Lamictal and Skin Care Regimen

[daisy]

I've gotten a lot of great advice on these boards about Lamictal and how to prevent rashes that aren't THE rash. One of the things that keeps coming up is to start using new skin care products BEFORE you start the Lamictal. I luckily have done that. I got a whole new skin care regimen from my dermatologist about a month ago to keep my acne away. The only problem is... it dries out my skin... not horribly, but quite a bit compared to my usual face of grease. Is this going to be a problem when it comes to Lamictal? Should I take it down a notch? I don't know if this makes any difference, but both my mom and grandmother have rosacea, plus I've dealt with acne, so I am worried I might be a little more susceptible to rashes.

I mean, I did Accutane 5 years ago, and luckily my acne has never come back as severely as it once was. I only get mild (or rarely moderate) acne. I can get off my skin care regimen and use things that are less harsh for my skin... I don't mind dealing with my mild acne, if I have to. My concern is just that Lamictal can increase acne... while I'm hopeful it won't happen, I have to be realistic and acknowledge it probably will. Stupid acne genetics that run in my family...

Should I make my skin care regimen less harsh before I start the Lamictal (should be starting on Friday) and slowly add the acne meds back in? Should I stay on my routine for now? Should I just give up on this skin care regimen, even though it makes my skin look oh so pretty?

I just wanted to get some advice from people, since I've already gotten a lot of helpful hints about not changing your skin care regimen in an extreme way AFTER starting Lamictal. I honestly wouldn't be worrying this so much, but I REALLY don't want to get a rash on my face right before college graduation!!!

So, I guess my question is... has anybody's skin care regimen caused a problem when combined with Lamictal?

[Generica]

Hi Daisy, I guess you have started Lamictal now so my response is a bit late but I'll reply nonetheless for what it's worth. My acne has certainly increased since taking Lamictal, I am not sure what to do about it. Had I been on acne treatment pre-Lamictal, I would be loathe to go off it once on Lamictal. The only other issues I've had were coming up all red after taking a bath with a perfumed 'bath bomb' shortly after starting on L. It was an 'all natural' product but I had not used it before so something certainly reacted. It settled down in a few hours though. The other problem is that I now have dry itchy skin, particularly my arms & legs, which I never used to get. No rash, just that maddening dry itch. I apply a natural plant oil like macadamia or almond to wet skin immediately after getting out of the shower & if I remember to do this every day I have no problem. For dry facial skin I use rosehip oil which I have no reaction to, again applied to damp skin. Good luck!