Roaccutane | My Journey

 Well this is a post that I never, ever thought that I would be writing; it is probably about 16 years overdue in all honesty. My skin has always been a huge insecurity of mine - not many people see me without makeup and if they do, then I probably trust them with my life. 

I started experiencing acne when I was about 15 years old; at the time it was mainly hormonal and it wasn't too severe, just the typical teenage acne. Only my teenage acne lasted through my 20's and now, into my 30's. It always seemed to flare up when I was under stress, even now whilst undertaking my degree. Along with the acne I had terrible rosacea which just highlighted the acne even more. I never left the house without heavy foundation on and it would take me ages to get ready. I think there has probably only been a handful of times where a BB cream and concealer sufficed. 

When lockdown happened, I genuinely felt relieved. I had an excuse to not pile makeup on as I wasn't able to leave the house. I also used this period to determine if it were the makeup that could be attributing to the acne. So, I went without makeup for the majority of lockdown to see if there would be any improvement, which, as you can probably guess, there wasn't.

I had tried creams and antibiotics years ago through the NHS but I didn't want to have to go through the hassle again and wait for months to see an NHS dermatologist. I decided to FINALLY bite the bullet and contact a local private hospital once they reopened. I managed to get an appointment 5 days later and it was the best money I have spent. 

Due to COVID-19 I had to wear a mask throughout the appointment, but I arrived armed with photographs of my skin, which I will share at the end of this post. The doctor immediately recommended Roaccutane and prescribed me a month's course of 20mg, with the intentions of slowly increasing my dosage over the next few months.

There are a lot of side effects linked to Roaccutane, and I had to sign a disclaimer stating that I would not get pregnant during my time on the drug. I will be having monthly appointments with the doctor to check up on how I am coping and to slowly increase the dose. He was hopeful that I would only need 4 months worth of treatment, so I have my fingers crossed.

I am currently on Day 10 and I have been experiencing some side effects already; peeling skin, dry lips, and dry eyes. I have been carrying a lip balm everywhere and my face probably gets moisturized about 6 times a day.

This journey is something that I want to document, as for me, and many others, it will be life changing.