A Prickly Pimply Issue

Hey BEVIS,

Hi, I'm < INSERT NAME HERE >. I was reading about acne on the internet and i ran across you web site. I saw that you were put on Accutain. I went to the doctor today because i am tired of the acne on my chest and face so i am willing to do what ever it takes, but is it really worth it? Your article scared me and i don't know if i should try it. Please e mail me back i'd love to hear what you have to say about it.

< INSERT NAME HERE >




Hi < INSERT NAME HERE >,

Thanks for your email. I'm not sure which of these particular posts you're talking about (listed here in chronological order), but yes, I was a regular taker of Roaccutane in my teenage years.

http://ibloggedmyself.blogspot.com/2005/10/regrets-here-they-be.html

http://ibloggedmyself.blogspot.com/2005/10/regrets-why-they-aint-really.html

http://ibloggedmyself.blogspot.com/2006/05/six-things-i-hate-about-me.html

I ain't no doctor, but I know that everyone who takes the drug seems to experience different side effects in different ways and to different levels (either in the extreme or in quite a minor way). I've heard of Roaccutane takers having little or no side effects, but (in MY day, at least - which was 1991 to 1993) the majority seemed to have quite strong responses to the drug.

Personally, my experience was shockingly bad - and as my blog states, I had severely cracked and sore lips (they looked like a leper's lips, continually peeling and with broken skin sticking off them at all times), daily nose bleeds (sometimes two or three a day and generally long-lasting when they came), an extra sensitivity to sunlight (which continues to this day), and premature baldness (this set in about six years later, when I was at uni, and refers to 'crows feet' and a bald patch on the back of my head - the normal spots for baldness to set in, but generally not when you're 25). Thankfully it's 'popular' these days to shave your head, so this isn't as bad as it might have been twenty years ago (although sometimes I think it'd be nice to have a full head of hair again!).

However, I had really bad cystic acne, which presented as large welts of pus and blood. They were very painful, and about the size of an Australian fifty-cent piece. I'm not sure what part of the world you're from, so if that description is lost on you, I'm talking about welts that were 4cm or 1.5 inches in diameter. They were all over my back, chest, and the back of my neck (up into my hairline at the back of my head). They were extremely painful and would pop (oozing and aching) at random times or when my clothing or another person brushed or pushed against them too hard.

So when you look at it like that, I certainly NEEDED to take Roaccutane. The pock-marks I have on my skin (my shoulder blades, chest and the back of my neck in particular) from where these cysts were popped and left permanent craters on me are testiment to the fact that I had a really shocking case of acne as a teenager, so I know that if I HADN'T taken Roaccutane (as humiliating, ostracising and degrading as the side effects were), my appearance now would be much worse than it is.

I guess what I'm saying is it depends on how bad your acne is. If it's really bad and bothers you, you don't want it to stick around for life (or even just for a few years, where it'll continue to ravage your face and chest - as it sounds like it's already been doing). And the side effects might not be too bad for you. Also, I presume that in the 14 years since I stopped taking the stuff, presumably it has been improved upon by the makers of the product.

Bear the 'horror stories' in mind, certainly - but weigh it up against your feelings concerning the acne.

And above all else, remember that your appearance (whether the temporary one while you're on the stuff, or your permanent one after you finish taking it) is only skin-deep. It doesn't have to determine who you are or anything.

It took me a few years to work that out, so my strongest recommendation to you would be to surround yourself with people who love you no matter WHAT you look like, and when the self-doubt moments come, make sure you listen to them saying it doesn't matter and you'll get through it, etc.

It was the 'shame' that got to me the most - and I shouldn't have let it.

Anyway, I don't want to influence your decision either way, but whatever you choose to do, just try to be happy with yourself as a whole person ... and not just as the external 'shell' others see on the outside.

I hope I was of some help / comfort / encouragement / something! :)

Cheers,

BEVIS




Thank you so much for your reply. I believe you had a more severe case than i do, i have maybe 20 welts on my chest and it still just makes me very self conscience. I actually went to the tanning bed the other day and it actually cleared it up. I don't live near a beach or anything like that, I'm actually from Tennessee. I think i am going to continue to go to the tanning bed and soak in some more rays and hopefully get it all cleared up before I go on Spring Break. I don't know if I am willing to take the risk of using roaccutane and face the side-effects. Thanks again BEVIS!!

< INSERT NAME HERE >


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