I am about to start my second week of Claravis (60mg) - this is my first course. So far I'm just purging and drying out. I know that it is way too soon to be concerned with progress, but this question has been in the back of my mind since I started my course:
How well does isotretinoin work for closed comedones?
Since I am so early in my course, my closed comedones haven't budged a bit. I'm just a little worried that they might not budge at all. I have read from some people that isotretinoin is great for clearing ccs, but I have also read that it doesn't work at all for them.
I would say ccs are about 50% of my problem - the other 50% being cysts and painful acne. My closed comedones cover about 70% of my cheeks and about 40% of my forehead. I almost think they are more annoying than inflamed acne since they never budge. Isotretinoin was my last resort (after BHAs, AHAs, peels, zinc soap, sulfur treatments, BP, SA, etc.) and I'm so worried that I'm not going to see progress with these ccs that I have had for years. I know, I know, I'm only in week two - it's still too soon to tell...
But I was just hoping that those of you who have taken isotretinoin or are taking it or have any information at all could tell me how it works for ccs. Just tell me about your experience. I would greatly appreciate it!
http://imgur.com/OGW9ChZ - a picture of my cheek for reference.
I am about to start my second week of Claravis (60mg) - this is my first course. So far I'm just purging and drying out. I know that it is way too soon to be concerned with progress, but this question has been in the back of my mind since I started my course:
How well does isotretinoin work for closed comedones?
Since I am so early in my course, my closed comedones haven't budged a bit. I'm just a little worried that they might not budge at all. I have read from some people that isotretinoin is great for clearing ccs, but I have also read that it doesn't work at all for them.
I would say ccs are about 50% of my problem - the other 50% being cysts and painful acne. My closed comedones cover about 70% of my cheeks and about 40% of my forehead. I almost think they are more annoying than inflamed acne since they never budge. Isotretinoin was my last resort (after BHAs, AHAs, peels, zinc soap, sulfur treatments, BP, SA, etc.) and I'm so worried that I'm not going to see progress with these ccs that I have had for years. I know, I know, I'm only in week two - it's still too soon to tell...
But I was just hoping that those of you who have taken isotretinoin or are taking it or have any information at all could tell me how it works for ccs. Just tell me about your experience. I would greatly appreciate it!
http://imgur.com/OGW9ChZ - a picture of my cheek for reference.
1 month on accutane (20mg/day) has caused my closed comedones to budge every 3-4 days. I exfoliate and squeeze very lightly, then use a topical antibiotic and drying cream. Next day my skin is calmer and looks so much better.
Thanks for the replies guys!
I think it's just really hard to tell if I'm making progress because there are so many of them and the process is so long. I have been taking pictures every day and after looking at them a little longer, it does seem that there is some progress - but I'm not too sure.
Im heading into mnth #4 and no better on this end
I have milia and closed com and they havet budged..very frustrating but hoping for a big change soon
kim
I'm sorry to hear that. So far it doesn't seem like mine are making much progress either. Hopefully we see some change soon.
I am about to start my second week of Claravis (60mg) - this is my first course. So far I'm just purging and drying out. I know that it is way too soon to be concerned with progress, but this question has been in the back of my mind since I started my course:
How well does isotretinoin work for closed comedones?
Since I am so early in my course, my closed comedones haven't budged a bit. I'm just a little worried that they might not budge at all. I have read from some people that isotretinoin is great for clearing ccs, but I have also read that it doesn't work at all for them.
I would say ccs are about 50% of my problem - the other 50% being cysts and painful acne. My closed comedones cover about 70% of my cheeks and about 40% of my forehead. I almost think they are more annoying than inflamed acne since they never budge. Isotretinoin was my last resort (after BHAs, AHAs, peels, zinc soap, sulfur treatments, BP, SA, etc.) and I'm so worried that I'm not going to see progress with these ccs that I have had for years. I know, I know, I'm only in week two - it's still too soon to tell...
But I was just hoping that those of you who have taken isotretinoin or are taking it or have any information at all could tell me how it works for ccs. Just tell me about your experience. I would greatly appreciate it!
http://imgur.com/OGW9ChZ - a picture of my cheek for reference.
1 month on accutane (20mg/day) has caused my closed comedones to budge every 3-4 days. I exfoliate and squeeze very lightly, then use a topical antibiotic and drying cream. Next day my skin is calmer and looks so much better.
I'm kind of afraid to extract mine because I feel like I'm just going to aggravate them. It is very tempting to squeeze them though. Might I ask which antibiotic and drying creams you are using?
kimintie nothing fancy, just a cream with cortisol (travocort). The drying cream is the one my derm prescribed, it's a generic "purifying mask".
For me, my closed comedones all came to the surface on the first 2 or 3 months, and then disappeared. After that, I was left with clear, soft skin. Closed comedones were a big problem for me, I had really bumpy, congested skin :-/ They're totally gone *fingers crossed*
I didn't use any extra help besides accutane. Some people may need extractions..
You have the same acne I do! Mine is a bit more severe I have way more closed comedones!
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
I'm on my 7th day of 40 mg 2x a day and I haven't began the purging process yet but I am hopeful!
I have had the same fear (will it work for my type of acne)?? I'm fairly confident and I'd love to hear how you're doing as of now! I hope all is well!
I had the same thing going into accutane. Lots and lots of bumps all over my cheeks and forehead.
Your mileage may differ, but in my experience they DID go away, but only after breaking out/being extracted. I either let them break out or did very, very gentle extractions for the ones that were close to the surface. It was an awful two months or so where I barely went out (the whole IB lasted over 3 months), but now they are all gone. I estimate I did well over a hundred extractions during that time.
I would be really careful with the extractions though. Don't force it. If you think it's going to come out easily and it doesn't budge, jut leave it alone for now. I've had a lot of facials in the past where aestheticians (facialists) gave me pointers on how to do extractions properly with the least amount of damage, so I felt somewhat comfortable doing them with minimal scarring. Still, your skin is very fragile on accutane and the medicine slows new cell growth so the healing takes MUCH longer than it would normally.
I am on my 2nd month of accutane and my closed Comedones are completely gone. I had dryness in my first week on accutane and any large cysts I had disappeared. Then I broke out weeks 3 and 4 and I started to clear after that. I usually just got large cysts on my chin and jawline. Sometimes I would get them near my nose and eyes and my eyes would swell.
Anyway, my closed comedones are gone, as are the blackheads which covered my nose and chin. I am so happy!! I have 4 months left and hopefully during that time, my scars will heal. I haven't had a new pimple in over a week 