Hi All,
Hope January is progressing well for you 
Ok so last time I went to the dermatologist she was happy with my progress, gave me a prescription of 60mg which will last another 4 weeks and also told me that this would be my last visit. So, unless I get a breakout I’m not to go back and that is Roaccutane done.
All simple and straightforward you think?! Well you’d be wrong. Because since then I’ve had about 5 new spots on my back, 4 of them small, one massive!! This is making me very nervous – I haven’t had new ones for a while, and I’ve just done 18 weeks worth of Roaccutane!!
There could be a few reasons for this though:
- general reaction to my Christmas partying
- I’ve started taking Yasmin instead of Cerazette; I’d been taking Cerazette for years but found out that as it’s not a combined pill the chances are that it’s making my skin worse (helpful of the doctor!), and therefore asked to change so that I could enter my post-roaccutane life with as good a chance as possible
- I’ve cut my prednisolone down to 5mg a day (had had a week of 20mg, 15mg, 10mg…) and coming off steroids is a nightmare!
- I’ve also had a throat infection this week!
So listed out like that – there’s a lot going on. I decided that if I dont get any new spots in the 2 weeks before finishing, then I’m not going back. Otherwise I shall be banging on the dermatologists door.
After coming this far I am not going to give up when I have the slightest doubt I’m not doing all I can to prevent a relapse!
I shall keep you posted on how it goes, would love to hear anyone else’s experiences close to stopping!
Becky xxx
Tags: Week 19 60mg late breakout
Hi Becky
I had read before that people were getting spots right up until the end of their treatment .. . I hope I don’t have a relapse and have to go back for a top up !!! 
but I am hoping that my skin will heal itself 
I too have just 1 week of tablets left !!!
I remember at 19/20 week I had another bad outbreak and was devasted to think I had taken so many tablets and was still getting spots albeit they were small ones, but I actually thought at this far into the treatment I should of been spot free !!!! that’s not the case
Like I said I’ve got a weeks worth of tablets (60mg) to finish and then that’s it . . . derm doesn’t want to see me again which is good (I guess) I am hoping that the 2/3 pimples I have will go but he did say I should be clear and then the next stage of dealing with the slight scarring and red marks is to come . . . I know it’s a waiting game and have been told the red marks and slight scarring will fade within the next 12 months !!! . . . next year my derm said that if I still wasn’t happy with the smoothness of my skin there are other options. Treatment available to reduce scarring and some sort of new laser resurfacing treatment is available
My derm did mention that in 3/4 IF spots begin to appear (fingers crossed they won’t) I can just ring up and have a top up which doesn’t mean I have to start back at the very beginning, it would mean I could go straight up to 60mg for a short period of time) hoping obviously that isn’t the case.
Becky apart from the new spots you have on your back, how is the rest of your skin now ? do you have the red marks left ? what has your derm said to you about ” life after R” is there any other things we can do to encourage and speed up our skins recovery ? xxx
It’s nearly as worrying finishing the course as starting it don’t you think ?
- gigi on January 10, 2013 at 7:33 pm
* devastated
- gigi on January 10, 2013 at 7:34 pm
Hi Gigi!
I totally agree, it’s nerve wracking thinking about finishing – although I can’t wait on one hand, on another I’m worried about what will happen!
Apart from the new spots on my back, I have a few lumpy old spots under my chin and on my back, not too much scarring on my face but a lot of scarring / red marks on my back and chest.
My dermatologist said that R stays in your system for about 5 weeks after taking it, but that there’s nothing you need to do – just stop. She said that R is probably making the red marks worse as your skin is redder / more sensitive and that when we stop they should calm down, otherwise it’s just waiting for them to fade.
She also said that if my old lumpy spots don’t go, to go back and she will inject them with something or slice them and laser them. Although she’d prefer to see if they go as there’s more chance of scarring if they go down that route.
So not too much help but fingers crossed it will be ok!! Good luck and please let us know how you get on when you stop
- Beckala on January 10, 2013 at 7:49 pm
Hi Becky
. . that’s really helpful thank you 
xx
Thanks for posting . . . that’s reassuring to hear about how R continues to work and I hadn’t thought about R making the marks worse but I suppose it does make sense !!! . . . I’ll be glad to get my lips back to be honest, sick of dry cracked lips !!!
NIce to hear you are doing ok and your skin is improving, I’m sure your lumpy bits will shrink & fade in time also . . 2 months down the line our skin will be even smoother and calmer . . will keep in touch . . . can’t quite believe we’re both nearly at the end . . will continue to post & keep you updated . . . yeah we made it ha ha
- gigi on January 10, 2013 at 9:35 pm
Hi Becky/Gigi,
Wow, I can’t believe you are both nearly there…. so pleased for you both. Just wanted to say thanks for your support over the last few months and wanted to wish you both the best of luck going forward not only with your skin but everything else (sorry, a bit mushy?!:) Keep in touch and let us know how you are both getting along with regards to the redness/scarring issues. I’ve still got until the 5th March, still a bit off but a fair chunk through now.
Best of luck x
- Vanessa on January 11, 2013 at 10:26 am
Thanks Vanessa! I know – we’ve all been on here since the start really. Definitely will be keeping you posted but its a long way to go yet – 23 days left and not sure if that will be enough. Fingers crossed though
xxx
- Beckala on January 13, 2013 at 8:53 pm
Hi Vanessa . . . can’t quite believe it myself only 2 days of tablets left, I still have a couple of pimples left but nothing compared to when I started ( 1st June !!!) hard to believe . . . will keep you posted with “life after R” and see what happens in the months to come . . . hopefully fading marks & continuing clear skin
Good luck with the rest of your treatment V . . . keep in touch
lotsa love xx
- gigi on January 15, 2013 at 10:34 pm
I have seen 2 different Derms since November 2012 for my chronic adult acne. 1st Derm prescribed me only 20mg Isotretinoin on alternate days for 20 days and 20mg/day for the next 40 days. However, I could not see any improvements after 2 months so I had decided to visit another Derm. He said 20mg is too low for me (well I weight 45kg only), and so he put me on 40mg/day + Prednisolone (steroid) 20mg/day for 2 weeks and tempering off at 10mg/day for the 3rd week.
Currently I just started with my 40mg of R for the 4th day and 3rd day on steroid. No improvement noticed yet.. still having swollen, red, painful, cyctic cluster of acne especially on my left jawline.. I am very depressed over this matter as it happened of no reason since April 2012.. I regretted for not seeking treatment from a real Derm earlier as I had wasted a bomb on facial treatment and facial products but nothings help.. so I hope this combination of Isotretinoin + Steroid can finally resolve my problem! Pray to God..
- Sally on January 20, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Hi there, I’m in week 15 and although all my active spots have gone, I have really bad scarring that looks like dark red/ brown marks. It hasn’t changed in the last couple of weeks and I feel like its going to stay forever. I also have really bad pigmentation around my cheeks and upper lip. Did you guys find that the dark marks faded after you finished? Thanks for all the great blog posts. Really helped me during very bad times.
Jenny
- jennycraig1 on June 6, 2013 at 9:11 pm
Hi Jenny!
I’m about three months clear of roaccutane now and my scars are continuing to get better. I think roaccutane makes them worse so when you stop you should see that the improvement continues.
I had a real struggle on roaccutane but its got to the point now where my scars are fading and, nearly every time I go out I think “thank god” – it seems to have worked. I only get small spots infrequently and my skin is less oily than it was before.
Hang in there and I hope you continue to see improvements
xx
- Beckala on June 6, 2013 at 10:14 pm