iPLEDGE allegiance to ACCUTANE

The process involved with starting Accutane:

■Urine sample to rule out pregnancy. 

■A blood sample that same day but my veins kept rolling, so NO DICE.

■Was given a booklet titled The iPLEDGE Program
ISOTRETINOIN EDUCATIONAL KIT 

FOR FEMALE PATIENTS WHO CAN GET PREGNANT"

{The Importance of Avoiding Pregnancy on Isotreatinoin}

Inserted in the booklet, were two sets of documents that I had to sign multiple times signifying that I understand I can not start Accutane if I am pregnant nor can I get pregnant during my treatment.

■Dermatologist filed copies of my signed documents.
■In the booklet, I was provided my iPLEDGE number.

■Dermatologist office registered with iPLEDGE and started the process on their end.
■Returned 30 days later{Wednesday May 17th, 17} gave my blood sample & was given my Rx.
{I was told to wait until Friday before registering & dropping the Rx off}
■Dermatologist office completes the iPLEDGE process on their end.
■Register myself with iPLEDGE online and answered a questionnaire that once again signified that I understood I can not start Accutane if I am pregnant nor can I get pregnant during my treatment.
■Dropped my Rx off Friday morning.
■Pharmacy registers and completes their part of the iPLEDGE process.
■Picked up my Rx of CLARVIS{brand name version}of Isotretinoin on Monday May 22nd, 17'

Being that Memorial Day weekend was approaching, I made a decision to not start immediately.

Wrecked but HOPEFUL

(Clears throat) 90% of my life I had not a worry in the world when it came to acne.
My fatter, ate whatever I wanted self had no worries and as of 2 years ago, my healthier, ate cautiously self had not one worry either.
Turn 30 and WHAMM
  ACNE came in like


I've tried over the counter acne solutions.
I've been Rx'd a combo of Retin-A Mirco, Onexton & Solodyn, which worked for a few months then stopped.
After getting the chemical type burn on my face from applying my Rx'd acne medication immediately after using a spin brush, I ventured into natural remedies:
■Vitamin E Oil
■Tea Tree Oil
■African Black Soap
■Coconut Oil
■Baking Soda
■Tumeric
They all provided short lived relief but no permanent fix.

I've revisited Dunwoody Dermatology and saw Dr. Sonya Bellamy.
She strongly advised to go the Accutane route.
She warned me of the excessive dryness and other major & minor side effects.
So many questions came to mind:
■face product suggestions❔
■daytime routines❓
■nighttime routines❔
■do's & don'ts❓
■sunblock suggestions❔
■pros & cons❔
■would this interfere with my gym routine❓

Spring 17' SPRUNG

& so did my breakout {AGAIN}

I honestly thought I was in the clear. But NOPE.

My acne came back slowly and not just on my face. 

It appeared now on my chest, back and shoulders. Thankfully not CYSTIC but still as frustrating.

Incessantly, I used natural oils, soaps and tried to exfoliate this breakout away, but NO DICE.
I scrubbed and exfoliated to no end, until one unlucky day, I used a spin brush on my face with my Cetaphil cleanser.
Not giving it enough time after patting my face dry I immediately applied Retin-A micro and felt a tingle.
Thinking nothing of it I applied Onexton and


I didn't know if to add water to it and wash it off or what, so I sat through the burning tingle that was happening on my face.
When I woke up, I had some sort of chemical like burn going from the sides of my nose outward to my cheeks and the outer sides of my mouth.
The areas that were burning got coarse and peeled for days.

I was so over my skin that I sent a message through the patient portal asking to switch dermatologists.
I inquired about Dr. Sonya Bellamy again and was happy to hear she had a opening on April 17th, 17'.
Booked it asap and threw away every piece of Rx'd acne medication I owned from my previous dermatologist.

Here we go AGAIN

Post birthday breakout didn't hesitate to rare its ugly little self.
I attempted to re-familiarize my body with my Rx'd acne meds, but they weren't working.
Mid December 2016, I saw Dr. Emineth and he informed me that my weight gain affected the medication.
The dosage of Solodyn I was previously Rx'd was 80mg and I exceeded the maximum weight limit for it.
I was Rx'd Solodyn 105mg and was sent on my merry way to use in conjuction with the Retin-A Micro and the Onexton.

It's amazing how your body goes backwards...and to think it was worse the day i made the appt...now it's clearing up the closer I get to my appt date.

Dairy AIN'T for me

That Dairy ain't no joke. 

After consuming Dairy for 30 years,  I had a painful episode of cystic acne last April- Sept.
So painful I had to put ice packs on my face to ease the pain.
Dermatologist advised me to cut Dairy out of my diet completely.
Took his advise and that episode hasn't repeated itself since... 

Came across this post on instagram

from GMO_GUS

An acne-riddled bodybuilder has revealed the surprising dietary tips that cleared his complexion.

Brian Turner, 23, turned to veganism after exhausting every possible solution to rid his face of the large pus-filled cysts that had haunted him since puberty.

He guaranteed others could banish acne if they dropped all dairy out of their diet, drank a gallon of water a day and ate at least 10 to 16 servings of vegetables a day.

In an Instagram video posted to his 70,000 followers, Mr Turner revealed the secrets behind his crystal-clear complexion. 'So I used to have super severe acne all over my face. I had nodular cysts - four, five, six of them - over my face every single day of my life,' he said.

#govegan 🌱