Day 50 of Accutane

Wow! I’ve been on Accutane for 50 days now. I have seen good days and bad days but so far SO GOOD! The last past week I have had incredibly clear skin, but by the end of last week, I had some larger zits starting to come up. I generally find that when I do get pimples, they are usually deep ones – rather then the smaller ones.

They pimples are in the same general area – chin, forehead, temples and back of the neck. I recently got my hair cut and suffered a big ingrown hair that had grown pretty painful. Last night it was starting to hurt when I lay on my pillow.

The dryness is under control and consistent. A good moisturize in the morning usually lasts me the day but some days I find myself wanting to exfoliate after dinner or after work and re-moisturize.

A new thing I heard to zap those open zits is natural lemon juice. So I’ve been trying this technique after I pop one. It stings most of the time but it is a good sting. It is supposedly killing the bacteria with the acids in the lemon. I find it makes the zit oil/puss coagulate and harden – thus its easy to remove. Try it, its cheap!

My eyes haven’t changed. Blurry some days and other days its not as bad. I have noticed I haven’t had many headaches…in fact, I don’t think I have had any since my last post.

I have started to take Wheatgrass juice that I purchased from my local health foods store. It is supposed to improve skin quality (as long with a TON of other benefits). It may taste like licking a lawn mower, but I think its worth it! If anyone has tried wheatgrass in the past, tell me what you think of it! I’m very curious!

Day 38 of Accutane

38 days later… my face looks great at this moment. I can feel “rock” – which are just dried up oil+ skin cells under the skin but they haven’t evolved into actual zits. I’ve got a handle on the dry skin today, but I find I have to keep on top of it or else my lips crack, and my face peels. A good exfoliation does the trick!

My eyes are still bothering me. By the end of the day, I find myself getting a slight headache because of some eye strain. It is probably a cause of sitting at a desk looking at a monitor all day AND the accutane. I am going to investigate getting some eye drops to moisten them, and perhaps this will help. So expect a review.

I also want to talk about the movie-documentary Food Inc.  I would recommend EVERYONE to watch this film on how the modern day farm, and food production works. Especially in the US. Since I am Canadian, I am tempted to feel more at ease because we just blow off these assumptions by saying “Well that’s the US, and we don’t manufacture our food like that”. However this is incorrect and each day that goes by, we are becoming more and more like the US.

To show the severity of this issue, lets just take a quick search in Google News for E Coli outbreak….

Oh what do you know. A recall in Raw Milk has been issued for an outbreak in E Coli.

Two more cases of E. coli in central Missouri were confirmed Tuesday, bringing the total to seven people in the area who have recently been sickened by the same bacterial strain, state health officials said.

The patients include a 2-year-old from Boone County who is hospitalized with complications from the infection.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/e-coli-outbreak-sickens-two-more-victims/article_103edf2f-8b5f-54a9-9898-6e9706c5e80e.html#ixzz1rkD8SMOd

THIS IS WRONG! WATCH THE FILM!

Day 36 of Accutane

Ugh! I can really feel Accutane’s wrath today. Blurry vision, dry elbows, dry mouth, dry everything! The past couple days have been like hell for dry skin. My face has been moderately dry (thanks to the moisturizing powers of my Cetaphil) however, my hands and elbows are drying out now.

On Saturday, my hands started to develop a dry rash. When I was at work, and working with harsh chemicals (like  de-greaser and soaps), my hands felt like they were on fire! After closer inspection, some parts of my hands had small sores. The Cetaphil Eczema cream stung like a mother f***er but some Aveno hand moisturizer was soothing.

Not just my skin has been felt with pain. But my eyes are drier then usual. I can feel the wind blow into my eyes when I walk in the office, and I find myself blinking twice as much! I probably look like a mental case….

I also forgot to take my Accutane on Saturday night, but I remembered int he morning and took it first thing when I got up. We will soon find out if that will heighten the effects. Hopefully not…

My lips are dry as usual, and I find myself applying my Nivea for men Lip balm more often. A good exfoliation of the lips with a body buffer does the trick. I continue to exfoliate twice a day – once in my morning shower, and once before bedtime. You need to when you have constant drying skin.

I take day by day and night by night. I realize in the end it will be better but as for now I endure the suffer in hopes of better looking skin tomorrow…

My Accutane Face Time Lapse

Check out the first 10 days of my Accutane Journey! This was just a sample of what I am going to produce after I am done Accutane.

 

REVIEW: OXY Natural Action Acne Treatment Serum

On the weekend, I purchased another product that was on the reduced rack. For $3.99 (REDUCED) I was able to purchase the new OXY Natural Action Acne Treatment Serum. I must say I quite enjoy it, and I love the tingling feeling I get on open pimples!

OXY Natural Action Acne Treatment Serum effectively treats blackheads, blemishes and prevents new breakouts. This unique formula contains natural Seaweed Extract and Tea Tree Extract to soothe redness while helping to improve skin clarity. New Natural Action Acne Treatment Serum works in 4-ways to clear skin of acne:

Remove: Absorbs excess oil on skin
Refresh: Unclogs pores to oxygenate the skin and help it breathe
Restore: Fights blackheads and blemishes
Replenish: Protects skin against roughness due to drying

It is recommended that you use Natural Action Acne Treatment Serum for the treatment of frequent breakouts over acne prone skin, including areas such as your T-zone. Start by washing your face with Natural Action Daily Facial Cleanser before applying Acne Treatment Serum.

Medicinal Ingredients – 1% Salicylic Acid

Regular price costs you around $8.00 but for $3.99, it was worth it. I don’t notice any miracle cures to flaming zits but it does reduce the redness. I apply it in the morning and at night after I have picked/popped a pimple. It dries up the extra juices deep within the skin and prevents the whitehead from coming back.

You can purchase this product online from Well.ca here –> http://well.ca/products/oxy-natural-action-acne-treatment_27775.html

My Asian Accent Video

3 years ago I posted a stupid video on YouTube showcasing my Asian Accent imitation.  For some weird reason, the views boomed and now I get paid for every view! Today I have 157,670 views…. Kind of amazing how this happens.

Happy Spring

This photo was taken last spring (2011)! Don’t think the robins have laid their eggs yet this year, but they are fattening up!

Day 29 of Accutane + REVIEW: Cetaphil Moisturizer

Today is day 29 of Accutane. And also day 5 of my increased dose. A new “side-effect” has been noticed this past weekend. My elbows are starting to dry up. Nothing to be concerned about though – as a little body lotion will do the try.

This weekend I went out to my local drugstore to purchase some new moisturizers for my face/body since my Spectra moisturizer wasn’t lasting that long.  I needed something that  would last all day (while I am at work) and to rid my face of flaky skin. So I decided to try Cetaphil’s Eczema moisturizer…

When I applied this to my face for the first time, there was a tingly sensation, but now that I have used it for more 2 days, I no longer feel the tingling. This lotion cost me over $22 but it does the trick. It feels light on the hands but on the face, it can feel a bit greasy. But after letting ti soak into the skin for 15 minutes, the shine and greasiness disappears. This cream also is great on my dry elbows!

I also purchased a new green tea face scrub by St. Ivey’s and it is very nice on the skin. I want to try and do a face scrub before bed, and an exfoliation with my buffer in my morning shower. After doing this, my face feels lighter and cooler.

A few pimples have come up recently. However they do not last as long. A couple ingrown hairs around my upper lip has caused a lot of pain in the last couple days but i can feel it beginning to recess. Temples, outer chin, and upper lip seems to be the most flammable spots on my face.

I will be putting together a face timelapse  video on YouTube that will show my progress. So please check it out when I post it!

 

My Skin’s Condition:
Skin:    Still DRY- especially lips, mouth area, ears but not noticeable after moisturizing. Elbows are now drying as well
Eyes:   Takes a good half hour to get my normal eyesight. Not as bad now.
Mental State:  Normal (Has been noted that I am in bad mood more often – I blame it on my self-confidence [from acne])
Acne Level: Medium (Higher on the right side)
Hot Spots: Jaw bone, temples, upper lip

 

Virgin Boy Eggs – A Delicacy

If there’s one thing the city of Dongyang is famous for, it’s the town’s local delicacy—Virgin Boy Eggs. No, they aren’t the the testicles of children as one might guess, just regular chicken eggs…that have been boiled and steeped in the urine of elementary school students.

The recipe for Virgin Boy Eggs is quite simple really. One first collects a bucket of piddle from the local primary school. Only the water of boys under the age of ten is suitable. Virgin Boy Eggs are first soaked in in a pot of urine, then brought to a boil. Once firm, the eggs’ shells are cracked to allow fuller penetration, and bathed regularly through out the day with fresh piss to prevent them from overheating.

Don’t turn up your nose at the VBE, it’s a hot commodity in Dongyang. People actively compete to obtain the widdle and street vendors can turn a tidy profit from selling them on the street—some vendors have been in business for decades. Each treated egg fetches about $0.25, roughly four times the amount of a regular egg. And according to Chinese tradition, a VBE provides improved blood circulation, invigoration and even prevents heat stroke. [Geekosystem via Neatorama]

 

Day 26 of Accutane

As of Day 25 (March 29th) my daily dose of Accutane was increased from 30 mg to 40 mg. I went to the doctors yesterday and was given permission to increase my dose. We shall she if there are any heightened  side effects due to this 10mg increase but as of today, my face is increasingly getting drier. Especially around my mouth… I feel as though my 3 minutes after moisturizing, my skin soaks up all of the moisture and my skin goes white. It often feels worse then it looks (even right now).

No other side effect to report but I continue to keep my skin moisturized. If anyone has any recommendations for face moisturizing, feel free to post it in a comment. I would be happy to try some new things!