The good with the bad...

There hasn't been much progress on the isotretinoin/accutane front; my chin looks pretty much the same, I think...

I don't really get to notice the improvements until I place the photos side by side. Overall, I do think that my skin looks better. I do breakout occasionally, but the pimple recedes much more quickly than it used to, and it hardly leaves a mark. My main problem these days, is that my lips are so. freaking. DRY. Apart from the usual flakiness, which I used to be able to solve with my trusty lip balm, I now have teeny blisters/ cold sores. Unfortunately, the menthol in Carmex just aggravates the sores, so I switched to good 'ole Vaseline petroleum jelly; I've also been treating the sores with Bactidol, which does relieve the swelling, somewhat.

Anyway, in my obsession with accutane's side effects, I came across this forum, which does confirm that it's perfectly normal to have chapped lips, and cold sores. Thing is, I've already been a month and a half into the treatment, so presumably my body's already adjusted to it and I'd have no reason to have lips this irritated. While scanning the forum, I did come across this tidbit of information that may be helpful, and that is: eating fatty/oily food, along with food that's high in processed sugars can aggravate some of the drug's side effects. While it's true that the colder temperature might have contributed to my current condition, it might also explain why I have cold sores all of a sudden, and why I've been breaking out in dry, patchy spots in parts of my body. I have slipped a bit and started eating chocolates and fried food lately, so I'll try, as best as I can, to eat 'clean' for the next few weeks or so to see if my condition improves. I guess the good thing out of all this is that I end up acquiring healthier eating habits too-- or rather, the discipline to choose healthier stuff. I've also been trying (and hopefully it won't be in vain) to exercise in the morning, rather than at night after work. Unintentional resolutions aside, I'm currently on my last 30 pills of isotretinoin before I go back to the dermatologist. Hopefully I won't need any more, and that the bumps really do get flattened, and stay away for good.