I’m guessing you’re expecting a wonderful post about some miracle, natural home remedy acne solution that I’ve found and has cleared up my acne in no time flat. But that’s not the case. Well, I guess that depends how you see it. About 6 months ago, I made the decision to go on Accutane. I actually talked about it in a post once to get second opinions from people. Most of the opinions were negative but I also saw many positive ones. So once I started taking accutane, I decided to keep that info out of my blog so I wouldn’t have other people’s opinions changing my own.
So let’s go back to the beginning. I’ve always had a little bit of acne. Nothing to get super upset about, but enough that I saw a dermatologist when I was in high school, when I was in college, and after college. But it wasn’t until I started CrossFit and was competing, that my acne got out of control. And when I say out of control, I mean it was incredibly painful to the touch. I had bad cystic acne that hurt when I was just putting on make up. But since the acne was so bad, putting on make up was my only choice. I’m not sure if it was CrossFit that changed my complexion, but I’m almost certain it had to do with it because of the changes in estrogen and other hormones.
Anyways, after trying many different home remedies such as oil pulling and oil cleansing, changes to my eating habits, removing fish oil from my diet, consuming cod liver oil, and different essential oils, I decided to try some prescription strength drugs. After trying spironolactone and other prescription drugs as well as topical medication, I was finally at a loss. It had been almost 3 years of fighting this cystic acne that was going to lead to much worse scarring if I didn’t do something about it. So I decided to try Accutane out and my dermatologist immediately agreed.
Accutane is a high dose of vitamin A, that you take on a daily basis. Most treatments, like mine, are around 6 months. Some people have to do multiple sessions, but not everyone. Accutane is taken very seriously by not only the doctor, but also the state. It is a state regulation that you must be on birth control while taking Accutane because the birth defects are so awful. There are also other side effects such as depression, muscle and joint pain, extremely dry skin and eyes, and a whole hell of a lot of other things, but those are the things I experienced. The process is quite tedious. Here’s the process you go through every month: get your birth control (remember, no babies), get your blood drawn so they can check that your liver is just fine, then go to the doctor a couple days later where you have to do a urine test to make sure you’re not pregnant, then you get your prescription, then you have to take a test online all about practicing safe sex, once you pass that test, you can then drop off your prescription to finally get your month supply. Then do this many more times until you are off the medication. Annoying, but so worth it in my opinion.
You may be asking why the hell I’m even writing about this on a paleo recipe blog. Which is understandable. But I want to share my experience with people who are trying so hard to change their diet to fix their body issues, and those things are just not working. The more I’ve eaten paleo, the more I’ve found out how many things can be cured through diet alone. I rarely get sick, I sleep better, I have more energy, my depression went away. So many things can change through diet, but my acne did not seem to be one of them. And if it was, it would have taken me YEARS and many scars to find out those reasons. I’m sharing all this information with you in hopes that if you are ever thinking about taking this prescription drug, you have another opinion. A positive one.
I had a truly positive experience with the drug. Not to say that I didn’t have some ups and downs, but most of my 6 month experience was a good one. Here were some of my symptoms:
- The worst symptom by far has been dry lips. You know when you get a sunburn and it peels? Well imagine that happening every single hour, of every single day, for 6 months. It was miserable. By far the worst thing. Not having chapstick on hand truly felt like a meth addict not having his drug. Terrible description, but that’s seriously how it felt. I rarely stop biting or picking at my lips. I have a new habit I need to break.
- Dry skin and red skin. Mostly my face was the only thing that got dry, but it was also my ears, my nose and my hair. So I exfoliated my face daily with one of those soft bristle face rotating brushes. A cheap one. And moisturized a lot. I didn’t stop wearing make up until my skin settled down after the second month, I was too embarrassed.
- Dry, breaking hair. My hair thinned out and my hair stylist said it seemed to be breaking easily. After 4 months, that passed and my hair got a lot better. Wish it would have affected my leg hair, that would have been cool.
- My joints and muscles hurt A LOT about 3-5 months in. Workouts were much more uncomfortable to the point that it hurt to walk. That passed after 5 months.
- Moody and depressed. I got REALLY depressed about 4 months or so into the accutane. I mean, depressed to the point that I couldn’t get off the couch. I couldn’t figure out why I was sad or what was wrong, but I was so unhappy. I fought some depression when I was growing up, so I was more likely to have some while on the drug. It went away with time.
- Super red face. I’m pale when I stay away from the sun, so my neck and my face were completely opposite colors. Weird looking.
So I’m going to share some pictures with you. Disclaimer: these pictures may be frightening. And I’m sure some mean people out there will leave mean comments that will bum me out, but I want to share with you what a huge difference the medication made. I no longer have any acne, only red scars remain, which should go away over time. If they don’t all go away, I plan on doing some chemical peels and/or laser treatment to get rid of the scars.
In the end, I am incredibly happy with the results of accutane and extremely happy that I went on the prescription. I’m not sure what will happen in the future and if I will have to get back on it, but I know that my acne will never be as bad or as painful as it was in the past. This prescription has done wonders for me and if anyone ever asked me, I would recommend it to them. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! But remember, this prescription affects everyone differently. Just because I had a good experience doesn’t mean someone else will. Thanks for listening. You’re my favorite. Please feel free to share your experiences, but do not hate on me for sharing my own experience with it. Kthanksbye.
Thanks for sharing your experience. My daughter went through a round of the treatment as well (last resort) and she had a similar experience as yours. Not always fun experiences, but in the end she was very pleased wtih her results.
Oh, and don’t worry what weird internet people say. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do for yourself.
I’m so thrilled for you Juli! I remember that original blog post about Accutane and wondered what you had decided. I applaud your choice to tell people about your journey on Accutane… it may help others who are on the fence about this who do Paleo. Your skin looks beautiful!
I went through a similar experience in high school and college with my acne. I had perfect skin until I was 16 and then BAM! Cystic acne like crazy, concentrated around my jaw, but also literally everywhere on my face. It was not only humiliating, but painful and scarring. I remember staring into my mirror and wanting to claw my face apart.
I spent so much time trying to figure out how to fix it. I tried everything- salves, creams, Proactiv, internal meds, acne facials, expensive face washes… my dermatologist just kept telling me, “Apply the creams, keep the hair out of the face, drink plenty of water…” Nothing.
And then came Accutane in April of my senior year of HS. It was a Godsend. Like you, my lips were dry and chapped, my skin was easily irritated, my hair became brittle and the hoops I had to jump through to get the stuff was insane, but my skin started to clear up! By prom at the end of May, my skin was clear enough (for me) that I actually took pictures that night! I got a severe case of sun poisoning that summer when I forgot my sunblock during an outdoor concert, but other than that, I would do it again in a heart beat.
I had to have another course of treatment during my junior year of college, but my acne was less prevalent at that time and it cleared up very quickly.
Since college, my face still does break-out, but not nearly close to what it did in HS. I know people who have had bad experiences with Accutane, but to me, it was almost a miracle. I’m so happy that it helped you too. And thank you for sharing your story… it may help someone more than you will ever know.
WOW! I’m so glad you posted this! I’ve been feeling so frustrated with my face. I’ve been having the same symptoms with the cyst like acne that is very painful. It did get worse for me too when I started Paleo, and I have tried everything “natural”. And was feeling bad if I resorted to anything chemical! You just gave me permission by posting this! Thank you! I’m making an appointment today with my dermatologist!
So happy for you!!
For those of you that are still struggling, and/or if you’ve got any scarring, check out Rodan + Fields UNBLEMISH – it’s AMAZING stuff and has worked wonders for a ton of my friends and family.
Check it out here: http://www.tauriemma.myrandf.com/shop/unblemish
I was one of the accutane detractors when you posted about it 6 months ago. After reading your post, my point of view has changed. I think that you did the responsible thing to try everything else, do the research and then follow the precautionary steps to take the drug safely. Western medicine gets slammed a lot in the paleo world but there really are ways to take medication safely…and it is the right thing to do in many situations. A good diet, well-suited to the individual, is the base for good health and I hope that anyone taking accutane would not just rely on the drug but look at all aspects of health to heal. We (adults) are all responsible for our own health and I am happy that you are open and honest and setting a good example on your blog. Your skin looks great…you look great!
This is not negative, read the whole thing! When I saw what this post was about I was shocked. I felt a little angry that an opinion leader in the paleo world was promoting this. I have heard awful things about accurate and birth control is so harmful to the female reproductive system. Once I got to the bottom and saw the pictures I realized you really don’t know what you would do until you’re in the same exact position. Right now I say I would never take it myself, but if I had painful acne like that and tried everything you did, I would probably end up making the same decision.. So I applaud you for having integrity and doing what you feel is best for yourself despite what others think. Such a hard thing to so knowing so many are watching and judging.. A true leader!!
Thank you for sharing your story. You look beautiful in all of the pictures and I know it takes courage to share what you are sharing with strangers. I am dealing with acne for the first time in my mid-20’s and it is a very hard thing to deal with especially when it becomes painful.
Good for you! You look great! I too resorted to Accutane. It was scary but I was at my wit’s end with cystic acne. And the Accutane worked. The redness fades after time too.
I never had acne as a teen but when I was 21 I made the mistake of taking the birth control, orthotricyclene. I took it for about a year, and had no issues. But when I went OFF it, all hell broke loose! It ruined my hormones and my skin. Suddenly I was developing painful, cystic acne that responded to nothing, and I had no coping skills either, as I had no experience with acne and was no a huge make-up girl. Every day was an art project of applying makeup to hide the acne, which I’m sure made the acne worse! But I had to work, go to school etc. I was absolutely miserable, physically and mentally.
The side effects of Accutane were not fun but it was worth it (however, I did like the dry hair because mine is normally so greasy I can’t skip a day without washing it). That was over ten years ago and my skin is pretty good, I get monthly break outs sometimes but no cystic acne since.
Love your blog.
Good for you girlfriend! It takes a strong woman to show yourself in such a vulnerable state! Your skin is looking fab, and good for you doing what was best for you! We are all different, and have to find our own path! I loved you for your recipes before (my hubby too, of course) and love you even more now for sharing this experience! You’re an inspiration!
Juli, I have been reading your blog for about 6 months and have read how much the acne has affected you. I understand, I didn’t have the severity of your cystic acne, but it was enough to become extremely self conscious about it. Luckily for me, I cut out dairy (due to starting Paleo) and my skin cleared up almost immediately. I admire your strength to put this out there to help anyone that might be struggling as well.
P.S. YOU’RE my favorite Paleo chef and I recommend your blog to everyone.
Your skin looks incredible! This post really hit home for me. I eat clean paleo and I was still getting awful cystic acne to the point where it hurt to even put moisturizer on. I feel like my progression of acne mirrors yours exactly! From occasional teenage acne to this. I was so hesitant to go on accutane because I am a naturalist and tried literally EVERYTHING and nothing worked. I am now into my second month and am so glad I made the decision. I am experiencing joint and muscle pain, and the dry lips is redonk, but between aquaphor and my all time favorite sugar lip balm by fresh (I should own stock in this company at the rate I’m going through it!) I’m getting through it. Your analogy about meth cracked (literally) me up because I freak out if my lips aren’t moisturized. Anyhow I am so grateful for your post because it’s so annoying to me when people say it’s because of your diet and we are proof it’s not! I even stopped eating nuts for awhile because of it! Didn’t help by the way. I love your blog and all your recipes, and posts!