About me!

I am 28 (29 in November 09) and I have had acne since my early 20s. My skin was really pretty and clear in High School but I started breaking out later; I have spent close to 10 years dealing with cystic acne.
My acne is not as bad as some people's, worse than other people's.....but it has caused me a lot of sadness and self-esteem issues. I HATE wearing make-up; I feel I must wear it to cover the redness, pimples and swollen cysts I have. I am embarrassed to go without makeup in front of my own husband. Before that, I was ashamed in public and even around friends or boyfriends.

I have used just about everything out there: benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, Proactiv, every OTC product. I even spent $100+ on a Zeno tool (supposed to "heat" zits to death!). I have been to 3 dermatologists including the one I see now. I have been prescribed Retin-A, minocycline, ceftin, various cleansers. I have scrubbed, left it alone, picked and not picked. I have done home chemical peels and doctor's chemical peels.

My face clears up, then it breaks out again and I am back to square one! SO discouraging!!

Finally, I decided to try ANOTHER dermatologist. Luckily, my husband has insurance that will cover a referral. I have been seeing Drs. Amy and Anthony Cardellio in Warren, MI. From the beginning, I knew I had found a better derm.....they are really "hands on". During my first visit, they injected my cysts with steroids, gave me a Rx for an antibiotic, face wash and I get a glycolic/sulfur facial at every visit. I have been seeing the Drs. Cardellio for the past year.

After being frustrated with STILL breaking out (although it did improve with antibiotics temporarily) I asked Dr. Amy for Accutane. She agreed it was time to bring in the "big guns" for my acne. I did not want to be on an antibiotic long-term; plus I was taking Nystatin (anti fungal) to combat the raging yeast infections that the antibiotics would give me!

So, here I am. I was prescribed Accutane and this is my blog about my skin, my meds and my journey to (hopefully, finally) clear skin!

If you are reading this and have acne, my heart goes out to you. I know how hard it can be, emotionally and physically. Don't lose hope!

The pictures here were taken the day BEFORE I started Accutane.