Hey guys, so i've been fed up with my super oily t zone that is congested and it's been a huge cause of my depression. I had moderate acne i would say before i started taking birth control and thats reduced the acne so i still break out in some small pimples and i have some blackheads and maybe a hormonal type painful pimple once or twice a month.
But i've noticed my oil has increased a lot. Some days its okay, still congested but not very oily and other days i can't wear makeup properly. I do blot my face multiple times a day especially if it's a hot day, and summers here so even worse.. When the oil is consistent i do break out in my tzone little pustules. sometimes , i even get heat rash
anyways, i went to a derm and she prescribed 20 mg a day of accutane and some antibiotics for any flare ups. Whats holding me back is i do have a lot of hyperpigmentation left over from my breakout on the birth control pill a few months back and im worried its going to impair healing, since some of them may scar. I never use to scar before so i'm thinking the birth controlor the antibiotics or the benzoyl i was on at the time played a part.. but this breakout came on pretty suddnely so maybe i was just more prone to scarring from it. Now the hyperpigmention is not in the tzone im talking about , it's on my cheeks. So oil doesn't affect my cheeks.
I've read a lot of mixed reviews on how accutane has made hyperpigmetation and healing worse and i've already read alot on how it's fade peoples quicker and even made some existing scarring look better. Maybe i should wait till my hyperpigmentation fades? I dunno
I'm going to another derm in a few weeks for a second opinion. In the meantime I'll be phoning my current derm on some questions ( like the hyperpigmentation).
Thought I'd seek some opinions here, although i know i wont make up my mind till im ready.
thanks @De Rerum Natura for the reply 
Do you mean as in i would have to take a full course for it to work?
Do you think it's worth taking if i still have a lot of hyperpigmentation? As in interfering with the healing process?
On 05/12/2016 at 8:47 PM, Dramalillama said:thanks @De Rerum Natura for the reply
Do you think it's worth taking if i still have a lot of hyperpigmentation? As in interfering with the healing process?
if you have persistant acne accutane can halt it forever even if you stop after a full course
but the oilness will always comeback, even after a full course.
only recommend accutane if you have persitant acne
otherwise try salycilic acid peels and benzoyl peroxide, both are good to keep sebum/acne under control and improve red marks/hyperpigmentation. Glycolic acid is very good too.
BP can actually worsen redness, dark marks and PIH so it's kind of a double-edged sword IMO. Peels can help refresh and renew your skin but oiliness is usually related to a hormone imbalance or an extremely harsh product overdrying the skin and causing issues.
I've heard that Accutane can make the marks left behind from acne a bit more prominent, usually in people with really pale skin, and it's best not to pick since it can make the skin very sensitive and more prone to textured scarring. I've also read stories where people say if their acne/oily skin came back after the first course, it was a LOT less than what it was like before. So one low dose course may be all you need. If your oiliness is related to a hormone imbalance, it could potentially come back but may not be as bad from Accutane.
yeah i'd say it s from hormonal imbalance because i only started getting this oil when i went on birth control. I'm no way switching birth control pills or trying something else hormonal which could just result in another bad breakout and no solid goal. and if i stop birth control well.. i'm gonna start breaking out hormonally like before.
Knew BP was doing that stuff ugh. You try and help your skin and the opposite happens
I've been using glycolic actually lately, a 4% serum during the day and a 2% washing cleanser. Seems to leave it nicely textured but to be honest it just feels like the oil is right underneath it still.
Tried salyicilic acid too, doesn't do much for the oil.
I'm really pale so yeah that would make sense , hopefully i wouldnt get a huge IB considering i only have mild actual acne at the moment.
I'm just kind of over restricting myself to diet changes and topicals that don't work, and my depression from it is awful at times.
I guess if the oil did come back i wouldn't be so phased because i would know i wouldn't break out from it.
p.s benzolyl definetely doesnt help my hyperpigmentation, actually gave me it lol.
Hello @Dramalillama
I did 20mg x 7 days for every month. That cured my oily skin. But I stopped it after 2 years because I figured it will have long-term consequences on my body.
I recently posted a thread discussing about low-dose isotretinoin and I am hoping a lot more people will share their stories because I want to get back to that. It was the only thing that worked for my oily skin!