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
September 14, 2008
Cons:
EXCESSIVE FACIAL HAIR
i really really wish someone told me this..thats the only reason im on here to write this post is to maybe help someone thinking about taking htis medication. i have never had hair on my face, well other than eyebrows, but about 4 monthsinto this medication, i started growing hair under my chin that went from just a few, to almost half of my under chin looking like a GUYS. i swear that on my life. it causes more depression than acne. ance you can cover, hair you CANT. i have to wax it weekly and it grows in, literally, like a mans hair, that THICK n BLACK look. its really depressing. i would rather have acne than depressing thick man-like facial hair..which i believe my doctor called 'hirsutism'. please, jjust take something else, i wish someone told me this. im getting married in a few weeks and im so depressed as to how i can cover such thick/black/frequent facial hair.
August 24, 2008
Pros:
ACNE IS GONE!
Cons:
Very dry skin, very dry lips, very depressed...
This stuff works! The side effects are a bit harsh but it was worth it in the end. My doctor put me on anti-depressents during the treatment and I used lots and lots of lotion. Cetaphil is a great brand that does not cause more acne breakouts!
August 18, 2008
Cons:
dryness was only side effect....but 2yrs later came back
arnd3months n actually i cleard all my acne but it was only for around 1n half year but now again i have started acne problem
August 18, 2008
Pros:
Dries out skin nicely
Noticable improvements
Cheap with health plan
Cons:
Screws with your head
Nose bleeds on a nightly basis
Dry crackly lips, bad back pains
I have been on iso for a week now, and even within these 7 days one side of my face has started to almost completely clear up. I've slightly broken out on the sides of my face and back of my neck, but expect this to go away as I hear this is normal. Side effects aren't too bad, dry skin and lips can be alleviated with moisturizer, I have bad lower back pain though, kind of sharp and hurts to straighten my spine if I don't take it real slow. Nosebleeds on a nightly basis, and the weird way it plays with your mind.. I fnid myself easily aggravatable, and want to snap on people for stupid little things that I really shouldn't even care about.
July 23, 2008
Pros:
no breakouts or oily skin.
Cons:
dry lips, skin bled and burned easily, broke out after i course.
While I was on accutane, I didn't have an initial breakout or have any zits at all. Then one week after I finish the 5 months course, I slowly start to breakout again. I wish it worked for me.
July 8, 2008
Pros:
my skin looks 50 percent better after two months. Hoping that by the end of the fourth month i'll have a beautiful complexion again.
Cons:
i'm pretty lucky with the dryness and stuff. umm, use burt's bees lip balm with pomegranite oil once every five minutes and you should be good. and try checking out CeraVe moisturizing lotion for a moisturizer.
i'm seriously a perfectionist with regards to my appearance, like i'm the type of person who would sit and mope around all day because i had a new pimple. so it sucked a lot when i broke out really really really bad back in january. i tried everything and finally one day my dermatologistt was jsut like "lets start accutane" so far i'm sor of happy, my face is smooth after about two months, the redness had turned to grayness mostly, i still get two or three zits every two weeks, which is lame.i'm hoping beyond hope that i won't ever get acne again. and i hope this stuff actually clears me up completely. i find that a good face wash is biore's pore unclogging scrub. for some reason it doesn't iritate my skin. i really regret not starting accutane sooner. Overall, i don't think i'll be dissapointed.
July 1, 2008
Pros:
It works like magic once you take it for a little while. It is as simple as swallowing a pill once a day and your acne,as severe as it may be, clears up!
Cons:
The list of side effects: Insane dry skin, aching bones, hair falling out, eye problems, nausea..and the more serious like abnormal fetus, liver failure, depression.
My skin was so dry that my lips were bleeding all the time. My skin was so dry that I could not wax my legs, eyebrows, etc because it would tear the skin. Forget about wearing contacts becaue of the dryness. My hair began to fall out and I was taken off after 2 months because of liver problems.DANGEROUS. It seemed worth it at the time, because I was young and wanted to get rid of my acne, but I don't know what this did to my body. Blood tests once a month were brutal but that is how the docs discovered the liver damage. AND your acne will come back!!!It disappeared for about 2 years, but now I am back in the same boat once again. But I refuse to take Accutane because it makes me uncomfortable.
June 29, 2008
Pros:
reduced severity of the acne on my face, for sure. fewer nodules. cleared back acne for the most part.
Cons:
made me terribly terribly depressed, failed to clear skin entirely.
they strictly monitor this drug for good reason. i took accutane in tenth grade and refused to acknowledge the depression symptoms. in my case, it did more harm than good. SERIOUSLY. heed the warnings, yo.
June 2, 2008
Pros:
It works! If you haven't had success and are fed up with waiting, Accutane is the best decision.
Cons:
Dry skin and eyes (but it's completely worth it)
I honestly saw improvement within 10 days. I never thought it would work that quickly, but my breakouts stopped almost immediately. I am over a month in, and I am still getting a few occasional zits, but nothing like before I began Accutane. If you are just plain FED UP with dealing with constant acne, you've got to go with Accutane. I already have so much of my self confidence back.
May 26, 2008
Pros:
It started getting rid of my acne by the first month.
Cons:
My fist side effect was dry skin, and then severely dry lips. Eventualy I started having bleeding in my rectum. I also stated suffereing from depression by the third month.
DONT TAKE IT!!! It's not worth it! I stopped taking it months ago but new side effects are still popping up. I just descovered i cant exercise now because my sweat glands are blocked. I'd sue if i could.
Pros:
clear skin