From fourteen years old to sixteen I was plauged with severe acne on my face (mostly my cheeks and chin area.) I was put on every antibiotic under the sun, given every topical treatment (which tended to just dry my skin out and make it look redder) and put on the pill. None of this worked.

As every acne sufferer will be able to empathise it's so damaging to your confidence and your self esteem...and as the condition worsens you do feel like it effects every part of your life.

Just before I went on roacuntane my parents shelled out for laser treatment on my skin. I remember going to get into the car aged fifteen on my way, and frantically hiding my face with my hair in case anyone saw me on the drive way, as I was so used to wearing about an inch on make up on my face to hide my acne and I was being forced to go out bare faced. The laser treatment hurt a lot....made me go red. That was about it at the time, but I do think that it did assist in the scarring in the long run.I would advise if you are taking accutane, that you also gice laser treatment a whirl as it will aid in reducing your scarring for your clear skin one day.

So anyway.... Roccutane. The best thing ever. Actually changed my life. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take it- everyone reacts differently to it. I realise there are situations were it has given people adverse reactions but at least try it and see. I am fine, and I know there are a lot of people out there who are the same. I am 21 now and I only ever get the occasional spot-like a normal person.

I don't know what else to say other than please give it a go.

Hi all,

I'm a brown-skinned guy in my mid 20s, beginning Week 5 of my second course of accutane. First course was 8 years ago, although, I used Roaccutane gel in Europe during my junior-year abroad. THE GEL WORKS BETTER THAN THE PILLS. Tazorac comes close but not close enough.

For me, oral Accutane starts to work on Day One. I feel tired at times, but it may be unrelated. My skin WAS dry and flakey for a few days, but I use vaseline and scent-free moisturizers. Starting out with about 2 dozen bean-size lesions and cysts on my neck, chin cheeks and temple, by Week 3 I had 4 raised pea-sized pimples. I did flair up after eating a falafel and some peas in Week 1, and had some anemic chills a day later. Last week, I discovered I was born with an allergy called favism, which I'll explain later.

Today, I have scars and a few tiny, tiny bumps, but my face is as smooth as a baby's bottom. My derm upped the dosage from 40 mg to 70 mg per day for the next 8 weeks. I suspect a total of 16 weeks is all I'll need, with the last month back at 40 mg. 8 years ago, I took accutane at a much lower dose for about 3 months, and it had equally successful results. I do get nose bleeds, but I had more just before this course of accutane. I believe my story is unique, though given a genetic, anemic, allergic condition I recently discovered.

I have G6PD enzyme deficiency (favism), which means I'm immune to cerebral malaria. Between 400-800 million people have it, especially Asians, Africans and Mediterranean-Middle Easterners. I'm a mix of all three, so who knows which ancestor gave it to me. It also means that 48 hours of anti-malaria, anti-acne drugs (bactrim, cipro, tetra-doxy-mino-cycylines) make me sweat, nose-bleed and vomit like a malaria victim. Doctors never figured it out. Funny thing is, I've worked in two high malaria-prone countries, but didn't know I was immune; nor did I know about the foods that make my skin and respiratory system flair up (beans, bean pollen, green peas, chickpeas (falafel), aspirin, synthetic vitamins, etc.). So, I took Malarone ($5 a pill) as a daily malaria prophylaxis. It clears my skin better than Accutane, and probably repairs damaged red blood cells from oxidative stress. This meant, I could eat like everybody else, without breaking out. I think Accutane does the same thing to RBC's, but with more side affects on the brain and body. By now, my favism allergy has been pushed to the limits, and I don't think I'll eat hummus ever again.

I've spent years seeing doctors, allergists and dermatologists trying to tell them all of my allergies were related to something, but they never figured it out. Two weeks ago, I found out I have ALL of the symptoms of G6PD deficiency, asked my doctor for the test by name. And, even though 800 million people may have this enzyme deficiency, doctors barely know what it is. My doctor is referring me to a dietitian since there are no vitamins or medications I can take.

I used to hate it when people, even strangers, would tell me things about my diet. The more I avoided chocolate and red meat, or tried to be vegan, eat bean pies. lentils and sprouts, the more red blood cells I destroyed. Favism is real! Now I know that after accutane, I'll need organic red meat, red wine, and 100% pure red juices (cranberry, grape, pomegranate). Olive oil and sea salt are best, along with pure dark chocolate (avoid nuts, which may be coated with bean oil). Even though I am not allergic to soya, I now know that soy milk and tofu destroy my stomach because of bean paste fillers.

If any of this connects with you, get a G6PD enzyme test ASAP.

Check this out:

or google: Oxidative Stress in Patients With Acne Vulgaris

I finished accutane in april and i seemed to have had a really good experience. I was on 80mg for the whole thing.

The worst that I got was a horrid horrid IB, i got some many zits and a few cysts (which were clustered together) so that was pretty painful. That aspect of my course lasted maybe.... 1 month before it was was on its way to recovery.

Other than that, I got really dry lips, i got a rash on the back of my hands (which was probably exacerbated by the fact that it was winter where i lived) I got muscle pains especially in my back. I also suffered from an immense amount of redness on my face during the course. Makeup didn't really cover the redness up, it was just always really red.

Since I have been done, my dry lips have gone away (that started to disappear about 1 week after i finished and was pretty much gone 2 weeks after) My muscle aches for the most part are gone, i still get the occassional lower back pain, but everything is really ok.

As for my acne, it went away and stayed gone since about month 3 of my course. i haven't gotten any massive pimples since i have been done. this was the test because i am just getting my period soon and i have not had a breakout at all. i have seen maybe 2 TINY TINY TINY whiteheads but they were last week and seem to be gone. I have some bumps under the skin here and there, but i am on some prescription cream so hopefully it doesn't come back.

It was a good experience, uncomfortable yes, but worth it. I recommend it to people who have alot of stamina and determination.

My name is Sara, I am a 19 year old female and I weigh about 118 lbs. I started college and Accutane last fall and it has been quite a roller coaseter.

I tried to start Accutane last September, but after several misunderstandings with the iPledge system, I was delayed 2 months. When I finally began my course in November 08, I had moderate acne, with some scarring on my cheeks and my forehead amd acne on my chest and back. I was prescribed 40 mgs every day.

After 1 month of 40 mgs, my skin still looked the exact same. Not only were my breakouts the same (no IB at this point), but my skin was not drying up. My chest, however, cleared up within the first 2 weeks of taking the medicine and I only had like 2 random zits pop up for the rest of my course. The only real "side effect" I had was a sore lower back when I would lay down to sleep. My dermatologist doubled my dosage to 80 mgs a day, which is A LOT for my small frame.

Mid - December, after I had been taking the 80 mgs every day for about a week or so, my skin absolutely erupted. I have never seen my skin THIS bad - my chin literally looked like a small mountain range. Most of this "IB" was on my chin, but I had a few bumps on my forehead as well. It was awful - it was right around Christmas time when I was seeing family members that I see about 2x a year and my skin looked disgusting. I was going through a tube of concealer about once every week and half. It was around this time that I also started to experience very intense jaw pain and jaw cracking. When I went back to the derm, he said it was TMJ brought on by the Accutane. Also, I work in retail and Christmas is the busiest season. I was on my feet a lot and my knees began to crack a lot more and hurt. Also, I became very fatigued easily and lost a lot of my appetite - not a good thing for the Christmas season haha.

I stayed on the 80 mgs a day until March. By this point, I had been on the medicine for 4 months. My skin had improved since December, but was still looking about the same as it did when I first started the medicine. I was starting to lose hope because a lot of people say that by the 3rd month, your skin will start to improve. I was on my 4th month and it looked the exact same. By this point, my back pain, fatigue, and loss of appetite had pretty much disappeared, but my jaw was still cracking.

When I went to the derm in March, my dosage was lowered because either my triglycerides or cholesterol (i never did understand how that all worked lol) was over 500!!!!!!!! My new dosage was an alternating 80 mgs one day and 40 mgs the next.

Sometime around March and April, I was forced to take my belly button piercing and cartilage piercing out. I had gotten my belly button done the year before, and my cartilage fall of 08, before I started the medicine. My doctor told me that accutane makes your body and skin veryyy slow to heal and since both piercings were relativity new, that was the reason that they both got soo infected. It was very sad to lose both of the piercings and the belly button piercing left a scar

April was supposed to be the month that I got off the medicine, but my skin was still looking the EXACT same!! Even though I had been on the medicine for the cold winter, my skin was not dry in the least bit and my lips were never chapped. I don't even think I applied moisturizer once during this whole time.

I had to stay on the medicine for an extra 2.5 months. I was still taking the alternating dosages. Finally, by early June 09 my skin was clear!!!!! I haven't had a breakout on my face or back in weeks and my chest has been clear since the first month!!!!!!!!!!!!! I took my last pill today and was SO HAPPY to finally be done. Within the last few weeks, my lips have gotten very chapped (even with the 90 degree humid NC weather) and I haven't been able to wear my contacts in weeks b/c my eyes are so dry. My doctor was very surprised at my resiliency to the drug, especially given how high my dosage was for my size. He said I was one of the hardest patients he has had to treat in a while, but it was WELL WORTH IT!!! I have been going to the derm every month now for the past year, and for the first time... I don't have to go next month. Going to get my blood work done and then going to the derm the next day had become such a norm for me, that it will be weird these next few months.

I am soooooo glad that I took accutane. It was sooooooo frustrating at times and I thought that my skin would NEVER get better. However, after almost 8 months on the medicine, I am so happy with the results and can't wait til I go back to school in the fall and my skin is CLEAR!!!

I used to have SEVERE cystic acne.

Right now, I'm on Amnesteem (40mg/day) ever since March. So, I'm going on my 4th month. Things are going good. I started clearing up within the 1st month. I've only had 3 nosebleeds total. I'm not sensitive to the sun. My skin isn't dry, it's been normal. My lips are naturally dry and I dont see it getting worse than how it normally is. I hardly suffer from any symptoms. No joint aches, no headaches, no dry eyes, nothing. Right now, my skin is clear, a little rosy, and some light scarring. I guess I've been really lucky?

is accutane a permentant acne removal system? i know that probably sounds stupid but reading these it seems like you go through alot of pain, and then if it works your pretty much done.

im pretty new to all this i turned 19 march 28th and have been having hormonal acne. id love to some how get rid of it.

Hey Guys--new to this forum but wanted to share my experience with Accutane.

I started getting acne at age 11, and it got pretty bad by the time I was 17. Using benzac AC 10 and various other creams, and Tetracycline on-and-off I kept the acne under control for the most part. However in my early 20s my acne was getting out of control. It was worse than ever. I was getting cystic acne for the first time and it was very depressing. I heard about Accutane from my college roommate, but when I asked my dermatologist about it she refused to prescribe it. She said it was way too dangerous. So when I moved to California and got a new dermatologist he immediately suggested it. So I started a 5 month course of Accutane when I was 26 years old.

Dosage:

- 40mg daily for first 2 months

- 80mg daily for next 3 months

Side Effects:

- Once a week, very painful headache that would last about an hour

- Very dry (cracking) lips all the time.

- Dry skin. Feels like I been on a snowy mountain top with high winds.

Permanent Effects:

- Acne is gone! Yay! I get minor breakouts now and then, when I sweat a lot, don't wash my face for several days, or put oily sunblock on.

- Much drier skin. It used to be super oily, now it's drier than an average person. Using moisturizer every morning works perfectly and I feel great.

- No headaches, No dry lips, no mountain top (hehe, although it is rather dry--just not THAT dry)

I just want to add that I am 32 years old now, and nothing has changed in the past 6 years. Accutane really worked wonders for me.

I stumbled across this thread today, so thought I'd add my experience with roaccutane.

I took a 9 month course of roaccutane 2 years ago for my severe acne and was on an average of 60mg per day.

During the course the most noticeable side-effect I experienced was the most common one of dryness. This was fairly extreme, but I was more than prepared to put up with it to clear up my skin in the long-run and buying a giant tub of aqueous cream to slather on went a long way towards minimising the peelyness! I also had the occasional back ache and some nosebleeds, but otherwise I experienced no other side-effects. I did not experience an initial breakout, although my skin was so bad that I'm not sure if one could have been detected anyway.

I'm now 19 and still suffer from mild breakouts, although these are nothing like what they were before I went on roaccutane. Whereas I had painful cystic legions literally covering my face before, I now only get the occasional cyst, with the rest of my acne mainly being small, quickly-healing spots that aren't anywhere near as noticeable. I have no lingering side-effects from the roaccutane apart from my skin being much less oily than before, and I'm very pleased that I went on it.

I'm now dealing with some moderate scarring that the years of having severe acne left me with, but I've been able to rebuild my confidence to some extent (which was ravaged just as much as my face two years ago) due to finally clearing up. Overall, if it weren't for going on roaccutane, I believe I'd still be stuck with my terrible skin and locked into the same cycle of depression because of it, not to mention the fact that my scarring would probably be of a much greater severity today. So I've no regrets about my course, and if my acne ever returned to the same severity I wouldn't hesitate to go for a second round.

Accutane is BOMB! I am 19 and I'm on 60mg a day. I am on my 3rd month. I suffered from extremely oily, big pored skin. and my acne was so bad. but.. Your skin will clear literally in the first month, you will completely dry up leaving you so happy because your oily skin is done and you never have to wash your hair! yes.. your lips get dry but your derm will prescribe really good chapstick for you. everyone who complains about accutane is crazy to me. just dont be lazy.. put your moisterizer on everyday, always carry around your chapstick, and redeyes because sometimes they do get a little dry. you wont have suicidal thoughts because you will so pumped your acne is gone. and yea there is hair loss but its reversable. get extensions if youre that self conscious. and always have a positvie mindset towards it!

The best medicine in the world for acne. Taking Accutane is the best decision I have made. It has changed my life. The only regret I have is that I took it too late. For those of you still suffer the pain from acne, go see doctor and get this medicine. 5 months of accutane will bring happiness to rest of your life.

im about to start accutane tomorrow and im a little nervous about some of the side efects . for example the pain and fitigue,because im am a varsity athlete and cant let my team down. also the whole long list of side effects.

anyone have any advice and/or comforting words for me?

thanks

I had bad cystic acne on my back neck and acne on my face. After trying "everything" I was put on accutane when I was 18. Slowly over the next decade the acne came back although never as bad as it was. I began adding more and more to my regiment to control the acne.

I was on...

Retin-A Micro

Duac

Minocycline

BenPeroxide Wash

Dispite all these meds the acne became worse exaserbated by dusty conditions while deployed in Iraq. So when I got back in the states I asked for a refferal to a dermatologist so I could spend less time fussing over my skin and take accutane instead.

I'm currently on my last month of treatment and I might get a zit every week or so over my entire body/face vs. a new one or two a day on my face not to mention the body acne I got. So it is safe to say I have seen a huge improvement in the past six months. What I do get now goes away fast and doesn't require being popped multiple times.

So have no complaints about accutane...it is the only medicine that has made a huge difference in my acne. I'll be going on Retin-A Micro to maintain results once I am done.

I have just finished my 2nd course of Accutane. Did my first course 2 years ago for 5months (started on 20mg per day then eventually moved up to 40mg towards the end). The final results were amazing! At the time I felt like it was never going to get better and my skin didn't really improve until after I finished taking Accutane. Afterwards, my skin stayed clear for 2 years, it was amazing.

2 years later I started getting a few more pimples again. Nothing real bad but it was enough to make me unhappy about my skin. So I went back to the dermatologist and he perscribed me with another dose of 40mg per day for 4 months. He said this should be the last one and that I wouldn't need to go on it again.

I have read alot of bad things about Accutane online but I have to say I don't know if people are just exagerating or if they have just been really unlucky? Because I never experienced any of the bad things people have mentioned!

The first time I took Accutane my skin broke out severley and it lasted the whole time I was on Accutane. I hated it so much but once I came off it, the results were so worth it! The 2nd time I took Accutane it was nowhere near as bad as the first course of it. My skin still broke out a little bit but no where near as severe.

Side effects that I got while on Accutane:

*Dry lips - however as long as you are constantly putting on Blistex (or something similar) you can keep it under control. Some people say that their lips got really cracked and bled.. ouch! Mine never did anything like that, just got a little bit dry but it was never an issue as long as I kept putting Blistex on.

*Slightly dry skin - again not an issue as long as you moisturise with a good moisturiser like Cetaphil everyday.

*Dry scalp - this was great because my hair wouldn't get greasy at all! Before Accutane I would have to wash my hair almost every day but while I was on Accutane I could go for days without washing it and it wouldn't get oily! So that was great. However they warn you not to dye your hair while you are taking it.. but I have a regular 6week regrowth bleeching so I wasn't going to give that up. It hurt intensly getting my hair bleeched while on Accutane because my scalp was so dry. I would get bleech burns on my scalp afterwards but I just put up with it.

*Dry nose - easily fixed by applying vaseline to inside of nose

*Dry anus - sounds gross I know but it's true. Would really hurt when making bowel movements and sometimes bled a little aftewards

*Dry vagina - hurts when having sex - you definately need to use lube

*Tiredness - felt tired every day but I'm not sure whether that was really due to Accutane or just from late nights etc

*Sometimes would get a little rash that appeared on the tops of my hands but would go away after a couple days - didn't hurt though

I NEVER got mood swings or feelings of depression. I think sometimes people try to find an excuse for the way they are and blame it on Accutane because they can. If you have really bad skin you are going to feel sad whether you are taking Accutane or not so I don't feel its acurate to blame Accutane for feelings of sadness.

The results are amazing and so worth it! A couple of months of putting up with a few easily handleable side effects is so worth having perfect skin afterwards. You feel so much better about yourself and you don't have to wear makeup all the time or feel ugly. If you looked at me now you would never even know I ever had acne.

If you are thinking about taking Accutane but are unsure as you have read many bad things about it, don't believe everything you hear. I guess it's different for everyone but I never had anything bad enough that would make me not want to take it again. I think it is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who is sick of having acne and wants to get rid of it for good (or for a very long time).

Feel free to message me if you have any questions or concerns

Accutane 80 mgs. for 28 wks., I weigh 110 lbs. ( my acne was VERY bad.) Needless to say, I no longer have severe acne!!While on accutane i only had dry skin and lips, pretty common, nothing ever came up in the monthly bloodwork either.I would reccomend accutane to anyone with severe acne, theres no other choice, and it does its job!

Hey Everyone,

I am currently on my 4th course with Accutane. I've been taking Accutane on and off since 2005 and have had no problems in regard to side effects. Of course, I have had chapped lips, but I never got depressed, hair loss, or any other severe side effects that I have read about over the internet. When I am on Accutane, it completely clears my acne within two months. For the first month or two, the dermatologist tells me to take 40 mg each day, then for the rest of the course he tells me to take 80 mg.

The only problem I have with Accutane is that once my course of Accutane is done, my acne comes back within 2 or 3 months. My acne is hereditary, my dad used to have bad acne when he was younger so its no surprise that I have it as a young adult. I'm not going to lie, it gets frustrating at times when I have to go back onto Accutane again. This is a problem because I'm currently 22 and once I turn 23, my parents military insurance won't cover me anymore and I won't be able to afford going to the dermatologist or paying for Accutane. I just wish my acne would go away =(. People considering taking Accutane should at least try it out, it did wonders for me. By the end of your 5-6 month course on Accutane, it will clear your skin and your scars will start to fade. I get cystic acne on my cheeks and forehead and the Accutane cleared them up within the end of my second month on the drug. Like I mentioned earlier, I've been on and off of Accutane since 2005 and I don't feel that Accutane has deteriorated my health in any way. It cleared my skin, hopefully it will do the same for you!!! =)

Went back on accutane after two years of clarity after my first course. Best decision of my life, results were even better then the first time and I feel better then ever!

I took accutane pretty late on. It did a good job for me (although not perfect), but I wish I had taken it at around 20/21 so that I wouldn't have had so long building up scars!

I made a summary post a while back which is pretty comprehensive view of my experience if you wish to read it:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/3-Months-...nc-t188141.html

I wish I went on accutane earlier - I still have scarring but I am super happy that I don't break out anymore. hopefully the scarring will fade away and my skin will stop looking so red(damn u accutane glow). Definitely has changed my life and made me more confident and I am more comfortable in my own body.

I just finished my accutane course 3 weeks ago and have had extremely good results so far (i am scared that i may have jinxed my clear skin right now hahah) Anyway, I started my course february 20th or so at 20 mg every other day for a week and then 20 mg a day. Then my intake increased to 40 mg a day to eventually 60 mg a day. I ended my treatment 5 months later late July.

I had very mild side effects which included mild dry skin (before accutane my face was sooo oily so i think that might have been why my skin didn't dry too bad), chapped lips, mild dry eyes, and moderate back pain.

I almost forgot to state my lengthy acne history! I started getting acne in 5th grade which was very mild...but it was still consistently there. So I had acne from 5th grade to my junior year of high school where my face and shoulders were at their worst. I have been on basically every topical and oral prescription and over the counter drug imaginable. So much so, that i am looking to go to college next year for pharmaceuticals. I also had laser treatments, micro-derm abrasions, and facials (just a tip...DO NOT get the smooth beam laser treatment, it was so painful and ineffective for me, although i'm sure some people see results).

I highly reccomend accutane for people suffering with acne who have tried everything else. My skin looks great even without makeup which i never would have imagined possible. And if your reading a lot of negative reviews of accutane, just realize that people who were not cured by this pill will have more of a reason to come and state their opinions of this miracle drug while others who have gotten clear skin have no reason to because they are cured and have moved on with their lives.

If accutane is for you, try it.

39 yr old male, suffered from cystic acne since I was in my early teens. Mainly on my back, but about 4 times a year I would get one so bad on my nose/cheek that it would swell my eye closed. I tried everything in the past and was on antibiotics on and off from 30-38. Doctor finally said no more so I tried Accutane.

I researched the drug, primarily on this board, and was a bit overwhelmed by all of the info. My opinion was that there was a few folks who had a bad experience and were very vocal about it and I figured that those who had a good experience never came back to post. And to be honest, I haven't been here at all since shortly after I started taking the drug almost a year ago. That's why Iam here today, as I feel I owe it to others to share my experiences.

I started in Oct 08 at 40mg. Progressed all the way to 100 for one month, but then down to 80. I was on it for a total of 7 months, ending in May 09.

Side Effects:

• dry, chapped hands
• sore back when waking up in the morning
• sore feet during the day
• thirsty, man was I thirsty
• dry eyes
• dry face
• dry lips
• slight loss of hair (growing back)

When I went up to 100 for one month, I couldn't take the sore back and feet anymore, so I went back to 80 where it was manageable. The dry skin (lips, hands,..) was easily remedied with Vaseline or creams the Dem gave me.

The hardest part - no beer. That probably did me good though. I would get monthly blood work done and my cholesterol went from a bit high, to "perfect" since I wasn't eating junk food so much because I wasn't drinking beer. Those of you who enjoy an occasional pint or two will understand.

Pre-Accutane - if I ate any decent amount of sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese,... I would break out. So over a couple of days about 3 weeks ago (3 months post Accutane) I put it to the test and ate a "more than normal" amount of dairy over 2 days. I had one little pimple appear on my chin, which never came to a head and if I didn't point it out to you, you would never notice it. In 3 days it was completely gone. That's it, nothing else. Now I enjoy normal amounts of dairy and nothing.

I used to stay in the house, cancel meetings and lose money because I was afraid to go out with a swollen-shut eye from acne. I have been there my friends, I get it. "39 year olds don't get acne...it's for kids" I have heard it all. I got so tired of the emotional roller coaster, the self-esteem swings, and the all BS that I decided that any side effects were better than the status quo.

So it's only been 4 months but as far as I'm concerned, I cured. I was open about the drug with anyone who asked ("What?? You can't have a beer???") and now when they ask about how it went I have told everyone how happy I am that I took it. It has truly made my life better.

I feel for the folks on this site that have had a negative experience, I really do. They gambled and lost. Take the time research the forum, get the facts and make an informed decision. Everyone's body is different; yours may react different than others.

Take the chance and get out of the house. You know you deserve better, you are beautiful and you know it. Cheers!

My only regret was not going on Accutane earlier! Would have saved me a hell of a lot of trouble. It's been 5 months since I finished my first course and my acne is coming back a little tiny bit (it used to be "quite bad" to quote my derm) but it's not even close to what my acne used to be like, so I can't care that much.

Accutane is the best drug in the world. As for side effects I only experienced dry skin, around the lips especially and I got a rash going up my arms. Apparently this is quite common and will go away if you moisturize.

Best of luck.

Hi Guys

I'm a 23 year old female 5'7 and 118lbs and am in my 2nd course of Accutane (two 30mg Sotret a day). From when I was 18-21, I had oookay skin. I would try to not go outside without makeup but with makeup, my skin looked perfectly fine. During this time, I was using Proactiv. When I turned 21 my skin started breaking out a little.. nothing too horrible. Just that some zits here and there that makeup could not completely hide. It wasn't until I turned 22 that my skin just broke out. It happened almost over night. I had lots of tiny cystic acne on my chin and near my nose area and sometimes forehead. I also had the bumps (sorry dont remember the name for them) that would kinda hurt and not go away for a longggg time on the sides of my face. I would have about 3 of those on each side. No amount of makeup mattered. It was absolutely the worst time of my life!

I tried alllllll the face washes. I think I spent over 500$ on different skin care treatments at Sephora. No luck. I also tried the face washes and creams and gels from dermatologist. I also tried antibiotics that helped a tiiiiiiiiny bit but did not last at all. Finally I found a new dermatologist and he recommended Accutane. After speaking to him about it and researching more about it myself, I decided to go on it.

The whole process with i-Pledge was sorta annoying and I was scared to death of the "worse before it gets better" phase. Well I think I'm a pretty rare case when I say that Accutane started visibly working by like the 3 rd day. I could FEEL my skin get better. By 2 weeks my tiny cystic acne were GONE. the big bumps were getting smaller and I felt GREAT. the only side effects I had was dry lips (which I used aquaphor and blistex, not a big deal... no real peeling or anything... as long as I applied lip balm every 2 hours or so, my lips looked and felt fine) and I was thirsty often (again no big deal). I also felt a little lethargic... I would get tired by 4pm and would sleep in longer than usual but it was bearable.

Anyway within taking it for about 2 weeks all my friends were so shocked at how clear my skin was. There was still some left over acne but I looked like a normal girl with a normal breakout, NOT someone suffering with bad acne. My dermatologist told me to come by if my acne ever got so bad so that he could give me cortisone injections but I never needed to go because it was improving so much. When I went to see him again to get my 2nd course rx, he was pretty surprised at how good my skin looked and he said I'm basically on auto-pilot now. He gave me a second course of the same dosage (two 30mgs a day) and said by the end of the 2nd month I would be 100% clear. I'm almost mid way done with my 2nd course and I think he's right. I have no acne. I have just 2 really tiny scabs on my lower chin from an old zit but it's not visible. I still have to be on it for a whole 5 months so that my clear skin is permanent.

Anyway I apologize if this post isn't written very well. I'm actually in a rush but I wanted to write a post before I forgot about how AMAZING Accutane is. I truly wish I was on this a year ago so that I didn't have to suffer for the time was 22. I know not everyone can offer such positive results with minimal side effects and I do not want to be misleading because I know for some ppl, it's tough to go through... but I just want to share that sometimes Accutane side effects aren't as bad as you'd expect and sometimes the results are WAY better than you'd expect.

Good luck!!!

I have eventuallybeen refered to my derm by my GP and reallywant to be given Roacutane but i am worried that they will not give it to me.... what can i do to make sure i get it.....i feel that this is the last thing i can do as i have tried so many different things..... i hate having awful skin nad have had it since i was 24 years old and now i am 29.... i have no confidence and hate how pwople look at me because of all the lumpsa nd bumps on my face..... i have just read the negative thigs about roacutane and now i am begining to get worried about the side effects what can i do please help!!! x

i went on accutane 4 years ago when i was 16. i'm sorry i don't remember information on my dosage but i do know that my doctor stopped my cycle nearly a month early because of how well it worked! i believe i was only on accutane for about 3 or 4 months.

i was very reluctant to get on the accutane because i had heard some pretty scary stuff... depression, dry EVERYTHING, aches, etc. accutane was really a last resort for me because i had tried everything and my acne interfered with my life so much, i began hating myself.

i started the treatment and within two weeks i started seeing results. after the first month, my skin was FLAWLESS with absolutely no scarring. the only reason i continued the treatment for 2 more months was because my doctor said i had to. as far as side effects, i did experience overall dryness, which was probably worsened by the fact that i took it during the winter months. my lips were very chapped. i used to have to shower daily because i would get so oily, but on accutane, my skin would get irritated if i showered daily.

as far as depression goes, i experienced NONE that i was aware of. then again, i was only 16 and not very perceptive of my emotions at the time, ha. all i know, is that i was so satisfied with the results that my accutane seemed to CURE my depression. that is how effected i was by the acne. i felt confident and happy again and at the time, i was SO happy to finally have clear skin. i wished i had gone on it earlier instead of suffer with acne for all that time.

overall, my experience with accutane was great. the only negative i can think of is that my acne started coming back about a year ago, but not as severe as it was before the accutane.

how many mgs were you on? I feel like im in the same boat, not severe, but persistent