Hi! I used to post here a LOT ten years ago. It's been awhile, so if there is a more appropriate place for this post a mod can feel free to move it there or let me know and I'll repost myself.

Ten years ago I was 25 years old and had severe cystic acne all over my face, as well as blackheads, whiteheads, pustules, and papules. I am so sorry I do not have a photo--at that time not many people owned digital cameras and cell phone cameras took very poor quality photographs.

I had been seeing dermatologists since I was 15 years old. I had tried tetracycline, minocycline, bactrim, oral erythromycin, topical erythromycin, benzaclin, duac, differin, aczone, tretinoin, retin-a, Yasmin, YAZ, and Ortho-Tricycline to clear my acne. Most treatments showed some improvement, then became less effective as months went by. I had also tried drinking gallons of water daily, cutting gluten from my diet, cutting dairy, and cutting meat. Changes to my diet had zero impact on my skin.

Finally I was prescribed accutane. I was very nervous and anxious. Tbh I spent TOO MUCH time on this site. Certain people posting here convinced me that if I took accutane I would lose all my hair, have joint pain forever, and my acne might not even be cured. But at the same time, my acne made me suicidal and I felt I had to take the risk.

I was prescribed 60 mg of accutane per day. I weighed between 140 and 150 lbs. at the time. I took generic Claravis. My acne slowly cleared over 6 months. When I went off accutane, my skin stayed clear.

10 years later my skin is still clear. The excess oil never came back. My hair is thick and full. I jog, bicycle, lift weights, and practice yoga daily with no joint pain. Accutane absolutely saved my life. If you are like me and depressed about your acne, and you have truly given every other avenue of treatment a fair shot, I believe you should give accutane a try and never look back with regret.

I'm 35 years old and just now addressing my acne scars with a cosmetic dermatologist. The only scars I have are around my mouth. They are pretty severe but are nothing compared to the painful acne that caused them. I will make a separate post in the acne scar treatment forum (thread?) with photographs. I am having amazing luck with subcision and Juvaderm filler.

If you read this long post, I hope it gives YOU hope! Not everyone comes back to share their success, but I wanted to because when I was struggling ten years ago these success stories were like a light at the end of a tunnel for me. Good luck to everyone XO