Isotretinoin (Accutane®)
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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.

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August 9, 2011

Pros:

No more acne
Oil gone
Scars/hyperpigmentation went away
Confidence
A whole new life

Cons:

Chapped lips
Bloody noses at first

I just finished a 6 month course of 40mg twice daily, so 80mg a day. I never got an initial breakout or any problems during treatment. I had pustules on my back, face, and chest before treatment. Spent $10 a month on pills and about 100$ a month on blood work+office visit. It was worth it for me, but it can come with risks. I tried everything else over 3-4 years before going on the medicine. Try other options before trying something with potential long term side effects. I haven't had any problems and all my bloodwork came back great, but not everybody has the same results.
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August 7, 2011

Pros:

no more oil!
no more acne!
easy, no topicals to apply!
rosy glow
improved scars
cheap
effective

Cons:

inconvenient especially for females
it has a scary, very biased reputation
chapped nose, lips, and skin

Finally my skin is clear. Don't listen to all the horror stories, please, it is worth a try! search for a doc you can trust who is not afraid of accutane. I took 80mg for 5 months, sometimes twice a day. No side effects. I drank alcohol, was in the sun somewhat and, even with hx of depression had no sx of depression. It was the acne that depressed me!! you can skips days if you are too dry. Communicate with your doctor. I am so pissed it took dr's so long to prescribe it to me. I'm 30! Look, having acne IS is about your health, so advocate for yourself, please.
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August 4, 2011

Pros:

Clear skin
Less oil on face, hair, & skin

Cons:

Really chapped lips
somewhat dry eyes
can't drink alcohol :(

I am now 22 years old and I used to have cystic acne which were really deep, painful acne. Although it wasn't as severe as some cases, it still drowned my self confidence. I constantly had at least 3 on my face at all times and around my period I would get a lot more. After suffering from acne for about 2 years my doctor finally brought up the product Accutane and warned me about it's side affects but I was completely up for it! After 5 months of still having acne I thought it didn't work! I was still getting cysts but just not as many of them so I thought I was going to have to do round 2. But then about 2 months of completing the 5 month process of Accutane, I now have clear skin! I only get one around the time of my period but that's it!!! I did start doing "The Regimen" when I thought Accutane didn't work and I learned a lot about how to properly wash and treat your face which I also think has helped tremendously! Accutane works trust me! I am still on the birth control I was prescribed which was Seasonique and you only get 4 periods a year which I think also helps me get less acne. Accutane and The Regimen completely changed my life and I hope it can do the same for you! ;)
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July 25, 2011

Pros:

-Cleared up EVERYTHING, completely (:
-Loss of appetite

Cons:

-Headaches
- Severely dry lips/ skin
-Acne gets worse before it gets better
*(for about a month)*

I had acne my whole life all over my chest back nd face, I tried everything, but let me tell you, it takes so long to get these pills, you cant just get them, its a long process. You have to try tons of different pills/antibiotics before doctor will prescribe Accutane to you. You have to be reasonably broken out. You have to take monthly pregnancy tests if your a female, and monthly blood tests for cholesterol etc. The pills cost up to 400$ out of pocket, my insurance covered it completely though, we have medical. You have to take monthy online tests because this is a serious drug, and if your a female you have to be on 2 forms of birth control even if your not sexually active. This is the only thing that will take acne away. Its literally a, miracle.
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July 24, 2011

Pros:

AMAZING skin.
Reduces scars and stretch marks while its at it.
3 days on it cleared all of the acne on my forehead.
Nosebleeds, great excuse for lateness (!), I had some all my life before the treatment, loads during and pretty much none afterwards. I think it helped stop me get them any more.

Cons:

If you still have a few spots left at the end of your course, request another month or two, I wish I had.
Dry skin, if you moisture its fine.
Dry lips, request Epaderm its a lifesaver, can also be used anywhere on your body as it is mainly meant for excema, but works wonders on sore lips.
Nosebleeds, I used to have quite a lot of them anyway, but there were a lot.

GO FOR IT! At first I looked at the list of side-affects and was like no way especially as the whole depression thing was on there and I was going through a rough time with some now ex-friends and had got a bit depressed after I came home from a weeks skiing (probably just the lack of endorphins), so I didn't want to really risk it. (While on Roaccutane I didn't get depressed at all just to clarify) So I tried the cream verion of Roaccutane and it made my face hurt, so I came back and decided to go for Roaccutane. And I wish I hadn't delayed it. I had a blood test which was ewwy (I hate them, I had two blood tests, both 12 hour fasting ones for this treatment, on the second blood test I fainted as I didn't even have any water in the 12 hours.) I went on Roaccutane and within 3 days my forehead was COMPLETELY CLEAR, granted I only had little ones there, but I didn't get any spots at all on my forehead during the treatment. Well I can't really remember if I had any "breakouts" as such probably because I was so psyched about my forehead. I probably had a few, but they didn't seem different to the amount of spots I had before the treatment. I think my treatment lasted 8 months and I only had a couple of spots here and there and I was offered another appointment to get another month or two on it, but didn't get my mum to arrange one. I wish I had because you're supposed to stop when you have completely clear skin for about a month and about 6 months later a couple started to creep back and another month they were bad enough for me to try and wheedle an appointment. I was then prescribed a cream which didn't work. I came back a few months and got another cream (Differin, the same cream that I had while I was worried about the side affects of Roaccutane, it is supposed to be "the cream version of Roaccutane" as it contains the same active ingredient, made my face go all tight and itchy, horrible) and then 3 months lat
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July 15, 2011

Pros:

CLEAR SKIN

Cons:

Dry Skin
Achy muscles
Side effects
Have to take it at the same time everyday
Chapped lips
Stomach aches if you don't eat before taking it
Acne gets worse BEFORE it gets better

Honestly, I had no hope of ever having clear skin. Since the age I hit puberty, my skin has haunted me everyday, and every time I looked in the mirror. Others have had worse, I knew, but somehow it still managed to frustrate me and be a constant bother in my everyday life. So, when my dermatologist said there is something that could make a difference, something that even offered the POSSIBILITY of CURING my acne - I leaped at the chance. This was only before she read of the list of serious and common side effects, before I researched the product online, and before I read the horror stories online of others. My cousins, who had taken it, pushed me to try it, but I really don't know what changed my mind. All I know is I tried accutane and I am SO HAPPY I did. My acne did get worse, and I did have to up my dosage. My skin did get PAINFULLY DRY, and my lips are chapped all of the time. But I use lotion daily and I carry chapstick where ever I go, and my skin hasn't been this clear in more than 5 years. I've been on accutane for 3 1/2 months and I don't regret it at all. If you have NO POSSIBILITY OF GETTING PREGNANT, and you are willing to work with your doctor and be conscience of side effects - This medicine gave me my skin back and gave me hope that I could one day look at my reflection without being distracted by acne.
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July 14, 2011

Pros:

-Completely cleared up Acne
-Super new found confidence

Cons:

-Seriously dry lips
-Does flare up at first
-Dermal fragility (Get cuts quite easily)
-Easily sunburned (If you don't use sun cream)
-Dry skin
-Some Residual redness but is clearing

After trying everything from commercial products such as Proactiv, Clearasil Etc to medical prescriptions such as minocycline i had severe acne covering my face and some on my back. I was on 40mg Roaccutane for a little more than one year and in the first three months my face had flare ups and i didn't think it would work then slowly but surely it did begin to gradually clear up until about 5 months later it was virtually gone. i have been off for one month now and so acne what so ever has appeared. Tips: -Get your dermatologist to inject your Cysts with a steroid called Cortisone each time you visit in combination with Accutane/Roaccutane. -Avoid using products with Benzyl Peroxide or Salicylic Acid or labled antibacterial as it irritates the skin and switch to a gentle product such as Cetaphil. -Check lables on all products for Non-comedogenic. -If you can handle it ask you Dermatologist to extend your treatment for a few more months because your success rates will increase.
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July 13, 2011

Pros:

1. my somewhat sever, very painful cystic acne completely stopped
2. my blackheads, mostly on my nose, completely dried up and the pores were invisible after
3. all of the pores on my face shrunk
4. most of my previous scars started to heal and disappear
5. cleared up my back acne for good
6. the acne hasn't come back, aside from small black heads on my nose, and its been four years

Cons:

1. drying out of my skin and hair
2. my hair started to fall out a bit more than normal
3. hallucinations

If you can get a dermatologist to approve it, do it. It was the best thing I ever did for myself after growing up with terrible skin. It was about three months of waiting, I wasn't sure how much better it would get and how bad the side effects would be. It paid off. A bit of dry skin for a little while is worth years of great skin! Just use Aquaphor on your lips, and drink lots of water and use a good lotion. After treatment I went on a strict routine with Proactiv and have not had any outbreaks.
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July 7, 2011

Pros:

All the acne was gone by the end of the treatment (50mg daily for 6 months) ... and I haven't had any relapse so far (it's been 6 months already after the treatment)

Cons:

I got really REALLY dry lips (flaky and sored) but it got better with a very hydrating lip balm (Eucerin)
My acne got a lot worse the first month
Pricey

I totally recommend it, for me it was a cure!! For years (six exactly) I had improvements and relapses in cycles... but with now even my skin is less greasy ;-) It can be pricey, but if you buy the generic and have a good insurance... you'll be covered For me, over-the-counter products didn't work (I had a very severe acne) and I didn't experience any major secondary effects for Roaccutane.
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June 30, 2011

Pros:

Clears Acne 100%
Clears Blackheads 85%
Cures oiliness temporarily

Cons:

Acne may return
Dryness, minimal hair loss
Sensitivity to sun

I was lucky enough to experience on a small amount of side effects. I had dry lips (my skin wasn't even excessively dry) and some hair loss which now is growing back one month later. I am not sure if I am 100% cured of acne but I would recommend anyone with severe to moderately severe acne to try this. Yes, there are side effects but honestly, I held off of Accutane for so long because of the negative reviews I read. Honestly, most people come online to write about the product because they had a bad experience. The large population of people who do not experience anything drastic just live on happily ever after and do not bother. Take it from me, this drug is worth it. I say this and I had no insurance. I got insurance half way through my course and still ended up paying about 2k. If you have insurance and bad acne, you should not wait any longer. Please do yourself a favor and take Accutane. If you are scared, consult your dermatologist about possibly starting off with low doses. I did this and found it to be more effective and I suffered no initial breakout. If you have tried almost everything and nothing has worked, there is no reason for you to skip this because of "side effects." I used to talk people out of taking Accutane until I took it myself. I now advocate it. Good luck!
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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