I'm truly glad that Accutane has worked for you. I'm having a nightmare with my mild acne at the moment. I'm 30 years old and suffer from mild/persistent acne. I've had quite a ride with this drug, and to be honest I'm having my doubts with it. I first started on 20mg ( 1 tablet ) then 40mg, but wasn't effective. So to get results I had to go to 60mg for 3 months and got great results. After my dermatologist and myself were happy with the results, he decided to bring me down to 2 tablets a day. My acne broke out badly roughly in about a month. So I had to go back and go on 60mg a day again. It's been nearly 5 months now and still, it persists in taunting me. But what I can't work out is why it's being harder to get rid of compared to the last lot of 60mg of 3 months from last time. I don't know what to do anymore. Am I wasting my time or should I stick it out for a bit longer with this medication?

As for your problem, I really don't know...I use witch hazel a lot to combat redness and spot size. It's quite effective for me, plus I would advise on not using so many chemicals on your skin it'll only aggravate it more. Doing that and choosing a moisturizer that works best for you is the best option IMO For scaring I would use bio oil. Expensive, but helps greatly with scars.

4 hours ago, Carlo2017 said:

I'm truly glad that Accutane has worked for you. I'm having a nightmare with my mild acne at the moment. I'm 30 years old and suffer from mild/persistent acne. I've had quite a ride with this drug, and to be honest I'm having my doubts with it. I first started on 20mg ( 1 tablet ) then 40mg, but wasn't effective. So to get results I had to go to 60mg for 3 months and got great results. After my dermatologist and myself were happy with the results, he decided to bring me down to 2 tablets a day. My acne broke out badly roughly in about a month. So I had to go back and go on 60mg a day again. It's been nearly 5 months now and still, it persists in taunting me. But what I can't work out is why it's being harder to get rid of compared to the last lot of 60mg of 3 months from last time. I don't know what to do anymore. Am I wasting my time or should I stick it out for a bit longer with this medication?

As for your problem, I really don't know...I use witch hazel a lot to combat redness and spot size. It's quite effective for me, plus I would advise on not using so many chemicals on your skin it'll only aggravate it more. Doing that and choosing a moisturizer that works best for you is the best option IMO For scaring I would use bio oil. Expensive, but helps greatly with scars.

Thank you! im not quite sure why thats happening, but i went on 20MG a day for the first month and then for the next 8 months i was on 40mg. I think you should listen to what your dermatologist recommends because ultimately they know whats best. I guess you should stay faithful, unless you have major side effects?
Personally, accutane took a while for it to work on me and the results were slow BUT gradual. At my 1st-2nd month my skin was worse than what I had begun with, and i doubted the drug would work. However as time went on, I remember at my 3rd month on 40mg, I began to notice there was a slight improvement and difference in my skin in terms of the smoothness of my skin, most of my accutane purging breakouts had cleared up and there were some red blemishes & scars. I became more and more faithful in this medication. Then month after month my skin improved ever so slightly and it was only up until my 4/5th month at my half-way mark I could see a dramatic difference. But overall now that I have completed the entire course of the drug and stuck around with it, just at the finish line, I can see the miracle accutane has worked on my skin.
I remember feeling the same way that the process was long and draining and I was frustrated at the 2-3month mark that I didnt get "perfect" skin that accutane promised immediately. Listen to your derm, finish the FULL and ENTIRE course of medication and then judge whether it has worked or not. Just listening to your dermatologist is key.

Also thanks a lot for the advice, I had witch hazel in my drawers but never leaned towards using it, it has already calmed my irritated skin down in one use and now I hope that my spots go away too. The thought of putting bio-oil on my face terrifies me, have you personally tried it and does it break you out?

wow, a lot of people are having this issue it seems, I finished my course and I am getting small bumps on my forehead(which is my problem area). and the hyperpigmentation there has also kinda worsened. and overall my nose and forehead are more rough than the rest of my face. I hope this all is just temporary.

2 hours ago, eternalrocket said:

wow, a lot of people are having this issue it seems, I finished my course and I am getting small bumps on my forehead(which is my problem area). and the hyperpigmentation there has also kinda worsened. and overall my nose and forehead are more rough than the rest of my face. I hope this all is just temporary.

i hope that the bumps aren't reoccurring and they clear up in a few days! i've got the exact same issue; hyperpigmentation worsening on my cheek area and 1-2 bumps/tiny spots on my left, however my skin is still very smooth and theres no texture. Do you apply a SPF on a daily basis? I rarely go outdoors in the sun but my cheeks are still so red  

14 minutes ago, loveyourskin said:

i hope that the bumps aren't reoccurring and they clear up in a few days! i've got the exact same issue; hyperpigmentation worsening on my cheek area and 1-2 bumps/tiny spots on my left, however my skin is still very smooth and theres no texture. Do you apply a SPF on a daily basis? I rarely go outdoors in the sun but my cheeks are still so red  

I also don't go out much,,only go out when I have my classes but I have an spf50 which I use, I just cant understand why my PIH is worsening, as I had heard that it actually starts to fade faster once we are off isotretinoin.

6 minutes ago, eternalrocket said:

I also don't go out much,,only go out when I have my classes but I have an spf50 which I use, I just cant understand why my PIH is worsening, as I had heard that it actually starts to fade faster once we are off isotretinoin.

me too i apply spf if i do go out, which isn't often, but i still have extremely red cheeks. The redness isn't from my scarring/blemishes but its just       irritation and im not sure why? When i wake up my skin is relatively calmed and only slightly red on my cheeks, however throughout the day my cheeks tend to get redder and redder. my face is usually warm/hot although it is winter in Australia so i think it is hot because of stress maybe? also when i get out of the shower my red cheeks are at their very peak. do you know why?

9 hours ago, loveyourskin said:

Thank you! im not quite sure why thats happening, but i went on 20MG a day for the first month and then for the next 8 months i was on 40mg. I think you should listen to what your dermatologist recommends because ultimately they know whats best. I guess you should stay faithful, unless you have major side effects?
Personally, accutane took a while for it to work on me and the results were slow BUT gradual. At my 1st-2nd month my skin was worse than what I had begun with, and i doubted the drug would work. However as time went on, I remember at my 3rd month on 40mg, I began to notice there was a slight improvement and difference in my skin in terms of the smoothness of my skin, most of my accutane purging breakouts had cleared up and there were some red blemishes & scars. I became more and more faithful in this medication. Then month after month my skin improved ever so slightly and it was only up until my 4/5th month at my half-way mark I could see a dramatic difference. But overall now that I have completed the entire course of the drug and stuck around with it, just at the finish line, I can see the miracle accutane has worked on my skin.
I remember feeling the same way that the process was long and draining and I was frustrated at the 2-3month mark that I didnt get "perfect" skin that accutane promised immediately. Listen to your derm, finish the FULL and ENTIRE course of medication and then judge whether it has worked or not. Just listening to your dermatologist is key.

Also thanks a lot for the advice, I had witch hazel in my drawers but never leaned towards using it, it has already calmed my irritated skin down in one use and now I hope that my spots go away too. The thought of putting bio-oil on my face terrifies me, have you personally tried it and does it break you out?

I don't personally use bio-oil since I have the same conclusion as you, and don't want to activate another army of spots. My scars fade anyway without bio-oil and witch hazel is a wonderful applicant for fighting these damn acne spots. Like I said, it's effective when you get inflamed red acne spots and it also helps process the scars quicker by drying them out and then they kinda flake off. Oh and stay away from that damn acne.org moisturizer...my god is broke me out intons and tons of spots. Definitely not for patients who are on Accutane. It just can't keep the moisture in your face. I went back to using the E45 intense recovery spray and it seems my face is stabilising again and looks better. Well, my derm said that my acne should be gone now and can't work out why it still persists. It me who suggested staying on the medications, because of what I read up on the internet. People saying it took them 6-8 months ect, and I'm nearly up to my 5th month on 60mg. So I think I'll finish the course which will be 7 months worth in total.

1 hour ago, loveyourskin said:

me too i apply spf if i do go out, which isn't often, but i still have extremely red cheeks. The redness isn't from my scarring/blemishes but its just irritation and im not sure why? When i wake up my skin is relatively calmed and only slightly red on my cheeks, however throughout the day my cheeks tend to get redder and redder. my face is usually warm/hot although it is winter in Australia so i think it is hot because of stress maybe? also when i get out of the shower my red cheeks are at their very peak. do you know why?

Well, it's easier for me to avoid the sun most of the time since I live in the UK so I don't wear sun lotion. As for you living in Australia, it's difficult to avoid the sun in a hot country. lol

4 hours ago, loveyourskin said:

me too i apply spf if i do go out, which isn't often, but i still have extremely red cheeks. The redness isn't from my scarring/blemishes but its just irritation and im not sure why? When i wake up my skin is relatively calmed and only slightly red on my cheeks, however throughout the day my cheeks tend to get redder and redder. my face is usually warm/hot although it is winter in Australia so i think it is hot because of stress maybe? also when i get out of the shower my red cheeks are at their very peak. do you know why?

redness after a shower is very normal, but yeah in the morning the face looksso nice and as the day goes on.. my dark spots appear darker..due to that, my skin overall looks very bad(I have brown skin).

On 7/22/2017 at 9:31 PM, Carlo2017 said:

I don't personally use bio-oil since I have the same conclusion as you, and don't want to activate another army of spots. My scars fade anyway without bio-oil and witch hazel is a wonderful applicant for fighting these damn acne spots. Like I said, it's effective when you get inflamed red acne spots and it also helps process the scars quicker by drying them out and then they kinda flake off. Oh and stay away from that damn acne.org moisturizer...my god is broke me out in tons and tons of spots. Definitely not for patients who are on Accutane. It just can't keep the moisture in your face. I went back to using the E45 intense recovery spray and it seems my face is stabilising again and looks better.  Well, my derm said that my acne should be gone now and can't work out why it still persists. It me who suggested staying on the medications, because of what I read up on the internet. People saying it took them 6-8 months ect, and I'm nearly up to my 5th month on 60mg. So I think I'll finish the course which will be 7 months worth in total.  Well, it's easier for me to avoid the sun most of the time since I live in the UK so I don't wear sun lotion. As for you living in Australia, it's difficult to avoid the sun in a hot country. lol 

I put bio oil on my face and overnight I woke up with a new spot on my nose, and i NEVER EVER get pimples on my nose area. My nose has alway been crystal clear  Thank god it didn't break me out in other areas, now im praying that witch hazel can clear that tiny unappealing bump on the right side of my nose quickly. Im never going to put it near my face ever again! And yes witch hazel is a god sent product, im already seeing improvement within like 3 days im so glad!! 
ive never tried acne.org's products, however i was contemplating to try it before i started accutane but their products were so basic and i had similar things already in my own home. The E45 spray is only sold in the UK, and to purchase it from a UK ebay seller i will have to pay 3/4 x its original price in the UK including shipping. Honestly I rarely moisturised my skin that much, toner was enough for me, I went from being incredibly oily to dry/normal when i was on acctuane and I loved it! I moisturised my skin only at night every second to third day and only before I applied makeup, but now that i am off accutane i feel like a good moisturiser can help fade and soothe my skin a little. I hope everything goes well with your accutane journey, let me know if the acne persists/minor spots after you've finished the entire 7 months. goodluck 

6 hours ago, loveyourskin said:

I put bio oil on my face and overnight I woke up with a new spot on my nose, and i NEVER EVER get pimples on my nose area. My nose has alway been crystal clear  Thank god it didn't break me out in other areas, now im praying that witch hazel can clear that tiny unappealing bump on the right side of my nose quickly. Im never going to put it near my face ever again! And yes witch hazel is a god sent product, im already seeing improvement within like 3 days im so glad!! 
ive never tried acne.org's products, however i was contemplating to try it before i started accutane but their products were so basic and i had similar things already in my own home. The E45 spray is only sold in the UK, and to purchase it from a UK ebay seller i will have to pay 3/4 x its original price in the UK including shipping. Honestly I rarely moisturised my skin that much, toner was enough for me, I went from being incredibly oily to dry/normal when i was on acctuane and I loved it! I moisturised my skin only at night every second to third day and only before I applied makeup, but now that i am off accutane i feel like a good moisturiser can help fade and soothe my skin a little. I hope everything goes well with your accutane journey, let me know if the acne persists/minor spots after you've finished the entire 7 months. goodluck 

That's why I don't use boi-oil, but it's like adding fuel to the fire. Witch hazel is one of the best products to combat acne. Well, the skin type I have is combination skin so I get dry skin after a shower, but also after I've used moisturiser, I get oily skin. So when I went on Accutane it dried my skin up even more so I had to find a balance to combat the dryness. E45 is perfect for me at the moment, but wouldn't use it on a normal basis. I seriously regret using that moisturiser, it's garbage! The amount of damage it's done to y face, a number of spots are horrendous! I'm really hoping my skin settles down, but I'm having to deal with sacrificing my skin at the moment at the cost of shrinking my pimples down. My skin is super dry because of the witch hazel. Normally I don't use that much on my face but had to recently to combat this spread of spots. 

Thank You. I hope so too.