I had my first blood test on May 15 and was started on 80mg of Accutane a day. I took my first pill on May 17. I was a little scared at first, because I was initially told that I had to go on a diet while I was on Accutane so that my cholesterol would not skyrockey, however, I did not have to diet. My dermatologist just told me to watch what I eat and not to eat too much grease, so that was a good thing.
The first week (May 17-May23) of treament was fairly bad for me. The first thing to be affected were my lips. They are chapped 24-7. Luckily, my mom found some really good stuff to use on lips called Aquaphor, which works well. Then, on about the third day, I got a nose bleed that wouldn't leave till the following week. It wasn't much blood or anything, it was just really annoying cause they could happen at any time. But, all-in-all, the first week wasn't unbearable.
Then came the second week (May 24-May 30) and the stop of the nosebleeds! Woohoo! However, with good must come bad. My skin was beginning to get pretty dry, but only on my face. Nothing else was affected. I was also beginning to develop a lower back pain, which would only hurt when I layed down at night and only for a minute or so (which is common, I guess). I still had not begun to see much results by the end of the second week.
The third week (May 31-June 6) brought the end of my blackheads. My nose used to be Valley of the Blackheads. It was almost as if I could just rub the blackheads and they would just fall right off. What a great feeling, and what a boost of confidence for me! I was actually starting to see the results, which was great. The only bad thing I did during this week was go out in the sun with a low SPF sunscreen (SPF 8). The day after I was out in the sun, my skin just started peeling like crazy, and ever since then, it has become really dry and a little irritated in spots. But, I guess that is what I get for ignoring the doctors warning and going out in the sun without sufficient protection.
Well, I guess that's all for now. Be sure to check back next week to see what happens when I make my second visit to the dermatologist. See you next week, and don't forget to sign my guestbook! Have a great week!
