Hello everyone! I am brand new to joining this site after using it for years to read reviews on certain acne products and treatments.
I am about to go to the doctor next week and ask to be put on Accutane. He has talked to me about my acne before, so I'm pretty confident with him putting me on the medication without a problem. I have never used Accutane, and I'm hoping it can help me out, seeing as it has helped a lot of people before. I know a lot of you are very against Accutane, but I really want to take it, for I am at a loss on what to do anymore. If problems persist, I will stop it immediately.
Some background on me: I am a nineteen year old female with moderate, rather cystic, acne. I have tried every topical option under the sun to no avail, and have even used birth control pills (sorta worked for a while, but never really cured my acne). I'm led to believe that my acne might be due to a hormone issue because I watch what I eat and am careful about the products I put onto my face. My breakouts are normally around my lower cheeks, mouth, and chin. I rarely ever have a breakout on my upper cheeks, forehead, and rest of my body.I have some mild scarring/pigmentation, but still almost ALWAYS have at least one active breakout on my face. I am hoping Accutane can finally help cure my acne, and I can stop feeling so insecure just to show my face.
I have done a little research on the medicine, but since I am pretty new to even deciding to go on this medication, I was hoping some of you could tell me your experiences with the drug; side effects, did it work for you, products used, tips, etc. Also, what are my chances of it coming back?
Thank you so much!!
I'm only 3 weeks into my accutane treatment and I'm experiencing dry lips & eyes and a slightly red face. Like you I had tried everything before getting to this point. I had very oily skin before and now, I barely have any oil left on my face! My dermatologist told me that hormonal acne has a greater chance of returning after a year. It differs from person to person. Some people take 3 courses of accutane for it to be forever gone while others only need one course. I'm personally just doing it once even though it comes back to avoid permanent side effects.
My tips would be to use a VERY gentle cleanser. I actually only wash my face with a cleanser once every 2 days. The rest of the time I just use water. Moisturizing is crucial after every wash also. For dry lips just use a repairing lip balm. For dry eyes use natural eye drops. The interior of your nostrils will get dry also and I've read that people use vaseline to keep them moisturized. I would also avoid the sun and going out when it's cold. These will just irritate your skin. Other than that I cannot think of anything else! For me it has been going great up until now but I only had mild acne. People with moderate/severe acne take more time to show results.
Hope this helped, take care!