I'm a 46 year old woman. My skin has been breaking out since I was in my early teens. About ten years ago I took Accutane for 3 months. It completely cleared my skin and it stayed clear for several years, then gradually started breaking out again. It is currently still not as bad as it was before the Accutane, but I have a constant group of pimples on my chin that are leaving scars. I decided to try a second course of treatment to see if it will clear my skin once and for all.

When I took it previously, I remembered that my face got very red and sunburned looking at the start, then later got waxy looking and very fragile. I did break out a bit more at the beginning, but I don't remember it being horribly worse than normal.The most annoying side effect was very very chapped lips. I also recall having dandruff and some hair loss. And the skin on my ears pealed, so I stopped wearing earrings. My eyes were too dry to wear contacts. I do not recall any other side effects. They all went away at the end of the treatment. I don't recall my skin getting noticibly clearer until I stopped taking it, but it continued to clear for several months after stopping. The side effects were very annoying but the results were amazing. It was the first time I had clear skin in many many years. The red spots and scars continued to improve over the following year. I'm sure people who met me then had no idea I ever suffered from acne.

My doctor has prescribed a 5 month course of Accutane. Three 40mg pills on odd numbered days and two on even days. I started last night, Jan 27, 2003. He claims that even with the higher dose, the side effects won't be much worse. We'll see...

Before starting, I had to go on birth control pills. They actually cleared my skin better than it had been in ages.

Therefore, the "before" photos will show my skin at it's very best. Hopefully in 6 months, it'll be even better.

Visit Jan's website for her weekly update and photos.

You can email Jan at jan@inow.com.

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