I remember waking up two hours before school in eighth grade just to do a full face of makeup to cover my persistent acne. There’s been some focus recently on the Sephora kids, but I have to admit I was in Sephora scouting out full-coverage products from the age of 12. I wasn’t getting trendy perfumes; instead, I was stocking up on the Maybelline Fit Me foundation, Tarte Shape Tape concealer, and Laura Mercier setting powder.
Makeup was my safe haven as a teen, going through different rounds of treatments from dermatologists. I started with Curology, but it was only a temporary solution; I experienced semi-improved skin for about six months.
My dermatologist then prescribed me benzoyl peroxide cream, which severely dried out my skin and even caused burning. An erythromycin prescription was next, and when that didn’t work, I was given tretinoin cream. These were the prerequisites I had to try before being eligible to go onto Accutane, a medication that helps with severe acne, and have it covered by insurance.
The Start of My Journey
At the start of 2021, my dermatologist told me it was time to try Accutane. I was so excited to finally begin Accutane once my health insurance approved it, but there were a few more steps to take. For starters, I had to agree to monthly pregnancy tests and checkups.
Also, I had to get one blood test before starting Accutane and then another after two months of taking the pill to check my cholesterol and triglyceride levels. There’s still some controversy surrounding the ideal timeline for blood tests, but in my experience, it was only twice.
Side Effects
My main side effects were back pain, dryness, and skin sensitivity. I felt prepared for the dryness, as I had researched lots of stories before starting the pill, but I wasn’t expecting to experience the back pain. As a track and field athlete at the time, the lower back aches were tough. I had heard of the side effects before, but I wasn’t expecting it to happen to me. I powered through, and in my opinion, the temporary pains were worth it.
As for the dryness, it was manageable for me. One benefit of Accutane was I didn’t have to wash my hair nearly as often because it just didn’t get that oily! I used a super strong moisturizer called La Roche-Posay’s double-repair moisturizer with SPF.
The sunscreen was a must for me, as I was more sensitive to the sun on the pill. In addition to that, I used a lot of Aquaphor. I was known to always have my Aquaphor in my pocket, and I’m sure my friends remember the Costco-sized tube my mom sent me off to school with!
My Results
I began Accutane in January of 2021, and by the seven-month mark, my skin was almost perfectly clear. Three of the months I was on the pill were during summer, so I chose to go makeup-free and let my skin breathe.
By the time I started my sophomore year of high school in August, I was confident in my skin and was able to feel comfortable with just a light mascara coat. Since shortening my makeup routine, being able to wake up only 20 minutes before school started was also nice.
Overall, my skincare journey was tough, but going on Accutane helped clear up my persistent pimples. I’m so thankful I was able to take Accutane, even with some significant side effects. To this day, I’m still acne-free with a minimal skincare routine!
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