6 week post Roaccutane

So it has now been 6 weeks since my last dose of Roaccutane. I knew it would take a few weeks for it to be out my system and for my skin to get back to normal. Well new normal as i won't have spots and i hope my skin won't be as oily. It took a couple of weeks for my lips to stop peeling and being sore. One day i just relised i was not having to put lip balm on every couple of hours. 

My eczema took a while to clear up. It stopped being itchy but stayed dry for a few weeks. There are still a couple of red patches on my legs. My skin is still very fragile and and wee cut takes a long time to heal. 

As for my face i have had no breakouts since i think month 2 or 3. When i take my make up off or even put moisturiser on it causes my face to go red. But it soon fades. I have found i am not putting very much make up on. More because i am lazy! I put powder and blush on everday and sometimes eye make up. 

I am so pleased with my skin. It has really boosted my confidence all round really. Although i had some side effects and i was getting so frustrated with it in the end. They really were not as bad as they could be. I was so worried about my mental health as i have suffered from clinical depression on and off since i was on my early teens. But i didn't feel down at all. Infact i was feeling really good even though i had left my job in the nursery. It was something i needed to do. 

I am going to write another blog about my Roaccutane survival kit! 

Week 14

So i have 2 more weeks left of my treatment. I am so looking forward to finishing it now. My face got really red and blotchy again on wednesday. This is me will full make up on! When i left the house in the morning my face was fine but at lunch time i noticed my face felt really hot and when i went to the loo i saw my face was really red.

My make up must of worn off because it looks like i dont have any on!

My skin has been so dry the past couple of weeks. Not so much on my face but my legs and arms. I have wee patches of ezema all over my legs and a few on my arms. The patches are not very big maybe 1cm but there are quite a lot of them. These are yhe biggest patches. I have been putting diprobase on regulary in hope they clear up! 

I was a little careless and managed to get sun burnt! When i am out in the garden at nursery i usually make sure the kids and i have cream on. I forgot to put some on in the morning as it was such a busy day! I will try and stay inside as much as posible for the next few days so my skin can heel. And make sure i put plenty of cream on. 

End of Month 3 of Roaccutane

So I have reached the end of month number 3 of my Roaccutane treatment. I am feeling pretty good about it and looking forward to finishing my final month. I have been extremely lucky when it comes to side effects all I have had is dry skin and tiredness. My lips are still really dry and are peeling. I got told to try Fleitol  lip balm and wow it is so good. I really wish I had discovered it at the beginning of my treatment. I will be using it in the winter when my lips can get really dry.

In the middle of month 3 both sides of my face became really red and small red spots appeared, it was really painful even putting moisturiser on. I am really not sure what caused it. I had been out in the sun a couple of days before and I had just started wearing Simple-Kind to skin + protecting moisturiser SPF 30. I stopped using the cream which is a pity as it's twice the SPF of my normal moisturiser and since its now coming into summer I need that extra protection. Once the spots had cleared up my skin was really dry, so I put my No.7 hydrating mask on 3 or 4 nights in a row.

Rash on left cheek.

Right cheek

This was my face a few days after the spots appeared.

My lips have been peeling quite a bit and are quite red at the side.

The middle of month 3

End of month 3

End of month 2.

Slightly late are writing this as it is now the end of week 9. My second month on Roaccutane really hasn't been very eventful. I have had to really make sure I al keeping up on moisturising or my skin feels really tight. I have got a wee dry patch on my left cheek  that just doesn't want to go away! No matter how much I moisturise it.

My lips are still the hardest thing to keep from drying out and cracking. When I wake up in the morning they are really painful. 

I have a small patch of eczema on my arm and my tummy. I have always had dry hands and have had to put hand cream on a lot, but since i started my treatment they have got worse. The skin around my finger joints get really hard, lumpy and sore. Then they will turn white and there will be a layer of really dry skin that will peel off. It looks like i have left PVA glue on my hands and its peeking off! Then my hands won't look so bad, then it starts all over again. Think i have gone through 2 tubes of hand cream since i started my treatment! 

I forgot to mention in month 1 my scalp got really dry and flaky  so I had to go out and get head and shoulders. It was really itchy at first but after a few days the shampoo was working and I now don't see any flakes and it's not itchy. I have found it makes my hair really heavy and my curls are not as bouncy. I am looking forward to being able to change my shampoo again. I am going to try shampoo and conditioner for curly hair and see how that goes.

I have found when I am really tired at night my eye sight is slightly blurry. I find watching TV a challenge.

I went to see Doctor Holmes yesterday Friday the 2nd of May. He was pleased that I was reacting well to the treatment and I was not getting to many side effects. I got a blood test to see how my body was reacting to the treatment. He said that a 4 month treatment should suit me well. So I got months 3's supply and I was to go back on the 2nd of June for my last months treatment. Then I was to see him on 8th of August which is 5 weeks after I finish treatment for my last pregnancy test. 

I asked him about the scaring and he said it could take up to a year to fade. He said that the Vit A helps get rid of the spots and it also helps with the scaring. He said if after a year I wasn't happy with the scaring he would refer me onto a plastic surgeon to see what they can do for me.

I also asked him how long I should wait before getting waxed and tattooed, and he said a month, but I looked it up online and people said to wait at least 6 months to reduce the risk of scaring.

End of week 5-Don't think I had any spots in the picture. My eye brows look good.

End of week 6- Just the 1 spot here under my lip.

End of week 7- Just up got some great morning in this picture. I must say not as bad as some mornings!

End of week 8- Looking slightly grumpy! I am not long up and my eyes were sore.

Wee close up up the scaring on my chin. They are really red right now but I guess once I have finished my treatment the redness will fade a little.

Month 1 complete on Roaccutane.

Month No.1

So my first month on Roaccutane has not been too eventful which is really good since I have heard a few horror stories.

End of week 1

Week 1- For the first two days I had a constant headache. My face became really hot and tight and round my nose and mouth was really red. I went out and bought good foundation because the redness was making me self  conscious. I got a few new spots and they were very painful!

End of week 2

Week 2- My face stopped feeling really hot all the time in my 2nd week. It started to peel really bad round my nose and mouth. No matter how much moisturiser I put on my skin still got really dry mid way through the day. So I went back to the No.7 counter and got a rescue balm and a moisture mask, which has improved the peeling. I have added pictures down below. My lips are really dry and I have to make sure I am putting plenty of lip balm on. I have found Blistex MEDPLUS  works best on my lips and I have one in my bag and one at work. The spots that appeared last week settled down mid week which was really quick for me.

End of week 3

Week 3- My skin has been looking really good this week and I have had a few complements from people with my make up and the spots I have had cleared up pretty quickly. What I have noticed is I am exhausted all the time! I had a look online and apparently it can make you really tired for the whole treatment. 

End of week 4

Week 4- My skin got a little dry again so I used my hydration mask 2 nights in a row and made sure I was putting plenty of moisturiser on. I got a few more spots this week below my nose and right on my lower lip. They were not very big and came up and went down pretty quickly. as long as I keep up with my moisturiser my skin has not been too bad. The thing that has irritated me the most is my dry lips. I have noticed when I take my make up off and use cleanser on cotton wool my face goes very red for a good 20-30 mins after.

I went to the hospital on the 28th for my pregnancy test and to get my prescription. I noticed when I got home that I won't have enough tablets to get me through to the 2nd on May when I see Dr Holmes again. I will run out on the 29th of April! I will have to phone the hospital on Monday on my day off to see what to do about it.

I have made this picture really big just so you can see the dryness and peeling round my nose and chin. I didn't manage to get a photo of it at its worst. I had a big dry bit right on the tip of my nose.

So this is what my skin looks like when I have been using the really good moisturiser.

Tried and Tested No.7 Beautiful Skin

So I thought I would do a couple of product reviews on 2 products that are really helping me get through my Roaccutane treatment. Even 3 weeks in.

My first week I was using Nivea Daily Essential for dry skin, but it just wasn't working for me at all. I had really dry skin around my nose and mouth. So on day 13 I went back to boots and picked up a couple of No.7 moisturisers. 

The first one being the Beautiful Skin- Dry Skin Rescue. £12 for 50ml

The moisturiser is a very thick consistency and a little goes a long way, it gets absorbed pretty quickly and I am able to put my make-up on pretty much straight away. It is hypo-allergenic so no chance of having an allergic reaction. I started using it 14 days into my treatment, as my skin was so dry and peeling around my nose, mouth, chin and between my eyebrows. I put it on in the morning and before I went to my bed. Within 3-4 days of using it daily I really noticed a difference. Apart from a small bit of peeling round my nose my skin looked visibly healthier. It also felt better as when my skin is dry and peeling it feels really tight and halfway through the day it would get painful when I was using my regular moisturiser.  I read a few reviews on the boots website and all of them were positive. Someone did mention that it was very difficult to get the last wee bit out of the tube and it dries out after a few days if you cut the top off the tube. I think what I would do is get one of the wee tub that you get for putting your cosmetics in and cut off the top the tube and scrape the last bit out and put it in the wee tubs so it doesn't dry out. 

Overall I am very pleased with this moisturiser and will continue to use it throughout my treatment. Added 10/4/14 I have just put my moisturiser on and i noticed that at the top of the tube on both sides there is cracks i guess from having to squeeze the tube so hard to get any out. So i have just cut the top off and used a knife to scrape it all out and put it into a small cosmetics bottle so it doesn't dry out. You would think they would put it in an air lock tube like the hydrating mask so you could use all the product with out wasting any. It still does wonders for my skin just in an anoying container!

Along with the Dry Skin Rescue I have been using 

Beautiful Skin Hydrating Mask for dry/very dry skin £12.50 for 100ml

The first thing I noticed about this product is the layers of colour, it looks so cool! It said to massage it onto your face and leave it on for 3 mins or 10 mins if your skin is really dry. Then just wipe it off with cotton wool. 1 pump is enough to cover my whole face and it feels like an oily moisturiser, but it doesn't feel horrible at all. The 1st time I put it on I was reading my book and really got into it. I forgot I had the face mask on if I am totally honest and did go to sleep with it on as it did just feel like I had a really thick moisturiser on. I am using it 2-3 times a week and along with the Beautiful Skin Rescue my dry skin is really under control.

These two products are really helping me through my treatment I will definitely continue to use them throughout my treatment. I don't know what my skin will be like after my treatment but I may also use them after too.  

Week one of Roaccutane and my tattoo.

Tattoo

So on Monday the 17th of February I got the outline of my tattoo, I was booked in for a 3 hour sitting with Matt from Tribal Body Art. It took Matt around 20 minuets to resize the stencil to fit in between my current tattoos and also because I have quite a small frame. It took about 2 hours and 45 minuets in total to do the outline. I really enjoy getting tattooed on my back and just chatted away. It was a funny sensation as he tattooed over my shoulders as I could feel it vibrating down to my pinky.

I am in love with this tattoo. I have had a love for owls since I was little because my grandad was a bird watcher and he had a passion for owls. So I decided to call my owl William after my grandad. The envelop represents my favourite books The Harry Potter series, As a child I did not enjoy reading and found it a chore until one of my teacher Mrs Duncan read us the first book. When the forth book came out I read it all by myself and it took me over a year, but I was so proud of myself! Then by the time the seventh book came out I had a real thrust for reading and read the whole book in just over 24 hours. So the envelop is my Hogwarts acceptance letter.  I didn't want it to be a too in your face Harry Potter reference.

I will have to wait 6 months after I have finished Roaccutane to get the shading and my other tattoos touched up, because it causes your skin to become fragile and it would scar.

Roaccutane week 1

So On Friday the 28th of February my birthday (Sort of as I am a leap year baby) I went to St Johns to get a pregnancy test done so I could get my prescription. Dr Holms told me just to turn up which caused some problems. So I peed in a paper cup thing and waited the 3 minuets for the test results. Even though I am on the coil and I use protection with my boyfriend I still was really nervous for the test results! Lucky for me they were negative, so I got my prescription signed and off I went to the pharmacy. Which was right in the basement next to the mortuary and the place they do all the laundry.

This is what the tablets look like, they are a gel capsule. They have a sweet coating like some ibuprofen tablets. I am on 40mg a day which is 2 capsules. I take them in the morning. I have downloaded a wee app to remind me to take them.  

So this is me day 1 (slightly hungover and with some of last nights eye make up still on) the spots just under my lips are pretty painful. I snapchatted my sister the 1st dose and she text me an hour later asking if I had any side effects yet.

On the Sunday I woke up with a headache I don't know if it is a coincidence or a side effect.

Day 3 and my face started to feel tight and really hot. My face got really red too and I got a couple of comments that my face was really red. In the picture bellow the redness does not really show up, but it looks like I have got sunburn. I knew it would make my face red but I didn't think it would make me so self conscious! But it has, you would think after having to deal with spots your whole adult life a wee bit of redness on my face shouldn't bother me!

So the spots I have at the moment are peeling pretty bad, my face is dry but not as bad as I thought it would be. It's about the same as what its like in the winter. I just make sure I put plenty of moisturiser on at night and in the morning.

So I know I said in a previous post that I didn't think it was worth spending money on make up when I don't wear it often, but being so self conscious about the redness I went into boots and talked to the girls at the No.7 counter and they did the match made service and matched my skin to the correct shade of foundation. They matched me to Calico which is the palest shade of their Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation, but she decided that I should go up 2 shades to Warm Ivory just to cover the redness a little bit more and give me a nice healthy glow. I got Perfect Light Pressed 05 Translucent Powder. It was 3 for 2 so I picked up a mascara, they had a new mascara out called Lovely Lashes in Black, and with that you got a free gift which included a liquid eyeliner, lipblam and an eye shadow which is a lovely brown colour, similar to what I wear already. 

I was so pleased with the results. I have a friend who is a make up artist and she has shown me in the past how to apply my make up and the lady at the No.7 counter gave me some tips. I always though putting foundation on took a long time but it only took me a few minuets. 

Also you can see from the picture above my hair is curly! I have had curly hair since I was around 10 and I hated it, but I got some advice from my hairdresser on products and I am now embracing my curls instead of blow drying and straightening my hair every day. So the time I have gained from not doing my hair I can quickly do my make up.

I really like the natural look of the foundation and now my eye make up is more natural. I always had thick black eyeliner and mascara, now I have gone for the more subtle look. I like using soft brown eye shadows that bring out the green in my hazel eyes.

How my acne affects my self esteem and what products I use pre Roaccutane

I apologise about my spelling and grammar. I know it's not great I am Dyslexic and I didn't get as much support in school than I should. I don't always notice my mistakes.

Self esteem and acne

I have said this before and I will say it again I know my acne is not as sever as other people, but it really lowers my self esteem. 

So this is me today I still have the red marks from spots I had in December.

They start out like this one on my nose. They are big and red, very sore and sometimes become white heads. They can stay like this for 5-7 days. 

Then they shrink in size but stay red. The spots on my forehead appeared mid December and some are still raised.

The scars around my mouth have been there for years.

I am so glad my glasses hide the huge spot on my nose.

The fact my spots are really painful bring me down. I can knock one just a little bit can really hurt. I don't see myself as attractive and the spots just make it worse. I am almost 26 yet I feel and look like a teenager! I feel people don't take me seriously as they think I am younger than I am. I have been refused alcohol because they do not believe my ID is me, since the photo on my driving licence was taken when I was 16 and my skin is clear, and they don't believe someone my age should have spots. I was mortified as the lady behind the till made a big deal out of it and lots of people where looking. I even showed her all my bank cards with the same name. In the end I told her I didn't want any of my shopping that she had already scanned through. When I have a bad flare up I just feel what's the point in even trying to look nice. I try and avoid social situations and dating is horrible at times. I use internet dating websites and obviously I put up the best photos of me. And if I am chatting to a guy and I have a flare up I try and avoid going on a date in case they are put off. I didn't date anyone for years after my acne got bad.

Some people do not realise how having acne can make you feel, and like to point out that you are having a really bad flare up. Do you not think I all ready know this!!! I have also found people try to give you advice like "If you just wash your face properly and use cleanser and toner your skin will clear right up." Are you kidding me, do you not think I have already tried that. I have been really insulted with some of the things people have said to me about my acne. I would never have the nerve to say anything negative about somebodies appearance.

What products I use Pre-Roaccutane

Sorry some of these photos are side ways.

Over the years I have tried lots of different products but the ones I am using right now are working well for me on my budget.  

Avon Solutions Complete Balance Oil-free foaming cleanser.

I use this pretty much every day in the shower. I find it dries my skin which at the moment I need as my skin is so oily. It helps dry my spots up quicker too.

Avon Solutions Complete Balance Day Oil-free mattifier spf15.

I find this moisturiser is really good its not too heavy and sinks in nicely. 

Avon Solutions Complete Balance Night Oil-free gel.

I have used night gels before and they made my face sticky. This dries quickly and works well.

Avon Solutions Complete Balance Deep cleansing clay mask.

I have used loads of different masks but they haven't agreed with my skin. This one doesn't irritate my skin and leaves it feeling soft. It also helps dry up my spots. So I only use it when I am having a bad break out.

Nivea Daily Essentials Gental exfoliating scrub.

This is a nice and gental on my skin. I have pretty sensitive skin and have found in the past other scrubs can irritate my skin. 

Nivea Daily Essentials Refreshing 2 in 1 cleanser & toner.

I use this at night to take of my make up if I am wearing any and to remove the daily dirt and grim.

Nivea Daily Essentials Extra gentle eye make-up remover.

This make up remover is really gentle but I find it doesn't remove all my mascara. I always end up with panda eyes in the morning. I got 3 on a deal and continued to use it as I didn't want to waste it. 

Simple Kind to eyes Eye Make-up remover.

I love this eye make up remover it takes all my eye make up off even the water proof stuff.

SEVENTEEN SUPERlash Mascara

My lashes are pretty long so I usually go for curl mascara. I got this mascara because you got the eye liner free. 

SEVENTEEN SUPERlash liquid eye liner

I like liquid eye liner as its nice and dark. I like an eye liner pen as its easier to get it straight.

I don't always use the same mascara and eye liner, it depends on what is on offer. 

SEVENTEEN eye shadow in Mardi Gras

I have used this colour of eye shadow for years and I love it.

SEVENTEEN blusher. 

I have had this blusher for a while its a nice pale colour.

Collection 2000 Perfecting Minerals Foundation

I hardly ever wear foundation when I saw this powder foundation I thought it was ideal. It doesn't cover my spots completely but I really don't see the point in spending lots of money on good foundation that would cover it when I only wear it once in a blue moon.

Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch Concealer

This is a really good concealer, it works well to hide the bags under my eyes.

Oily skin!

My skin has been really oily the past few weeks! By 6pm or so my face is really shiney. I have got more spots again this week the one on my chin is really big and sore. I have one on my cheek which is un usual. I normally only get them on my forehead and around my mouth. They also seem to be really red recently.
On Wednesday i am going in for my 5th operation for my problem with my bowels. I am hoping this will be my final one as i really be starting to get sick of them. I have been quite sore over Christmas. I guess eating lots of rubbish hasn't helped. Then on Friday i will see the dermatologyst. I need to start writing down the questions i have for him.

Current condition of my skin

So this is what my skin is like at the moment. The picture was take at 9pm. My face can get quite greasy in the evening.

Some photos of my acne.

I thought I would post some photos of what my skin can be like at times. I know my acne is not as bad as other peoples but it does really get me down and it hurts! I will write a longer blog next weekend with my background story and go into detail of what Roaccutane is and when I should be starting it.

 In this photo I am around 20. My doctor put me on Erythromycin and it cleared up my skin for around 9 months, then stopped working.

 I am 18 here and my acne had just started to appear.  Until then I only got the odd one or two spots.

I am around 22 here my acne was really painful and the spots were very angry and red.  It was around this time that they started to leave scars.

 Think I am around 19 here only a few spots.

 I am 23 here the scar on my chin had been there for 18 months or so and took over 2 years to fade!

 Not the best photo but I am 15 here and have no spots at all.

 16 and very grumpy! I only have a couple of spots but they cleared up pretty fast.

This is me in April 2012, this is what I look like with foundation on. I really don't wear it very often so don't see the point in spending loads of money on foundation that would totally cover my acne and scars as it would just go to waste.

I know the photos were not really in age order but hey. I will take a photo and post it next week of what my skin is like at the moment and I will add it to next weeks blog.