How I Got Rid Of My Acne?

And after over a year of contemplating if I should really share this with you or not, finally, I was able to finish this blog post and decided to share it with you. I was actually inspired to finish this entry after watching Toni Sia's vlog about her own experience so now, I'm going to talk about my own experience on how I struggle with my acne and how I got rid of it.

First and foremost, I had acne for almost half of my life. I grew up having bumps on my face, unwanted zits, pimple marks, dark spots, oily skin, visible pores and whatever you call it that pop in the face all throughout my school life. So, if you think I'm maarte in some ways, well, you can't blame me that I become very conscious about myself and lost my self-confidence growing up. Anyway, after I graduated college, I thought my skin would get better but it didn't and it just got worse to the point that I even lost my confidence to even look for a job but it was three years ago when I made a huge change and decided to finally consider taking oral treatment to finally end my pimple problem journey.

Like what I have said, I grew up having acne and it started when I entered high school. I thought it was normal because I know I was experiencing puberty but not until I noticed that I'm getting more zits than most people my age do so I started to get worried and I tried to treat it by myself. I remember trying out Pond's and St. Ives facial wash before but it did not do anything on my skin so I keep on looking for more drugstore products that I could find despite me being clueless about skincare until my mom and I finally decided to consult professional help and went to a dermatologist.

2008 - 2010

I don't remember anymore my experience on my first visit to the dermatologist but I do know that I've been to a lot of skin care clinic thru out the years. Yes, I've visited and consulted a lot of dermatologists until I found my current clinic which I visit regularly until now for the past three years. Well, I'm not saying that the ones I go to in the past did not work because they all did, two clinics actually really worked for me for years, to be honest, it's just that it didn't last. For me, I noticed that my skin is like a Ferris wheel ride because I got months and years probably that it was clear and there are times that it is in the worse state ever which happens to be a few years ago before I went to my current dermatologist.

2011

I'm not sure if I could say the name of the clinic because they have some kind of policy now about posting them online but I'm pretty sure you know where it is if you watch my IG stories. Anyway, it was three years ago when I first visited this dermatologist clinic, my friend actually invited me if I want to come with her to this clinic which is a well-known clinic for celebrities because she wants to do a Fraxel Laser treatment and as for me who is struggling with my pimples also wanted to try their services so I went along. I remember it was December of 2015 when we signup, consulted their resident dermatologist and had our treatments done.

On my first appointment, my doctor examined my skin and she suggested that I should regularly do facial, put topical creams to control the acne and asked me if I'm willing to take oral medications because I do have some cystic acne (an acne that forms underneath the skin). I was actually hesitant at first when I was asked to take oral medication because even in the previous clinics I visited they also suggested it to me which I didn't consider that time because I'm a bit scared of the side effects but then I realized I needed a change. I'm on my 20's already and I should start taking care of my skin and I'm also frustrated and tired of having to hide my pimples with makeup so I agreed.

And before my doctor prescribed me with the pill she discussed to me the Dos and Donts while on Accutane. You can do your research about this but one thing I do remember - you are not allowed to get pregnant while you're on Acnotin and do expect that you will be asked to have a medical test.

The brand I have is Acnotin but the pill is more known as Accutane. It is an Isotretinoin drug that is used to treat severe acne. You can check out this site to know more about this medicine. This pill is for people who have not found success in using topical creams and other pimple treatment products. They said that if nothing else works, which happens to be my case - your last resort would probably take oral medication, well I don't have severe acne but my skin never gets better so I guess it's the reason why I got qualified to take this pill. Anyway, Accutane is a prescription-only drug taken orally requiring a dermatologist referral because it is a powerful and strong pill so you can't just can't get over-the-counter, I guess? I got mine in the clinic, by the way.

2016

2017

I started the pill the day after I had my consultation, my doctor a.k.a my favorite doctor - Doc. Jen prescribed me with Acnotin that is only good for two weeks at a time probably to ensure that I will regularly visit her so she could monitor my intake of the pill and if my topical creams are doing good. I would see her and have my facial done every two weeks for almost a year and in every visit of mine, she would normally change my skincare routine depending on the condition of the dryness or oiliness of my skin and the dosage of my Accutane was monitored as well.

I'm not sure but I think I started taking 20mg twice a day to 10mg twice a day until every other day. It took me over a year in taking Acnotin because aside from I suddenly stopped taking it for a month without my doctors advise, its also because Dr. Jen advises that we should gradually lower the dosage of the pill before we stop it completely. Well, this actually depends on the condition of your skin but they said, it would and should only take about 6 months max. So, if you're planning on taking oral medication, you really need a doctors consultation.

Anyway, I remember during my first few months on Acnotin and regular facial, I saw no improvement at all and felt that it's just getting worse with the addition to seeing the side effects already.

• I started getting dry patches especially on my under eyes and jawline.
• My lips started to get dry to the point they would crack and bleed.
• Aside from having a super dry nose, I sometimes get a nosebleed.

But as months go by, with my doctors monitoring of course, as my oily face getting dryer, my acne is fading as well. My skin becomes dry but clear, my dark spots are getting lesser and my creams are doing great to keep my skin hydrated and well-moisturized. Doc Jen actually keeps on changing my creams in every visit of mine because she wants to see which creams would work for me as my maintenance creams. And a few months before I'm done with my Acnotin, I was asked to do some blood test so she could check if it affected my organ or whatsoever.

October 2018

It's been three years and I stopped taking Accutane for more than a year already and I could finally say that my skin is much better now. Not totally the skin perfect everyone wishes for but I'm definitely not acne-prone skin anymore.

Current Update:

• I don't do monthly facial now.
• I stopped my topical creams from the clinic because they change their whole product line which I didn't like.
• And also because Doc. Jen resigned a few months ago.
• I do get zits once in a while so I still visit and have my facial done. 
• I'm currently transitioning my skincare to Korean products which are doing great on my skin by the way. 
• I'm targeting visible pores, sunspots, and brightening of skin so if you happen to have products suggestions I could try don't hesitate to share. :p

How about you, what is your story? And if you want to know my current skincare routine let me know in the comment section below and I might want to consider blogging about it.