I have the same question . I can't have acne AND gray hair !!
hi! I was on accutane for 5 months and it kept me clear for about 2 years, and must still be working because while i've still dealt with acne afterward, it's nowhere near as bad. so I am not one of those crazy bitter ex-accutane users, FYI, but I will be honest about this.I did 1 permanent chemical treatment on my hair a month after finishing the accutane cycle-- I lost TONS of hair-- it's still growing back! It was a perm so that may be harsher on the scalp than bleaching, but honestly I get highlights done now and they also hurt my scalp a bit so I would put them in the same category and also advise you avoid bleach and toners.
Of course, it's impossible to tell if I would have had hair loss regardless (many people do on accutane) but it's almost certain it made the damage worse.
(sidenote: I'm assuming you're female-- I would really suggest Spironolactone. it took me about 4 1/2 months to see improvement but I'm basically clear now! and it actually fixes hair weakness/loss due to any hormonal issues which many women with acne also have)
Thanks so much for your advice! I have a hair appointment for a Brazilian blowout on February 3rd. At that point it'll be almost 2 weeks on my isotretinoin course. I'm really hoping it doesn't make my hair fall out! For some reason I'm really confident I'll be okay. Hopefully I don't eat my words The Brazilian blowout is a hair treatment that nourishes hair rather than damaging it, so I'm hoping it'll actually help.
@olive16 have you had an " initial breakout yet"...?? Also going to the Derm tomorrow at 8am to let her know I'm finally ready to do accutane!! I just want to get it over with to be honest. I'm so tired of waking up and wondering what is going on w/ my face .. Question... They say you need 2 negative preg tests before you can begin...? When do you take these? One right then? One the next month?
Hi! Good luck tomorrow morning! I believe my initial breakout is just starting as of 2 days ago. It's not too bad yet. Nothing I'm not already used to! And as for the blood tests, once my dermatologist decided to put me on Accutane, she told me to go get a blood test and have the results sent to her. Then we scheduled my next appointment for a month from then, and she told me to get a urine test 2-4 days before that appointment and have the results sent to her. Be sure you have your results sent to your dermatologist and not your primary physician!! For some reason, the lab I went to sent my results to my primary doctor. So when I went for my dermatology appointment, they didn't have the results and almost needed to reschedule me! This is at least what happened for me. Good luck!!!