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Hello everyone.
I was on accutane for 5 months for my acne. I decided to go on it after suffering with bad acne for about 4 years and was fed up with trying everything the doctors gave me.
It went well! My skin was clear but had hell of a lot of scarring but I knew i could treat that after being on accutane.
I was very happy with my skin. So clear and spot free! Until now. It's been 6 months nearly 7 since I stopped my accutane and my acne is coming back?!
i had shingles a month before it started so maybe it has something to do with that?
But why is it coming back?! its cystic acne also which makes me extremely self-conscious and sad because my skin has now spots on it.
What should I do? its been 2 months now since my acne has come back. Should i go back on accutane? Laser treatment? Go to the doctors? Please help me. I'm fed up on having acne.
Anna. 17 years old.
Unfortunately, for many people acne does eventually come back after taking accutane. For some it comes back sooner (like in your case) and for some people it takes years (my case). There are also some people who go through multiple courses of accutane just to see their acne again and again. What else have you tried for your acne? Seeing as you finished your course recently, I think it would be wise to wait a bit before jumping back to accutane. Have you tried topicals, bcp, spiro, changing your diet, changing your skin care and makeup products?
What was your dosage throughout your treatment? Is the acne back with the same severity? Is it severe, moderate or mild?
I mentioned this on another thread but I'll repeat it since it's relevant. The truth is, a lot of dermatologists underdose their accutane patients. This is usually done for the patient's comfort and also as a means of reducing accutane's side effects such as dryness, rashes, nosebleeds etc. Unfortunately, this means that the acne might not be totally eradicated. In my case, I went on accutane at a low dosage (40 mg/month) at the age of 15 and my acne came back within a year (albeit not to the same severity). So this is a pretty common phenomenon.
I'm now back on accutane at age 19. It's not uncommon for people to take a second dose, especially if their acne is persistent. If I were you, I would reflect on any changes you've had in your lifestyle in the past 2 months. Maybe stress? Change of birth control pill? Diet? If you had shingles on your face, it may have irritated your skin.
A lot of people opt for using retinoids (retin-A, tazorac, differin) to maintain their skin after accutane. Benzaclin and aczone are also some popular ones. All of these topical medications require prescriptions anyways, so I'd make an appointment with your dermatologist asap to discuss your options.
There is a strong correlation between age and resurgence of acne post-accutane. The younger you are when you go on, the more likely you are to have to go on a second course. You might try antibiotics since the acne is cystic, but I would definitely go back to the derm. If he approves, I have heard of many people going on multiple rounds of accutane.