The Journey of Treating My ACNE

Hello everyone,

I hope that you are having good times with the people you love and a great fun with your free time

Today I want to share one of the life-changing experiences that happened to me, which is treating my ACNE, as the title of the blog shows. I am so passionate about this topic because I know how someone's life will be affected by it. Acne is not just something on your face, its effect goes down deep into your mind and into daily life. Acne most likely affects the self-esteem and the confidence.

In this blog post, I will talk with you and tell you the whole story from the 1st time that I visited dermatologist's clinic when I was 14 years old up to when I have my face finally cleared at the age of 22. I will try to make it short yet informative for you.

After my puberty, I started to have acne all over my face and it was something new for me to deal with and for my mom as well because she was blessed and have not dealt with it in her life. My mom went with me to the dermatologist and after the doctor looked at my face, she said “it’s acne and she needs treatment” and she referred me to an OBGYN specialist to rule out PCOS “polycystic ovarian syndrome” and the suspicion became true and I got diagnosed with PCOS “I was too young to mange the main cause and take OCPs and my mom was completely against this idea”. So, I used some topical creams and ointment for months, but without any improvement and I went to many dermatology clinics until I was 17 years old and they kept on giving me the same topical treatments (Retinoids, Antibiotics and Salicylic acid).

Then at 17, I decided to try treating it by losing some weight and changing my diet "no junk food, no soft drinks, and no fried food"  and this helped to reduce the number of pimples on my face. But I did have scars and hyperpigmentation that won't fade away even after trying every drugstore product that targeted toward acne. I used makeup to hide my acne because I did not like the way I look, and sadly I hated my face so much to the level not wanting to see my reflection in the mirror. That's why I don’t have any photos of my face before the acne treatment because of how much I hated my face.

After the struggle for 4 years, at the age of 21 I finally got the strength to book an appointment in a dermatology clinic and hope that she would use Accutane "isotretinoin" to treat my acne. She did gave me the magic drug after running many tests. Those tests include Liver function test "LFT", Renal function test "RFT", hemoglobin A1c and lipid profile, and she had done them to know the baselines and closely watch out for any abnormal changes that might occur. Also, I did repeat the tests every two months for whole year.

Dosage and duration:

First, I started on 60 mg daily for the 1st 30 days and after  that the doctor lower it down to 40 mg because of the severe dryness and peeling of my skin. I had such a high dose because of my weight, my very oily skin and cystic acne. I used Accutane for 11 months before completely clearing my skin. The treatment course was so long because the doctor wanted to reduce the chances of relapse after stopping the medication.

The side effects have gone after 3 months of stopping Accutane except for the dry skin, which is something I have to deal with for the rest of my life. Even After being done, I still had some hyper-pigmentations that I used Hydrocortsion for 7 days to reduce it, and it was useful but not for long duration.

The side effects during treatment:

Here I will share the side effects I experienced during my treatment and if you interested to know all of them you can visit the Mayo Clinic website. 

• VERY DRY lips, skin, and eyes, that required regular and continuous miniaturization and drinking tons of water "I advise you to stop wearing your contact lens when you start your treatment because it was difficult for me to remove mine despite putting eye drops 3 times daily"

• I had elevated triglyceride and LDL that I had to take medications for them for 4 months “that's why it’s important to follow up and not to skip your appointment”

• Joint and muscle pain, my pain was extra severe because I am obese and I had a severe vitamin D deficiency (vitamin D level was 3). I got treated for the deficiency and the pain gets better but has not gone until I finished my treatment.

• Constant back pain and this a rare one to have, for me the back pain was the worst side effect out of all of them.

• Having BAD MOOD, I won’t blame the medication by itself as the only factor for that and I think it was due to the combination of Accutane, PCOS “messed up cycles” and the vitamin D deficiency. I was not too bad, but at certain times I felt like I wasn’t my true self.

• I had a nosebleed a few times through the treatment course. 

• Eye sensitivity to the sun and bright lights

• Skin sensitivity to the heat and sunshine

Skincare routine during treatment:

• Avene sunblock (SPF 50), I used it every single day because my skin became sensitive and easily irritated.

• LA RACHE-POSAY moisturizers, it was a recommendation from my doctor and I think any gentle and non-fragrance moisturizer will do the job.

• I used Neutrogena face wash for oily skin once daily and then I shifted to another one for dry skin. "use cetaphil wash because it was recommended by many people". 

• I used a ton of lip balms and none of them was magical, but never use Vaseline gel on your lips because it won’t do anything. "it will make a barrier but won't add moisture".

After the treatment:

Until this moment my skin gets easily irritated, my face becomes red and I get some brownish hyperpigmentations on my cheeks from time to time. Therefore, I use sunblock every day to protect and maintain my beautiful skin. Also, to deal with dryness I have an extensive skincare routine that helps me moisturize my face. All my skincare routine products are Korean and targeted toward dry skin and I did see a huge difference since I started using them. If want me to share my skincare let me know and I will do it for you.

With all the pain I had during the treatment and the fact that I have to take extra care to maintain my good skin, I will say it was worth it because I am having the face I wanted for years Alhamdullah. My self-esteem and confidence have raised up so much comparing to before, I became happy to see the reflection of my face in the mirror every morning.

I hope you have an idea about the acne treatment

I highly advise you to use other options before using this extensive medication.

Thank you so much for reading my post Feel free to ask me any question

Keep blooming and shining