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Goodbye Acne - My Journey to Clear Skin

  • Writer: Bethany Montgomery
    Bethany Montgomery
  • Aug 5, 2019
  • 13 min read

Updated: Jul 19


I have been battling adult acne for around 6 years now. Growing up I would have the occasional breakout, but never experienced anything like the adult acne I have now. Adult acne is a real thing. I never thought I would experience it at 24-29 years old. I finally decided that enough was enough. I was going to put an end to my acne once and for all. I decided that I deserved to live with clear smooth skin.

So, lets start at the beginning. Around 6 years ago, I experienced a very high stress situation. If you know me, you know I am already a tiny bit high strung. This additional stress really took a toll on my skin. I honestly thought it would go away, but when it didn't I started to look for a fix. I started at the top and ordered ProActive. We see all sorts of commercials where it claims to be the best so why not start there?

You may have had a good experience with proactive, but I did not. My skin became so dry it was unbearable. It was flaky and itchy and burned. I did not have good results from the brand at all! It didn't cure my acne. The only thing it did for my face was make it super dry and flaky.

Eventually, I stopped the ProActive brand and decided to try other options. I did so much research. I looked all over the internet, searched Pinterest, consulted with others. No matter what I tried, I was SURE it would cure it. Toothpaste over the pimple overnight - Apple Cider Vinegar. I just know It's going to work this time, because the internet said so.....

Some of the options I attempted at first were:

  • Face washes of all brands and types

  • Toners

  • Used a steamer

  • Facials, Himalayan salt spas

  • Blue light treatment

  • Washing my pillow cases every other day, washing my sheets and actual pillow once a week

  • Changing detergents to fragrance free hypoallergenic

  • Washing my face immediately after the gym, quitting working out

  • Stopping all chemicals used on my face

  • Changing the water I put on my face

  • Changing up my shower routine by washing my hair first then my body (in case the oils from the shampoo and conditioner were giving me breakouts)

  • Changed my shampoo and conditioner

  • Going to a Chiropractor

  • Checking into my stress, being on medicines for stress

  • Going off all supplements

  • Cleaning brushes: I clean my brushes with this spray. I also buy this amazing foundation sponge that I change out monthly.

  • Changing makeup to a hypoallergenic makeup

  • The best (and I mean best) makeup I found to cover my acne was by IT Cosmetics. It's called Bye Bye Redness and can cover up your acne like a miracle. Its very lightweight. I was told to wear it as a primer, but I only wore this on my face and it covered it all. My family and friends were so impressed with how it covered that they all bought some!

I feel some of these habits helped, but when they didn't completely clear my acne I decided my diet was to blame. As you may have read in my vegan story, my face was clear and I felt great while I was vegan. Why not give that a try? I altered my diet several different ways:

  • Eating more greens

  • Getting my vitamins

  • Not drinking alcohol

  • Mostly eating organic

You could say that I literally tried it all. No matter how stupid it sounded, I was sure it was going to work. After exhausting my resources I finally decided to go to the dermatologist.

When I first went to the Dermatologist I was told I had inflammation acne. It was bacterial and needed to be treated with antibiotics. I HATE taking medicine so I asked for anything else. She recommended the below:

  • In the shower, only using Dove bar soap

  • A prescription Retinoid

  • A prescription spot medication

  • A soft toner they sold at her office

I tried these options for about 6 months. Nothing worked. I finally went back and said "OK, lets try the antibiotics". I was prescribed Monocycline. I was on the medication for around 4 months. During this time I experienced chest pains, fast heart rate, high liver enzymes, and no difference in my acne. I stopped the meds and went back to my normal routine. I had given up trying to fix my acne even though I still thought about it everyday. Every time someone would look at me I would be embarrassed. Every time I'd sweat at the gym - every time I ate desert - every time I started to stress, I would think I'm going to get more acne. It controlled my mind. By this time I was getting scars and, of course, more breakouts.

I decided to continue my research and finally realized that the redish, purplish, pinkish spots, on my face were actually called, Macular erythema. This is scarring after acne and needs to be treated differently.

Overall, my face started to clear up. Things were looking up for me. Or so I thought.......

My entire body started to breakout, even worse than it was before. It started on my cheeks, moved to my forehead, then to my chin, and soon after my entire shoulder area was covered with acne. I felt incredibly defeated. It had been about a year and a half since I had been to the dermatologist so I decided to try again.

I went to a new Dermatologist very hopeful that she would have all of the answers for me. She walked confidently into the room and stated, "I read your paperwork and it sounds like you've tried everything. We can continue to prescribe creams and antibiotics, but the only thing that will cure your acne is Accutane." Woah....pump the brakes.....I'd read about Accutane throughout my research over the last 6 years. Literally horror stories about this medication are ALLLLLLL over the internet. As I opened my mouth to become defensive about my feelings on medication and what I'd heard about this drug she immediately said, "I know you've probably heard horror stories about Accutane, but I am here to tell you that you could have acne for another day or 10 more years. The only real cure is Accutane and don't believe everything you read online." She explained to me that it is a very powerful drug and there are many precautions because you CANNOT get pregnant on this medication. She also said that your skin becomes very very dry and some people have become depressed while on the meds, however, I would be highly monitored on it. She told me that she had been on the medication and so have several of the other women in her office.

I took a minute to talk things over with Matt and told her I wanted more information. I'm going to be honest. While reading the paperwork I was super nervous. I am not a crier, but I almost started to tear up. The "potential" side effects for this medicine were definitely scary. Just to give a clue of some of the things I would have to sign if I gave this a try was, some people have become extremely depressed while on this medicine. Some people have thought about suicide and others have actually taken their life. That was one of the scariest things along with the deformities you could put onto your unborn child while taking the medicine if you were to become pregnant. I know that these companies have to put this stuff on the paperwork, but it truly is scary and you should read this thoroughly before making a decision.

My Dr. stated she could enroll me in the iPledge program and I could still think about it for a month. The drug is a 5-6 month drug. The first month, I would be getting blood work and a urine pregnancy test along with completing my enrollment into iPledge. I still had time to think about it. I enrolled in the program and took the packet of information home.

After a lot of thinking I decided to continue the process. I would be seeing the dr every month and I had a good support system of friends and family who would help me through the process.


Month 1 - July 2018

Since I am female, I didn't take Accutane in month 1. I had to successfully enroll in the iPledge program and go get blood work done. About a day after I finished the lab work I received a call back from the Dr. letting me know everything was good and she gave me a date on when I could go back and get my urine test. This date was about a month later.


Month 2 - August 2018

I took my urine test and heard back from my Dr. the next day. I setup an appointment for a few days later and was told I needed to complete my iPledge questions online. Once the labs are complete, I've met with my Dr., and taken the iPledge questions I could go to the pharmacy for my meds.

The iPledge test is just a few questions asking what 2 forms of birth control you are using and to confirm you understand the risks. My Dr. asked me the same questions and re-explained the risks. She asked if I had any questions. My questions were mostly around insurance and sun exposure. Insurance is supposed to cover the meds since it is used as a last resort (the medicine is normally $480. With insurance I paid $150 for 40mg). Since I was going to Hawaii in month 3 she was going to start me at 40mg and then after my trip we could go up in dosage. You must be very careful with the sun. I needed to apply sunscreen every 2 hours and wear a hat.

I went to the pharmacy and picked up my meds and took the pill, with my high fat meal, right then and there.

Overall, in month 2, here were the effects:

Physical Effects:

  • After lifting weights I had a lot more soreness. The soreness normally occurred a day or so after lifting, but while on the medicine it was instant.

  • Bruising easily

  • Eye redness

  • Headaches


Mental Effects:

  • High energy


Products Used:


Skin Differences:

  • Dry lips

  • Peeling on my nose

  • Nose soreness

  • I had a few breakouts, but nothing severe.

  • Redness all over my face

  • Scalp very dry and flaky

  • Stinging pain above my upper lip due to dryness

I put very limited stuff on my skin. My makeup still went on fine so I continued to use it. With all the moisturizer it actually made my face look oily. I started to get compliments on my skin, even from people who had no idea I was on the medicine. My family was amazed that it was working so well!


Month 3 - September 2018

Month 3 was my second month on Accutane. I completed my blood work and visited my Dr.. She prescribed me with 30mg twice a day. Since I would be going to Hawaii the next week she told me to take just one 30mg pill daily because I would be super sensitive to sun.

I had some trouble with the prescription this month. The 30mg pills are actually double the price of the 40mg (how does that make any sense??)....If you are struggling with this, even on insurance, look up coupons. They are all over the internet. Try the brand name and one for your pharmacy. Most months they will have them available. The medicine is still super expensive, but it cut mine down to about half of what I was going to pay. Since we were going to Hawaii I could only afford the 40mg (which was still WAY too expensive in my opinion). My entire 2nd month I was on 40mg.

Overall, in month 3, here were the effects:

Physical Effects:

  • Same as before. I did notice my eyes were WAY red and burned upon waking every morning. I had people almost everyday asking if I were ok, because they were so red.

Mental Effects:

  • No change.


Products Used:

  • Same products as above. I did notice the Burts Bees wasn't cutting it so I wore Aquaphor this entire month on my lips.


Skin Differences:

  • Severe Dry lips

  • More breakouts all over my face.


Month 4 - October 2018

This month I started taking the 30mg, twice a day for a total of 60mg. I wasn’t able to use my insurance because it was too expensive. I continued to use the GoodRX coupons.

Overall, in month 4, here were the effects:

Physical Effects:

  • Same as before. My eyes hurt really bad at this point. When I would wake up I could barely keep them open. I went to the eye doctor and they told me my eyes were super dry and gave me some really good eye drops. I used this everyday. I would recommend getting eye drops month 1 so you have it on hand. My vision was super blurry most mornings and the drops really helped.

  • I didnt have the energy I was used to and my motivation to go to the gym was limited. I also got the stomach flu during this month so I was all beat up.


Mental Effects:

  • With the higher dose I did notice I was a little more agitated on some days.


Products Used:

  • Same products as above other than the eye drops that were added to my routine.


Skin Differences:

  • Severe Dry lips. If I didn’t use lip balm 100% of the time I looked diseased.... they were crusty and hard and looked terrible.

  • This was my worst month for breakouts. I had acne travel all over my face. My jawline broke out bad. This is where all of my scars are so that was super frustrating. My forehead was the first to clear up, but it broke out bad during this month.

  • I had bad eczema on my fingers and wrist.

  • The inside of my nose was supppper dry to where I had trouble breathing through my nose.


Month 5 - November 2018

I was still taking 30mg twice a day. I still wasn't able to use my insurance, but the GoodRX coupons saved me about 50%.

In month 5, here were the side effects:

Physical Effects:

  • Same as before. I continued to use eye drops in the morning. I have to admit the pain got a little better. I was still recovering from the stomach flu and ended up getting a cold as well so my energy and motivation was still lacking. I wouldn't blame it on the medicine, but more on the sickness.

  • I was still a little short of breath sometimes.


Mental Effects:

  • My moods leveled out. I didn't feel as aggitated as I did the previous month.


Products Used:


Skin Differences:

  • Severe Dry lips.

  • I am still getting bad acne on my forehead. The rest of my face has cleared up.

  • Eczema was really bad this month. I had it really bad on my hands, wrist, and at the top of my arms. My doctor gave me a steroid cream and it almost instantly would go away when I applied it.



Month 6 - December 2018

After speaking with my Dr. I was put on 40mg twice a day. Most of the time acne clears within 4 months, but since mine was being difficult I was put on a higher dose. Within month 5 most of my acne was clear outside of some breakouts lingering on my forehead. In month 6 my acne completely cleared and I wasn't getting breakouts around my period like normal.

My side affects were the same from month 5. I noticed my skin getting a lot softer. Overall my face wasn't really dry. The only big issues I had with dryness was my lips and eyes.

Around month 4 I started my collagen again. Collagen is one of my favorite things, but I stopped when I started the meds because I wanted to truly see how the meds were working. I 100% believe taking this helped my skin.


Month 7 - January 2019

My Dr. was shocked that my face had cleared so much. She let me know that I would be on them another month. If I didnt get anymore breakouts I could stop when I came back for month 8. If I experienced breakouts I could stay on another month. I still had scarring on my face in the form of little red marks. She stated these would most likely clear within 3-6 months. If not, I could get microneedling treatment.

I had the same side effects from all previous months. I did not have any new breakouts this month on my face! I had one minor breakout on my back that cleared within a few days.


Month 8 - February 2019

The time was finally here. I went to the Dr. and she stated if I was prepared to go off of the medicine I could. I still had about 15 days of pills left and I told her I wanted to finish these off. She agreed. I needed to take two more pregnancy tests and also clear out my iPledge program.

I would have a follow-up appointment in 3 months and we would talk about microneedling treatment if my scarring didnt clear.

I have to be honest. I went out to my car and cried. For my entire twenties I had horrible acne and it was finally gone. I am so happy I chose to go on Accutane and it was the ONLY thing that cleared my acne.

3 Month Check-up - June 2019

I went back to the Dr. at the three month mark ready to talk about micro needling. I hadnt had any new breakouts. My face was basically clear outside of the redness from the scars. I was prescribed a Rein-a cream for breakouts which was super expensive (around $175 with insurance). I asked about micro needling and she stated my scars would go away in a few months and that she wouldn't advise it. I decided to wait for the scars to heal on their own and not have the micro needling done.

Below is my 11 month update. Most of my scarring has went away and I am so happy that I decided to go on Accutane. If my story sounds like yours, don't do what I did. I spent Soooo much money attempting to diagnose my issue. See a Dermatologist and get some advice. I am so happy with my skin now and you can be too!

My current skincare routine includes:

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