I can’t believe that as I write this, I am on my last month of Roaccutane. Erm, excuse me, how fast is time going right now?
But today, I’m not here to talk about my final month, I’m here to talk about month 3 & 4 of my treatment, and how I’ve found it. I didn’t do a separate month 3 post as I felt like the side effects were very similar to month 2, and didn’t want to bore you with a repeat post.
Although, month 3 and 4 were pretty easy sailing (spoiler alert) I still thought that I would come on today to chat about the last couple of months and fill you in. So let’s get started.
Side Effects :
This was my second and third month of being on 60mg of Roaccutane a day. Which is three pills a day taken with a meal.
I feel like my body has adjusted to the roaccutane quite well, and side effects are barely noticeable now. I feel like I’m almost quite used to them?
However the main ones have been :
Dry Lips : of course the dry lips still continued, but I find it very manageable with my trusty O’Keefes Lip Balm which I think I’ve gone through about 5 tubes of the stuff now. I do notice a difference when I run out of this as my lips are very tight and dry and I find it a struggle. They then go back to normal when I have a new tube. If you get one thing for your Roaccutane treatment, make it this.
Dry Skin : My body and face has been quite dry but again very manageable. I keep on top of moisturising, and apply hyaluronic serum and face oil like it’s going out of fashion. I have a random dry patch of skin on my elbow, and I had a major fake tan disaster the other week when I used a new fake tan without moisturising first, which I now realise I need to do! My underarms have been quite dry which let me tell you is quite a strange sensation, I think paired with dry skin and antiperspirant, they feel very dry when I’m working out, I did a bicep row the other day and genuinely thought I was going to light a fire from the friction under there!
Red Eyes : I’ve always had quite red eyes but the past couple of months they’ve been a bit redder than normal. I’ve looked almost a bit teary, and like I’ve been crying. It’s nothing that some eye drops can’t fix though, but I am finding that I’m having to apply a few more eye drops atm!
Aches & Pains : According to my nurse, aches and pains are very normal when on Roaccutane. My back has been a bit all over the place and I’d say that is my worst side effect. My back gets quite stiff, and the littlest thing can make it ache. I have to make sure it’s supported, and I try to not bend down for too long, etc… however it’s not stopping me from doing stuff. Going to the gym actually helps it, and I try to stretch it and use ibuprofen gel on it. It’s a bit annoying but it’s not like it’s a huge nuisance, I feel like an old woman in the mornings getting out of bed, but it is what it is. This is normal, your body is a bit dryer than normal, and your muscles seem to take longer to repair themselves – I think. The nurse said this was all normal and unless it was stopping me from doing stuff, it was nothing to worry about and when I come off the drug, I should go back to normal.
I think that’s it for side effects, nothing out of the ordinary, and all seems pretty normal. Nothing is really affecting me, everything is very manageable.
My progress so far on Roaccutane. I sometimes think I haven’t made much progress, but these pictures prove otherwise!!
Breakouts :
So now let’s talk about breakouts, have there been any? Well month 3 and 4 weren’t completely spot free, month 3 wasn’t too bad, and then I had a mini breakout in month 4 which I found frustrating. I have been stressed though so I’m going to put it down to this! However, the breakouts aren’t as bad as before, I think the last time I got one of those big under the skin spots was back in month 1 / 2 and spots are never that big or sore anymore. The redness is going down (I’ve been using Solution for Scars on my cheeks to get rid of red marks and it’s really helped to fade them already!) and the spots are slowly stopping. My cheeks are still getting a few spots, so I think they’re being a bit stubborn, but my nurse is hoping that another month should sort me out. Fingers crossed!!
I am so much more confident with my skin and within myself, my skin is really smooth, and I need hardly any concealer anymore which is amazing.
People are commenting on how nice my skin is looking and it’s just so weird, as no one has ever told me I have nice skin before.
I haven’t finished my roaccutane treatment yet, but it’s already one of the best things I have ever done. I wish I’d done this years ago.
The skin clinic I go to is lovely, all the staff are incredibly supportive and friendly, and I’ve been very lucky to not have had a rough time on the drug. One down side has been the no drinking, which normally wouldn’t bother me as I’m not a huge drinker, but I did find myself worrying a little about drinking on my hen do. I only had a couple and felt like I couldn’t let my hair down as much, but I guess it is what it is. I still had a lovely time, it just wasn’t a big boozy one! But I’m sure I can make up for it at the wedding, as my nurse has promised me I’ll be off roaccutane in time for the wedding!
I had my month five check up yesterday, and I’m now officially on my final and sixth month of roaccutane! I can’t believe how fast the past five months have gone, and I feel like this month will be the month that my skin completely clears up (fingers crossed!!)
If you have any questions about roaccutane, or if I’ve missed anything out, leave me a comment or DM me on Instagram as I’m always on there so probably will reply quicker!
I’ll see you soon anyways 🙂
Have a good day! X
