I'm Taking Roaccutane!

As many of you know, I’m very open about my struggle with acne. I’ve had acne for over 10 years and in my most recent skin update,  I was due for what I hoped would be my final dermatology appointment.

I’ve been taking antibiotics and applying a topical cream for the past six months in an attempt to clear my acne. When I last updated you, I finally had skin that I was proud of. It wasn't perfect but for the first time in my life, I felt confident enough to go out without makeup on.

As instructed by my dermatologist, I stopped taking the antibiotics at the beginning of September, two weeks before my appointment. For the first week, my skin was clear and I had no new breakouts. However, in the second week, my acne started to reappear. It wasn't as severe as it was in March but for a girl who'd been used to waking up with clear skin, waking up to breakouts again wasn't fun.

'The acne isn't coming back, it can't be.' 

I knew that the antibiotics weren't a permanent solution but when my dermatologist confirmed that my acne was making a comeback, I couldn't help but feel disheartened. I'd taken tablets every night for six months for the acne to come back after two weeks. Everything seemed so pointless. 

For the rest of the appointment, we discussed my next steps. 

I could try yet another antibiotic, with no guarantee that it would work, or I could be prescribed Roaccutane (a drug I had been offered in my initial consultation). If you've heard anything about Roaccutane, you'll know that it receives a lot of negative press for the severe side effects that it can cause. After a long chat, we agreed that Roaccutane was the best solution

The following week, I returned to collect my prescription. I had to have a blood test and do a pregnancy test - it's incredibly important that you don't get pregnant when taking Roaccutane as it can cause severe birth defects in unborn babies. This is something that I will have to do every month when taking the drug. My dermatologist weighed me, measured my height and prescribed me with a starting dosage of 30mg. I'll be honest, this is a higher dosage than I was expecting. 

What happens now?

I'm officially part of the Roaccutane club. 

I've stocked up on lip balms and moisturisers and I've spent my nights watching Katie Snooks' monthly diaries. If you've been on Roaccutane, then you'll know that no experience is the same and no matter how many people you talk to, everyone has something different to say. It's definitely something that needs to be researched before a final decision is made and it should be used as a last resort. 

There are some amazing bloggers/YouTubers who have talked about their experiences on Roaccutane. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Katie, Sarah, Primrose and Mercydes.

Updates

As I write this blog post, I've just taken my first dose of Roaccutane and if I'm being honest, I'm absolutely terrified. The past few days, my skin has improved massively and I started to wonder if it was a good idea to put my body through such an intense drug. However, the more my skin has fluctuated, the more I've realised that Roaccutane could be a permanent solution to my acne.

It could make my acne disappear for good. 

If things go to plan, I'll be taking Roaccutane for the next four months and I want to bring you along for the journey. I'll be taking photos of my skin every single day and updating my blog with photos, side effects, products I've been loving and anything else I've been feeling. 

This will not only help me to monitor both the changes and improvements to my skin but also *hopefully* remove some of the bad stigma around the drug, giving an honest account of what it's like to take Roaccutane. I also think it's incredibly important to share and be proud of our imperfections. I'm trying to be confident in my skin and I think that this is a perfect way to do it. 

I'm hoping for a positive journey to clear skin. 

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. 

Lots of Love,
Meg

xxx