Week 4

It's the beginning of week 4 and I'm definitely seeing improvements since last week. I'm still slightly dizzy from the roller coaster ride of last week - I can honestly say that was THE worst breakout of my adult life! I had huge, inflamed pustules on every part of my face. Each day I had new ones and each day old ones healed. I had no idea if or when it would end and, of course, since I was so focused on my skin all week it felt like forever. But, by the end of the week, I stopped getting new huge pustules and could not resist "helping along" the persistent ones I did have by gently popping them. They each scabbed over and seem to be healing - hopefully, they don't result in scarring but honestly I would rather have a few scars that take a few months to diminish rather than huge, infected, ugly pustules everywhere!

So as for this week:
Changes to my Skin
My skin has started to improve. I would say it is similar to right before I started Accutane. I have a few small blemishes on my left cheek, forehead, and along my jawline. One of the huge pustules that was on my right cheek last week is still healing and looks kind of like a flat scabbed-over bump. My skin is also not oily anymore...such a weird feeling! It's 95 degrees everyday and humid, but I don't need to blot my face or get really shiny. I'm still having some flakes on my chin and the corners of my nose, but I'll keep using the scrub once a week and drinking a lot of water has probably helped. I felt so great this weekend hanging out with new friends and being out and about - it was the first time in 2 weeks that I didn't feel totally horrible about my skin!

Side Effects
I haven't experienced many side effects this week.

Dry Lips
My lips are still dry, but not nearly as dry as during past weeks. I can tell that the more water I drink, the less dry they are, so I've been all about my Nalgene bottle every day.

Dry/itchy scalp
My scalp is still mildly dry and itchy, but not as bad as past weeks. My locs also seem a little fuzzier at the root, but that might also be because I've started exercising more regularly. I'm oiling my scalp and hair every few days and it's no biggie.

I'm really happy that most of the side effects have subsided and it seems that (*knock on wood*) the WBB phase is slowing down. My dosage will increase from 40mg to 80 mg next week when I start my second month...I'm nervous about whether I will have another WBB phase with this increase, or if my body is used to the medicine enough to deal with the increase. I've heard that most people have another flare up, but not as bad as the first one...I'm crossing my fingers that it's just up hill from here!