Hi! Please read till the end I need some input and so hopefully somebody on this site who has been through a similar situation can help me out. I'm a 16 year old girl,My acne has become my whole life I know I shouldn't let it but unfortunately it's so severe everything else is second place to my acne it consumes all my thoughts I can't imagine how different my life would be without it all over my face. My whole face is filled with acne not one area isn't infested with large pimples. My acne isn't cystic but there are over a hundred bumps all over my face. I cover it with makeup everyday but it only does so much. I went on minocycline last year and saw amazing results. I was confident for the first time and my skin was finally just like all the other girls. Unfortunately I got immune to the drug and my acne came back worse than It has ever seen it. It took me a dreadfully long time to go to the derm but once I did they told me I am the perfect candidate for accutane. I am set to start the drug in three weeks. In the meantime I'm going to the gyno it two weeks to start birth control and take a pregnancy test to ensure I am eligible for the drug. In the meantime to hold me over until than I was put on 100 mg of doxycycline and trentinoin cream. My skin was so dry when I went to the derm because of all the products I was trying on my face that they told me to wait a week to start tretinoin. So I began the doxy my skin broke out awfully! I'm on my third week and finally it's calming down but recently at school kids have started making names up about my acne. I walk everywhere with my head down and dread being seen by anyone. I read online that tretinoin cream causes a really awful initial breakout so I haven't touched the bottle one time. I know it's wrong but anyone who has ever been ridiculed for their face can understand that fear of walking into school with a face even worse than the one you were made fun of for the day before. I started drinking a gallon of water a day and still NO IMPROVEMENT? ! I feel that I need to swallow my fear and start tretinoin but my question to you: since I just had an initial breakout on doxy does that mean I can avoid the dreaded tretinoin ib? Also, considering my circumstances does anyone have an idea of the effects of birth control and accutane on my skin ln the upcoming month. I know it's a lot of questions and most of you will advise me to be patient rightfully so. But anyone who has ever been a teenage girl and knows how mean other kids could be knows how difficult this is. Haha so please also be patient with me. I know a lot of teens have acne but being the worst case in the school really knows how's to make you feel ugly. Thankyou for your time I would really appreciate any advice or stories of recovery that would make me feel hopeful and less alone.
Hi jen16,
I'm sorry to hear about what you are going through, it was the same for me at your age. I think you already know, but patience is key! It does get worse before it get's better, but the key is that it does get better. The people making fun of you know won't even remember what your skin looked lie in a few months time, when it has healed.
I went on accutane about 10 years ago. I'm not an expert, but if you broke out with the doxy, your skin has purged, so presumably it shouldn't get worse when you start the tretinoin. In any case, I would just encourage you to do it. You can't really avoid it if you want to get better, and it will only last a few days.
As someone who has been on accutane, I want to share some tips with you. Although I'm sure your doctor will tell you, I just want to write it here too because it's really important.
1) Always always use high spf sunscreen on your face. If you don't, you will get burnt easily, but what's worse, the red marks and scars on your face will be accentuated by the sun and more difficult to get rid of. I personally think La Roche Posay's Anthelios is the best I have tried, as it doens't leave you with a white or shiny face and it's non greasy. Perfect for under makeup. They have different types, I've heard good things about the mineral version but I can't get it where I live, so I use Anthelios XL. They also have one for acne prone skin, which you might prefer, but the Anthelios XL is non-comedogenic and doesn't break me out (and everything that isn't oil-free does).
2) Your face will get extremely dry. Get a good lip balm and drink LOTS of water. Get a really good moisturiser and up your game. I use to have a very good moisturiser but as it turned out it wasn't enough and I ended up with some wrinkles 
I have tried Avene's soothing moisturiser mask, which you can use as a mask a few times a week or alternatively can be used as a night cream. I'ts oil-free and non-comedogenic, and made for sensitive skin. You could also consider using an oil, perhaps ask your doctor about it. I know adding an oil sounds crazy, I would have runned away from it myself a few years ago! But if you use the right one it won't break you out and will hydrate your skin. I'm using rosehip oil (Pai's rosehip bioregenerate oil). I had heard good thing about it but never tried because I was afraid of anything "oil". But I finally decided to try it and it's amazing. I use it 3 times a week, I put it on 30 minutes before bed to give my skin time to absorb it properly. If my skin is specially dry (i.e. in winter) I mix 2 drops with my moisturiser in the morning. It hydrates my skin, it doesn't make it oily or shiny and if I have any spots, they disappear!
3) Take a picture of your face the day you start the treatment and do so every month. Of course this is not essential 
but it might be helpful for those days when you feel a bit down. The healing process is a bit slower in the first month or two, but you will see how greatly your skin improves after that. Seeing your improvement in pictures will you in days when you feel bad about your skin, as you can look back at day 1 and see how much you are improving.
Accutane is quite strong though, it makes your skin very sensitive so before adding anything to your skincare regime I would consult with the doctor, just in case. However I have found out that sometimes doctors try to push you to buy certain brands over others, be aware of that, but he can advice you about certain ingredients, to make sure they won't harm your skin.
In my case, accutane improved my acne hugely but I was left with mild acne, which was manageable but annoying, considering I had gone through the process of accutane. I'm in the minority though, a very small minority for which accutane improves but doesn't heal. The process won't be easy, I found it extremely difficult. It made me depressed and I hated it, but it doesn't do this to everyone, and in the end, it was worth it. You just need to be aware of its secondary effects, and know that if you feel really shitty there is nothing wrong with you, it's accutane. And it will pass. And if it gets too much, you can stop it and you will feel better. But the most important thing is, that accutane is only temporary and in the end you will be left with beautiful skin, and you will be happy, and the people who now laugh at your skin won't remember what it used to look like.
Best of luck and let us know how it goes!
Thank you so much for the advice it really made my day. It seems like clear skin is everywhere and hormonal teens with raging acne is merely a stereotype so hearing that you went through the same situation and saw improvement made me feel a lot better. Thankyou for the advice I read over what you said a few times. Thanks again!