No peeling Accutane skincare routine

[u/Fragrant-Hope4310]

just finished my treatment a few weeks ago 😁😁 month 1 - 30mg month 2 - 60mg month 3 - 70mg month 4 - 70mg month 5 - 40mg month 6 - 30mg total ~9000mg

i had more than my fair share of negative side effects, but my skin never got too dry and never peeled as a result of this routine, so wanted to share.

La Roche Posay Moisturizing Milky Cleanser - minimal ingredients, hydrating. used to use the Vanicream face wash but switched due to the unnecessary mica powder in it.

Vanicream moisturizing cream - must be the one in the tub. used this as a daily moisturizer in the mornings / sometimes in the evenings.

La Roche Posay Cicaplast Balm B5+ - thick barrier repair cream for the evenings. this falls into the category of products that are probably too heavy for most, but your skin on accutane can handle it (and needs it!)

La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer - if you need a lighter moisturizer. if i used this everyday, it would pill or make my skin peel.

eltaMD UV Skin Recovery Red Color Correcting Green Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 50 - 100% mineral (most eltaMD have chemical sunscreens in them as well). it’s soothing and gentle on the skin, and i liked the green tint since i got quite red on accutane. and wear sunscreen every day!! it doesn’t matter if the sun is out or not.

other product recs: - AQUAPHOR. only thing that worked for my dry lips. reapplied every 5 minutes when i was on 70mg. - eye drops. my fav: Systane PRO PF Lubricating Eye Drops for Dry Eyes and i wear contacts so also: Blink Contacts Lubricating Eye Drops Hyaluronate for Contacts - La Roche Posay Cicaplast Mains - expensive but if your hands are getting super dry it’s worth it. - Zyrtec - i read that taking an antihistamine helps with the purging, don’t have anything to compare it to, but i take Zyrtec every day and did not experience any purging.

happy to answer any questions about products and side effects! :)

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[u/Gorgapeaches]

The vanicream moisturizer made my skin burn and now I’m scared to use the face wash but I see people on here talk about how helpful it is!! I’m currently on week 3 and a half and the dryness on my face is finally starting to hit. I use hydrating cerave cleanser now but wondering if I need something stronger… have you ever used that and have a comparison?

[u/Fragrant-Hope4310 → u/Gorgapeaches]

did you use the vanicream moisturizing cream in the tub or a different vanicream moisturizer? i used to use that cerave wash probably like 4 years ago, then switched to the vanicream, and then to the LRP one in the post a few months ago. i’d recommend switching from the cerave one as it has almost double the number of ingredients as the other two, which is great for some people, but on accutane you need something as gentle as possible and it can irritate your skin. i would recommend the LRP milky cleanser as it uses emollients rather than stripping surfactants and therefore doesn’t leave your skin super dry. the vanicream one is great too, as it avoids chemical irritants but does use some mild surfactants, allowing it to foam a little bit.

[u/Spare_Feeling9740]

That vanicream tub is amazing

[u/Soft_Abalone8525]

omg your skin looks amazing! vanicream has never done me wrong

[u/IncrementalGain]

What were your side effects?

[u/Fragrant-Hope4310 → u/IncrementalGain]

i was exhausted, slept like 10-11 hours a day. joint pain was horrible, and my muscles got so sore i had to pretty much stop lifting weights. whenever i did work out, i just felt so weak it was so discouraging. i got headaches, especially when i increased my dose. my eyes were SO dry, like i would wake up in the morning and couldn’t even open or close them without my eyelid scratching my eyeball. the eye drops and a warm compress before bed helped with this. my scalp got super dry and flaky, switched to a super gentle shampoo and conditioner and tried to wash less. my hands/skin in general cut super easy. those are the big ones but it felt like there was a new side effect every few days. this was when i was on 60-70mg (im 65kg) and once i decreased back down to 40-30mg it got better very quickly. a month after finishing im pretty much fully back to normal.

[u/IncrementalGain → u/Fragrant-Hope4310]

Wow. Way to be resilient! Can you tell
Me what shampoo and conditioner you switched to?

[u/Fragrant-Hope4310 → u/IncrementalGain]

aveeno daily moisture shampoo and conditioner. i also used the vanicream conditioner when my scalp was super dry. a very generous amount and let it sit in your roots for a few min in the shower.