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
November 30, 2011
Cons:
A few side effects
- very dry lips + skin
- mild ecsema
- some muscle pain
But how does this weigh up against perfect skin?
I was really concerned to start Accutane after reading all the side effects but my dermatologist assured me it would be ok. My skin was horrible not only on my face but my chest, back and arms. I was on 60mg a day for 6 months and the results were and still are fantastic.
I did not have a breakout (thank goodness) but my face peeled like i had really bad sunburn. with some heavy duty moisturiser this was fixed quick and I noticed a difference within a week, there just werent any new spots!!!
Sadly the effect didnt stay that quick the whole time and it did take the whole six months to slowly go bit by bit. Now my back and arms are literally perfect and my face has a little bit of scarring (but only i notice it :P).
I know some people have a bad time but I would do it again 1000x over for the results I have now. Good luck and I hope it goes as well for you too :) xxx
November 13, 2011
Pros:
Cleared up ALLL my acne totally
Cons:
Dry lips - just while on the medication
Slight lower back pain when excercising
A true God send, I tried everything and only accutane worked. I have hardly had a single spot since coming of accutane a yr ago. Just make sure u have a cummulative dose of 120mg per kg of body weight! I.e. If you weight 70kg, take 70mg once a day (1mg per 1kg of body weight) for 120 days, so that you would of taken 120mg per kg of body weight. This dose is what's needed to stop any acne returning (I'm a medical student and have studied this).
September 27, 2011
Pros:
Absolutely amazing skin, like beyond belief, no side effects, well no scary ones, just the mediocre dry dry dry lips, but that was mostly cause of my brace, and dry skin everywhere, but its so worth it. I wouldn't think twice, people are just out there to scare you with the scary side effects. Okay I'm not saying they're never going to happen, but I'm saying if you have the chance go to on accutane, if need it enough DO IT. Best decision, I'm not spot free, literally, none!
Cons:
Dry lips?
Slightly sore muscles, but I'm an athlete so what do you expect.
Ohh and I had to pay! But you can get it on insurance if you're from the UK like me, dont know about the US, but probs the same
TAKE the chance for Accutane because it'll do more help than bad
You end up with spotless skin
April 9, 2011
Pros:
No oil, no acne and a renewed confidence. No more acne...even 4 months after my last pill.
Cons:
Everything dries out, mild concentration issues, nose bleeds and
Accutane is a serious drug, but to me, it was so worth it. Weigh both the pros and cons before you make your decision. Please realize the horror stories are grossly exaggerated and rare. I'm clear 4 months later and my face looks great.
January 7, 2011
Pros:
REALLY works
works pretty fast
only thing that worked for me
Cons:
expensive
drys out lips and face badly
makes acne worse at first
long process (5 months for me)
blood work every month
After trying EVERYTHING on the market, including OTC products as well as prescription products, I had enough. So i asked my dermatologist to prescribe me Accutane and even though he listed a lot of side effects, i didnt care, i had to get rid of my acne. So im about to complete my 3rd month and my acne is GONE! Unfortunately im left with many red scars which i am now working on trying to get rid of, but im just happy i have no more large painful nodules. With only 2 more months left, i really hope i get completely clear! The only side effects ive experienced is really dry lips and face and some lower back pain, but thats it! I would recommend Accutane to anyone i know and I am so glad i am taking it! I wouldnt change anything, im so happy!
December 20, 2010
Pros:
- It actually works!!
- No more Oil
- Gives your confidence Back
- does not leave scars....
- fades brown marks.
Cons:
- Chapped lips
- Price
i had acne for 5 years i am 18 now... i completed my 6 month course last august.. And I haven't got a single zit since then... If nothing is working for you then go for it....
November 13, 2010
Pros:
*clears up acne - have near perfect skin
*boosts confidence because skin clears up
*results are permanent (apparantly) :)
Cons:
*dries out the lips and they become sore
*dries inside the nose and have nosebleeds
*affects moods (or it did for me)
i have just finished and i am very happy with my skin. i feel good enough to go out with no make-up on! :)
however - please think very carefully about going on. i would say it's worth it, but it affected my moods soooo bad :( i'm going through a rough patch in my life anyway - so whether or not that influences whether the medication affects your moods - i dont know. just be carefull :)
October 17, 2010
Pros:
I almost never break out anymore, not like I used to. I feel like now I am one of those people who complains about a zit the size of mechanical pencil lead (because that's how tiny they are), and they go away in a day if that.
Cons:
I have scars, not necessarily the medication's fault. When Isotretinoin works correctly you should clear up completely by the third month. My derm was unaware of this and refused to switch my brand as he thought this was fine. I kept breaking out into my 6th month and because of the extreme sensitivity of my skin, all my new breakouts left scars. I don't pick! It was the sensitivity of being on the meds for months with no change that caused my skin to scar.
I had a different kind of acne that I never see anyone posting about so hopefully this will help someone else out. I had nodular acne but it was sparse. I would have 2 or 3 pencil eraser-sized pimples at a time. They were painful and took 2-3 weeks to go away. By reading my "Cons" section you can see the only reason I had scars is because I needed to switch brands since Claravis didn't work so well for me. My boyfriend started on Claravis but his derm switched him to another brand after 1 month. He has no scars but after finishing his treatment he still breaks out with one or two large pimples on his face and his back breaks out severely. I believe he may need a second treatment as this is common. I have been off Isotretinoin for 2 months now and as I mentioned in my "Pros", I only breakout in pore-sized pimples if that and it is ALWAYS because I fell asleep with my make-up on. I use the AHA lotion from this site and it prevents anything else from popping up and I use Everyday Minerals make-up which covers my scars amazingly yet is inexpensive and doesn't clog my pores (as long as I wash my face at night haha). I would say the AHA lotion has also been helping the redness of my most recent scars to fade faster than they were on their own. I love it, been getting my younger brother on it. But back to the purpose of this review. I would recommend Isotretinoin. If you do not clear up within the first two months talk to your doctor about switching to another brand so you don't get scars. If you need a second treatment, I would say it's worth it too. I never had any bad side effects mentally or such and I would be an at-risk candidate. I weigh 103 and my derm had me on 2x40 a day which was WAY over my weight limit.
June 21, 2010
Pros:
-lightens scars (fast)
-less breakouts
Cons:
-slightly dry lips
-cant wax your eyebrows while your on it, or 6 months after
-expenisve!
Well I've been on this for almost a week now.
I haven't had any big changes so far, except my acne scars are way lighter. im not sure if its the accutane or if its because i recently started using clinique's even better line. A lot of people say that by now they have a lot of dryness, but i've only had dry lips, and it's not that bad, i just have to but chap stick on every few hours. Maybe its because its only been a week though. Oh and my skin is still really oily, which i think is kind of weird. I have high hopes for this, im 15 and being in high school with acne is not fun. I'm on the cheer team and just about all the girls have perfect skin and I'm constantly having to pack on my foundation, which is really annoying. So im hoping it'll get rid of most of the acne before school starts
June 11, 2010
Pros:
It clears all acne on the face, after your treatment your skin will be spot free
Cons:
It's really drying. It will make your face very red.
This is a really good treatment for acne. When on the drug you should expect very drying skin. I used Dermalogica moisturiser which works very well. Lips also get chapped. Skin will become very red and cracked - this is normal so don't say to yourself "this isn't working". When the treatment stops, your skin will return to its original complexion. Obviously it does nothing to combat the scars however.
Avoid standing in bright light because it will make you look awful, because of the redness!
Pros:
Removed All spots and now a year and a half later I'm still clear and 1 spot is now a big deal!! Cannot recommend it enough