Hey guys, happy new year! I'm gonna keep posting about my hair here, just so that anyone else who suffers from Accutane related hair issues in the future actually has a long, fully documented bit of anecdotal evidence with pics, including how the situation is 1yr down the line etc. There is nowhere near enough of that on the internet - only people posting in panic + never returning (I suspect a lot of them got their hair back, which is why they don't post bc they are no longer in need of reassurance lol).
My skin now: My skin is beautiful from accutane. I thought it was getting bad again at one point a couple of months ago, but I've reverted back to very clear skin with never more than 3 spots. They are always around my jawline, which points to excess testosterone (I am taking spearmint, hopefully it'll keep my skin good but who knows).. I'm nearly 5 months off accutane now, and have NO other side effects apart from my hair loss.
My hair: obviously unhappy with this issue still. It's such an unfortunate side effect, especially when you used to be known for having the most beautiful, long, luscious hair ever. But as long as it stops in the next few months, I dont think I will get so bad that i'm self-conscious going out. I'm PRAYING that is the case, anyway. I'm still losing regrowth as well as a lot of long hairs. I honestly don't know how I have any hair left, the amount I lose whenever I wash my hair and the next day (I wash it every 3 days, so regular trauma 
). It looks so thin when it's wet, but somehow I manage to volumise it and it still looks like normal hair when I'm out. You wouldn't meet me and think I had thin hair, but you wouldn't think I had nice hair either (and I used to get so many compliments on my hair).
It's extremely significant loss, guys. I cannot stress that enough. If any of you are considering a cutane, realise that you COULD lose 60% of your hair like me. I don't care if people say it's a rare side effect - it has happened to me lol.
Supplements - I'm taking 600mg of iron a day, along with zinc, spearmint (for my skin), biotin, 5000iu vitamin D3 and B12. I'm trying to eat as much protein as possible, bc I'm a vegan and it's essential for hair growth.
Warning - negative post!
Heavy, heavy shedding.. what else is new. My hair has been destroyed by accutane. I think I'm so upset now bc I always thought "this will at least be turning round by Xmas" since I stopped taking accutane inAugust.Here I am, 5 months off it, and it's honestly just getting worse and worse and is in NO way "turning round". I would not wish this on anyone.. hair is so core to your self-image, your ego.
My skin is great, and I am TOTALLY not taking that for granted because I'mall too aware that my hormonal acne will probably come back and be a huge point of insecurity in the next 1-3 years, BUT I feel like a lesser version of myself with this hair issue. I don't feel embarrased yet, as I don't look "balding", but I don't feel anywhere near as good as I felt before this issue.
Mainly, there is just so much fear, because this is so, so out of my control. I don't want to start hair loss meds, as I feel like my body just needs to recover from this. ButI have pretty bad anxiety to begin with, and this is destroying me. I try so, so hard not to think about it, but every time I untie my hair and lose clumps of it, or wash my hair and see hundreds of long, medium-length andtiny hairs scattered all over the bathroom, I am forced to remember that I might literal balding by summer. I don't want to mae ANY summer plans, trips away to desticals with friends etc., because I won't want to go away or be with people if I still have this issue by summer (bc by then I will have 20% of my existing hair) - not being melodramatic, you only have so many hairs on your head and I am losing 300+ a day and all my regrowth AND I seem to have areas in the front where no regrowth is occurring).
I don't even know what to say or do - I'm just gonna continue with my life, and focus on studiying. But I hope that people see this, and that maybe it makes some people rethink accutane. Again, it IS a miracle drug for bad acne, but any of you could in theory experience this.
On 1/13/2017 at 4:14 AM, lovemydogs said:Just wanted to update, I have been using rogaine for about 9 weeks now and my hair is improving. Finally worrying less about it and enjoying watching my life go back to normal. Praise God! Let me know if anyone has any questions!
Hey!! Oh my god, I am so happy to hear that you're improving, honestly!! Did you experience the "initial Rogaine shed"? This makes me hopeful because I feel like rogaine wouldn't stop hair shedding caused by accutane, and would only help the regrowth, so maybe this means that your accutane TE is resolving itself after so many months. How many months has it been since you started losing hair heavily? x
On January 14, 2017 at 5:01 AM, chicanery said:On January 12, 2017 at 8:14 PM, lovemydogs said:Just wanted to update, I have been using rogaine for about 9 weeks now and my hair is improving. Finally worrying less about it and enjoying watching my life go back to normal. Praise God! Let me know if anyone has any questions!
Hey!! Oh my god, I am so happy to hear that you're improving, honestly!! Did you experience the "initial Rogaine shed"? This makes me hopeful because I feel like rogaine wouldn't stop hair shedding caused by accutane, and would only help the regrowth, so maybe this means that your accutane TE is resolving itself after so many months. How many months has it been since you started losing hair heavily? x
Hey! To answer your questions: yes, i definitely experienced an initial shed, even purchased wigs because i had heard the horror stories. I am still shedding now but closer to a normal shed amount than I've seen in a year. I took accutane from December 2015 to March 2016. Hairloss began in January 2016.
Also, I quit birth control on December 11th. It is too soon to see if quitting will benefit me or cause another bout with TE.
How are you doing? How is your shedding? I remember it being such a roller coaster for me...i would think it was slowing down and then it would just speed back up again.
On 1/18/2017 at 4:55 PM, lovemydogs said:Hey! To answer your questions: yes, i definitely experienced an initial shed, even purchased wigs because i had heard the horror stories. I am still shedding now but closer to a normal shed amount than I've seen in a year. I took accutane from December 2015 to March 2016. Hairloss began in January 2016.Also, I quit birth control on December 11th. It is too soon to see if quitting will benefit me or cause another bout with TE.
How are you doing? How is your shedding? I remember it being such a roller coaster for me...i would think it was slowing down and then it would just speed back up again.
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Hopefully it will just improve for you from now on, and going off the BC won't cause another TE!! There is no reason to assume it will - ofc we are so aware of TE-causing medications because of our experience with Accutane, but I know so many people who have dieted, gone on/off several BC pills, etc. and they haven't ever experienced hair loss issues.
Yes omg - mine is such a rollercoaster too. The past month, I've felt that it has slowed a *little* (even though I don't want to jinx myself!). I mean, I am still shedding an abnormal amount of hair, but I have to remind mysef that 4 months ago I was just pulling handfuls of hair out throughout the day.. it was really horrendous. I do feel like my shedding will resolve itself in the next 6ish months, and I'm hoping it will, but it's hard to deal with because I am just beginning to feel that my hair is "thin". Now, even pulling out one handful of hair after the shower feels like a joke since I have 40% of what I had before. It definitely HAS improved, though.
On January 22, 2017 at 5:11 AM, chicanery said:Hopefully it will just improve for you from now on, and going off the BC won't cause another TE!! There is no reason to assume it will - ofc we are so aware of TE-causing medications because of our experience with Accutane, but I know so many people who have dieted, gone on/off several BC pills, etc. and they haven't ever experienced hair loss issues.Yes omg - mine is such a rollercoaster too. The past month, I've felt that it has slowed a *little* (even though I don't want to jinx myself!). I mean, I am still shedding an abnormal amount of hair, but I have to remind mysef that 4 months ago I was just pulling handfuls of hair out throughout the day.. it was really horrendous. I do feel like my shedding will resolve itself in the next 6ish months, and I'm hoping it will, but it's hard to deal with because I am just beginning to feel that my hair is "thin". Now, even pulling out one handful of hair after the shower feels like a joke since I have 40% of what I had before. It definitely HAS improved, though.
Thats great! I hope it continues to improve for you!! Keep me posted.
How is your skin doing? I quit birth control about a month and a half ago and have a total bummer pimple on my right cheek overall my skin seems like it may be oilier...trying to stay positive!
Hello! I've literally been scouring the internet for explanations for my accutane induced hairloss and came across this thread. I started accutane in September of 2016 and stopped after a month because I was already starting to lose significant amounts of hair. I have pretty fine/thin hair to begin with and didn't want to risk continuing the drug. Since then I've experienced massive shedding and would say I've lost at least 50% of my hair. I can see my scalp in most places and my front hairline is receding. I'm getting married in August and was hoping to conquer my acne before the wedding. Now I'm just praying I'm not bald by that point. It's causing extreme anxiety! Reading your posts were helpful and I'm hoping to see good news from you both to give me some hope!
On January 25, 2017 at 7:22 PM, MeritNorth said:Hello! I've literally been scouring the internet for explanations for my accutane induced hairloss and came across this thread. I started accutane in September of 2016 and stopped after a month because I was already starting to lose significant amounts of hair. I have pretty fine/thin hair to begin with and didn't want to risk continuing the drug. Since then I've experienced massive shedding and would say I've lost at least 50% of my hair. I can see my scalp in most places and my front hairline is receding. I'm getting married in August and was hoping to conquer my acne before the wedding. Now I'm just praying I'm not bald by that point. It's causing extreme anxiety! Reading your posts were helpful and I'm hoping to see good news from you both to give me some hope!
Hang in there! I know how awful it feels. I can't believe the damage accutane does!! Praying for your recovery!
I looked at the first two pics and they look exactly the same, dont stress. Permanent hair loss is VERY rare ESPECIALLY for a female. Some men think they get permanent hair loss, but really what is happening is that TE is making genetic male pattern baldness happen one hair cycle early. As a female, you might have expereinced mild TE but dont worry 99% of the time it will come back. Also, maybe your hair feels thinner because its dry now.
On 1/23/2017 at 10:07 PM, lovemydogs said:Thats great! I hope it continues to improve for you!! Keep me posted.How is your skin doing? I quit birth control about a month and a half ago and have a total bummer pimple on my right cheek
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Aah sorry, just saw this!! 
My skin is definitely oilier than it was a couple months ago... I've been off accutane for 6 months so I'm hoping it won't get much more oily than it is now. IMO the oil = acne, at least for me. My hair is still shedding and is becoming really thin, how is yours doing? Do you think you're definitely in full recovery mode?
On 2/9/2017 at 0:44 AM, JohnSmith21 said:I looked at the first two pics and they look exactly the same, dont stress. Permanent hair loss is VERY rare ESPECIALLY for a female. Some men think they get permanent hair loss, but really what is happening is that TE is making genetic male pattern baldness happen one hair cycle early. As a female, you might have expereinced mild TE but dont worry 99% of the time it will come back. Also, maybe your hair feels thinner because its dry now.
Hey.. I appreciate the reply and it is true that it is rarely permanent, but this is definitely not a mild TE.
It is true that a lot of girls experience mild hair loss and freak out because it looks like a LOT when you have long hair. However, I genuinely have had atrocious hair loss and for a long period of time, which has resulted in me losing 60% (that figure is also not pulled out of nowhere like you see on some posts.. its very clear, looking at my scalp, that Im missing over half of my hair).
I didn't document it properly from the beginning as I didn't want to even think about suffering from this Accutane side effect. It was always my one big fear... so ignored it when it started, but I've been losing hair heavily/moderately since May (around then). It's now Feb and I have 40% of what I had before. Sure, some people look like they have a healthy amount of hair with the amount that I have, but I had VERY thick hair and hence do not feel like myself at all.
But yeah I wanted to respond to clarify to any readers that Accutane may cause a mild TE, which wont be a huge issue, but it can also cause a severe TE like it has done to me. Hopefully I will recover, but all I can say is that this issue has caused me an insane amount of stress this year. I dont regret Accutane right now, as my skin was so bad and nothing else was working, but I am just gutted that I was one of the few to suffer from this severity of hair loss when I was so, so worried about it in the first place.
Mainly, Im scared for the future.. 2 years down the line when Im 21. Either my hair will be back and this will be a distant memory, OR I will be a shadow of my former self with severely thin hair.. and its looking like its 50/50 right now. Its horrible because you just dont know with TE. After all, it's just a word used to describe "losing an abnormal amount of hair".
I did a low dose from nov 2014 to june 2015 and my shedding was minimal during accutane. It increased towards August and I was prescribed Finasteride in October (quit a few months later because of sides) even though I was shedding from Accutane and it had nothing to do with genetics at that point. My hair was really dry and brittle so my mom bought me Nioxin shampoo/conditioner/spray thinking it would help around New Year 2015-2016. That shit dried and irritated my scalp like no tomorrow. I probably had an allergy to some ingredients, its also filled with chemicals, and it made me shed hundreds and hundreds of hair for months. I didn't really think it was Nioxin that was causing all of this so I used it longer than I should've before switching to organic/natural shampoos. I eventually developped Seb Derm because my scalp was in such bad condition. Eventually my hair got really bad this past fall because of anxiety, stress and lack of sleep. (Even though I'm convinced accutane is what started this whole thing off, using Nioxin definitely accelerated the process and made things a lot worse)
As of today, my Seb Derm is mostly cured. I still have some oily dandruff from time to time but it's not that big of a deal compared to before and the itchiness is mostly gone. The main problem is my scalp and hair are still dry as the desert. It seriously feels as if accutane completely killed my sebaceous glands on my head/face and I'm not producing any oils at all so that every hair that grows out of my head isn't healthy enough and falls right away. Keep in mind this is 2 years later and I'm as dry as I was on my last day on accutane. My dad didn't start losing his hair until his 40s and even now in his 50s it's not that big of a deal. Not only did this entire process thinned my hair over all of my scalp for +50%, but it changed my hair texture and pattern and I think I'll eventually have to buzz it off this summer because seeing this mess every day depresses me more and more.
I'm just about to give up and do regret taking accutane because my acne wasn't as bad as it should've been to justify taking this drug. Wishing you luck tho.
On February 17, 2017 at 8:08 AM, chicanery said:Hey.. I appreciate the reply and it is true that it is rarely permanent, but this is definitely not a mild TE.It is true that a lot of girls experience mild hair loss and freak out because it looks like a LOT when you have long hair. However, I genuinely have had atrocious hair loss and for a long period of time, which has resulted in me losing 60% (that figure is also not pulled out of nowhere like you see on some posts.. its very clear, looking at my scalp, that Im missing over half of my hair).
I didn't document it properly from the beginning as I didn't want to even think about suffering from this Accutane side effect. It was always my one big fear... so ignored it when it started, but I've been losing hair heavily/moderately since May (around then). It's now Feb and I have 40% of what I had before. Sure, some people look like they have a healthy amount of hair with the amount that I have, but I had VERY thick hair and hence do not feel like myself at all.
But yeah I wanted to respond to clarify to any readers that Accutane may cause a mild TE, which wont be a huge issue, but it can also cause a severe TE like it has done to me. Hopefully I will recover, but all I can say is that this issue has caused me an insane amount of stress this year. I dont regret Accutane right now, as my skin was so bad and nothing else was working, but I am just gutted that I was one of the few to suffer from this severity of hair loss when I was so, so worried about it in the first place.
Mainly, Im scared for the future.. 2 years down the line when Im 21. Either my hair will be back and this will be a distant memory, OR I will be a shadow of my former self with severely thin hair.. and its looking like its 50/50 right now. Its horrible because you just dont know with TE. After all, it's just a word used to describe "losing an abnormal amount of hair".
On February 20, 2017 at 0:28 AM, musha said:I did a low dose from nov 2014 to june 2015 and my shedding was minimal during accutane. It increased towards August and I was prescribed Finasteride in October (quit a few months later because of sides) even though I was shedding from Accutane and it had nothing to do with genetics at that point. My hair was really dry and brittle so my mom bought me Nioxin shampoo/conditioner/spray thinking it would help around New Year 2015-2016. That shit dried and irritated my scalp like no tomorrow. I probably had an allergy to some ingredients, its also filled with chemicals, and it made me shed hundreds and hundreds of hair for months. I didn't really think it was Nioxin that was causing all of this so I used it longer than I should've before switching to organic/natural shampoos. I eventually developped Seb Derm because my scalp was in such bad condition. Eventually my hair got really bad this past fall because of anxiety, stress and lack of sleep. (Even though I'm convinced accutane is what started this whole thing off, using Nioxin definitely accelerated the process and made things a lot worse)
As of today, my Seb Derm is mostly cured. I still have some oily dandruff from time to time but it's not that big of a deal compared to before and the itchiness is mostly gone. The main problem is my scalp and hair are still dry as the desert. It seriously feels as if accutane completely killed my sebaceous glands on my head/face and I'm not producing any oils at all so that every hair that grows out of my head isn't healthy enough and falls right away. Keep in mind this is 2 years later and I'm as dry as I was on my last day on accutane. My dad didn't start losing his hair until his 40s and even now in his 50s it's not that big of a deal. Not only did this entire process thinned my hair over all of my scalp for +50%, but it changed my hair texture and pattern and I think I'll eventually have to buzz it off this summer because seeing this mess every day depresses me more and more.
I'm just about to give up and do regret taking accutane because my acne wasn't as bad as it should've been to justify taking this drug. Wishing you luck tho.
I would suggest minoxidil! My hair is almost back to normal now!! I just turned 24 and I know it sounds crazy but my derm suggested this to end the TE and kickstart the regrowth process-and it worked for me! I have been off of birth control for about 2 and a half months now and so far so good. Oilier skin and some slight pimples on face and chest. Praying for the best! Hugs to you two!!
Hi - I came across this thread as I am also currently in the middle of a post roaccutane TE nightmare and just thought I would share my experience too! I took roaccutane from Feb - June 2016 more as a preventative measure as my acne had been controlled by the birth control pill (dianette) for quite a few years but I was told I would need to stop taking it. Terrified that my acne would return I pushed for roaccutane which was surprisingly easily given (with no detailed conversation about side effects although I had done a lot of my own research). I was worried about hair loss but most of what I had read suggested that it would occur during taking the drug, rather than afterwards. My experience was the total opposite, while taking roaccutane my hair visibly thickened and was in great condition. My skin also quickly went from moderately ok (effect of Dianette - my skin was completely awful before i started taking that) to being beautifully clear and glowing. I really suffered no side effects from roaccutane while taking it and received so many compliments on my skin and hair! Shame it isn't good for you to keep taking it
My hair however started shedding in the beginning of September, two months after stopping the drug. I had kind of expected it because my hair had thickened so much and also because I had experienced TE twice before (once from taking Yasmin and once from taking a course of anti-depressants, my acne being a major factor in how I was feeling!) however both times it lasted 2-3 months before returning to normal.
Since September it has been pretty constant hair loss, with the worst times being after I have washed my hair (although I think it is just as bad when I don't but somehow easier to cope with!). My remaining hair has grown very long but I also don't wish to go to the hairdresser because I couldn't bear to watch their face when they dealt with my hair (I already experienced this in November when I had to go to the hairdresser because of my upcoming wedding in December and it was awful!). My wedding day was ok because the hair stylist put some magic volumising spray in and also some fake hair! But I had sincerely hoped that by the new year it would stop. Sadly not. My hair is now about 50% of what it was on roaccutane - hard to judge against my "normal" hair at this stage...but luckily not yet noticeable to others unless they know me really well. But I am also wondering how much longer it can go on for before I am totally bald!
I do think there is re-growth so I am hoping that continues - most of the hair that comes out seems to be long but I haven't scoured the bathroom floor for short ones - prefer not to look!
One thing that did really help me during both of my previous TE episodes was Hair Burst (although you can probably get the same vitamins for a smaller price tag) - I ran out a few weeks ago but have just replaced with a cocktail of vitamins, folic acid and saw palmetto...might start taking it again though.
Will keep you posted and good luck with your recovery. I am still hopeful that this is all temporary as TE can last up to 10 months apparently. Let's hope not as long!
Have you tried applying castor oil to the affected areas of your scalp? I've been using it on my eyebrows and eyelashes to make them grow faster/stronger for about 2 months. My eyebrows are still coming in very slow but there is definitely some growth there (overplucked in my teenage years). My eyelashes are growing like crazy. I recommend looking into it if you haven't already.
Checking in from when I last posted, mid-Feb... it's going terribly, guys. I'm back to losing a CRAZY amount, like I was in September. I've been off accutane for 7 months. This is too much - I've never cried more over something. Truly think I have ruined my life with this drug. I'll post pics in a month or so bc it's too depressing, but I have 40% of the hair that I had before. I'm losing ALL my regrowth.
My iron is fine, I'm taking vitamin D and hair growth supplements.. I'm doing all that I can o let my body recover. But accutane has fucked me up somehow - it's messed up the hair cycle. I am worried that this is permanent and not regular TE.
My hair is so fragile as well - the texture is destroyed. I'm just not going to get my hair back. I sit and work at my desk since I have big exams soon, and I see short, 1cm hairs all over the white paper. Something has just gone terribly wrong for me. My skin is good THANK GOD, but I could not ever convey how much I miss my hair. If you're a young girl, honestly don't go on accutane. Yeah, first time I've said it - don't do it. I may well have ruined my adult life.. over a stupid choice to take this poison before my 20s.
On 3/20/2017 at 6:32 AM, jamesjohn said:Do you think one could have telogen effluvium without hair shedding or it that not possible. I think I have had TE for about 2 years or diffuse thinning. Can't really figure it out.
What do you mean, TE without hair shedding? Hair shedding simply refers to the loss of hair. TE is a type of hair loss...so no, you can't have TE or any form of hair loss without hair shedding.
30th of March update:
Hey guys, I've now been off accutane for nearly 8 months.And my hair situation is NOT slowing down. I'm giving this until the end of summer, then I might try minoxidil.. but I'm not hopeful that will work. I think that IF i'm gonna recover, it will just take time.
This is the most traumatic thing I've been through, ever. It is so, so bad. My acne has come back 10%, but my skin's mainly good, THANK god.
I'm taking spearmint, bamboo silica (200mg a day), viviscal, iron, zinc and D3.
Just gotta focus on my studies and let my hair sort itself out - but I feel like this is permanent damage. The teture of my hair is terrible. I CANNOT believe I took accutane and have possibly messed up my future happiness, permanently.
On 24 fevrier 2017 at 5:30 PM, lovemydogs said:
I would suggest minoxidil! My hair is almost back to normal now!! I just turned 24 and I know it sounds crazy but my derm suggested this to end the TE and kickstart the regrowth process-and it worked for me! I have been off of birth control for about 2 and a half months now and so far so good. Oilier skin and some slight pimples on face and chest. Praying for the best! Hugs to you two!!
I wish i could go on minox but i can't.. My scalp is way too irritated and sensitive to jump on it.
It's funny because when I first experienced hair loss after accutane I was regretting taking accutane.. Now that I know that accutane had a part in it but that most of my hair and scalp issues are due to allergic dermatitis to a shampoo I used for an extended period of time I'm even more depressed. When I see my reflection in a mirror or a window I can see my scalp clearly and I start regretting and thinking about bad choices that I made due to lack of information and how easy I could've just done a bit more research to prevent these issues.
Hi all - just thought I would check in for update. I have now been off roaccutane for 9 months and have been having really bad TE which has thinned out my hair so much - even my mum finally admitted to me the other day how thin she thought it was. It has been really tough and depressing.
BUT for the first time in the past few days since the shedding started (in September) I really think it is slowing down. I have just washed my hair and rather than the several hundred strands that were coming out every time before itseems much less. And my hair just feels a bit stronger somehow...maybe too early to say but it has heartened me a lot and I'm just keeping fingers crossed it means it is finally stopping!!! I will keep you posted but wanted to share some hopefully good news for now!
So I know it has been less than a week since I posted the above but while I'm on the good news train I may as well post again - it just seems to have stopped! Like turning off a tap. I pray pray that it will last but I've washed my hair a few times now and brushed it loads and the TE has just seems to have run its course! It's still super thin right now obviously and I will let you know how it goes but I really hope that this gives some hope to those of you still going through this nightmare!
hi guys i was on roaccutane nov 2015 to april 2016. i noticed my hair thin round the oct 2016 time but it most have been falling out a while. iNow today my hair sheds about 30, 50 app hairs a day but my hair is so thin and gettin thinner not much regrowth. I dread being out when the sun shines on me as you can see my scalp all over.