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
May 13, 2009
Cons:
very dry skin ,dry eye,dry nose,redness ,slight knee pain ,everyone on accutane have to use a moisturizer to nose and skin and refresh drops to eyes
i had tried so many products like benzoyl peroxide ,salyclic acid , oral antibiotics and i didn't find any progress ,now i'm using accutane for my second month now i hope it can work cos life with acne is horrible noooooooo self confidence i hope it works for me and for everyone else.
May 12, 2009
Pros:
My acne is gone!!! No more oily skin and No more breakouts.
I finally have my confidence and self esteem back since my early teen years(around 13).
I am 19 now.
Cons:
The side effects that I experienced were minimum. Slight back pains, chapped lips ALL the time, slight hair loss(but its goes away after you stopped taking the medicine, and dry skin. Also you can't drink while on this drug :(
This medicine was my last resort. I had no other options and I was scared to take this medicine but I am glad I did. Living with acne for about 5 years does affect your relationships, self esteem and confidence. I felt like I was held back my 4 years in high school because of it. You feel somewhat less of yourself and are afraid to take certain risks. Now after taking accutane and going into college I feel like a new person. I now know when meeting new people, they will look me in the face and not judge me by my acne. I would have to say that this drug has gave me a new look on life and I plan to live it to the fullest. Accutane has saved my life in so many ways! I would have to say only use it as a LAST RESORT!
May 10, 2009
Pros:
great medicine. really clearing up my skin
Cons:
dry lips, dry face, and SEVERE back pain
this medicine is great. at first side effects seem intolerable but you get over it in about a month. medicine did give me severe back pain especially when i laid down after a long day or when i had to do something like pick things up off the floor
May 4, 2009
Pros:
It gets rid of your acne within a month or two while you're on it.
Cons:
It comes back afterwards. Hassle with all the blood tests.
I used Accutane when I was 16, it got rid of my acne, but it all came back within a year. I used it again about a year ago, and my acne has not come back full swing again. I do get some mild acne here and there but it's nothing like before.
April 26, 2009
Pros:
starting to clear up.
Cons:
dry lips!!!!
im starting on my 2nd month. im on 40 mg.
my skin is still breaking out....bad! im hoping this will end soon. its large pimples but i can tell my skin under that is clearing up good. im hoping im a couple months :)
April 13, 2009
Pros:
It has cleared my acne so far and I've been on it for about 2 months now!
Cons:
Dryness and joint pain
it works for me(so far) but I have to wait till I'm off of it to clear the scars I have.
March 31, 2009
Pros:
My first son used this product after all else failed and has now been 100% acne free for over 10 years. Another of my sons used it and acheived the same results. Neither suffered from any side effects.
Cons:
They did have to deal with dry skin and very chapped lips, and had follow the other recomondations of the doctor.
It was not an easy decision to make but one of my brothers still fights acne and he is in his 40's. My son had cystic acne and did not want to fight this all his life and now both my sons have beautiful skin, though they do have to moisturize everyday because their face feels dry.
My daught had mild acne and was sucessful in keeping it under control with Proactive.
March 27, 2009
Pros:
After treatment, my skin cleared up and is still 99% clear after one year. It made a life-changing difference.
Cons:
Acne will get worse before it gets better and there is significant scarring, but in time, the scars will fade. I had stiff back. For dry skin, use Olay activating cream(the pink lotion)...it's amazing! and use aquaphor for lips.
Accutane gave me my life back. It gave me the confidence that I never had. Just be prepared to have significant scarring from it and know that it will fade. When i started Accutane, i wasn't aware of the scarring. My acne got worse and everything scarred. I thought I was nuts for taking it...but the acne does clear up almost 100% and the scarring does fade. My face looks beautiful now :)
It doesn't happen overnight. It's a process, but i am so glad that i did it.
I have a new lease on life.
March 11, 2009
Pros:
skin is MUCH less oily, smoother softer skin, have not gotten a single zit since starting accutane, hopefully when my scars go away my face will be completely clear!
Cons:
elbows, hands, and lips are VERY dry ALL the time. especially my lips...i have to carry chapstick with me all the time now. my face feels tight after i wash it so i need to apply moisterizer to it. i think my vision might be blurred a little
i am 17 and i have moderate/severe acne. i get it mostly on around my mouth and on my cheeks. i have VERY oily skin. i would have to use blotting paper all the time and even that wouldn't get all of the oil off my face. i also have HORRIBLE scarring. i dont get TOO many pimples at one time but i have TONS of red spots all over my face from past breakouts esp 1 big one on my cheek. a typical breakout would be 2-3 zits at a time. i literally tried EVERYTHING for my face - from basic oral prescriptions to septra to birth control. finally my derm put me on accutane as a last resort.
i started 2 weeks ago & already i feel results. my face is MUCH less oily, although i still have some oil on my cheeks at the end of the day which i hope will reduce w/ time. but i dont have to wipe down my face anymore! my skin is smoother & i have not gotten a single new zit yet! this is WORTH the hassle. it works WONDERS. never before have i felt this good about my skin
February 21, 2009
Pros:
Does clear skin
Cons:
Drys skin like crazy, lips, face, everywhere, joint paine, my acne came back about a month after stopping treatment
Accutane does work! But it WILL NOT KEEP YOU CLEAR!! I had really bad acne and by the end of the treatment i was totally clear (around the 6th month). A month later I saw a few pimples and then more and more showed up until it all came back. Bottom line if you have bad acne try it because it really is the only thing that works. Accutane does change your skin though so it does do something long term. Skin treatments that didnt work for you before might work for you after accutane. I used to use tazorac cream for my acne before I tried Accutane and it didnt work at all, but Im on it now and it seems to be working well.
Pros:
cleared my acne a little bit no more pimples just small ones i feel my face is better then before