I’ve gone through so many changes in 2021 as I’m sure we all have. One of my most satisfying changes, though, has been my skin. I started my isotretinoin journey in December of 2020 and now that it’s a little over a year later, the question I find myself asking the most is, “what took you so long?”.
I’ll admit, I had years’ worth of misconceptions and misinformation on this treatment, so I exhausted every other option before getting here…but I’m so glad that I finally got here! One thing my mama always tells me in regards to making scary/important decisions is, “the time ‘gon pass anyway!” What she means is, whether I decide to do something or not, the time will pass. So, where do I want to be when it does? I knew this treatment would take about 6 months to complete (per my doctor), so did I want to make that scary decision to start the treatment at that moment and possibly end my extensive struggle with acne? Or waste another 6 months trying methods that I knew would be fruitless? Here’s what I did know when I made my decision: I would at least try. I didn’t care whether the treatment was successful or not (sort of), but I knew I would not forgive myself if I didn’t at least TRY. Especially because the world was still in the midst of the pandemic, I knew that my life for the next 6 months would be pretty uneventful (in terms of travel, events, etc) and my husband and I had already agreed to postpone expanding our family because too much was going on. I would be able to become somewhat of a hermit and go through my treatment without having to go out into the world. And if I did, I would have a mask covering most of my face. The stars seemed to align in my favor. The question then became why not?
And here we are. I officially completed treatment at the beginning of July 2020. I can’t say that I’ve been on edge in anticipation of a relapse. I’ve just been observant and relearning my skin. I used to be oily/combination, but now I am on the normal end of the spectrum. I definitely use more hydrating products now rather than mattifying. (Here’s a deep-dive into my skincare habits during my treatment). I also haven’t had any breakouts since completion of the treatment. So, the acne is gone, but I definitely still have hyperpigmentation. I basically just upgraded my skin goals from clearing my acne to achieving even toned skin. Let me tell you, though, if my skin didn’t improve beyond where it is today, I’d be perfectly content considering I’ve battled inflamed, ugly breakouts for the better part of 15 years.
But I wouldn’t be me if I just gave up.
Currently, I am using a combination of prescribed topical azelaic acid cream in the morning and retin-A gel at night in addition to my other skincare products to fade these stubborn dark marks. I’ve only been using these for a few months, but there has not been a whole lot of improvement. Certainly not as quickly as my acne improvement. Still, I’ll keep on trying.
What I am extremely excited about is that I have only one week left before I hit my 6-months post-treatment mark. You know what that means? I can resume my beauty treatments such as waxing, facials, etc. Y’all have no idea how ready I am to get back to that. I will welcome the pain. In addition to waxing again, I plan on incorporating routine facial treatments that could encourage/accelerate the fading of my hyperpigmentation.
Overall, this has been an interesting and fulfilling experience. Yes, I dealt with minor side effects while on the medication, but they subsided quickly after my last dose. (I go into detail about my experience in this post). I feel completely back to normal. It’s been slightly weird adjusting to my unproblematic skin, but it’s a welcomed feeling. Just like my mama said, the time has indeed passed…and fast, too! At the risk of sounding cliché, it truly feels like yesterday when I anxiously took my first dose. I often think back to that decision I made in October 2020 to commit to the treatment and wonder, what if I didn’t follow through? I know I would still be frustrated, struggling with volatile skin. I wouldn’t have a new sense of confidence. The time would have inevitably passed and I would’ve been mad at myself for not taking that risk.
So, here’s to being fearless and making the decisions that scare you, no matter if it’s as “trivial” as achieving clear skin. You know what they say…great things await on the other side of fear.