Finally! Week 1

Hey now!

I started this blog to document my experience taking Accutane. While considering whether to go through with this treatment, other peoples' videos and blogs were really helpful in my decision. As an African American woman, I haven't been able to find many Accutane videos or photo blogs by people of color, so I hope to also give other women of color with hyper-pigmentation an idea of what they may experience on Accutane.

So...I have finally started Accutane! I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get this medication. I have suffered from acne on and off since I was 12 years old (I'm 26 now) and although my skin has gone through a lot of changes over the years, the acne has always returned. As an adult with acne who has tried everything from the over-the-counter washes and creams to prescription topicals and antibiotics, I visited my new dermatologist knowing that my last option was Accutane. After looking over my skin and discussing my past treatments, my Derm quickly prescribed Accutane, did a pregnancy test, blood work, and signed me up for iPledge. I spent the 30-day waiting period watching others' Accutane journeys on Youtube and doing as much research about the drug that I could. Unfortunately, when I came back for my 2nd pregnancy test and prescription, there was a mix-up with my health insurance needing prior authorization to cover the drug and it took so long to resolve that I missed the 7-day window for filling my prescription. So...I had to wait two more weeks to take another pregnancy test and get my prescription. My health insurance STILL gave me a hard time about covering Accutane, and my doctor had to call and ARGUE with them to cover it, but I finally got it! YAY! Victory!

So today is Day 2 of my Accutane treatment. I am on the generic form, Claravis. The plan is 40 mg per day for the first month and 80 mg per day for the remaining 4-5 months. I've read a lot of other peoples' recommendations for products to use while on Accutane, but for now I'm sticking with what I'm used to until it becomes a problem. I'm using Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser and Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture with SPF 15 for moisturizer (If my skin gets too dry for that, I'll probably try Cetaphil Moisturizing cream at night). I'm already addicted to lip balm and will stick with my Kiehls #1 Lip Balm until my lips prove too dry for it, in which case I'll probably try Aquaphor. I already use lotion morning and night and will stick with Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion for the summer at least. I'm hoping that I won't get too dry, especially since I live in Atlanta and it's July, but I have no problem moisturizing like crazy if I do.

Yesterday and today, I've taken my pill with dinner but both days it made me slightly nauseous anyway :( Not too big of a deal though. Obviously I'm not seeing any changes yet, but I'm so excited to start seeing it work! I'm praying for a gentle initial breakout, especially since my Derm is starting me on a half dose and increasing in the second month, but ready for it to get worse before better cause I know that's what happens for most....

I'll be uploading photos for each weekly post to document my exact changes. You can see my starting point in the photos below. It just so happens that my skin looks better at the moment than it has in months. I realize it doesn't look too bad but it has definitely been way worse in the recent past...unfortunately I don't have photos of my skin at its worst. I'm sure my low quality camera doesn't help either. But to give you an idea, I have oily skin with lots of comedones on my cheeks, forehead and jawline, occasional pustules on my cheeks, enlarged pores, and lots of hyper-pigmentation from past breakouts.

So...I guess that's about i for now! Stay tuned.