Hi everyone,

I just joined this site so I'm new to this. I'm a 17 year old who started getting acne at around 12-13 years old. I had a lot of cysts, mostly around my chin. I tried everything you can possibly think of: antibiotics, creams, even a 6-month long holistic approach. Nothing even made the slightest difference. Around May 2012 I decided to finally start Accutane. My derm started me off at a low dose in the 1st month at just 20mg per day. I then started 60 mg per day month 2 and then 80 mg month 3. Around the middle of the 4th month i started noticing flushing (mostly in my ears which was pretty bad), and it was really bothering me so I went to see my derm. He told me to just go off because my results looked fine. Well, you can probably guess what happens next.

My acne was never really "gone" even in the middle of the 4th month, I was still getting a pimple every few days. Since then, it has really escalated. In the last few weeks my acne has gotten pretty bad. Mostly a lot of small red bumps on both cheeks and a few cysts (much different than before the tane). I have been eating very healthy lately too but that hasn't made much of a difference. However, my flushing did go away. My acne is almost as bad as before Accutane but not bad enough for the derm to put my back on Accutane. It's really bothering me and I'm tired of this and really close to just giving up. Need some advice.

I still have 2 months worth of 40 mg left from when I ended early (enough to take 1 a day for 2 months). I know it's not smart to start back on my own but my numbers were always extremely low even on 80 mg and I was always fine. That's not what I'm worried about though. Do you guys think it's even worth it to go back on for 2 months (or maybe 4 if I take it once every 2 days)? It's been about 4 months since I stopped. And do you think the flushing will come back in just 2 months? Need everyone's advice. Not sure what to do because literally NOTHING else works I've tried everything. I just feel like it's gonna keep getting worse from here. I hate my derm for telling me to go off just because of flushing, not sure what he was thinking.

Thank you