Isotretinoin (Accutane®)
Results
Side Effects

Isotretinoin is a vitamin A derivative called a retinoid that is taken orally and is approved only for severe acne. It is thought...

Isotretinoin is a vitamin A derivative called a retinoid that is taken orally and is approved only for severe acne. It is thought to clear acne primarily through its ability to permanently reduce skin oil (sebum) production.

Isotretinoin is available in capsule form and is usually taken twice a day. Your physician will prescribe an initial dose, and this dose may increase or decrease depending on the response to treatment and side effects.

 [more]
3.9
2449
5
37.1%
4
34.1%
3
15.3%
2
7.3%
1
6.2%
Write a Review
Sort by: Most Helpful
Order:
Number of Stars
Choose All That Apply
Clear All Filters
Done
January 2, 2012

Pros:

Clear, perfect skin!!!
Eliminated blackheads
Non-oily hair
Confidence!

Cons:

Dry lips and eyes
Some inconveniences - staying out of sun, blood test, no waxing

I'm 5 months into treatment and I only wish I went on it sooner. I was terrified of trying Accutane because of the very vocal nay-sayers and vowed never to try it. I only went on after being strongly encouraged by my doctor and dermo. (Which I thought was rude of them at the time but now I'm practically kissing their feet, haha.) I actually couldn't sleep the night before I started taking it because I was so scared of the side effects, as I'm very sensitive to medications. Well, I was lucky enough to not get an initial breakout. My skin was smoother in a week and I was almost completely clear going into my 2nd month! Since then my skin has been perfectly smooth, clear and glowing. I get compliments all the time. AND, the blackheads I've had embedded on my nose since I hit puberty have vanished!!! (I'm 26.) My hair no longer gets oily hours after washing it. It feels so good to go without makeup and know I look nice. The kicker? The only side effects I've had are mild dry lips and eyes, which are easily treated with balm and drops. I'm on 20mg a day (47kg/104lbs body weight). My dermo said I could take 30mg/day but it's just as effective to stay on the low dose, which I think I might. Of course, the last hurdle will be seeing if I stay clear after treatment, but since I responded so well I'm hoping I will. The side effects have been so mild another course wouldn't break my heart anyway. All this said, I suffered with acne for over a decade and tried everything else under the sun first. Even.... urine therapy. And I did a tonne of research on accutane before going on it. Yet my advice is to take horror stories with a grain of salt - everyone's different and the only way you can know how you react to it is to try it. Someone with a bad experience is going to be a lot more vocal than someone for whom it worked and they just went on with their life. Be prepared that the drug might not be for you though and remember your health
This Was Helpful

32 user(s) found this helpful

Report
December 30, 2011

Pros:

Destroyed and Eliminated Acne Cysts
Confidence Regained
Clear skin for over a year to date

Cons:

Redness (treatable)
Dryness (treatable)
Scarring (treatable- consider dermabrasion or at home dermabraision after treatment)

Accutane for most and for me cured my acne. The pores produce sebum oils which irritates the hair folicle and causes cysts. Accutate dries the oil and trains the pores to push out impurities. Without oily pores you cant have acne... For me accutane is a wonderful, amazing drug and has kept me clear for 13 months now and I have never had a severe outbreak. I am still battling reddness and scarring but both are getting better day by day, and I have the skin I once had. For dryness buy a mosturizer that also helps the redness. Eucerin is my #1 pick. Carry chapsick with you during the course of accutane and once your done with the course I belive that you will see a difference. I hope it works for you as it di for me and good luck to all!
This Was Helpful

7 user(s) found this helpful

Report
December 26, 2011

Pros:

no pimples
redness fades
I have my life back
I feel like a normal 35 year old male now

Cons:

DURING TREATMENT:
9 months of treatment
sore back/neck
red sunglass face
no energy
moody

Accutane offers hope of clear skin when you have no other options!! It's not a drug to play around with...very serious!!..but it can work wonders. Trust your doctor but verify your treatment plan. I had obsorption issues and had to lobby my doctor to increase my dosage... I finished on 160mg/day... the highest dosage prescribed for my weight (2.0mg/kg). In the end though it worked. Currently Post accutane 4 weeks and I wash my face 1x/day with water only and sometimes I still need a slight amount of moisturizer on my forehead and cheeks. Using soap dries my face out really, really bad and turns it irritation red. But, No pimples currently and I hope it continues!! Good luck in your journey.
This Was Helpful

5 user(s) found this helpful

Report
December 16, 2011

Pros:

works brilliantly
very smooth skin

Cons:

dry lips
nose bleeds
blood tests
pregnancy tests
increased sweating

i went on roaccutane as a last resort - having pretty bad acne since 9 years old (i am now 18) and having tried everything. I tried various antibiotics, the pill, and all other treatments under the sun. I finally decided to go on Roaccutane this August and am coming off on Wednesday! have been on it for 4 months in total and it is absolutely amazing! i wish i had done it years ago. I have to say, I was worried at the beginning that it wasn't working, as it can take time to work. family and friends told me it was working straight away - but i was self critical so didnt noticed a change until a few months in. Even in this last week it has improved immensely and i am very very happy! (it did get a little worse before it got better but not hugely worse) My side effects consisted of nose bleeds - however i had them frequently before so that will be why i had lots more. I also had increased sweating (which is one of the rarest side effects) which I have to say was very embarrassing and upsetting, however my skin is amazing so was worth it! I also had dry hands and arms which went away with aftersun! And of course I had the most common side effect - dry lips for which I used 'eucerin aquaphor' which was absoutely amazing and sorted my lips out overnight like magic! - seriously recommend it. depending on the dosage each month, i paid between £25- £35 for the prescription. So in total it will have cost about £150. Best money ever spent! I would 100% recommend accutane as despite all the many side effects, it has brought an end to bad skin, and i now feel very confident and do not feel self-conscious all the time! i would truly recommend it, it is life changing.
This Was Helpful

16 user(s) found this helpful

Report
December 13, 2011

Pros:

- Works when nothing else will.
- Dramatically clears acne.
- Nothing short of life changing.
- Evens out complexion
- Reduces redness
- Works quickly

Cons:

- Extreme dryness everywhere.
- Lower back pain. (i think only guys get this)
- Occasional mood changes.
- Blood tests
- Nosebleeds

I have suffered from a moderate severe acne for over three years now. I cannot tell you just how many different treatments i've tried, retnoids, oral antibiaotics, skin peels; and all with minimal results. However, in just about a week on accutane my skin became to clear. I would always go and look at those people with perfect skin and wonder how they did it. I don't have to worry anymore because I am now one of those people. All my cysts are gone, pimples faded away and gone. My skin is completely clear and even toned (not a single pimple). The dry skin is just terrible though, every night i have to cover my lips with aquaphor and take a fish oil pill. (beware, if you don't your lips will crack and bleed). For my skin I use the cerave cream twice a day and if i get other dry skin i just use some more aquaphor. Also for dry lips durring the day there is this great lip balm you can buy online called CortiBalm. One side effect is nosebleeds, the nosebleeds are caused from dry skin in your nose (the same thing can happen from cold weather), you just need to use a qtip and rub some aquaphor in your nose and they stop. The first week I had terrible lower back pain, but it went away quickly. One thing I have noticed is more frequent and stange mood swings, it is a bit strange but I have only 2 months left and I am so happy with the results I am seeing from accutane. I can finally be entirely confident about myself when i'm out. Not to mention I am getting alot more attention from the girls I like. If you aren't self confident because of bad acne, accutane is nothing short of a cure.
This Was Helpful

14 user(s) found this helpful

Report
December 12, 2011

Pros:

IT WORKS!

Cons:

Extremely dry skin

I have been struggling with my skin for the past 8 years. Nothing has EVER worked, and I have tried everything from proactive to clinique to prescription topicals (probably 20 different kinds). Nothing has ever worked like accutane! This is seriously a miracle drug, I recommend this to any healthy individual with acne. The side affects I have experienced is dry skin (everywhere!), 15 pounds of healthy weight loss, and some constipation (sometimes i would go 3 days with out a bowel movement). But this has worked wonders and I feel so much better. I am on my 5th month with another 2 to go and I don't even need to wash my face anymore! For those of you reading this, you understand what it's like to wash your face twice a day and apply 3 different ointments and take an antibiotic and STILL have horrible skin. It has been so liberating taking accutane! I can wake up in the morning and not immediately check my face for emerging pimples. Now all I am focused on is removing the blotchiness and scars! (I am currently using Garnier Clinical Dark Spot Corrector, it works!) I feel beautiful, confident, and excited for the next 2 months.
This Was Helpful

21 user(s) found this helpful

Report
December 12, 2011

Pros:

cleared 90% of my acne
reduced oiliness

Cons:

extremely dry lips
muscle ache

my dr recommended accutane after we tried several rounds of antibiotics and nothing was working. my dr worked out the dosage with me. i started with 25mg and it went pretty well but there were still spots. so he wanted to go higher so that my acne will be 100% clear but he said it would increase the side effects. and the side effects for me, the dry lips and muscle ache were really bad, so i decided not to up the dosage to 30mg. so he decided to do 30mg on alternate days instead. it was 25mg on day1, then 30mg on day2, then back to 25mg on day3. and i think it was much better this way, the side effects did not get any worse and my skin got better. so if the side effects are putting you off, i suggest you work out a dosage with your dr which is suitable to your needs and lifestyle. i was on one course of accutane for about 9 months. currently, i'm off accutane. there's still spots occasionally, especially during high stress times and days prior to my period, but this is way more manageable than before. oh, and i do have acne scars, but i prefer it to volcanic, erupting pimples.
This Was Helpful

8 user(s) found this helpful

Report
December 12, 2011

Pros:

- dramatic change after one month (now I have like 10-15% of what I had before
- skin isn't oily, maybe a little change with hair oiliness
-feeling so much better
-don't have to think so much about make up because it 'stays' on my face, also I need less of it

Cons:

-chapped lips
-dry hair(had to change my shampoo and use some conditioners to moisturise it)

As everyone here I have had acne for a long time (it started when I was 11, now I'm 18) and I tried all topicals and over-the-counter stuff. I was twice on Tetracycline (first time for 2 months and the second for 5 months). It helped but only for a little while and then it started to get worse and worse (again). It became so bad, especially on cheeks that I didn't go out even to school for some time (and then I went to a doctor who hopefully was more professional and she prescribed me accutane). I was very nervous but I wanted to tried it. Things people write in the Internet about it can bring you down, but now it's been a month and side effects for now are only chapped lips (completely manageable) and slightly dry eyes (I wear contacts and it's ok). I see DRAMATIC change. After few days my skin wasn't oily at all, amazing feeling. I had mild initial breakout but it's like pimples that are under the skin are coming out, so it's not depressing, because when they vanish, it looks better. I had a lot of pimples and cysts and now I have a few which are actually vanishing, and a few nodules, with make up no one would say that I have problematic skin and it's the first month. (!!!!!!!!!!!) The skin is less red and it looks far more 'normal', like a skin of a normal person. I would say that if your acne isn't super severe, it would probably go quite smoothly. If your skin doesn't have a tendency to become dry you don't have to worry about this dryness. I use cetaphil and everything's ok, skin isn't flaky. But my friend always had dry skin and with accutane it became actually problematic. For me, a person very concerned about my looks it seems as a drug that can change my life, concerning all this stress and tears and things I could have done but I didn't because of acne. I will post after I finish my treatment.
This Was Helpful

20 user(s) found this helpful

Report
December 7, 2011

Pros:

clear skin
boost in self esteem

Cons:

dry skin/lips/eyes

I've been dealing with acne for four years now and was on every pill, cream, face wash, you name it. NOTHING worked. I started accutane end of September and it has been the best decision I've ever made. My skin is no longer oily and my face is clearer than ever. I finally don't feel so insecure about my acne that I have to pile on makeup to feel beautiful. Being 16, having bad acne is a rough thing. But now I have perfectly clear skin and I'm soooo much happier now(:
This Was Helpful

7 user(s) found this helpful

Report
December 3, 2011

Pros:

- Clears all acne
- Improves skin quality (Flawless/smooth skin)
- Clears oily skin

Cons:

- Severe dry lips
- Initital breakout lasted 3 months
- Takes a while to work

I'm 19 male and had acne since the age of 14. It has gradually been getting worse and worse to the point where I had severe cystic acne. The docotors tried everything to clear from anti-biotics, many drugs and tropical creams. All worked a little for a for a few weeks but no major improvements at all. Eventually I went for Isotretinion on the NHS which took around 3 months to get from my initial appointment as they have so many checks to do and big que's of people waiting to see the derms. Any how I finally got my Isotretinion in June 2011 starting with 20mg for first 30 days then upto 40mg after then. Within 7 days of taking my skin was feeling really smooth and got less oily everyday. However around the 20 day mark I gradually started getting extremely bad cystic acne to the point that around month 2-3 I had 20 big red cystic acne spots that would just not go. However as I hit month 3.5 I work up one morning and literally they were all nearly gone and from then I have been improving everyday to the point now I don't have one single spot and everyone I know is commenting saying wow you look amazing, even got myself a nice girlfriend. I would 100% recomend Isotretinion and just stick for the first 3 months of breakouts because they are defiently worth it!
This Was Helpful

10 user(s) found this helpful

Report
Previous
1 … 30 31 32 33 34 … 82
Next

Relevant Article(s):

Relevant Review(s):

Relevant Forum(s):

Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.
Find a Doctor Using The American Acacemy of Dermatology Website

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.
Find a Doctor Using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Website