Hi everyone! This is my first post, just looking for a little advice! 
I took accutane when I was 16 after suffering for years with terrible acne. Nothing else worked. For me, it was a miracle. I had barely any side effects aside from the usual dryness and by the end my skin was clear. For 7 years I had perfect skin, aside from some scarring left behind. The scars have faded a lot but they are still there 7 years later, just to give some perspective on how bad it was. Since taking accutane, I've only gotten a pimple or two here and there once in awhile and haven't had to worry about my skin. I am 23 years old now!
However, about 6 months ago I started breaking out again. It's not as bad as before, but still enough that it's effecting my self esteem and mood. Since then I've tried different remedies on my skin, but the acne has only stayed the same or gotten worse. (FYI, I have been trying more natural solutions this time around, without avail). I've already spent a good deal of money on products and I'm having serious de ja vu. The thought of doing another few years of "trial and error" just sounds exhausting. I thought about trying birth control, but from what I've heard even if it clears your skin, your acne will usually come back worse once you stop taking it so I'm skeptical of that option. I am considering just doing another round of accutane and hoping that this time it gets rid of it for good. I mean, it worked great the first time. Thoughts?
Thanks in advance. I've been documenting my skin with pictures so I will include some here. This is how my skin is currently doing.
Yes, I am much healthier now in my life than I ever have been. I don't consume dairy or any other animal products, I eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. I exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep, etc. I have also tried buying the gluten free option of the things I usually eat such as pasta and noodles, but I have never had a problem with gluten before so I'm not sure if that would be causing it now. Thank you for the response!
7 hours ago, Chloe123 said:12 hours ago, kelbell812 said:Yes, I am much healthier now in my life than I ever have been. I don't consume dairy or any other animal products, I eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. I exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep, etc. I have also tried buying the gluten free option of the things I usually eat such as pasta and noodles, but I have never had a problem with gluten before so I'm not sure if that would be causing it now. Thank you for the response!
I think you should discuss with your derm, and if you are both in agreement go for the accutane!! No point just sitting around, trying things that wont work, having no confidence and hoping it will stay mild. If you think its hormonal however (get more acne certain types of the month), birth control will be your best bet. Majority of the people that have hormonal acne and go on accutane, will get their acne back a couple of years later. Good luck!
I will definitely be giving both my doctor and my derm a call to see what they think! I can never really tell if my acne is hormonal or not because it seems to flare up randomly. My periods are irregular, so it's harder to monitor, and though I do notice it can get worse the week before my period comes, it will also randomly flare up when it's not that time of the month too (which is what is happening right now). It's so difficult to tell what is causing it, but it seems so strange for it to randomly pop back into my life at age 23, which hints to me that it could be hormonal. In the 7 years of clear skin post-accutane, even when I did get pimples I don't ever remember them being correlated to that time of the month. But, maybe I just never paid enough attention to it. Thanks!!