Acne.org Products
Oral Retinoid
Efficacy
87%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Use with EXTREME CAUTION: Causes severe birth defects and fetal death.
Oral Retinoid
Acne.org’s Real World Take
The nuclear option. It works reliably and provides long-term remission of acne, and even severe acne, in about ⅔ of people who properly take an adequate dosage. However, it permanently and irreversibly changes the skin and the body forever and users may experience long-term side effects for the rest of their lives. It’ll nuke it, but there is no going back.
Oral Retinoid
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Isotretinoin (Accutane®)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
October 8, 2013
Only on the first month, nearly at second
Cons:
time consuming and need patience
dries skin out
gets bad before it gets better.
I started off with a few spots in year 8, in between my eyebrows. (this was when i was around 13) and then it gradually got worse. however, some products like OXY, did the trick for about a few weeks, then it got immune to the ingredients in the product of OXY, so got worse again. I tried everything, like the Dianette pill, creams, tablets, gels, and so on.
I then found this website, (acne.org) and tried the regimen. now i only did about 3 months is of it, so didnt really give it chance. however it did do some improvement whilst on the 3 months. which boosted my confidence.
but then i found the accutane drug, and so i researched about it, the side effects and such, and asked my mum to book a doctors appointment. so we did. i spoke to them and they said yeh, they are happy to give me it. so went to the dermatoligist.. blah blah blah. and then finally got it. now like any other person, when it comes to acne and the path to clearing it, youre inpatient right? yeh, i am too.
im only on my first month, about to go on second.. (my mum keeps track, i have no idea). and i am getting a few pimples, but mum says it shows its working, as its taking all the bacteria out from under the skin and pushing it out. but it is upsetting me, and i just want it to hurry up and clear.
but cant just wish for that. so then, to make myself feel better, i look at peoples pictures before and after, and give me that reassurance, that it will clear eventually in the next month ish.
September 6, 2013
Accutane for sebaceous hyperplasia
Pros:
Sebaceous hyperplasia resolves in 3 weeks
skin not oily while taking the medicine
Cons:
dry lips
dry nose
blood tests
I had multiple sebaceous hyperplasia (overgrowth of oil gland) on my face and chest. Very annoying and I felt so upset that I couldn't even look at others while I was talking to them. Because these bumps won't go away at all which is worse then acnes. I trying laser, and Tretinoin. Both failed. These bumps just keep coming back. Finally I heard about Accutane from one dermatologist. I decided to try it right away. The doctor started it with a very low dose as 20 mg/day. I thought it was too low comparing to other cases, but it actually worked great! all the bumps were gone in 3 weeks. I was really happy even though I still have old scars from acnes which I regret didn't do anything when I was younger and having the acne problem. So I took the Accutane for 7-8 months at low dose 20-40 mg. And the hyperplasia never came back. However I experienced dry lips, dry skin(which I feel good because I have very oily skin :(), dry eyes and some weight gain I not sure if that's caused by the drug. So 1 month ago I decided to stop taking the drug since I want to have the bumps on my nose removed in 6 months. Then I noticed that the hyperplasia lesions are coming back :(... Not sure what to do now.
June 12, 2013
At least it did something
Pros:
Lessened my acne
Cons:
Still have acne
Outrageously expensive in the US
After a five month course of accutane... I still have acne. Just not as much as before. I still break out every day though. I simply do not have the time and money to keep on treating it. I had to spend thousands on accutane. For that kind of money, I am very disappointed that I still have an acne problem.
May 23, 2013
Pros:
Known as the miracle drug
Cons:
Maybe allergic to it
Numbness
After trying many products from antibiotics to topical treatments to chemical peels I have tried EVERYTHING for my acne to settle down but it clearly didn't want to at 18 with moderate to severe acne I had finally given up I then went to a dermatologist and got prescribed 40mg of Accutane every other day, so I took my first pill within an hour later half of my tongue and lip got numb so I went to my family doctor ( cause my dermatologist was unavailable ) and took me off it as a suspense of being allergic to it. Know after being on minocycline and tactuo which hasn't really helped much I might give it another shot.
Any Suggestions? Highly recommend if you have tried everything.
Try and take an allergy test before hand if you suspect that u may be allergic to it.
March 10, 2013
Pros:
Only thing that worked at all for me after the age of 26. I've been on it twice since then. I personally had no major side effects from it, and with a decent health insurance plan, it's cheaper than laying out money on tons of treatments that don't work. Even if I eventually have to take it again, I would in a heartbeat.
Cons:
Monthly blood work, logging into their website to get the script renewed. Dry skin issues (dry nose, cracked lips).
Try it. If you feel ill after using it for a few days, you can stop and notify your doctor. I feel that trying Accutane is better than using dozens of antibiotics over time, making your acne bacteria resistant.
January 30, 2013
Pros:
acne stopped developing completely during 5th month on accutane
skin overall looks great, hair needs less washing while on the drug
Cons:
hairloss started 1 month after stopping accutane
It has been 3 months after I finished a 7 month treatment with low doses of 20mg per day. My face looks clear and there is no acne to be found, only scarring:) Hairloss continues but that is subsiding, I take biotin and other supplements to treat it. My oil returned 1 month after I stopped tane but it is not as bad as it used to be. I am type 1 diabetic but my treatment did not affect much my blood sugars or made me worse. I suffered from acne for 20 years and the only thing that ever made a dramatic change was accutane. I had a very bad moderate/severe acne to begin with so there was little hesitation as to weather I should try it or not. I am happy I did it and even through my hair is falling out I am happy I have a clear face:) Give accutane a chance if you have tried everything else. With best wishes to all!
January 28, 2013
Pros:
GREAT! Worked so well to help my acne! I have been off it for a while now, over a year and I was on it for about a year and a half. I get the occasional break-out but nothing bad. I still have marks and scarring but accutane worked great.
Cons:
Dry lips (keep chapstick on hand)
Sun burn (ALWAYS wear sun screen)
Worked great and the side effects that I had were minor! Granted I still need to keep chapstick on hand because my lips are constantly dry but it is worth it.
October 30, 2012
Pros:
Cleared up my acne altogether (after a few months)!
Totally worth it!
Insurance paid for it.
Cons:
Extreme dryness; made my acne very severe the first 2 months or so (worse than it's ever been); sometimes redness; a pain in the neck to renew every month; also raised my cholesterol (not extremely, just thought I should add that as a note)
I have to admit that accutane is not the easiest/quickest way to clear your skin, but it has been very effective for me. I've had acne/backne since I was 12 (I am now 18) and I've tried almost everything. My skin cleared up for awhile while I was on birth control pills (the doctor said that those might be able to help with my complexion). I gained weight on those so I quit them. For a few months all was well and then my skin got very bad. My dad was on accutane when he was a teen, so he recommended I try it. My younger sister and I both got accutane together and when we started, our skin was worse than it had ever been. We had cystic-like breakouts as well as dry skin. The first two months we both had very low self esteem and didn't want to leave the house at times. My advice to you is to stick with it!!! It is SO worth it in the end! I now have only three weeks left and my skin is completely clear! Granted, it is still very dry but the dermatologist says that it should get back to normal the week after we finish our last dose.
Even my backne (which has never improved) is gone. Very very satisfied. I definitely recommend it!
October 27, 2012
I'm only in my fourth month of treatment, but I thought it might be helpful for others to have some information about what this will cost if you do try it. Clavaris, 40 mg, for 3 months -- $288.70 X 3
Clavaris, 80 mg, for 3 months -- 570.88 X 3
Labwork, once a month, 8 months -- 129.70 X 8
Doctor visits, once a month, 8 months -- 100 X 8
Total cost - $4,416.34 I called all the approved pharmacies listed on iPledge and found Walmart by far the cheapest, and the lab I used said they were giving me a 50% discount for not having insurance. So far it hasn't helped my acne at all, but I'm hopeful things will be clearing up soon. Good luck to you all.
September 19, 2012
Pros:
acne in remission
i feel much more confident now
Free in UK on the NHS as i was 18 yrs old when i was on the course.
Cons:
actual acne scars which i only got during the course, did not have a single one before the course
genuinely awful side effects which i'll comtinue below
skin texture just ain't the same
hyperpigmentation thats takes much longer to fade than before
i am 19 years old now amd I have had acne simce the age of 13. it started off mild but over time got to moderate. I know i never had severe acne but it was still bad and it could under no curcumstances be covered by makeup. However acne was genuinely ruining my life i was depressed i didn't leave my house i had started university but decided not to move out as i was depressed all stemming from acne, none of the treatments retin a BP etcworked apart from oxytetracycline which temporarily put my acne into remission very temprarily but it returned. So evetentually i broke down in front of my dermatologist who didnt't want to put me on isotretinoin but i made him by basically making him feel sorry for me. so yes i was happy with that, 50 mg/day for 4 months. The first month was fine my skins seemed to be slowly improving, side effectes of dry lips amd skin were there byt not unbearable. After that my skin exploded with acne the woe i'd ever had genuinely awful literally beyond severe. My skin became almost unbearably dry my face was literally swollen and my lips were crazy dry and swollen. My acne just wouldn't survive so at the end of the four months i finished with my face a mess. The worse it had ever been. I was comstantly tored and denydrated, Slowly though after the course my skin began clearing up cysts stopped forming. Eventually I was clear of acne but left with lots of hyperpigmentation and some scars. So now a year after my course has finished, a lot of my hyperpigmentation is lighter (still there) but before my course each pigmentated mark would remain for a month maximum. I now have a few indented scars mainly on my right cheek which i hate thanfully they ain't too deep and I believe I may be able to treat them eventually but not et as they have filled in a little over time so i want to leave them to mature for a while.So I am clear of acne but it was a mad experience and im not sure id recommend it,
Pros:
it clears acne quickly
keeps excess oil level.