If you are struggling with acne, figuring out what products to use can be incredibly overwhelming. I have been on Accutane for the last nine months, and it has been a very bumpy road, but I can safely say that I have made it through with a few tips.
tIP 1: uNDERSTAND THE PROCESS
The first thing to do is understand what Accutane is and prepare yourself for the next 7-12 months. How long you have to take the medication depends on how your skin reacts to the medication. Here are some basic things to understand when entering this journey:
- Purging at the start
- When you first start taking Accutane, your skin reacts dramatically and breaks out severely for the first month or two.
- However, your doctor will put you on antibiotics, which will combat this effect and help you not purge. For me, I was on one antibiotic pill a day for a month, and then I went to two a day for the second month and I did not experience purging as long as I remained consistent.
- Your skin does not heal easily while on it
- You can’t get/do:
- Tattoos
- Piercings
- Waxing of any sort
- You can do threading, though!
- You can’t get/do:
- Drinking
- Many people believe that you cannot drink alcohol at all while taking the medication, and you definitely can abstain from drinking, but you don’t necessarily have to.
- Accutane, like alcohol, goes through your liver; so, you just have to be more sensitive about how much you are drinking. Your tolerance will decrease significantly because your liver is processing two things. It is also recommended to drink minimally, meaning that you should avoid getting extremely drunk every weekend, as many college kids do.
- Once again it is about understanding your body!
- Mental health
- It is a common misunderstanding that Accutane causes mental health problems, such as severe depression, but this is not entirely true. There has been a lot of research showing that mental health issues are not caused by Accutane.
- However, behavioral changes might occur; feeling more irritable is the most common mental side effect caused by Accutane. The key to this, in addition to talking to your dermatologist, is understanding what self-regulation methods work for you. Here are some that have worked for me:
- Going on walks outside and getting sun
- Working out to boost serotonin
- Breathing techniques such as the 4x4x4; you can look up different ones, but here are some that you can research how to do:
- 4x4x4
- Hot soup
- Lion’s breath
- Deep breathing with a hand on your chest and the other on your stomach
- 4-7-8
- Laying down flat on the ground, practicing diaphragm breathing, and feeling your chest expand
- Monthly pregnancy tests
- You will have to take a pregnancy test every month at the doctor’s office, and you will not be able to take it at home and submit it to them.
- It is also very time-sensitive; you will have to do it within the week that is four weeks after your prior test, and you cannot take it even a day earlier than four weeks after your last test.
- Pregnancy danger and contraceptives
- Accutane causes severe birth defects when pregnant, so they are very cautious to make sure you are protected and don’t get pregnant while on Accutane. You have to provide two forms of birth control that you will be using, such as:
- Hormonal or nonhormal IUD
- Birth Control pill
- Male latex condoms
- Female condoms
- Spermicide
- And others that they will list for you
- Accutane causes severe birth defects when pregnant, so they are very cautious to make sure you are protected and don’t get pregnant while on Accutane. You have to provide two forms of birth control that you will be using, such as:
- You can also provide abstinence as your contraceptive, but it is very strict that you stick to this!
- iPledge
- After your appointment, your dermatologist will send in your prescription to iPledge, which is the website you will use to answer eight to ten questions every month and provide your two forms of contraceptive, which have to match the ones that your doctor provided and the ones that you stated on your intake forms.
- You have one week to do this; otherwise, they will not ship your prescription!
- After submitting the questions, you will have to wait for your answers to be sent to your pharmacist, and then you can go through the process of filling out your prescription, which will depend on the pharmacy you use.
- When you get to be done
- You have to go two months on your max dosage with absolutely no breakouts.
- You will then be taken off, but you will have a follow-up appointment after six months to make sure that your skin remains clear.
Through everything, at the start and during the time you are taking the medication, always feel comfortable and confident in your questions to your doctor; they will always answer anything and give you as much information as they have to help you in this process.
Moving forward, you will be put on gradual increases during the months that you are on the medication. It is common to start on 10 mg and move up to 60-80 mg. I started on 10 mg and later went as high as 80 mg. When I was at my max dose, I was struggling with side effects extremely, and when I went one time, I was finally done with it; come to find it, 80 mg is way too high for my body weight. This leads me to tip 2: don’t be afraid to speak up, ask questions, and be truthful about how you feel.
tIP 2: SIDE EFFECTS
I am a very socially anxious person, which means I do not speak up very easily, especially in doctors’ offices. I kept telling myself “It is all a part of it, you’ll be fine.” However, while Accutane does take a huge toll on your body, it should not make you miserable! After speaking up, I went down from 80 mg to 60 mg and have had a lot of relief from my side effects. My primary side effects included:
- My skin burning when I sweat
- Dry, peeling skin on my face
- Dry, peeling, bleeding lips
- Joint pain and struggles with movement
- Dry, itchy skin on my body
For each of these side effects, I had to work with and find the products that worked best for me to relieve them, which leads me to tip 3.
Tip 3: PRODUCTS ARE KEY
Each person will find different products that work best for them. However, the base thing is to have unscented products and products specifically for sensitive skin. Here are products I recommend for each side effect I struggled with:
- My skin burning when I sweat
- Always wear sunscreen!!!
- Sunscreens:
- e.l.f. Suntouchable! Whoa Glow SPF 30 Sunscreen, Sunbeam ($14)
- La Roche-Posay Anthelios UV Hydra Hydrating Face Sunscreen SPF 50 With Hyaluronic Acid ($39.99)
- Vacation Classic Whip SPF 30 Sunscreen Mousse ($22)
- Wearing sunscreen will protect your skin from getting sunburnt easily, which you are at a higher risk for when on Accutane. In addition, make sure the sunscreens you wear are hydrating.
- The skin on my face was dry and peeling
- Having dry skin causes tightness, peeling, and that burning sensation when you sweat. The best way to handle this is moisturizer.
- At night, use a thicker cream moisturizer. These are typically not recommended for acne-prone skin when off of the medication because they can clog pores, but my dermatologist directly recommended I use them when on Accutane due to the extreme level of dryness my skin experienced. Here is the one I use and highly recommend:
- La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizer For Dry Skin ($9.99-19.99)
- During the day, use a thinner moisturizer, such as:
- Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator Gel Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid ($17)
- CeraVe Ultra-Light Moisturizing Facial Gel with Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid ($20.99)
- Also, use serums during the day. (For those who wear makeup, these all work great under makeup):
- Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum ($45)
- Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Brightening Treatment Serum ($45)
- e.l.f Holy Hydration! Thirst Burst Drops ($12)
- When washing your face and removing makeup, use gentle and hydrating washes:
- Face wash: La Roche Posay Lipikar AP+ Face Wash ($17.99)
- Makeup remover: Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-one Cleanser & Makeup Remover ($11.99)
- Makeup melting balm: e.l.f Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm ($11.00)
- My lips were dry, peeling, and bleeding
- Deep hydration is necessary:
- Aquaphor … and make sure to get the full tube, not just the small travel lip balms; it works best!
- However, so is constant hydration, so using daily products and having something with you at all times is extremely helpful:
- e.l.f squeeze me lip balm ($4)
- e.l.f. Glow Reviver Lip Oil ($8)
- Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm ($3.59)
- Deep hydration is necessary:
- Joint pain and struggles with movement
- I took 2,000 mg of fish oil each night. Commonly, fish oil supplements have a bad taste to them, but I found that the CVS Health Fish Oil 1,000 mg supplements were tolerable.
- The skin on my body was dry and itchy
- Thick body lotion!!!! Thicker body lotion will bring maximum hydration to your skin. I recommend using these at night, but you can use them in the morning if you feel really dry in the morning as well:
- Jergens Ultra Healing Hand and Body Lotion, Dry Skin Moisturizer with Vitamins C, E, and B5 ($10.49)
- Eucerin Advanced Repair Body Lotion ($15.49)
- During the day, if you would like to use a lotion that is scented, I highly recommend the following in any scent you enjoy:
- Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream ($12-48)
- Similar to washing your face, make sure that your body wash is hydrating and for sensitive skin; scented body wash is okay, but I always use unscented because it is softer on your skin.
- Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash with Pump Sensitive Skin ($36.60)
- Thick body lotion!!!! Thicker body lotion will bring maximum hydration to your skin. I recommend using these at night, but you can use them in the morning if you feel really dry in the morning as well:
Everyone has different preferences for products and different budgets for products. I struggled with the texture of the thicker lotion products for my body due to sensory issues, but I found that the Jergens Ultra Healing Hand and Body Lotion was smooth enough to glide on my skin. In addition, the La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizer glided on my face, but when I woke up in the morning I felt oily, which brought other sensory sensitivity, but I just made sure to wash my face each morning with the La Roche Posay Lipikar AP+ Face Wash or, if I needed something quick, I would just use the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water. It is all about testing products and finding what you enjoy and what works for your body because everyone is different.
This process is definitely a journey and will make you very aware of your body. It is so worth it if you want to clear your skin, though. It is okay if you start and don’t want to continue; just be transparent with your doctor because they are there to help you along this journey. I experienced great results, and despite the side effects, I felt like it was worth it. I have an extreme boost in my confidence with clear skin and no longer feel the pressure to wear makeup daily to hide it.
BEFORE AND AFTER Accutane
Original photos by Paige Hassel