90 days in & 90 to go

Made it this far. 

My follow up with Dr. Schaen was on 8/23 and things are going as expected. I have redness that needs to subside. I asked the Dr what her guesstimated endtime would be and she suggested another 3 months. I'll need to come in for a follow up and she'll need to see no pimples at all on my face, neck, chest, back and or shoulders before she can end my treatment.

YAY

{INSERT SARCASM}

Improvement is all that can take place from there. Still looking way better than day 1, so here's to clearer skin

With flash

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Showered

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Got dressed and headed to work

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settled in at work

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and here's my face

Here's to another 90 days...

Looking back to move forward

Comparing June 1st, 17' to July 1st, 17'.

Some of the things I've noticed after these 30 days:
■ Less cystic acne.
■ Less pustule acne.
■ Fewer clusters of pimples.
■ Some patches of clearer skin that I haven't seen in months.
■ Face is no longer paintful to the tocuh where acne was it's worst.
■ Less itching wherever the acne was.
&
on a more mental/emotional note
■ I'm a bit more sociable and less to myself because my face is improving.

Here's to the next month on Accutane.

30 days into Accutane & Chill

I MADE IT and it hasn't been that bad,

Of course there was dryness, the initial breakout, me popping some of the pimples more than i should of... but other than that things seem to be improving.

From June 14th(day of my 1st follow up) until now, I have been on 40mg of CLARAVIS.

I went on vacation and made a decision to enjoy it fully and carefree. That means I went out without covering up, I didn't wear additional or reapply sunscreen. I drank water, but not enough. I even missed a day and freaked out for about 2.5secs. I noticed drying out happened more often and in patches here and there. Crossing my fingers, that it doesn't get much worse than this.

Returned from vacation and within 24hrs, I slid right back into my routine. Sleep & work, that's it. Since starting my Accutane journey, I posted progress pics every Thursday night. I missed last week because I was on vacation. This week, I chose not to post on Thursday because the very next day 6/30/17' marked my 30 days into this journey.

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Thursday night before work.

With flash

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Shower

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Get dressed

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Settle in at work

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and here's my face

Onto the next...

1 booklet, first 10 days down

Onto the next...

7 days in

With Flash

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Shower

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Get dressed

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Settled in at work

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and here's my face

With Flash

Without Flash

A couple of things I've noticed/experienced within these 7 days:

■Days 1-4 while at work, I noticed my eyes felt more tired than usual.
{Could be an onset symptom of the dry eyes, but we'll see as time progresses}

■Days 1-7 I'm losing eyelashes.
■Day 4 I picked at my face after waking up and seeing larger than normal puss filled bumps
{I'm going to minimize picking at the bumps with time}

■Days 1-5 I'm applying the Aquaphor Lip Repair{ALR} more frequently.

■Day 6 I applied ALR when I was leaving home. I got to my hair appt at 9am and wasn't able to reapply until close to 1pm. My lips felt very dry and wilted.

I did not get my gallon of water in on a daily basis nor did I eat as clean as I could have.
I have been keeping away from dairy 98% of the time. I've also been reading labels in search of soy in foods/items that appeal to my eye. Trying to keep that to a minimum as well.

SKINtimate with Kiehl's

The other bird I killed(no birds were actually harmed} on my trip to the mall, was a trip to Kiehl's.

There was one person working and I was the only customer at the time.
I asked him (Arthur) if he was familiar with Accutane and he said "a bit, yes."
I then filled him in on the possible side effects I could experience, related to skin/skincare:
■Dryness/Itching
■Redness/Soreness
■Peeling
■Increased sensitivity of skin to sunlight

I then asked him to introduce me to products that kept skin moisturized, hydrated as well as protected from the sun.
I also asked him to introduce me to a product I can use at night(for me whenever I go to sleep).

Arthur got me familiar with the look, feel and smell of the following products:
■Ultra Facial Cream: A 24-hr daily face moisturizer
■Ultra Facial Cream SPF 30: A 24-hr, light textured daily hydrator with SPF 30
■Rosa Artica Lightweight Cream: A powerful lightweight anti-aging cream for younger-looking skin
■Ultra Facial Moisturizer: A 24-hr mositurizer
■Super Multi-Corrective Cream: Multi-targeted advanced anti aging moisturizer

After testing out the 5 products above, I went home with 2:
Ultra Facial Cream SPF 30: A 24-hr, light textured daily hydrator with SPF 30

{I chose this for daytime use over the moisturizer because it already has the SPF in it and would work better for being that I'm outside often}
&
Rosa Artica Lightweight Cream: A powerful lightweight anti-aging cream for younger-looking skin

{I chose this for nighttime use over the multi-corrective cream because the texture was lighter, where I wouldn't have to wait for it to set in before going to sleep}

Arthur was nice enough to give me samples of the other products to try at home, including a cleanser he felt I would like.

Thanx Arthur {Kiehl's Associate}

Outta here

So pretty much from the very first day the word Accutane penetrated my eardrums I took the Internets to see what other people have had to say about their experience.

Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter and even Facebook kinda sent me over the deep end.
I was super nervous about this treatment and 2nd guessed my decision before even starting.

I critiqued the products I was already using at home and began throwing things away.
One day on Facebook, I came across an article from XONecole on Jacq's Organics and how the company came to be.
In the article one part stood out to me:

“I already shopped at farmer’s markets because I was a very conscious buyer, but the more I researched, [I realized] everything in my refrigerator was soy. I learned that it mimics estrogen and that was feeding my thyroid.” From hummus and chickpeas to chicken and white rice, Barbara learned – and spread the word – that her food choices were killing her... “And then I look, and I have this make-up artist display of products in my closet,” she continued. “I have bags of MAC make-up, Estee Lauder, Clinique…it was crazy. I just started throwing my stuff away, and that’s when, for me, when I felt that sense of calmness.”

Those products – the ones she placed in her hair and on her skin – were causing equal amounts of damage to her health. And just like over 70% of all beauty products catering to Black women, they included “the dirty dozen”. “The dirty dozen is basically a list of 12 common ingredients that you will find in, not just skin and hair products, but also in food that are a no-no,” Barbara explained. “They’re linked to cancer, birth defects, ovarian issues, stuff that has harmful side effects. But it’s ingredients, preservatives, and products that are basically in everyday [items] that we don’t even think about. Everything from toothpaste to clothes, canned goods, sugar, milk – everything.”

Once I finished the article, I took to my fridge and bathroom and was like

Why? Because cystic acne is commonly referred to as hormonal acne, I felt it was a smart move to look for products with SOY in it and not purchase them and or not use them if I already had them at home.
My trusty Aveeno products had soy in it... I didn't throw them away, I placed them under the bathroom sink.
Out of sight, out of mind, right?

The day after I picked up my Rx, I made a trip to the mall and killed two birds with one stone.
I got my eyes brows threaded happily as it's one of the few things I CAN do during my Accutane treatment.
I love my eyebrow threading lady and I had a chat with her about what I'd be putting my body thru.
She was very understanding and gave me a little advise.
She asked "Do you have an IUD?"
I said "YES, Mirena." She then said "that's your problem.
Mirena affects your hormonal levels."

Two different ways of being informed about hormones, just set me up on a better path to be mindful of the products I use on and in my body.

Do your OWN research!!!

This blog documentation of my skin prior to, during and eventually after Accutane all started because  it was kind of difficult to find women with complexions other than white to fair.
There were a few women of color who shared PARTS of their Accutane journey mainly via Youtube.
They however didn't get into much detail, or didn't show their skin without makeup or just talked about how they maintained the dryness they experienced with makeup.

They all emphasized ONE thing though: protecting your lip from severe dryness.
Their recommendation:

AQUAPHOR Lip Repair Immediate Relief

{They advised to use it often, especially when going to sleep}

I bought enough to have one at my desk at work, on my night stand, in my bathroom and in both handbags I'm currently alternating between.
{On the hunt for Aquaphor Lip Protectant + Sunscreen}
Coming from someone who was an avid Carmex user and from someone who has never had dry/chapped lips I decided to by one and try it...I LOVED it.
Even after my treatment, I'll continue to use it.

Due top the fact that Accutance is going to halt oil production in your skin, mainly your face where the acne is most prevalent, you don't want to invest or continue to use facial cleansing products that will strip you skin of oils(that aren't there).
Sooooooooo...

HYDRATION ■ HYDRATION ■ HYDRATION

To Pinterest I went for all my visual aids and I immediately saw a trend.
I noticed a couple of brands that others who were on or are on an Accutane journey being used:
Eucerin
Aquaphor
Aveeno
Kiehl's

from TheMRSandTheMomma

from ThisYouNeed

from PrettyLittleGrub

I eventually made up my mind on a combination pf products to use.

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❓

...and then this happened

One night, I went into work for some overtime. 

As the time went by I noticed that I was working harder that the regularly scheduled staff. 

Highly frustrated, I lost it and went AWF!

After venting my frustrations, I went to the restroom and there it was: a cluster of cystic acne along my right jawline. Within a week or so, my face turned into:

In an attempt to ease my frustrations at work, I took a 3 day trip to Ft. Lauderdale.

I had a decent time away, however I came to another realization.

FLORIDA WATER DOES NOT AGREE WITH MY SKIN.
It just got worse.

at this point I felt...HELPLESS

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.

Back to basics

Jan 20th, 2017 I was back to basics with my face.

The soreness around my chin was gone and the gash was completely healed.

Jan 28th, 2017 my face was clear.
There was a cluster of acne along my left jawline, but it was barely visible.
Treated my problem areas to a Bentonite clay mask and felt renewed.

2017 ...SURPRISE

If you are lucky enough to know me in real life, you'd know that I love

SURPRISES.

Cheesy, corny, OMG "no you didn't" surprises.

I've flown out to surprise both of my best friends on different occasions and to surprise my father on Father's Day. 

This is where being "single, free & disengaged" isn't a bad thing.
As long as my bank account allows it, I can fly out whenever I chose, to wherever I chose.

2 days before we transitioned from 2016 to 2017, I secretly flew into NYC.
Staying off social media, I pigeon-holed at my cousins house and then at my best friends house before revealing my whereabouts.

I got dolled up and headed out to a club in the city around 10pm on NYE night.
With the help of her best friend, my sister pulled up in a cab to the club I was standing in front of.
She started crying as she got out the cab.

HUGS! What are you doing here? {to her best friend} You kept this from me?
OMG, you're here!

We made it inside the club right as the countdown for 2017 was within the last 10 secs

The night was a blast from that point on:

32 & clear as the sky is blue

The same weekend I moved, I turned 32.

Gathered some friends and had a fun night of bowling, good food, music and drinks.

Fall came around and the smell of pumpkin spiced EVERYTHING was in the air.

My skin didn't falter

October, ME & Miami

Finally October came around and me and sister were off to enjoy Miami Carnival.

Unfortunately, Hurricane MATTHEW graced us with his presence.
Miami itself didn't get any major damage, just rain, high wind and clouds.
We were stuck in our hotel room for 2 days.

Then the sun decided to finally come out.

South Beach, Miami, FL

Talk about HOT yet beautiful and relaxing and just what we needed.
We partied. We ate. We drank.

We did cheesy "double-decker bus" tourist things.

Don't think I forgot that this blog is about my SKIN.
Life happen in between, so I'm just sharing pics of my skin {the good. the bad & the ugly} along the way.
Since my acne cleared up. I stuck with the routine of using the Rx'd treatment on and off or as I deemed necessary, along with my daily daytime/nighttime routine.
Intermittently, I drank tons of water, ate clean, worked out and kept up with my health.

I returned to Atlanta after my vacation and prepped for my move.