My Acne Story (Mild Acne Now and Day 10 on Accutane with Dr Ranjit)

I enjoy referring getting ready for the day as a work of art, I am starting with a blank slate and putting on whatever I feel like based on my mood at the point of time. Some people say its shallow to let how you look affect your mood but I believe happiness comes in many forms and it just so happens that my mood-boosting regime is based on my appearance then so be it. I have always loved how cosmetics and makeup can completely change and enhances how one look but I, like many others, truly believe the key to looking great is having great skin. 

Having had pretty good skin all my life, I took my skin for granted and neglected my skincare routine by using cheap products that never suited my skin and having a terrible skincare routine which occasionally excludes a toner and moisturising step on lazy days. I treated the occasional pimple with T3's 5% Benzoyl Peroxide spot treatment gel that dried out my pimple most of the time. Anyone who knew me before 2012 always seemed slightly surprised (regardless of how much you try to mask your expression) when they first saw me after 2012. Here is an image of how my skin was like throughout my life. 

These photos were taken in 2009-2011 without makeup. 

2010 2011

I got my first bad acne when I was 19 (end of 2012) towards the end of my first internship in Groupon Malaysia. Things escalated quickly and my skin transitioned from bad to worse and I tried everything from expensive acne product to DIY home remedies (hello there, honey and cinnamon mask). Even if it mildly improved for a while, it gets worst thereafter. My self-esteem was severely affected and more importantly, I was not able to work as much since being a freelancer and commercial talent is (unforunately) based on your appearance. This lasted for about a year before I decided to head to a prominent skin specialist in Subang Jaya, Dr Ranjit, who prescribed me with my first dosage of Accutane/Roaccutane. I understand that Roaccutane is a 6 months prescription with lots of side effects, but after 30 days on 10mg of Roaccutane, not only was my skin barely improving, I was affected by the side effects especially the lower backaches that abstained me from my regular tennis sessions. Out of frustration, I did not attend my follow-up session with Dr Ranjit. 

Here is my skin at its worst in mid 2013. This is not easy for me to put up online but I know many others are going through the same thing or worst.

Instead, I went to a family doctor who saw the acne patch on my forehead and immediately said it was shingles (also known as "snake" in the Chinese culture), to my mom's horror. He then prescribed me with antibiotics pills for two weeks and guess what, my acne/shingles improved in just two weeks. So, how is it that a skin specialist was unable to tell the differences between shingles and acne symptoms? Or did my family doctor get lucky and prescribed me with the right antibiotics? I honestly do not know, but I was glad my acne/shingles subsided despite having scars on certain areas of my face.

Things were alright even though my skin was still occasionally sensitive, I even carry out my 3 step (and more) skincare routine religiously with Origins Zero-Oil products and all was relatively well but my skin never seem to return to its original state from before my breakouts. And just about two months ago, I started having large pimples on my forehead again. I went for facials thinking that it was just the usual pimple but one after another pimple started appearing on my T-zone with hotspots on my forehead and between my lips and nose. When I asked my (relatively young) beautician if it was acne, she only said its because my skin is oily on the outside but dry on the inside which caused the congestion of sebum in my pores which eventually led to the formation of pimples and if left un-extracted, the bacteria will build up and turn into acne. I took her advice and started putting in more effort to make sure my skin is hydrated and moisturised. I included a hydrating sheet mask into my evening routine at least twice a week, applied Camellia/teas seed oil after putting on my moisturising gel at night; diet wise, I have always been drinking 2litres of water a day but I tried to increase my intake to 3litres. This routine lasted for about two months, and again, my skin rarely improved despite having a few good days, and the stress from having my finals certainly made it worst. Aside from breakouts, It seems like my pores were bigger and my skin was really uneven now. Even though my skin isn't at its worst like last year, it is still pretty mild.

Out of frustration, I visited Dr Ranjit again. I am aware that there are other popular skin specialist out there like Dr Ting in Jalan Imbi and Dr Ko, but I have had friends and relatives who are patients of theirs and the prescription is largely the same aside from Dr Ting's famous pimple popping injection. It took me a while before deciding on visiting Dr Ranjit again because I was sure I will be prescribed with Roaccutane again but I wanted to cure it as soon as I can before it got worst. I had a pleasant visit this time around, and I'l write about my visit in a later post. Anyways, as expected I was given the same prescription as beforewhich is 30 days of 10mg Roaccutane daily, a night cream and a follow up session after a month.

As I mentioned earlier, Roaccutane/Accutane also known as isotretinoin is a deriavative of Vitamin A and is known to have many side effects and can be particularly hard on your liver which is why it should only be consumed under a doctor's advice. Some argue that it is only harmful for pregnant ladies and some strongly advise against this medication regardless of situation. Conduct your own research, advise a doctor and make your own decision.

I decided to give it a second try, and I really hope my acne problems will be cured or at least subside to its minimum.

I am on the 10th day of my Roaccutane journey under the advise of Dr Ranjit and I'll be keeping track of my acne journey here.

Ranjit Skin Specialist Laser & Hair Clinic

C4 Jalan SS15/4D, Subang Jaya, 47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

(Same row as Maybank and RT Pastry)

03-5631 6090

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Current skin condition at Day 10 on Accutane 10mg

Only wearing eyeliner and filled in my brows 

Side Effect Symptoms: Dry lips and constantly thirsty
Solution:
Day - Bioglo Nourishing Protective Day Balm (from Cosway) and my trusty Burt Bee's Lip balm with Pomegranate oil
Night - Benifex Paw Paw Papaya Ointment (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - wake up to plump lips) or as recommended by friends, Vaseline Petroleum Jelly

I'm on my semester break now but I still put on makeup when I'm working and sometimes when I'm heading out despite almost having everyone yell tell me to have a make-up free face but the nature of my freelance jobs is appearance-based, so I really do not have a choice, I can't show up on a launch with a sans makeup face! And.....Putting on makeup is one of my favourite things to do but I only started using foundation and concealer because of my acne and scars so please, I don't have acne because of makeup, I have makeup because of acne. 

 Will update next on Day 20 of my Accutane consumption.