My experience with accutane

I don't know about you but my skin has always been a mystery to me. I've always had those ignorant tiny bumps that estheticians and dermatologists would call them clogged pores since puberty. They itch sometimes, which is really annoying. Not to forget the angry pimples that come and go and leave their "footprints" behind. Topical creams/gels like benzoyl peroxide are rather helpful in killing those angry acne but the tiny bumps choose to stay permanently no matter what I do. They just will not go away.

How I started with accutane:

Several visits to different dermatologists had not cleared my face off acne. They prescribed me with differin, clindamycin, benzoyl peroxide, etc as my skin looked minor to them, but those were not much helpful. Then my mom brought me for some facial acne extractions and the girls there told me that my skin will get better after several sessions. So I went for facials every week and after a month or two, all I got were more scars and acne. They told me it was just a normal purging but I couldn't believe it and stopped going for facials after that. It was too painful for me anyway.
My struggle continued until my sister recommended to me a dermatologist who prescribes accutane. So I took the medication and it worked like miracle pill to me. My face got super dry, sensitive and was initially flaking but I continued anyway until I started seeing significant improvements. My face was almost flawless, I was truly awed.

It was also then that everything went wrong. All it took was just one wrong decision. I was on the 2nd month of accutane when my worrisome mum started nagging at me to stop the medication as it was a strong medication and could indeed cause other side effects such as depression or much more worse. Asian mum. "There is no miracle pills!", she said. So what happens when you put a worrisome mum and an obedient daughter together? I stopped accutane. HUGE mistake. My skin stayed almost smooth and near perfect for about 6 months until it started wrecking havoc again.

After 10 months from the time I stopped accutane, my face has turned super sensitive and the redness was, wow, "remarkable". I looked as if I was walking around with a red mask everyday. It is the worst when I blushed. Seriously, I HATE IT. Anyone can tell when I'm embarrassed. Millions of tiny bumps and clogged pores seems to have gradually formed, which I have no idea how to deal with them. The roughness was incredible. I felt like rubbing on sand paper when I washed my face. Just a gentle brush of a strand of hair against my face could cause itchiness that can make me go insane. I turned into an easy target for promoters. Try this, try that. Nothing helped. Anywhere I went, people would stare. My skin was so terrible that even when I was travelling, people would stop by and asked me about my skin and gave advises on what to do, recommended dermatologists, etc. It was very kind of them but embarrassing to me. My self-confidence was ruined, I don't even want to look at myself in the mirror.

I changed nothing from my skincare routine. What could have went wrong? In an effort to self-treatment, I slathered clay mask, but it made my face even more drier and rougher; I slathered hydrating mask, but it caused clogged pores. I went facials, endured an hour of facial torture each time, but nothing helped. Nothing I did seems right. My face was flushed, itchy, rough and oily. Finally, my last resort is still accutane.

" The bumps on my skin has subsided by 70% due to the powerful oil control ability of accutane, however the improvement is never the same as my previous experience with accutane anymore. "

I am currently on accutane for the 8th month whereby my medication has gradually reduced from 1 pill everyday to 2 pills a week. Of course, the bumps on my skin has subsided by 70% due to the powerful oil control ability of accutane, however the improvement is never the same as my previous experience with accutane anymore. My face is never near flawless anymore. Although I haven't had a single acne since taking accutane, there are still bumps on my forehead and the scars from the previous flare up remains. I can still feel itchiness on my face every now and then.

Lesson learnt:

Always follow the prescribed course of treatment for accutane. If the dermatologist tells you to take it for a period 9 to 12 months, just take it as told and finish the course. Never be your own doctor.

In fear that those pesky tiny bumps and acne will conquer my whole face again once I finished my course, I'm constantly researching and sending myself out to search for the best suitable products for my skin.

Having shared my experience here, I wonder if any of you have had accutane too or the same itchy, tiny, bumpy skin as mine. I would like to hear from you on how you deal with it.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/do-acne-facials-work-15649