How many times, have we heard it's natural it's just part of growing up? There is nothing natural about acne. Just 6 months ago, my face was what can be only described as a constellation of pimples. Acne had diminished my self-esteem one pimple at a time. I got to the stage, where I could barely look at my face and I would do anything in my power to hide my face from others.
There was nothing I didn't try to help with my acne; I did almost everything you could think of and more. That is when my dermatologist recommended Accutane. If you have ever had acne, then you know about Accutane. Some people wholeheartedly believe that it's the magical pill to cure all your acne woes, while others will tell you to stay away.
Accutane is the brand name for the drug Isotretinoin, which is a vitamin A derivative. Accutane works by decreasing oil production in the skin, which results in acne. Successful treatment could mean no acne FOREVER! That is one of the best selling points, I have ever heard. Nothing could stop me from signing on the dotted line. This was my chance at clear skin and I wasn't going to let a couple, well maybe horror stories put me off Accutane.
More and more individuals are turning to Accutane to ‘cure' their acne. All you have to do is look at the number of Accutane diaries videos on YouTube. It's definitely big business; nonetheless, Accutane is a very serious drug. The course of treatment is quite vigorous and nothing prepares you for the side effects. Before you are actually giving the drug, there were personality tests, blood tests and various appointments with the dermatologist to go through. Looking at the side effects now, it's crazy scary. They include birth defects – absolutely no getting pregnant while you are taking Accutane – depression and digestive disorders. And that is the tip of the iceberg, there are so much more.
I was extremely lucky, the first couple of weeks of taking the medication I had experienced no side effects, - winning right? Well no, around the 4th week I had woken up and my lips were unbearable dry. I could actually peel the skin off my lip by the end they had turned several shades lighter. It didn't stop there, the sides of my lips were cracking and it was a bloody mess. No lip balm could defeat the dryness brought on by Accutane. I was a walking talking balm store, I was never without an array of lip balms. – I couldn't count how many I had finished. My lips had settled into a pattern of never-ending chapping, peeling and bleeding and there was nothing to be done about it.
The promise of clear skin had pushed me to continue. I will be the first to admit it I am clumsy. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't accidentally hurt myself. Boy, was it a different story when I was on Accutane. I was getting cuts, left right and centre. Everything was hazardous to me. My skin had become paper-thin. Not only was I getting more and more cuts, they weren't healing. Never had a paper cut, been so painful before.
From here things only got worse. I was losing hair by the chunk, literally. I couldn't touch my hair without a couple strands leaving my head. That wasn't the only hair I was losing, my full eyebrows were becoming non-existent. On the bright side, by this time my skin was noticeably clearer and everyone around me was complimenting me on my skin. It had felt completely foreign to me but I wasn't complaining. Almost made the side effects, worthwhile. It was crazy, what I was putting myself through for clear skin but at the time it seemed so rational.
I would often wake up with the worst back and joint pain. Most morning it got so bad that it had me in tears. I took to Yoga and pain relief patches but the pain residues and it shocked me every morning. For me, this was the worst part of the course. It had become so unbearable that I was put on a lower dosage.
I haven't had a new pimple in what seems like forever. I remember, they were a daily occurrence. If you ask me today, f I would go through that again, hell yes! Accutance doesn't always work for everyone but when it works it's totally worth it.
Zeynab x
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