Hello all,
I haven't been active in the forums lately, but I wanted to do a long term review of accutane. I am 2 years post accutane and I would like to go over my experience over the long run. I always saw there is a ton of information about experiences DURING accutane, but very few about experiences AFTER. I believe this is because people don't tend to hang around here much after their problems subside, myself included.
I had acne for about 4 years before accutane. My story was like most.... started mild as a teen, and progressively got worse while going through all the standard treatments. Before accutane, I was taking Minocycline and topicals with pretty good success on my face, but my back was a MESS. I saw the antibiotics as a dead end, so me and my derm decided on accutane.
I took a standard dose of 150 mg/kg over 6 months. I had a strict routine and took every precaution I could find in the forums. I only used Dan's Cleanser and DML moisturizer. Aquaphor for lip was a LIFE SAVER. Best tip I got whilst on accutane. I had all the normal side affects (dry skin, lips, fatigue, etc.). I did drink during my course with no side affects. All my blood tests were completely healthy. In fact, my hepatic function was the worst during my first month I abstained from drinking. Not that I would advise drinking, but for me it was not a problem. Just keep it within reason. I experienced no serious side effects during my course, and I am completely healthy today.
Now for my skin. I had some small pimples come to the surface, but never experienced an initial breakout from accutane. I was almost clear when starting on my face, and I was using retin-A previously for about a year so I believe that purged my skin in advance. My back cleared very quickly and never got worse. Today, my back is 100% clear. Not even an occasional pimple. My face is 95-100% clear at all times. I get s stray whitehead about once every couple weeks, but it never lingers more than a day or two. I get occasional little whiteheads in the crease of my chin which was diagnosed as folliculitus, but if I keep the area dry and do not moisturize there, it stays pretty clear. I have not have a cyst after accutane. Every once in a while I'll get what feels like a lump under my skin, but it disipates within 24 hours. In the past, that would have been a full blown cyst for sure.
My current regimen is very simple:
Morning:
Dan's Cleanser as wash and shave cream
DML moisturizer
Gillete sensor excel razor
Philips Norelco Beard trimmer
Evening:
Dan's cleanser
DML moisturizer only on dry areas
Veltin Gel (tretinoin and Clindamycin)
-Exercise and weight train
-Limited sugar and dairy
There it is. I had a great result. If you have any questions please message me. I love trying to help other here on the forums
Hello all,
I haven't been active in the forums lately, but I wanted to do a long term review of accutane. I am 2 years post accutane and I would like to go over my experience over the long run. I always saw there is a ton of information about experiences DURING accutane, but very few about experiences AFTER. I believe this is because people don't tend to hang around here much after their problems subside, myself included.
I had acne for about 4 years before accutane. My story was like most.... started mild as a teen, and progressively got worse while going through all the standard treatments. Before accutane, I was taking Minocycline and topicals with pretty good success on my face, but my back was a MESS. I saw the antibiotics as a dead end, so me and my derm decided on accutane.
I took a standard dose of 150 mg/kg over 6 months. I had a strict routine and took every precaution I could find in the forums. I only used Dan's Cleanser and DML moisturizer. Aquaphor for lip was a LIFE SAVER. Best tip I got whilst on accutane. I had all the normal side affects (dry skin, lips, fatigue, etc.). I did drink during my course with no side affects. All my blood tests were completely healthy. In fact, my hepatic function was the worst during my first month I abstained from drinking. Not that I would advise drinking, but for me it was not a problem. Just keep it within reason. I experienced no serious side effects during my course, and I am completely healthy today.
Now for my skin. I had some small pimples come to the surface, but never experienced an initial breakout from accutane. I was almost clear when starting on my face, and I was using retin-A previously for about a year so I believe that purged my skin in advance. My back cleared very quickly and never got worse. Today, my back is 100% clear. Not even an occasional pimple. My face is 95-100% clear at all times. I get s stray whitehead about once every couple weeks, but it never lingers more than a day or two. I get occasional little whiteheads in the crease of my chin which was diagnosed as folliculitus, but if I keep the area dry and do not moisturize there, it stays pretty clear. I have not have a cyst after accutane. Every once in a while I'll get what feels like a lump under my skin, but it disipates within 24 hours. In the past, that would have been a full blown cyst for sure.
My current regimen is very simple:
Morning:
Dan's Cleanser as wash and shave cream
DML moisturizer
Gillete sensor excel razor
Philips Norelco Beard trimmer
Evening:
Dan's cleanser
DML moisturizer only on dry areas
Veltin Gel (tretinoin and Clindamycin)
-Exercise and weight train
-Limited sugar and dairy
There it is. I had a great result. If you have any questions please message me. I love trying to help other here on the forums
Hey Man,
Congrats on your success and thanks for coming back and reporting off it. It is helpful for others still struggling. I have a question about your current regimen. How long have you been on the clindamycin and do you plan on coming off it sometime? Just curious regarding developing a resistance to it seeing as it is an antibiotic. I have been on tretinoin and clindamycin for a month now whilst finishing my third course of accutane. I am looking to phase out the clindamycin eventually if possible.
Hello all,
I haven't been active in the forums lately, but I wanted to do a long term review of accutane. I am 2 years post accutane and I would like to go over my experience over the long run. I always saw there is a ton of information about experiences DURING accutane, but very few about experiences AFTER. I believe this is because people don't tend to hang around here much after their problems subside, myself included.
I had acne for about 4 years before accutane. My story was like most.... started mild as a teen, and progressively got worse while going through all the standard treatments. Before accutane, I was taking Minocycline and topicals with pretty good success on my face, but my back was a MESS. I saw the antibiotics as a dead end, so me and my derm decided on accutane.
I took a standard dose of 150 mg/kg over 6 months. I had a strict routine and took every precaution I could find in the forums. I only used Dan's Cleanser and DML moisturizer. Aquaphor for lip was a LIFE SAVER. Best tip I got whilst on accutane. I had all the normal side affects (dry skin, lips, fatigue, etc.). I did drink during my course with no side affects. All my blood tests were completely healthy. In fact, my hepatic function was the worst during my first month I abstained from drinking. Not that I would advise drinking, but for me it was not a problem. Just keep it within reason. I experienced no serious side effects during my course, and I am completely healthy today.
Now for my skin. I had some small pimples come to the surface, but never experienced an initial breakout from accutane. I was almost clear when starting on my face, and I was using retin-A previously for about a year so I believe that purged my skin in advance. My back cleared very quickly and never got worse. Today, my back is 100% clear. Not even an occasional pimple. My face is 95-100% clear at all times. I get s stray whitehead about once every couple weeks, but it never lingers more than a day or two. I get occasional little whiteheads in the crease of my chin which was diagnosed as folliculitus, but if I keep the area dry and do not moisturize there, it stays pretty clear. I have not have a cyst after accutane. Every once in a while I'll get what feels like a lump under my skin, but it disipates within 24 hours. In the past, that would have been a full blown cyst for sure.
My current regimen is very simple:
Morning:
Dan's Cleanser as wash and shave cream
DML moisturizer
Gillete sensor excel razor
Philips Norelco Beard trimmer
Evening:
Dan's cleanser
DML moisturizer only on dry areas
Veltin Gel (tretinoin and Clindamycin)
-Exercise and weight train
-Limited sugar and dairy
There it is. I had a great result. If you have any questions please message me. I love trying to help other here on the forums
Hey Man,
Congrats on your success and thanks for coming back and reporting off it. It is helpful for others still struggling. I have a question about your current regimen. How long have you been on the clindamycin and do you plan on coming off it sometime? Just curious regarding developing a resistance to it seeing as it is an antibiotic. I have been on tretinoin and clindamycin for a month now whilst finishing my third course of accutane. I am looking to phase out the clindamycin eventually if possible.I
I have actually been wondering the same thing myself. I am strongly against long-term antibiotic use due to resistance and general health concerns. To be honest, I'm just very nervous to change my routine seeing as I've had great results for 2 years post-accutane.
I am thinking of going back to my derm just for a check-up and I plan to discuss it with him. I really liked Retin-A i the past so I am thinking of making the change from clindamycin & tretinoin to just Retin-A for maintenance.