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I haven't been on this site for a while, so sincere apologies if this is in the wrong place/poorly worded etc.
I finished my accutane course mid-April this year after 6 months on 50mg dosage (1mg/kg). I wasn't thrilled with how my acne appeared when it ended, but a short time later I certainly was. I've been fairly content for the past couple of months, slowly accepting that the red marks would fade, that I was lucky not to have particularly severe scarring and that it just needed time to heal. I would go out without makeup (even around people I knew, which was genuinely unheard of) and was perfectly happy.
Unfortunately, the past few weeks I've been starting to break out again. It started early July, but I was on holiday at the time and thought the zits I was getting were merely due to heat/suncream use etc, so i didn't fuss. But for the past couple of weeks I've been starting to get zits all over my nose and cheeks, my skin has become oilier than it ever has been (even when I had acne, my skin was still fairly dry) and worst of all, red lumpy acne is appearing again, especially around my jaw and chin. My cheeks used to be my main problem, and there are a few softer pimples there that still aren't particularly pleasant but my main problem is the scabby red pimples on my jaw that are dark red and won't go away.
I always read that it took about a year before people found accutane had stopped having an effect? Or has it stopped working already? These spots do not seem to be budging, even with my normal treatments (all natural remedies such as occasional egg white masks if they are really inflamed and gentle washing morning and evening).
My diet hasn't changed, except for the better. Due to my low mood on accutane, I overate. But after gaining confidence from the clear skin (ie. not hating going out of the house including to the gym) and not comfort eating, I began a fairly healthy diet, including 2.5-3 litres of water a day religiously and more fruit and veg (at least the 5 a day now) than I was eating before.
Admittedly I have had some recent stresses, and I get myself worked up over little things. But surely, nothing to warrant this fairly sudden breakout? I really am on the absolute edge of despair here. I was so unbelievably happy and confident for the past couple of months and now it's all going horribly wrong again.
Does anyone have any clue why this may be? And should I be heading straight back to the dermatologist or doctor? I really am starting to panic, because obviously everyone on here will know how life-affecting acne is and I really thought I'd cleared it, but seemingly not.
Any thoughts/advice, would be very appreciated, thank you 
For some, the effects of accutane can wear off quite quickly after a course. This is especially common in women because we tend to have more hormonal shifts which occur. The oil and location of your new pimples makes me suspect that this is what's happening to you. Have you tried hormonal acne treatments in the past like birth control or spiro?
Only able to refer to my own experience here - but I found that in the 6/7 months following my course my skin was still prone to the occasional flare-up (albeit not of the level as before). After that it settled down more permanently. Now I'm 2 yrs post-treatment and my skin is fantastic, for the last yr it's been wonderful.
I'm not a girl (so far as I'm aware) so I'm unable to comment on the particularities of hormonal changes, but I wouldn't resign yourself to total relapse just yet as there's still a good chance it may settle down eventually. Best of luck
For some, the effects of accutane can wear off quite quickly after a course. This is especially common in women because we tend to have more hormonal shifts which occur. The oil and location of your new pimples makes me suspect that this is what's happening to you. Have you tried hormonal acne treatments in the past like birth control or spiro?
I haven't tried them in the past, except for taking the birth control pills when I was on the accutane since it was obligatory whatever situation you were in. I was always bad at remembering to take them as well, so perhaps it is something I should consider looking into! I stopped taking them maybe a month after I came off the accutane, just so I wasn't stopping taking everything at once, and because I was always paranoid they would make acne worse.
But you're right, I remember learning at some point that spots on the chin/jaw was considered to be related to hormones. So thank you, perhaps trying that may be the next step (including me actually remembering to take them!)
Thanks so much for your reply 🙂
Only able to refer to my own experience here - but I found that in the 6/7 months following my course my skin was still prone to the occasional flare-up (albeit not of the level as before). After that it settled down more permanently. Now I'm 2 yrs post-treatment and my skin is fantastic, for the last yr it's been wonderful.
I'm not a girl (so far as I'm aware) so I'm unable to comment on the particularities of hormonal changes, but I wouldn't resign yourself to total relapse just yet as there's still a good chance it may settle down eventually. Best of luck
As you described, I have to admit this flare up isn't as bad as what I was pre-accutane, so perhaps it is just a quick glitch and will eventually calm down. But that's brilliant news that your skin has improved and settled so well, so it's nice to hear that you had success!
No worries at all, I'll try not to resign myself to that kind of impending doom just yet 🙂 And thank you, both for your reply and the luck!
For some, the effects of accutane can wear off quite quickly after a course. This is especially common in women because we tend to have more hormonal shifts which occur. The oil and location of your new pimples makes me suspect that this is what's happening to you. Have you tried hormonal acne treatments in the past like birth control or spiro?
I haven't tried them in the past, except for taking the birth control pills when I was on the accutane since it was obligatory whatever situation you were in. I was always bad at remembering to take them as well, so perhaps it is something I should consider looking into! I stopped taking them maybe a month after I came off the accutane, just so I wasn't stopping taking everything at once, and because I was always paranoid they would make acne worse.
But you're right, I remember learning at some point that spots on the chin/jaw was considered to be related to hormones. So thank you, perhaps trying that may be the next step (including me actually remembering to take them!)
Thanks so much for your reply
>Only able to refer to my own experience here - but I found that in the 6/7 months following my course my skin was still prone to the occasional flare-up (albeit not of the level as before). After that it settled down more permanently. Now I'm 2 yrs post-treatment and my skin is fantastic, for the last yr it's been wonderful.
I'm not a girl (so far as I'm aware) so I'm unable to comment on the particularities of hormonal changes, but I wouldn't resign yourself to total relapse just yet as there's still a good chance it may settle down eventually. Best of luck
As you described, I have to admit this flare up isn't as bad as what I was pre-accutane, so perhaps it is just a quick glitch and will eventually calm down. But that's brilliant news that your skin has improved and settled so well, so it's nice to hear that you had success!
No worries at all, I'll try not to resign myself to that kind of impending doom just yet And thank you, both for your reply and the luck!
Stopping birth control can also cause acne and oily skin even if you've never had it before. It usually takes a few months before you see the effects of coming off the pill, so that could be what you're seeing too. When I stop taking birth control (especially pills like yasmin and yaz) my skin goes crazy a few months later.