After many years of fighting adult acne, including cystic and hormonal, I was finally given the go ahead with Accutane from my Dermatologist. I did a full course of treatment, for a period of eight months, which included regular check-ups and increased dosages. At the end of the treatment, I was 100% acne free. I have had the occasional spot or two during my period or if I have been neglecting my skin but otherwise, I can happily say I no longer suffer with acne.
Before I started Accutane, I wish I had done some more research into what to expect, things I should look out for and how to deal with any side effects. If I had, it would have made the whole process a lot easier. So, in the hopes that you don’t make the mistakes I did, this article is for anyone that is starting or is thinking of starting Accutane. I’ll talk about some things you can expect, how to deal with any side effects or unforeseen symptoms and, some product recommendations to help you deal with the treatment.
You’ll Become Dryer Than A Desert Baby
When my Dermatologist said: ‘Expect some dry skin.’ I didn’t think much of it. I already had a solid skin and body care routine that included hydrating and moisturising products, so I was already prepared for that right? Nay, nay. I was wholly unprepared.
Before Accutane, I had oily/combination skin. In fact, my t-zone was incredibly oily and it was a daily battle against the shine. However, three months into my treatment, my skin began to change. I no longer had an oily t-zone, in fact I no longer had oil anywhere.
At first my face just felt a little stiff in the mornings and I noticed my skin was drier than usual after bathing. No big issue, just apply a little more moisturiser and good to go. However, three to four months in and oh my, it was not a good look. I would wake up and my face would physically hurt from how dry it was. My lips were so cracked and peeling, that the skin would come off whilst I ate. Gross I know, but it got that bad! Now, for someone who had never had dry skin before, I realised that what I thought was a hydrating and moisturising routine, was basically like simply showing my skin hydration, instead of actually applying it at this point in my treatment.
I ended up going out and purchasing a bundle of dry skin products to try and rectify the situation. Heavy moisturisers, sleeping masks, facial oils, lip masks, the works. I did manage to get it mostly under control within a few weeks of a new routine, but my lips remained a cause for concern until a few weeks finishing my treatment.
So, if you’re starting Accutane, try to be prepared in advance. Honestly, I would start treating your skin and lips as though it were already dry as soon as you start. I found that using a sleeping mask and a facial oil every night alleviated my dry skin for the most part and, for my lips I packed on the Vaseline and lip oil, reapplying constantly. Not to mention I drank a lot of water, atleast two litres a day. As for after bathing, I mixed any two lotions together or used a lotion and body butter, to keep my skin moisturised throughout the day. I topped up any particularly dry areas with a body oil. I’ll list some examples of what I used below.
I feel it is worth mentioning before moving on, that my skin never went back to being oily/combo, even though it’s been a year or more after my treatment. I now have normal skin, for the most part. Though my pores are still visible, I rarely get excess oil or dry spots, as long as I keep my skin hydrated. So, you may never go back to the skin type you originally had, so you may want to prepare for that change aswell.
Did You Know You Can Overdose On Vitamins?
Accutane is a naturally occurring derivative of Vitamin A and the higher your dosage gets, which will increase over time, the more Vitamin A you are intaking.
I have always used supplements and vitamins for my overall health, including my hair, skin and nails. These, also contained Vitamin A. Now, I was never actually told by my Dermatologist about the Vitamin A in Accutane and unfortunately, only discovered this several months into taking it. I discovered it when the underneath of my hands and around my finger nails began to turn dark orange. Yes, orange.
As it turns out, I had been for some time, overdosing on Vitamin A, because I was still taking my own supplements along with Accutane. Of course, this could have been avoided had I checked the ingredients list beforehand. However, it was also something I would have thought my Dermatologist would atleast mention, even in passing. Nevertheless, when I finally figured out what was causing the sudden discolouration, I immediately stopped taking my supplements and it disappeared in a few weeks.
So, if you take any of your own supplements and vitamins containing Vitamin A, you’ll want to stop using them before you start Accutane. If you’d rather not drop them completely, then try to find alternatives that don’t contain Vitamin A.
Are You Sure You’re Not Pregnant?
Whilst on Accutane you are required to attend regular check ups with your Dermatologist. They will check how you are feeling, if you have been experiencing any of the possible side effects, (which there can be quite a few if you are unlucky) and, whether you are pregnant. Every check-up, atleast here in the UK you will be required to take a pregnancy test at the start of your appointment, as you absolutely cannot be pregnant whilst on Accutane. Again, this is something I didn’t know, so it took me two bottles of water and half an hour just to get into my first check-up, as I had to do the test beforehand. It didn’t matter that I have a coil or, that it was lockdown and my fiancée lived across the other side of the planet. No test, no treatment. So, keep that in mind for your check-ups.
It’ll Get Worse Before It Gets Better
Now purging isn’t unusual when it comes to taking care of your skin and, you will see a lot of purging with Accutane. For me the timeline went as so:
Month 1 – 2: No change.
Month 3 – 4: Purging. Skin was horrendous. We don’t talk about it.
Month 5 – 6: Purging had stop. My skin was recovering. Little to no new acne.
Month 7 – 8: No new acne, skin had fully recovered from the purge. Just the hyperpigmentation left to deal with.
So, whilst the purging is happening, its paramount that you keep up with your skincare regiments to reduce the damage where possible. The last thing you want to do is end up with even more scarring. Keep your skin hydrated, use gentle acids to keep your pores clear and skin exfoliated and drink a lot of water.
If You Touch Me, I May Just Burst Into Flames
This sort of ties in with the dryness I mentioned earlier but, I feel this deserves a paragraph of its own. Your skin, will become incredibly sensitive. By which I don’t mean you’ll feel a slight tingle here and there when you exfoliate. I mean you’ll think your face is on fire if you aren’t too careful.
I ended up having to drop around half the products in my original skincare routine because I just couldn’t take applying them to my face. If I did, it would sting horribly and turn red, resulting in a sore face for hours afterwards. I couldn’t use any physical exfoliators and, chemical ones were incredibly limited. I couldn’t rub too harshly or use hot water and, I’d be lucky if I could use a toner or serum with any highly potent ingredients. It was overall, a bit of a mess.
Just like the dry skin, I hadn’t experienced such sensitivity before. How I ended up dealing with it, was going through and completely removing or, replacing products with gentler versions in my routines. I would also layer up on hydrating and soothing products. My routines looked somewhat like this:
Morning:
Cleanser – Toner x2 – Essence – Serum – Moisturiser – Sunscreen – Soothing Spray.
Night:
Cleanser (if I was wearing makeup, if not straight to the next step) – Chemical Exfoliant – Toner x2 – Serum – Moisturiser – Sleeping Mask – Facial Oil – Soothing Spray.
I doubled up on toners, both gentle and watery to give my skin some extra hydration and to soothe it from the cleanse. If my skin was particularly bad, I skipped the cleanser all together and just used cold water. As you saw, at the end of both routines I would use a soothing spray. The golden child of choice for me was the Neutrogena – Clear & Soothe Toning Mist (£3.99). This product was an absolute godsend. After a few minutes my skin would calm down and, it proved to be very refreshing and lightweight. I reapplied it during the day if I felt I needed too and it didn’t ruin any makeup I was wearing. There are a lot of soothing mists on the market but, this particular one is formulated for acne-prone skin and has turmeric in its ingredients list, which is well known to be beneficial for problematic skin. There were a few days where my skin was so bad, I just washed it with cold water, gently patted it dry and then applied this spray and, that was that.
Now that I’ve finished with Accutane, I realised my experience with it was rather mundane compared to others. It is incredibly important that you are very aware of the possible side effects and prepared for them. It’s also worth noting that for around 30% of people, two or even three courses of treatment are necessary, as the acne can come back. Accutane is no game and it can be life changing, you just have to ride the waves.
Stay hydrated and thanks for reading!
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