On 5/31/2016 at 8:41 AM, Nyc167 said:

I have been debating this for the past two weeks and can't decide! I am getting married at the beginning of September, and started getting breakouts again last month (little bumps along jawline, 1-2 cystic pimples around that time of month). 

I went on Accutane for two years ago and it worked really well until now. I also used Spironolactone for a couple of years in my mid-20's (am 32 now). It worked well but eventually stopped working, maybe because my diet wasn't supporting it. 

I went to my dermatologist, and got put into the ipledge system, which would allow me to start accutane June 21. That would give me about 2.5 months into it when I get married. The downside is we want to start a family asap, so we would have to push that back and I am cautious about the birth defects, so I would want to wait at least 6 months after.

The other option is spironolactone, which if I take as of tomorrow-will give me 3 months of being on before wedding. The downside of that is can't be on it either while pregnant, so once I come off it after wedding, I'll have breakouts again

I am so confused and my fiance is tired of hearing about it. He says my skin looks fine but other people don't understand the acne struggle.

Please help me decide!! I really don't want acne on my wedding day.

It's a hard decision to make especially under time constraints and pressure.  If your goal is clear skin for the long term so you can have a baby, Accutane may be your best option.  You know Spiro is just temporary while you take it.  How long did it take your first round of Accutane to start seeing less breakouts, did you have an initial breakout as well?  Perhaps Accutane before wedding- conceive- Spiro after if anything comes back.

Have you tried using peels to keep the skin exfoliated and clear so that clogged pores don't turn into cystic pimples?  I use Spiro and that helps immensely, but I have to have chemical peels to keep my skin clear.  Makeup Artists Choice has some great at home options- Mandelic, Salyclic, Glycolic.  All good while NOT on accutane.  

Thanks for your reply and suggestions! The first time around I still had 1-2 pimples until the last month (did a 4 month course), but significant clearing I think by 2nd month-3rd month. My feeling is also to go for the Accutane-the only thing stopping me is my fiance's fears about birth defects, even though they say it's safe to take a month after your last course

I think Accutane is the way to go, but 6 months is a very long time to wait for pregnancy. I understand your concern, but I've only seen to wait one full cycle before becoming pregnant. Six months is extreme, but you may change your mind on that by the end of your course. It's only a few months in the difference anyway.

On May 31, 2016 at 7:41 AM, Nyc167 said:

I have been debating this for the past two weeks and can't decide! I am getting married at the beginning of September, and started getting breakouts again last month (little bumps along jawline, 1-2 cystic pimples around that time of month). 

I went on Accutane for two years ago and it worked really well until now. I also used Spironolactone for a couple of years in my mid-20's (am 32 now). It worked well but eventually stopped working, maybe because my diet wasn't supporting it. 

I went to my dermatologist, and got put into the ipledge system, which would allow me to start accutane June 21. That would give me about 2.5 months into it when I get married. The downside is we want to start a family asap, so we would have to push that back and I am cautious about the birth defects, so I would want to wait at least 6 months after.

The other option is spironolactone, which if I take as of tomorrow-will give me 3 months of being on before wedding. The downside of that is can't be on it either while pregnant, so once I come off it after wedding, I'll have breakouts again

I am so confused and my fiance is tired of hearing about it. He says my skin looks fine but other people don't understand the acne struggle.

Please help me decide!! I really don't want acne on my wedding day.

I would go for Spiro. The reason why I don't recommend you go on Accutane is because the dryness that I experienced on my second dose was MUCH worse than my first dose. My face was severely cracked and bleeding all of time. I would hate for you to experience that when you are trying to look your best. 

I think if you use the right products (like I am on) on accutane -- you wont have dry skin for your wedding! Thats just my two cents. I have shared my accutane journey on Instagram if you want to take a peak at what I am using to combat the dryness and dry lips! My screen name is [removed].