My acne started when I was 15 I am now 27 years old, so 12 years of dealing with mild to moderate acne. I first went on a doxycycline course with differin topical when I was 18. My skin after completing the doxycycline course was probably the clearest it has ever been during the past 12 years. I stayed on the topical for an additional year and a half before losing my health insurance. During that time, I still had breakouts, but very mild.
Going into college with no health insurance and running out of the topical, that was probably the worst my skin has ever been. I suffered from many cystic outbreaks. I tried every over the counter regimen I could of; acne kits from various brands, acne.org regimen, jojoba/tea tree oils, modifying my diet, etc. I then went to Planned Parenthood and got on birth control. It initially cleared my skin, then other side effects made me change to a different birth control. I finally regained health insurance went back to the dermatologist did another course of doxycycline with a different anti-inflammatory topical (can't remember name). I develop skin sensitivity to the doxycycline and had to stop at the course early. Because of hair loss I had to stop birth control.
I eventually went back to the dermatologist who started me on retinol topical with sprinolactone 25 mg/day. Later acyana topical as added. During all of this I never had completely clear skin, but very mild outbreaks. Later was changed to retina-micro. Currently I'm still using all 3 and within the past two months have been getting more severe outbreaks. I've had about 5 cysts come and go within the last couple of weeks. This is my skin currently on retina-micro, acanya, spironlatone 25 mg/day. I'm so over it. 12 years and still have skin like this. And at $35 a pop per topical plus the Rx monthly for the sprinolactone it's just not worth it. If I ask the derm to put me on birth control and Accutane do you think they would understand and do it? I understand I don't have the worst acne in the world, I've just been dealing with it for so long and all of this "fixes" are extremely temporary for my skin.
Sorry for the typos!
I know acne can be a true pain, trust me, I was there, but have you ever looked at the potential side effects of Accutane and what it does to your body? Your acne is extremely mild in my opinion, and although it may be persistent, it is mild nonetheless.
To be completely honest, by taking Accutane you risk causing yourself more problems than fixing this one. Because it is a drug that your body absorbs systemically, every body system is affected by it (not just your sebaceous glands). So yes, your skin, gut, liver, and even your brain are all affected by this drug because the active compound in it is absorbed by all parts of your body. There have also been countless studies that have proven this, and if you want links, I'd be glad to share them.
Also, I'm not sure if you have read any of the negative experiences with Accutane, but I highly suggest reading a few and then thinking to yourself, "Is clearing my acne worth even the slightest chance of acquiring any of these issues? Would I be ok with potentialpermanent side effects if it meant clearing my acne?". The reason why I'm saying this part is because I wish I had done the same before taking my course, so I only wish to help prevent other people regretting taking this drug as much as I do.
Please think about this carefully, and I genuinely believe that Accutane shouldn't even be a thought on your mind with acne as mild as that. Best of luck!
I would echo what HumaneCyclone has said, looking at your picture I wouldn't have thought that is serious enough for Accutane.
I'm not, however, quite so down on Accutane. Whilst you should absolutely read up on the potential side effects and talk seriously to your doctor, I have taken (Ro)Accutane in the past and experienced no side effects at all (at least to my knowledge). Having said that, there are so many treatments available, don't pin your hopes on just Accutane, that should really be a 'last resort' treatment.
I am older than you, and I have had bad skin since my early twenties, so I know what a pain it is as you get older to still have to face these problems. Your acne looks similar to how mine is/was, albeit milder, I have been using Epiduo for the last month and it's worked really really well, so whilst I'm not your doctor, I can recommend that.
I'm in a similar boat as you, but I'm 34, and have been on topicals for 18 years, and for periods of time, oral antibiotics. I'm also never clear, but I would say my acne is maybe more mild than yours, although it use to be much worse. U def have more bumps than me, my average is maybe 4-5, possibly less if I'm having a good week. I'll get maybe 1-2 cysts every 3-4 months. I've also developed some sebaceous hyperplasia lesions, which are basically bumps/clogged poresthat dont go away, and need to be burned off, but they look like acne.My pores are pretty large and my skin pretty oily too. Overall, my skin frustrates the hell out of me.
As I've gotten older, I've noticed that harsh topicals seemed to aggervate my acne, and when I switched to milder strengths/products, I saw an improvement. Iusetretinoin gel .01% at night (I actually just switched to .025% this week to see if it's more effective, but have been using .01 for a few years w decent results), and clindamycin gel in the morning. I was using benzoyl peroxide in the morning for years, but I think the harshness of the two was somewhat counter productive.
I have been considering Accutane for YEARS. I still am. My old doctor actually recommended it when I was 23 and had much worse acne. But at the time I was too afraid because of all the stuff I read on the internet :/. I kinda wish I had done it, but I try not to dwell on it.
I've really soul searched about this. Is it worth the risks? Am I just being vain? I still don't know. I'm taking it slow and seeing how I do with .025% tretinoin, and I want to give it enoughtime to work, or not work.
I looked up derms whotake my insurance, and then looked up each one, and tried to find out via their websites or reviews, whether they are open to prescribing accutane for mild chronic adult acne. I found a few in my area, some who seem to really feel positively about it. Perhaps you should talk to your dermatologist, and if they are not keen about it, research new ones.
I'd also say that reading peoples horror stories can be somewhat debilitating. It's necessary to know the risks, but people can often exaggerate or speak from a place of authority, when they are not an authority at all. For every horror story there are a lot of positive ones, so I try to read those stories as well. There are a lot of positive stories in the review/rating section for accutane on this website. And there are a lot of medical studies online worth reading, even ones specifically about treating mild chronic acne w accutane. I also try to listen to whatdoctors say...they really are authorities on this.
Here are a couple articles I found helpful, that follow someone w mild but chronic adult acne. The second article is a followup after she finished the course:
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At the end of the day I think it's a very personal decision, that needs to be made by really weighing the pros and cons, and deciding whats best for you and your life. Good luck!
18 hours ago, Bentley.boo said:Go for it. Mild but treatment resistant acne is one of the things they use it for. Having acne for so long with no end in sight is soul destroying. I am taking it now for the same reason and just wish I had done it years ago. Just stick to a low dose for longer.
How long and what dosage are you on? How long have you been on it? Care to share your experience so far? Any side effects? Hows ur skin looking? I think it would be helpful. Thanks 
.
I know what it feels like, I'd definitely hop on accutane seeing as the previous treatments didn't clear up your acne. Probably would be a better idea to go low dose to minimize side effects yet still be effective. 20mg/day at 82kg and I'm already seeing results. Skin no longer gets oily, and blackheads/sebaceous filaments are all being extracted slowly. The amount of acne I've gotten has already decreased quite a bit although I've only been on accutane for ~26 days.
Considering you've been on a retinoid previously (just like me), you probably shouldn't have too much of an initial breakout. I didn't really have a noticeable initial breakout (yet, hopefully i don't jinx myself) besides my skin being a little rough cause of all the blackheads purging out near my nose area.
Best of luck.
I am in the UK and have been on 30mg for 24 weeks and have about 18 more weeks to go. Honestly my skin looks the best it ever has. I have moderate acne with severe bouts since 17 and I am 33 next week. I tried everything over the years and nothing fully worked.
I did lots of research and decided I was happy to go on a lower dose for longer. Derm was happy, I am so far and side effects are so far, dry lips, dry skin and some muscle aches but nothing too bad, I believe due to the dosage