Karen’s Roaccutane Diary - Week 4

Karen
 

Karen

Thursday 08 November, 2007

Posted in Roaccutane Diaries

Well today marks the one month!!! Yah!! Been a good month all in all. The side effects were (and still are) uncomfortable but once you get used to them and get on with remembering stuff (like no, you will not get away with not lip balming for the day!!) then it’s fine. AND SO TOTALLY WORTH IT.So for anyone just starting or thinking about it then please, it really is worth it and don’t dwell on the side effects as the benefits far outweigh them.

As suspected I did jinx myself last week and had an absolute cracker of a migraine on Tuesday - not good :(…am not blaming the Roaccutane though as I am a migraine sufferer and am under a fair bit of stress at the mo so was expected.

And as I was poorly I didn’t moisturise or lip balm (no point since I was being sick twice an hour for 8 hours) and lordy did I notice a difference on my skin and my lips! So last night I went to bed with a thin layer of E45 and then a thin layer of Vaseline on my face - worked a treat I have to say!

Lips were a bit of a ‘mare but I have been whacking the nipple cream on as advised by Abi as the Chapstick just wasn’t cutting it anymore and I also have a cracked sore looking thing going on at the side of my mouth - lovely!! But nipple cream is fab and doing a good job. Am going to ask Santa for a tube of Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream though as a wee treat for myself!

Had a hospital appointment today. I assumed it was an appointment with the dermatologist but that is not until next month. So was slightly late for appointment and you NEVER get taken on time. So rush in and then dive for the loo as I was bursting.

Come out to hear the nurse shout my name and her face fall as she realised I had been to the loo as I have to do a pregnancy test - arrrgghhh!!!! Didn’t think I would get taken so quick! However, 30 minutes later and a 750ml bottle of water and we are good to go.

Blood test taken and pills handed to me and advised that it’s next month (not this) that I get doubled up. I also asked the person who gave me my pills (who was a dermatology pharmacist) something I have always wondered - day and night creams, are they an advertising con or does your skin need a seperate one? And the answer is that yes, your skin DOES react and repair differently in light and dark so having separate creams is a good thing! So there you go!!

Got my KMS shampoo which is lovely - would recommend it. Scalp feels soothed and hair nice and shiny and soft.

So there we go. I have a sore back and neck, dandruff, shove Vaseline up my nose to lubricate it and my skin always has a ‘warming’ sensation to it, but do you know what? Couldn’t be happier - am so chuffed at the improvement of my skin after only one month that if I had to stay this way then I would be happy to do so but am so looking forward to the next 3 months to finally see decent skin appear on my face.

I only wish that I had been taken seriously in my teens and 20’s but never mind.

Hope you’re all well :):)

xx

6 Responses to “Karen’s Roaccutane Diary - Week 4”

#1 SR says...

thats great karen thanks for the day and night cream thing - i was wondering bout that too!

wen u say a sore back and neck…do you mean the muscles hurt, or with the dry skin?

im on my 4th day now and only really noticing a less oily face! im dreading the dryness tho as i already have dry skin on my arms :S eek

good luck with it, sounds like its going well :)

November 10th, 2007 at 2:32 pm

#2 Leah says...

Hey Karen,
Glad u’re feeling so positive! Me too!
Definitely get the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream - it’s miracle stuff!
I know what u mean about appointments - I never go in on time either - even when I was the first appointment at 9am! I even saw my derm walk in late, after I had arrived!!
Take care, and well done on your first month! Time flies! X

November 10th, 2007 at 5:57 pm

#3 Karen says...

Hi SR - my sore back and neck is due to muscular and join pain which started about 2 weeks in. I now take Ibuprofen 400mg (up to 3 times a day) and it’s certainly helped alot.

Good luck and keep us posted how you get on and please don’t dread any of the side effects - so worth it for the end result I promise you! So long as you moisturise morning and night then your face should be okay. If it does get a wee bit flaky then the layer of E45 and Vaseline at night both effective and cheap!!!

Hope you’re good and going okay :)

xx

November 10th, 2007 at 11:16 pm

#4 Karen says...

Hey Leah!! How’s you chick? :)

Was having a wee peruse on eBay and I also saw an EA 8 hour lip balm so am not sure whether to get the cream or just the lip balm….maybes I could get the lip balm and then drop not so subtle hints about the cream!!!

Hope you’re doing well and the lips aren’t too bad - gotta get them in good nick for the party season ahead!!!!!

Take care :):)
xxx

November 10th, 2007 at 11:18 pm

#5 Emma B says...

Hi Karen

Before I started the Roaccutane I didn’t use to moisturise at night. I remember a herbalist I saw for a while (another avenue explored) saying I shouldn’t need to. Did feel it gave my skin a break from all the lotions/potions etc, plus my skin would be greasy by the morning anyway.

I had been using E45 but still waking up with random dry patches, and i’ve now switched to Elaves intensive moisturiser, so going to see how that compares. But should I be using an actual ‘night’ cream, as wouldn’t know where to start, theres so many different ranges. Are you mostly using the E45 at night?

Its the corners of my lips i’m having to watch, they’re looking pink..just like they do before i get those annoying splits. Other than that the dryness is ok.

I wish i hadn’t left it so long to see a Dermatologist, I don’t think i would have done it myself, I needed to be bullied (in the nicest possible way) by a friend. Its wonderful that you’re feeling so positive!! : D X

November 15th, 2007 at 9:25 pm

#6 Karen says...

Hiya Emma - thanks for reading my entry :)

Bit of a story re my night cream!! Since starting the treatment (5 weeks ago), I have tried 3 night creams as my skin was a little bit tight in the morning. It’s fine during the day as I moisturise and then I went out and bought a tinted moisturiser that was too dark for me and my usual foundation a shade lighter than normal and I mix the two. Usual coverage on face but extra moisture!

Anyways, last week was really floored with a migraine and didn’t moisturise all day so face v flaky which is when I tried the vaseline/E45 combo which was great so next night I just used some E45 to see what would happen. Didn’t think it would do much as was quite ‘watery’ compared to night creams I had tried but it is absolutely brilliant! My skin is so soft in the morning and doesn’t have a tight feeling at all. I put a medium layer on so that you can still see it and then just let it sink in.
Can’t recommend it highly enough.

Corners of my lips are a bit cracked too. Tip I got from Abi was Avent nipple cream and it works a treat!!

Bet you are glad you got bullied now!!! :):)

Hope you have a good week
xxx

November 15th, 2007 at 10:23 pm

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