Hello hello, lovely people! It’s been four months since I started my second course of roaccutane (lol, fml) with AcneClear, so it’s time for another little update.
(If you’re wondering why I decided to do another course, check out this blog, and if you’re looking for my two-month update, check out this blog).
My two-four month accutane stint happened from July to September – very much the peak of summer – which, if you’ve been on accutane, you’ll know is less than ideal due to how sensitive your skin becomes.
Still, I’ve got through it (hallelujahhhh) and – alongside sunburn, a skin infection on my fingers (yes, really) and some really random cystic neck breakouts – have seen positive results overall. Here are the deets:
My dosage
We stuck at 40mg this month, as it worked for me well last month and helped to speed up the clearing of my skin. We’re yet to decide if I’ll be on this dose for the remainder of my treatment, or go back down to 20mg.
I’m in two minds, as 20mg means fewer side effects (which would be nice) but I could be on until spring 2025, but 40mg means more side effects, but I could potentially be done by the end of 2024. Swings and roundabouts, right?
The side effects
Okay, I have had some weird new side effects these past couple of months. I won’t bore you with the usual side effects like dry skin, tiredness, and headaches. I’ve had all of those, obv.
Lately, I’ve been waking up with random scratches and cuts on my face and arms. It’s so weird. I’m thinking I must scratch myself in my sleep. Maybe I’ve always done this, but only now notice it because of the skin being so fragile on accutane, and therefore creating wounds. I’ve now bought some cotton gloves to sleep in, so hopefully that’ll stop it from happening. If not, guess I’ve got a ghost in my bedroom?!
The other random side effect was a skin infection on my fingers (like, next to my nail bed). The technical name for this, I believe, is a whitlow. They can be caused by HSV (herpes, yep, but just the same as a cold sore) or bacteria. I went to the doctor and they believe that mine was caused by bacteria. The reason I’m calling it an accutane side effect is because my GP mentioned accutane making you more susceptible to cuts/skin damage (hence the issue above), and so, it’s easier for bacteria to get in and cause an infection.
It spread to several fingers and was super painful and gross. I’m now on antibiotics for them, which isn’t ideal. I’ve gone from someone who didn’t even like popping a paracetamol, to someone who’s on accutane, antibiotics and anti-depressants in the space of a few months. But it is what it is, I guess 🙂
Next, flushing. As in, my face and arms and chest going super red with the slightest hint of stress or anxiety, a change in temperature, or even just eating a meal. This is a common accutane side effect, but I didn’t realise how bad it’d be. It’s pretty embarrassing, but I’ve started testing out skin correctors for redness and they seem to be helping a little.
Oh, also, I got sunburnt. Pretty badly, actually. It wasn’t even a particularly hot day (maybe 20 degrees or so) but I forgot to apply SPF on my arms, and… ouch. You really do become more sensitive to the sun on this medication, so make sure you don’t make the same mistake I did and apply SPF on any body part that’ll be exposed to the sun, even if it’s cloudy.
Results
Ok, onto the good part – even though I’m still not entirely clear, my skin is so much calmer. I’m still getting spots, particularly around my chin and jawline during ovulation and before my period, but they rarely get inflamed. In comparison to the jawline acne I had at the start (omg, literally traumatised by that patch I had), this is so easy to deal with.
Randomly, I did get quite a bad neck breakout last month. I never got spots on my neck pre-accutane, so god knows what caused this. But I’ve seen lots of people say they got breakouts in new areas, so I guess it’s just one of those things. It’s cleared up now, but I do have a few marks left over from them.
My skin is still scarred and textured (and probably always will be – something I’m working on accepting), but at least it’s not painful anymore.
Experience with AcneClear
As I said last time, my experience with AcneClear has been positive. My monthly catch-ups with Dr Divya are great – she always answers my questions (sometimes, there’s a lot of them) and is super friendly.
They send me my medication in the post each month after my check-up, after I’ve sent them an up-to-date negative pregnancy test – it’s literally so easy. I don’t even have to leave the house, which is crazy when you compare it to my NHS experience, which included numerous appointments and lots of waiting (still grateful though, obv).
You can follow them on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok to learn more.
My mental health
Thought I’d lump this section at the end purely because most people probably aren’t interested, but some might be. My mental health has been struggling over the last few months (like, really, really bad). I won’t go into too much detail, as you can get the gist of it in my Instagram reel here.
Thinking back over the past couple of months, July and early August were a definite struggle. I felt super low, hated everything about myself, became obsessive over my skin and barely managed to do anything other than sleep and work. I now know, for real, what people mean when they say there’s a dark cloud hanging over them. I genuinely wondered if I’d ever feel happy again.
But… there’s some good news. While I wouldn’t say I’m feeling entirely myself, things are getting better. A combination of therapy, anti-depressants and my skin calming down has meant I’m feeling a little more positive. I went to a pub quiz with some friends last week; socialising was something I literally wasn’t capable of doing (hello panic attacks) a few weeks back. I’ve been going to the gym, and instead of working from home, have been getting back into my routine of using co-working spaces. Workwise, I even did an important presentation for a huge potential client in the skin/beauty niche (my dream client) and didn’t muck it up.
So yeah, while I still hate how I look and worry about my skin constantly, I’m doing normal things again. And that’s at least a start.
One response to “Accutane four-month update: Results, side-effects & mental health”
Looks like these months are tough for everyone universally. These months were so tough for me as well 🙂 Glad you shared. Loved your blog.