One word: acne. It could quite possibly be one of the most hated things amongst young adults. Coming from a girl who has had her share of embarrassing days of an acne-ridden face, listen to me when I say Accutane blessed my life.
Accutane is an acne medication a dermatologist prescribes for a treatment of usually six months, which consists of monthly visits and blood work since the drug is regulated by the FDA.
I started Accutane six months ago and recently finished my last prescription. After years and years of trying everything from washes, topical medicines, and even pill form medications, I came to a breaking point. I could not stand to look at all my clogged pores or my zits and have my days ruined any longer.
A lot of people are hesitant to try Accutane because of all the negative side effects they hear about–it does have a potential severe pregnancy defect. But the truth is, all the other acne medicines out there have the same, if not worse side effects. My dermatologist once said, “The acne medicine you were on before has a rare but potential side effect of Lupus but we aren’t obligated to tell you that.”
One guaranteed side effect of Accutane is dryness. Since it is essentially shrinking your oil glands, you could experience dryness of things like your lips, skin, eyes, etc. After backing out of my first appointment, and then watching my skin continue to be ugly, I knew I had to make sure I was at my rescheduled appointment. I decided I had to take the risk because in the end, the benefit of clear skin would be far greater.
I endured most of my side effects when I first started Accutane. I had back pain, I could tell I was more tired than normal and my skin and lips became very dry, very quickly. These were definitely annoyances, but they did subside and I thought to myself that there are worse things I could be suffering from.
For me, I hated waking up in the morning and discovering new bumps had formed overnight.
If my journey sounds all too familiar, look past the temporary hassle of Accutane and think about the beautiful skin you are now destined to have. If you seriously want to permanently clear your face and you have tried everything else, you can put up with some dryness for the short term.
I always thought people were looking at my disgusting acne and even when I tried to cover it up with make-up, I knew you could still tell. With social media like Snapchat, pictures and videos are constantly being taken even when you don’t even know it. I feel so much more confident now with my clear skin and I can’t explain how great it feels to not have to put foundation on for my every day. Accutane was truly one of the best decisions I have ever made.