I finished a year long course of 40mg/day 4 weeks ago. In the 2 weeks following I experienced a breakout over my entire chin of small red pimples that were just on the surface, not sore just itchy.
In the 3rd week this appeared to be clearing up completely and I thought maybe my skin was just adjusting but now in week 4, they are coming back again and in a larger area then before.
This is obviously really annoying after enduring the awful side effects of accutane for an entire year to not even experience a week of clear skin when I was off it.
Does anyone have simliar experience/advice they can share with me?
I have booked an appointment to see my dermatologist but he is booked out for months in advance.
I didn't finish my course of Accutane yet, but my boyfriend who have been through 20 mg a day for a year said that after he had finished the course he has been experiencing breakouts for a few months before everything calmed down and went back to normal. He hasn't had a relapse of acne later and now, almost four years after the course, he has completely flawless and clear skin. Accutane makes you skin overly dry, fragile and irritated. It needs time to "calm down".
It's also possible that your course was not enough and you need some acne treatment (topical) after Accutane. Wait and see how it goes. Your dermatologist will probably tell you what to do.
Hi this has happened to me. My first course I had at 16 which cleared me til I hit my 20s and I had my second course last year and finished up 3 months ago. My acne is coming back for sure already but I have been using Differin for nearly 3 weeks and obviously too early to tell if it works. I don't have any advice at the minute but my derm appointment is in 4 days, not that I'm counting haha, so I will write back here as to what she says. Theres still a chance you could clear up without any further help!
Thanks, I would love to hear what your derm says. Good luck!
Hi this has happened to me. My first course I had at 16 which cleared me til I hit my 20s and I had my second course last year and finished up 3 months ago. My acne is coming back for sure already but I have been using Differin for nearly 3 weeks and obviously too early to tell if it works. I don't have any advice at the minute but my derm appointment is in 4 days, not that I'm counting haha, so I will write back here as to what she says. Theres still a chance you could clear up without any further help!
I finished a year long course of 40mg/day 4 weeks ago.
I just started Accutane. I'm on 40mg/day with the expectation of increasing my dosage on month two. I'm 5'5" and 140 lbs. From what I've read, a higher dosage of Accutane will give you a much better chance of keeping it away long term. I could potentially be on 80mg at some point if my body can handle it, but I'll only be on it for 6 or 7 months and I'll have less of a chance of my acne returning. 40mg seems low unless you are incredibly small.
Everyone has a different experience. I went on Accutane three times. Each time I had the most amazing skin while on accutane. I am severely oily as in 30 minutes after washing my face, so I never had problems with severe dry skin while on accutane, however literally around a month being off each time the oil slowly came back and eventually came back to being severely oily, it did help get rid of my cystic acne as I rarely get pimples, but I still have chin acne, but they are all deep and never come to head so almost bumpy skin and lots of black heads. My derm wants me to go on a 4th time and am still debating, but doing all the blood work needed in case I decide, but I feel like it gives me false hope.....All that being said one of my good friends went on it at 16 and she is 35 now and she is still acne free. She has slightly oily skin still, but nothing severe, very minor. Her skin looks quite amazing. I never would have guessed she went on accutane because she looks like she has always had clear perfect skin.
Been to the derm! Didn't reply straight away as I was in the back of beyond with no signal at my in laws for the week haha!
Basically she said it can and does happen to more people than I might think. Been told to stay on retinoids for the full 12 weeks, maybe more, and then I might be considered for another course. But shes not sure another course would help the kind of acne I have even though I can have it if I want to. Also she said acne returning straight after accutane is better treated with retinoids because theres a chance the pores are so clogged as the skin is dry whilst on accutane and retiniods obviously speed up cell turnover. Sometimes antibiotics can help too because it could be purely bacterial.
Not sure if I have helped at all but I hope so!