I saw my dermatologist in May 2005, I was asked to stop taking Minocin a month beforehand and so my skin was not clear but the acne was not too bad and mainly focused around my mouth and nose, which I was able to hide quite well by not shaving for a couple of weeks! I was prescribed 40mg to take once a day for one week every month. I am to return in four months to see how I've progressed. It was felt that blood tests were unnecessary until my next appointment as I have been unaffected by my first two full courses. I still have scarring on my back which obviously I can't have treated until such time as I'm able to stop taking Roaccutane altogether, I'm hoping that after a prolonged time without acne it may begin to heal on it's own, it's difficult to tell as it only takes a small outbreak on my back to leave scars for months.

Month 1

Much like the second course I noticed the dryness from day one, when my lips were noticeably drier. I've become accustomed to keeping a lip balm with me anyway so it's not a problem. By the third day my skin was noticeably tight and burned slightly after washing. I now use a moisturiser twice a day and so continued with my daily regimen of L'Oreal Pure Zone Exfoliating Gel and Nivea for Men Sensitive Moisturiser. The L'Oreal I have found particularly good for reducing red blemishes and oil. One the fourth day I woke up with muscle pain in my legs, much like cramp, which continued for a couple more days. By the second week, now not taking Roaccutane for three weeks, my skin was the best it has ever been. I have virtually no spots give or take the odd tiny one when I wake up in the morning and my skin is not dry or greasy it's just normal! My skin has remained near perfect until two days before I'm due my second monthly dose by which time it has become a little greasy, but I'm safe in the knowledge that after a couple of days of Roaccutane it will be back to perfect! :)

Month 2

This month has been a bit disappointing, I had a breakout for the first two weeks, much the same as the type I had when I did a full dose treatment, although nowhere near as severe and only really focused on the centre of my face, around my nose mainly. Still it was a step backward compared to the first month. Thankfully for the remaining two weeks my skin was perfect, and as before just at the last couple of days of the month began to get slightly greasy again.

Due to the summer sun, I've done a little sunbathing which has really helped hide the scarring on my back and chest and also generally improved the feel of my skin. I suppose I've hidden my skin away for so long that it's no wonder a bit of sun has done it some good!