I started college off being so insecure from my acne that I didn't go out as much as others. My face was always clear, besides a zit or two, until I went to college and my face broke out badly. I envied girls with clear skin and girls whose makeup covered it up. I decided to go on Accutane (I take a different named pill but this is the common name) to get rid of it all. Accutane is a pill that you take every day for typically 4-6 months for really bad acne. It has to be prescribed by a doctor and is hard on your body. Not only that, but there's a lot of nasty side affects. Let me share with you my joyous experiences!
Dry skin
They will tell you over and over to keep moisturizing and drink plenty of water cause your skin will get as dry as a desert. It honestly looks like I have bugs under my skin and have been scratching to get to them. Ew, I know. And if for some reason you want to get your eyebrows waxed while on Accutane...just don't.
Joint pains and muscle aches
My family likes to joke around that I'm like an old lady because I only want to watch TV and sleep most days. So you can imagine when I started complaining of my knees aching and my joints hurting. All the "you really are an old lady" comments came in and I really couldn't defend myself. I also have had a lot of muscles aches, especially in my thighs and back. It feels like there's a ping pong sized knot in my thighs and it also has to remind me it's there.
Rashes
Dear god this is the worst one. I noticed the rashes around month two when they upped my dose. It started on the back of my forearms and has spread to my legs. Stinging, burning pain just radiates around my body and I can't even touch my limbs to a surface sometimes. My PA described a steroid cream for the rashes which works really well, but it's kind of hard to take a minute from work and be like, "Oh yeah I'll be right back, gotta put my steroid cream on."
Cracked lips
This was my worst enemy the first time around. It's embarrassing when people come up to you and point out the obvious. Yes my lips are dry, yes I'm putting chapstick on them, yes yes yes yes.
Horrible sunburns
They warn you on Accutane that you shouldn't be out in the sun very long, and if so, to put on A LOT of sunblock. Well, I'm a dumb teenager and somehow think that the sun doesn't see me. So what happens when I go outside for more than ten minutes? I'm burnt. And it's not a typical sunburn. It's like a mild sunburn that speeds up to a terrifying sunburn.
Nose bleeds
Who knew that the inside of your nose could hurt so bad? The inside of my nose gets so dry that it constantly hurts. I have to get a Q-tip and put Vaseline up my nose because the pain is so annoying. Don't even judge me on that one, you do what you have to do for pain relief.
I would take these side effects for six months just to have clear skin. It's a pain sometimes because of the pregnancy tests (you CANNOT get pregnant while on Accutane) and constant blood draws for labs. But all in all, I'm so happy that my face is cleared up and how I feel like myself again.
Before...
