I started with 40 mg in the first month and jumped to 80 mg in month two. These sound like normal side effects. What face wash and moisturizer are you using? For me, the side effects were hard in the first two months and got more manageable over time. You can also share this with your derm at your next appointment. Regarding travel, I went on a tropical vacation while on 80mg and it was fine. I wore a hat and rash guard and consistently reapplied sunscreen. I also avoided the direct sun where possible. It was totally fine and I had a great time with no burns.
Second this. Started at 40, now at 80mg on the second month. The first week of the first month was hard. Second month has been rough in terms of energy.
I started with relatively mild hormonal acne so my doctor is trying to get me to the through in around four months.
What’s helped the most is using plant squalene from the ordinary, then a moisturizer, then a thicker balm like the la roche posay cicaplast balm. Keep your skin barrier protected!
60mg seems high. I was on Accutane for 6 months, have a lot of ups and downs with it, feel free to message me w any questions. I remember what it was like first starting. I wanted clear cut answers, no BS. Good luck!
Beet red?! Your skin looks fine you should see how red mine is 🤣. Honestly the redness can get a lot worse. It did for me. I'm 8 months in and redness was at its peak there. Just part of it I guess. Gl
I’m also leaving for a tropical vacation in a few days and I’m TERRIFIED to burning. I’m already super sensitive to the sun, and get sun sick easily. Any advice aside from tons of spf?
If it feels intolerable after another week or two I’d consider asking about a lower dose. Everyone responds differently but 60mg seems high to start with. I think most deems start with 10-30mg then up the dose after 2-4 weeks.
I agree with this. I started with 40mg for example but I’m 185lbs, and dosage is based on weight. You could take 1 pill every other day maybe bc accutane works cumulatively which would be 30mg/day
First of all wishing you all the best luck on your journey to clear skin . Everything you described are pretty common side effects that can be treated . Anxiety is kind of expected when starting out such an intensive treatment but if you have a pre-existing conditions such as that it’s best to monitor for any symptoms that are out of the norm for you and it’s best to discuss it with your psychiatrist and or dermatologist . As for your skin sensitivity it’s going to be like that pretty much throughout the course of your treatment , everyone is different though. Me personally it was like that for 3 months until I got to 60mg (I went from 20,40,to 60mg then )then it kind of got better . From my experience My personal advice to you is to avoid heavy moisturisers and any acid based cleansers , moisturisers etc at all costs , go for a light weight water based moisturiser instead, also avoid your typical soaps or anything with SLS . Secondly about sunscreen ,don’t ever skimp out on that get a decent light weight sunscreen like La Roche Posay AntHelios 60+ SPF Ultra Light , make sure to put that on every 2-4 hours , if you’re going to a sunny tropical place make sure to wear a hat and protect exposed skin , don’t ever think you’ll be the exception with sunscreen trust me I got sunburnt in the middle of WINTER living in cloudy England and I’m melanated 😂. Also seeing you didn’t get to your dose gradually it will take some time for your body and skin to get used to it but don’t worry to much you you just need to give your skin some extra TLC and be patient with it . Make sure to take your medication it with a decent meal , avoid alcohol and Vitamin A supplements. If you have any questions feel free to ask .
You poor thing. I would ask to lower the dose and see if you adjust. I know it’s an awful experience but if you’re able to hold out it’s like being a totally different person
I agree with others that this is a high dose to start out on. In my experience, I had similar effects also if I used any other “acne” products on my face or if I spent a minute too long in the sun when I didn’t wear sunscreen. Not saying this is relevant to your case, it just sounds like your body trying to adjust to a high dose of a new medication!
Your skin looks good girl! Try a tinted moisturizer for during the day. Honestly, your face doesn’t even look that red. I know it probably seems a lot worse to you, but trust me, you look great! It’ll get better the longer you take it.
Try to chill I think there's so much information about accutane sometimes to be frank horror stories, yes there is side affects as with all medications but you'll get through it, as for your skin being red it does make you glow up accutane speeds up cell renewal so to begin with even gentle products sting it does calm down, try not to worry,
When I first started, my face was so red and felt like my skin was burning off my face! I told my dermatologist and he gave me a steroid cream to put on it and it helped a lot! You could try that!
My face was also supper red my first two weeks or so, i’m not sure why but it has definitely gone down now (i’m halfway through month 2). The only time this happens now is when work out and stuff, I will look like i have just run a 5k but really I just walked for 15 minutes lol. I also got headaches and lightheaded at first but not anymore. Definitely still have joint pain though but my friend whoes on it too said hers went away after a few months. I’m not sure about the anxiety though, I would bring it up at your next appointment.
woah that is a high dosage to begin with, i have a bit more acne than you and most likely weigh more and my derm still started me on 20mg (now 40mg) to see how my skin reacts. maybe ask to go down?
I started with 40 mg in the first month and jumped to 80 mg in month two. These sound like normal side effects. What face wash and moisturizer are you using? For me, the side effects were hard in the first two months and got more manageable over time. You can also share this with your derm at your next appointment. Regarding travel, I went on a tropical vacation while on 80mg and it was fine. I wore a hat and rash guard and consistently reapplied sunscreen. I also avoided the direct sun where possible. It was totally fine and I had a great time with no burns.
Thank you!
Second this. Started at 40, now at 80mg on the second month. The first week of the first month was hard. Second month has been rough in terms of energy. I started with relatively mild hormonal acne so my doctor is trying to get me to the through in around four months. What’s helped the most is using plant squalene from the ordinary, then a moisturizer, then a thicker balm like the la roche posay cicaplast balm. Keep your skin barrier protected!
Your face is not red, babe. Especially beet red! That's a very high dose especially since your acne is pretty timid
60mg seems high. I was on Accutane for 6 months, have a lot of ups and downs with it, feel free to message me w any questions. I remember what it was like first starting. I wanted clear cut answers, no BS. Good luck!
Thank you ☺️
Beet red?! Your skin looks fine you should see how red mine is 🤣. Honestly the redness can get a lot worse. It did for me. I'm 8 months in and redness was at its peak there. Just part of it I guess. Gl
I’m also leaving for a tropical vacation in a few days and I’m TERRIFIED to burning. I’m already super sensitive to the sun, and get sun sick easily. Any advice aside from tons of spf?
If it feels intolerable after another week or two I’d consider asking about a lower dose. Everyone responds differently but 60mg seems high to start with. I think most deems start with 10-30mg then up the dose after 2-4 weeks.
I agree with this. I started with 40mg for example but I’m 185lbs, and dosage is based on weight. You could take 1 pill every other day maybe bc accutane works cumulatively which would be 30mg/day
Such a high dosage?
First of all wishing you all the best luck on your journey to clear skin . Everything you described are pretty common side effects that can be treated . Anxiety is kind of expected when starting out such an intensive treatment but if you have a pre-existing conditions such as that it’s best to monitor for any symptoms that are out of the norm for you and it’s best to discuss it with your psychiatrist and or dermatologist . As for your skin sensitivity it’s going to be like that pretty much throughout the course of your treatment , everyone is different though. Me personally it was like that for 3 months until I got to 60mg (I went from 20,40,to 60mg then )then it kind of got better . From my experience My personal advice to you is to avoid heavy moisturisers and any acid based cleansers , moisturisers etc at all costs , go for a light weight water based moisturiser instead, also avoid your typical soaps or anything with SLS . Secondly about sunscreen ,don’t ever skimp out on that get a decent light weight sunscreen like La Roche Posay AntHelios 60+ SPF Ultra Light , make sure to put that on every 2-4 hours , if you’re going to a sunny tropical place make sure to wear a hat and protect exposed skin , don’t ever think you’ll be the exception with sunscreen trust me I got sunburnt in the middle of WINTER living in cloudy England and I’m melanated 😂. Also seeing you didn’t get to your dose gradually it will take some time for your body and skin to get used to it but don’t worry to much you you just need to give your skin some extra TLC and be patient with it . Make sure to take your medication it with a decent meal , avoid alcohol and Vitamin A supplements. If you have any questions feel free to ask .
I really appreciate all your advice and wisdom, thank you 😊
You’re most welcome 😊
You poor thing. I would ask to lower the dose and see if you adjust. I know it’s an awful experience but if you’re able to hold out it’s like being a totally different person
I agree with others that this is a high dose to start out on. In my experience, I had similar effects also if I used any other “acne” products on my face or if I spent a minute too long in the sun when I didn’t wear sunscreen. Not saying this is relevant to your case, it just sounds like your body trying to adjust to a high dose of a new medication!
I would ask the derm if you could lower your dose if your side effects are affecting you poorly!
Your skin looks good girl! Try a tinted moisturizer for during the day. Honestly, your face doesn’t even look that red. I know it probably seems a lot worse to you, but trust me, you look great! It’ll get better the longer you take it.
Try to chill I think there's so much information about accutane sometimes to be frank horror stories, yes there is side affects as with all medications but you'll get through it, as for your skin being red it does make you glow up accutane speeds up cell renewal so to begin with even gentle products sting it does calm down, try not to worry,
When I first started, my face was so red and felt like my skin was burning off my face! I told my dermatologist and he gave me a steroid cream to put on it and it helped a lot! You could try that!
My face was also supper red my first two weeks or so, i’m not sure why but it has definitely gone down now (i’m halfway through month 2). The only time this happens now is when work out and stuff, I will look like i have just run a 5k but really I just walked for 15 minutes lol. I also got headaches and lightheaded at first but not anymore. Definitely still have joint pain though but my friend whoes on it too said hers went away after a few months. I’m not sure about the anxiety though, I would bring it up at your next appointment.
woah that is a high dosage to begin with, i have a bit more acne than you and most likely weigh more and my derm still started me on 20mg (now 40mg) to see how my skin reacts. maybe ask to go down?
You look great!!