I started suffering from acne when I was around 12 years old, so if you suffer too, I’m so sorry. I know how much it can bring you down. At first I would just get spots on my face and then I slowly got more and more until they were spreading to my neck, shoulders, arms and back.

Now I have never had acne that was classed as ‘severe’. I don’t have cystic spots that cover my entire face or anything- but I do have spots EVERYWHERE. And when I say everywhere, I’m not exaggerating… Hands, feet, legs, ears, nose! (TMI I know, but I’m trying to be honest here.)

As a teenage girl I was of course worried about what people thought of me and concerned about how my skin looked, but I was never one who let those worries change how I was or how I made myself look. I’m always much more comfortable being me. I didn’t even start wearing makeup until I was about 15, even though everyone else my age had been caked in it from year 7… Even then all I used to try and cover my spots was a bit of bronzer. (I had no idea what I was doing or what I should be using. And I still don’t now to be completely honest!)

But from when I was a teenager I started getting prescribed all the acne creams under the sun- and nothing even touched it. I gave up for a few years, just accepting it was hormonal. But when I was 19 thought I would try again. It was pills this time. THE pill to be exact.

The combined birth control pill came with some horrible side effects for me. From day one I was feeling extremely sick all day every day and even dizzy. Also, despite it saying it could lessen the extreme period cramps I suffer from, it actually made them worse! Great. And the acne? Yeah, didn’t touch that either.

After less than 2 months of taking the pill I was very ill (unrelated- I think…) and since I wasn’t even keeping them down, I just decided to stop taking them all together.

I went back to the GP who then decided Lymecycline was the next thing to try. I was on that for 4 months and although it didn’t come with any side effects for me, I noticed no difference to my skin. So, I went back AGAIN. This time she agreed we had tried everything she could prescribe and referred me to a dermatologist after over 7 years of having acne.

That visit was… intense. He had a look at my skin, pointed out where all the scarring was and then began to prescribe the dreaded acne treatment. Roaccutane. Now I’ve heard the horror stories, as I’m sure, have you. But I was desperate at this point, so I agreed to try it.

He made me aware this was a 4-7 month course in which I would have an appointment every month to check the side effects, progress and also have a routine pregnancy test. He then began to list off all the scary risks of getting pregnant while on Isotretinoin and printing off a 10 page info brochure of all the possible side effects and what to do/not to do while taking it.

Despite being extremely overwhelmed coming out of that office, I was hopeful this could be the be all and end all of my skin problems. I went for a blood test that day to check my levels were suitable for taking it. All came back clear.

I now want these blogs to share my experience with Isotretinoin because I know how scary a medication like this can be and there’s very little first-hand accounts of people’s journeys with it. The next one will be about how my 1^st month went, including all the side effects I experience.

See you then!

Emma 🙂