I’m currently on a course of Roaccutane to treat my adult acne. If you read my last post, you will know that I’m on my second month now, and although the first month wasn’t as awful as I was expecting (the internet will have you bracing yourself for the worst, thanks to countless horror stories) I did suffer with some side effects. I think you would have to be incredibly lucky to not suffer any side effects whilst taking Roaccutane .
However, I have been fortunate to have found a few products that have made these side effects very bearable and have been helping to soothe them. Today I thought I would write about these products as I would recommend them if you’re on Roaccutane or going to be going on it soon.
On my first appointment at the dermatologists, I was told I would have to basically overhaul all of my usual day to day products as my skin would become sensitive whilst being on Roaccutane. The tablets shrink your oil glands which means your skin gets drier, and this can lead to sensitivity. It’s not just your skin that gets dry, your nose, eyes, and mouth can also be affected.
Let’s start with body care. I thought it was a bit weird at first that I wouldn’t be able to use soap shower gels as I thought ‘well what do you wash with?’ You’re advised to ditch the soap as it can be an irritation for sensitive skin. So, I ordered a couple of bottles of Sanex shower gel to try (which is soap free) and I really like the Dermo Hypoallergenic one. I wash with this every day and have found it hasn’t irritated or dried out my skin!
Then we have the body moisturiser that has really helped with one of the side effects that I really struggled with- dry itchy skin. I thought I was going to have to wear oven gloves at one point to stop itching! Anyways, I got the E45 Intensive Repair body moisturiser mainly cause it was on offer when I was doing a food shop, and ever since I started using it, my itchy skin has disappeared. Thank god! I use it twice a day and it’s really helped to keep my skin moisturised and more importantly no more pesky itching!
Oh and I’m still fake tanning just in case anyone was wondering, I was a bit worried if my good old fake tan would irritate my skin but I’ve had no bothers so far. I’m just trying to be a bit gentler when it comes to exfoliating, so instead of using a scrub, I use either a flannel (trying to not be too vigorous with my scrubbing) or an exfoliating glove, but again not being too hard. But this has been fine and not irritated my body.
Next we move onto facial skincare. I’ve been quite lucky that my face hasn’t been too bad when it comes to being dry/sensitive. But I think that’s because my skin was super oily to start with, I did have a few days when it started to feel dry and tight, and products were starting to burn but then I started using the Pestle & Mortar Pure Hyaluronic serum which honestly, is my hero product of the moment. You use it under oils/moisturisers and even under make up, and it genuinely transformed my skin from being dry and sensitive to well – normal.
I use it at night, though I might start using it in the day if my skin gets a bit drier, and I love it. I can’t believe the difference it has made for my skin and it’s really nice and gentle. It has no nasty ingredients, is all natural and cruelty free. It is pretty pricey, but in my opinion it’s worth it. You only need a few drops so it will probably last a long time, but it’s been a real game changer for me.
I’ve also been using the Pestle & Mortar Hydrate Moisturiser which is also lovely and doesn’t irritate my skin, but it is pretty pricey, in my opinion, the Superdrug Simply Pure Moisturiser (I use this underneath my make up) and the Simple Skin moisturisers are just as good. I guess it depends how spendy you are feeling, and the P&M one does have better ingredients, but all three are moisturisers I have been using and like.
Next we move onto lip balms, as the side effect that most people will get with Roaccutane is dry lips. I’ve heard of some people’s lips being so dry they crack and bleed, so I armed myself with an abundance of lip balms to try! My two favourites though are the O’Keefes Lip Repair which I literally use all day every day, it keep my lips moisturised for the longest, and I feel a bit lost when I don’t have it. I’ve already gone through a whole tube and Henry bought me two more for Christmas and I don’t think it will take me long to get through those either! For the nighttime however, I go for a more intensive lip balm, I use the Blistex Intensive Rescue which is amazing, however it’s a white liquid and turns your lips white so it’s not the best for day to day use. However slather it on at night and your lips will be nice and moisturised all night.
In fact last night I changed things up by trying another lip balm and I woke up to my lips feeling really dry this morning, so I will go back to my trusty Blistex tonight!
The Lypsyl compacts are pretty cute for in your handbag as they give your lips a glossy sheen, and I want to try the Blistex Relief Cream to see how that works too!
Another side effect that I’ve struggled on and off with, is a dry nose. Which sounds very weird, I know. The inside of your nose dries up which let me tell you, isn’t awfully pleasant. I can only describe it as feeling like you have big hard bogeys up your nose. Lovely. The blood when you blow your nose is also delightful.
Anyways, I’ve found that spraying some saline nasal spray (you get this from the baby health aisle) morning and evening helps to make my nose a bit more comfortable, then I take a cotton bud, put some Vaseline on it and roll it around the sides of my nose. This seems to help the blood and the bogey feeling so this is good! If anyone however has any other ways of tackling the dreaded dry nose then let me know!
So these are the products that have really helped me during my first month of Roaccutane. I’ve had a few new side effects during my second month, but I’ll blog about that with my next update. For now, I’m pretty happy with all of the products that I am using and will continue to do so!
Please let me know if you have any product recommendations as I’d always be willing to try something new out and as always let me know if you have any questions about any of the products or Roaccutane, you can send me a DM on Instagram, or tweet me, as I’m more than happy to answer any questions!
For now, I will go, but do comment your hero products if you’ve been on Roaccutane before…
