accutane has helped my skin, but I think keeping my hands off of my face has helped, too. Talking about this is weird, but I think that if I share this information, then I will be less likely to pick up the habit again. I also hope that maybe if anyone else has this problem, then it will help to know that other people do it, too. I found this website that might be of interest to anyone else who picks their skin too much: http://www.skinpick.com/
Today I had my monthly derm appointment. The doc says everything is going well. She wants me to take 80 mg for one more month, just to make sure the results will be permanent, and then I ought to be finished. Yay! 
Okay, so I hope everyone is having a good week, feeling happy, and using LOTS of sunscreen. I’ll close with a few pictures.
I cannot believe I am posting a picture of myself with NO MAKEUP on the internet.
The acne scars are quickly fading.
kennygawne
27th Jun, 09
omg amazing
ati hope my skin looks like yours soonnnnn though
are your red marks fading quicker now
that you dont have acnex
vivi
27th Jun, 09
Amazing!! Your diary was one of the first I read when finding this site and seeing your before and after photos (as it was only last month so you were already way into your treatment) really encouraged me to call my GP. You are such a beautiful woman and I can’t wait for my skin to be as clear as yours!!
Well done for going through with it!!
Vivi
atx
(And I’m also a picker…. I found myself absentmindedly scratching a spot on my chin just now reading your post……. Hm, better stop that!!)
sparklypickle
27th Jun, 09
Me too..my mother has been accusing me of self-harm by picking at my face for years and I always denied it….but i suppose now that I am letting it heal, its is so muhc better… I will check out that site
thanks jen!
Sparks x
atkennygawne
27th Jun, 09
are the generic forms of accutane the same
atand i heard thiss bizzare thingif you put sunscreen on red marks they heal quicker neva heard this one before
i also heard rubbing potatoes on them makes them fade
dno wt 2 believe lol
jennifer
27th Jun, 09
Kenny, I’m not a doctor, so I don’t feel qualified to answer these questions. I’m taking a generic form called Sotret. My doc says some people think Sotret has milder side effects. My acne heals quicker with Accutane, but I’m not sure about the scars. As I said last week, I was so covered with acne that I didn’t even notice the scars before. Now it takes the marks a few months to fade. I’m leaving my face alone and giving my skin time to heal itself. No potatoes or potions for me.
Vivi, thank you for your kind words.
I’m so happy that you’ve been inspired to begin treatment! I hope it works for you. Don’t get discouraged if it takes a while. I didn’t see the results I wanted until week 14.
Sparks, my mother used to say the same thing to me. I always hated that, probably because deep down I knew she was right. Anyway, I love your comments and especially the way you track the stats. Your skin is looking GOOD! If you lived in Nashville, I’d take you out for a beer to celebrate… after we finish treatment, of course (or maybe not, heh heh heh).
atfanniemarie
29th Jun, 09
You are looking fantastic well done, I’m so pleased your very rocky journey is working and you’re nearing the end. I wish I’d know about the picking a long time ago. Luckily dianette held off my acne for sometime otherwise I think I would have spread it further. In a weird way it helps that my skin feels sensitive as I’m less likely to touch it and I also have my fiance saying ‘don’t pick!’
at