jennifer: Jen & Accutane: Stats, scars, photos, and stuff!
August 7th, 2009I LOVE Sparks’ statistics. I’m shamelessly copying her because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Total time on Accutane: 5 months, 6 days (with a one month hiatus after 5 months)
Total ingested: 7,980 mg
Target total: 9,900
Percentage of target total ingested: 80.6%
Number of horrible active blemishes: 0
Number of secret evil blemishes waiting to surface: 1 (and it’s been lurking for months!)
Number of days to go: 24
My face gets red and irritated when I take Accutane. During the one-month hiatus, my skin calmed down. It felt good, but the red scars are more prominent on a not-red face. When you finish your course, be prepared for that. Now that I’m taking Accutane again, I actually look better… except for my raw red mouth. It looks really bad in today’s pictures!
So yes, I still have scars. But they don’t bother me much. And Kenny, before you ask… Scars go away when they are given TIME and NOT PICKED. Period. 
I’m not putting any miracle potions on my face. If Accutane has taught me anything, it’s that my skin is happiest when it is left alone.
Every time my dose has been increased, I’ve broken out. I was afraid that would happen this time, but it hasn’t–and I don’t think it will. Yay! Still, I wish the evil monster lurking near my eyebrow would surface and then go away. It’s invisible and harmless right now, but I’m afraid it’s waiting to show its ugly face before a date or job interview or something like that. Grr.
Right now I spend less time in front of the mirror than ever before. When I had acne, I always felt like I needed to be perfectly groomed at all times, with straightened hair and lots of makeup, to make up for my zits. For some reason, I thought that my curly hair made my acne look worse. That might sound weird. But I didn’t want any extra attention drawn to my my face, and people tend to look at curly hair. And red is my favorite color, but I avoided wearing it because I thought it made my acne look redder. But now I’m happy to look natural, and I don’t worry about those things. It’s so freeing.
Something weird happened yesterday.
You know how when you’re broken out, you’re afraid that someone will say something about your face? My mother has always talked about my skin. She is VERY acne-conscious because she had bad acne when she was younger. She used to comment on the condition of my skin every time she saw me. She made me feel terrible, and I began to dread seeing her. Then I began asking her not to comment on my skin. Sometimes she refrained from commenting. Often, she didn’t.
Yesterday I went to visit her, and she complimented my skin. This is so weird, but I became angry. I told her that when I asked her not to comment on my skin, that meant no comments, period. I’m so tired of my mother judging me by the quality of my skin. Good or bad, I don’t want her to judge me anymore.
So, as they say, life doesn’t become perfect just because the pimples go away. But it IS worth it.
Without Accutane, I could NOT face the job interviews that are coming up in a few months!
I hope the Accutane is treating you well. If you need to complain, let’s do it together. School is difficult now, so I’m in a complaining mood!
Yes, my mouth really IS that raw! Ouch.
Someone else mentioned that she had more blonde hairs growing on her face now. Me too! Here you can see them on my jawline. I SWEAR it's the Accutane. Has anyone else noticed this?
Okay, ‘bye! xoxoxo
kennygawne
7th Aug, 09
ya skin is looking
atare them pics no makeup shots aswell ?
x
Mary
7th Aug, 09
I’m very happy that you have had such wonderful results with your course. I am heading into week 18, Clavaris 60 mg a day. My dermatologist has decided to push my treatment out to 24 weeks because I’m actually still getting spots. The weirdest thing is that I don’t get the nodules anymore and nothing that really comes to a head but it is almost like where a pimple was going to be this dry patch of skin forms, scabs somewhat, and then will fall off, usually sooner than later because I often pick them off without even realizing. The entire part of my lower chin just keeps peeling off in sheets. It is weird. Also I have these spots on my back and I never had an issue with acne on my back. Go figure. I feel like I’m experiencing some depression, only in that I really thought I would be looking at clear skin in the mirror by now. When waking this morning and seeing about 7 red open sores on my face I could have cried. I’m seriously thinking of just stopping it now but then I hesitate because I have already put so much time into this. Any advice/comments?
atfanniemarie
7th Aug, 09
Hi Jen,
atYou’re looking great, well done you. I also have longer blonde hairs on my face, I’ve always been a bit ‘downy’ on my face, but have noticed recently they are more prominent…weird!
Take Care
FM
sparklypickle
7th Aug, 09
Hey Jen, I am very flattered…:D….and also jealous of how much better your skin looks than mine!! All my photos seem to show the downy blond facial hairs too, its quite bizarre….for sure not picking is the way forward. sadly i) I have developed a yummy painful cyst on my ear….and ii) I picked at that SAME blackhead again once it had almost healed and made it all scabby again…shame on me. I will have only taken about half the dose you have for your course, I really hope that’s enough because ‘I’d be gutted if the whole pimple party came back to town.
sorry to hear about your mum’s attitude, I get much the same thing about my weight…she always has something to say and its either that I look ill and am I eating or that I look ‘healthier’ now that I’ve put on weight!! shame you can’t choose your parents eh?
Sparks x
atkennygawne
7th Aug, 09
ryt if u pick a spot
atwill it cum back in the same place several weeks later ?
x
sparklypickle
7th Aug, 09
I picked a blackhead but did not manage to remove it therefore it remained in my skin until I finally removed it a couple of days ago, but this has cause more damage than it was worth!! If you do not get all of the spot contents out on the first go you will probably find the spot does not go away…and you get angry red patches of skin and scabs. I don’t see why you would have one in the same place several weeks later! but picking spots is bad! I’m just an idiot that’s all.
Sparks x
atjennifer
7th Aug, 09
Aww, thanks everyone! Y’all are so sweet.
Kenny: I smeared a little cream blush on my cheeks 12 hours before these pictures were taken. Other than that, no makeup.
Mary, I had the same sort of blemishes around weeks 10 – 15. They weren’t cysts. They were dry discolored patches that usually didn’t come to a head. If you can keep from pulling off the flakes, they are nearly invisible. My dosage was a little higher, maybe that’s why that phase ended a little sooner for me? The good news is that if you don’t pick them, they won’t look bad. And it will pass! Also, my doctor told me she thinks the side effects are worse with Claravis. She won’t prescribe it. Maybe another brand would work better for you?
FM, I was beginning to think I was going nuts. Or growing a beard! But I think it’s true–Accutane make the downy hairs more prominent. Maybe we can have them waxed away after our courses are finished.
Sparks, you are looking WONDERFUL. Go back and look at your pictures from the beginning, then see how lovely you look now. You have nothing to worry about.
It’s a good thing that you have long pretty hair, because no one has to see the cyst on your ear. Not picking is the beauty secret of the year. Well, that and using an eyelash curler. I may run away to join the Bearded Lady Circus. Want to join me?
Ugh, mothers. Want to trade?
atjennifer
7th Aug, 09
Kenny, this is what my doctor says: When you pop your spots, you damage the walls of your pores. When the pore srupture, pus and bacteria are spilled into the surrounding area. This nastiness infects the area around the first spot, and you’ll get more spots. Not necessarily right on top of the first spot, but very close to it.
Also, squeezing your skin makes it look red and irritated. Spots look better when you leave them alone until they’ve come to a head. And if it’s a cyst that won’t come to a head, definitely don’t squeeze it, or it will look much worse!
atnatalie
7th Aug, 09
Jen your skin looks amazing x
atlosttommy
7th Aug, 09
Hey, im just wondering Jen, im on week 10 right now currently taking 60mg for about two weeks now but I have still had a few spots come up, not as many as I would get usually. A week before I got these spots I had nothing come up, It’s made me feel really low, I was just wondering at what week you had no new spots at all coming up ?
P.S My skins looks basically how your skin looked at week 10, and also your skin looks lolvye in pictures : )
atx
jennifer
8th Aug, 09
Thank you, Natalie!
Tommy, the turning point for me was week 14. If you look back at the old pictures, you’ll see a HUGE difference between weeks 13 and 14. I’ve had a few very small blemishes since then, but no big breakouts. Keep going… you’re almost there.
atclaire72
8th Aug, 09
Hi jen
Your skins looking really good, i know what you mean about having to look perfectly groomed in all other areas when we had spots, i longed to wake up and shake my just got out of bed hair, but if my skin was bad i just felt scruffy, even if i had straightened my hair and was dressed nice, but didnt put any make up on( just at home,not outside) I felt scruffy, but like you i am enjoying this new found freedom, when i wake up and my hairs wavy, i feel good, it’s so different when youve got clear skin. and as for the downy blonde hair me too !!
atclaire