Saviour of acne skin!!

Today I would like to share with you about a medicine named Isotretinoin/ roaccutane (product name )
You can read more about it Here

Basically this is an oral medicine for serious acne problem. Usually people start with topical antibiotics (benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin). if it doesnt work then oral antibiotics. The last resort will be Isotretinoin.

Just a brief idea on this drug. It's actually an extract of vitamin A. It decreases the size and activity of the sebaceous glands in the skin, which reduces the amount of sebum that is produced. This stops the glands becoming blocked, and means bacteria are less likely to thrive. It also reduces the inflammation in the skin.

It works on some people, but not everyone. It works for me though because I have hyperactive sebaceous gland. Like even how much loose powder I apply, by around 1 hour my face will be oily again. -.-

I decided to take this med instead of antibiotics although i dont really have severe acne because I'm very prone to diarrhoea. Antibiotics kills not only the face bacteria but also the normal flora in the intestine which may cause diarrhoea. I didn't wanna get thinner anymore so I chose this, which is more effective but more costly.

Here's a picture of it. I got it from Ranjit Singh clinic in Subang Jaya. They are not exactly skin specialists but they are really good in treating skin and scalp problems! Therefore most people visit their clinic for acne and hair loss treatment.

I started consuming this medication since this year March. It is a 8-9 months regimen, once a day for 6months  then taper to alternate days. I was told about the side effects of this medication.

The most serious side effects are as below:

• Birth defects ( in UK, this medication has to be taken with oral contraceptives )
• Severely dry skin, eyes, lips
• Anaemia ( low blood count )

When I first took the medication (once a day), my face had very severe break outs and it's super dry ( even my friends asked what happened to your face :( ). But I was told that this is normal. Please do not stop when you have severe out breaks! it wont work anymore if u decided to take it again after few months. I did not apply any make up on my face but sunscreen is very very important when you are on this med. So as I continue eating, my pimples totally cleared out, only the pimple scars are left from previous extractions. 

After around 2 months, the side effects started to get more severe. My eyes were so dry, I couldn't wear contact lenses even until now. I've tried many many eye drops but they seem to be ineffective, including artificial tear drops. The best natural way is to sleep for awhile and let the eyes rest + blink the eyes more often.

Next is my lips. They became super dry and they crack. It's not like the usual dry lips u get. It's like even after applying lip balm, it is still dry. After peeling the dry skin, a new layer of dry skin will be formed like after few hours. Quite incredible I would say. Therefore I will have to soak my lips in water for few minutes, rub off the dead skin, apply a thick layer of lip balm every hour. This makes my lips soft and the wrinkles on my lips are almost not existent. :D *dunno if it works on normal lips*

Therefore in conclusion, I'm really happy with the result after consuming for about 4 months now. I won't have to worry bout pimples popping out if I eat oily food or before period because I think I only get like 1 pimple during these 4 months. Side effects are really bad I would say. But no pain no gain! This is the med that will clear my face once and for all. Usually after stopping the drug it won't recur if you are compliant to the treatment. I had been suffering from pimples problem since form 3 ( 6 years already!) and had tried many many many expensive products and facial. None of them work. * Even left scars, should have taken this long ago! save money* For me, systemic drugs are way more effective as you may miss out some spots when you apply topical drugs?

So yay to beautiful skin! Can finally use whitening products and no pimples will pop out. Next is to remove the pimple scars from facial! Any suggestions on products for acne scar removal?

Thanks for reading! Xoxo