The Products Getting Me Through Accutane

My whole life I have considered myself extremely lucky when it came to my skin. I never had acne and only really ever experienced a minor breakout every once in a while… until last year. I started to notice a change in my skin last spring, but, as soon as summer rolled around and I was spending time in the sun, it went away. Then fall rolled around and my skin flipped out. I tried every at-home remedy in my arsenal, pimple patches, drying lotion, face masks, you name it. But, these only seemed to be temporary fixes. Finally, I decided to go see a dermatologist and found out that I was experiencing adult acne. Yup, I thought I was in the clear when I didn’t get acne in high school, but no it just decided to hit me when I least expected it.

After talking to my doctor about my different options to get my skin back under control, she told me that if she were in my shoes, she’d go on accutane and never look back, so I listened. I’m now at the end of my second month of treatment and feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the products that are helping me get through some of the side-effects of the medication. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the process of Accutane, it’s a medication that essentially cures acne; however, one of the main side-effects is excessive dryness of the skin and lips. I had always had somewhat dry skin before starting the treatment, but nothing could have prepared me for the dryness I would get from Accutane. Not only did my skin look dry, it felt tight and uncomfortable. I was literally uncomfortable in my own skin. The products I’ve been using have given me a complete turnaround.

Skincare

The number one word on your mind while you’re on Accutane is hydration. You want to be drinking a ton of water, moisturizing multiple times/day, and using non-drying, gentle cleansers. You also need to refrain from using any products containing acids meant to treat acne/pimples because the medication makes your skin way to sensitive for it. Right when I started the medication I knew that my old skincare routine was not going to cut it, so I went to my local Sephora and, per many recommendations, picked up a variety of products from Clinique’s Moisture-Surge line. Long story short, these products did not work for me at all.

When I went back to Sephora, a specialist recommended that I try the Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser and Biossance Omega Repair Cream. Both of these products are amazing. The cleanser makes my skin feel clean without the dryness and the cream provides long-lasting moisture that makes me skin glow and feel plump when I wake up. I’ve since added in this oil from Herbivore Botanicals which I layer under the cream at night, and this serum from Drunk Elephant which I use on the occasions where my skin feels particularly dry and uncomfortable.

Through the process of finding the right products for me, I noticed that they all happened to be in the “clean beauty” category. I’m not sure if this is a direct cause of their effectiveness, but I’ve definitely taken note.

It’s crucial to use SPF constantly when on Accutane. My favorite for everyday use is this one from Supergoop! It’s super matte and doesn’t have that sticky feeling you get with most. For my lips, I’ve been alternating between Aquaphor when my lips are cracked and flakey and this lip mask when I want something that feels a little luxe. One thing to note is how important hand cream is while you’re on accutane. The skin on the backs of my hands got so dry that it felt like there were scales, but I tried out this hand cream and it made such a difference.

You can shop all of the products saving my skin below:

Makeup

One thing I found particularly surprising and discouraging when I was doing research about accutane was the lack of recommendations for makeup that works well with the severe dryness. It took me a while to get my makeup totally sorted, but I finally found a few products that really worked for me. Before putting any makeup on my skin, I’ve been putting this primer on. Talk about a game changer. I never really believed in primer before, but I’ve found this one really makes my makeup stick o my skin no matter how dry it is. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of super full coverage foundation, but I knew my usual tinted moisturizer wasn’t going to cut it. I’ve found that the It Cosmetics CC+ Cream provides a god level of hydration and a natural looking coverage that makes me feel confident and comfortable in my own skin. It also has SPF in it, which helps take one step out of my skincare routine when I wear makeup. The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer layers and blends really well with the CC+ Cream and seems to last well throughout the day. Other than having to change these two products, nothing else I use is necessarily special to my skincare needs, they’re just products I use frequently and love.

You can shop these two items and some of my other makeup must haves in the widget below:

I hope this was helpful to any of you who are experiencing super dry skin this winter or are dealing with problem skin. I truly support and recommend all of these products, but I just want to reiterate that these are the products that have been working for me. As usual, if you ever have any questions you can leave a comment on this post, or email me at samantha@preptista.com!