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
January 28, 2015
Took accutane 32 years ago, really glad I did
I just turned 50. Accutane was new at the time I tried it. I suffered severe acne on my face, back, and chest that was getting progressively worse despite all treatments. It was painful, embarrassing, and pretty much ruined most of high school for me. I started accutane when I was 17/18 and was on it for 6 months with regular monitoring and blood checks. Side effects were similar to others with headaches, joint aches, dry lips and skin, and sensitivity to sun. I recall there was little improvement for the first 4 months. In fact I was so frustrated I started taking more than prescribed. Luckly my Dr discovered this quickly and freaked me out with descriptions of all the dire consequences that result from taking too much. After I completed treatment, all acne was gone for at least a couple years. It felt amazing. I would get occasional pimples after that but nothing compared to what I experienced before treatment. I am a healthy fit male and I don't believe I have suffered any long term side effects. My sons are hitting teen age years now and if I see them starting to experience severe acne like I did, I will aggressively push the accutane route.
December 8, 2014
Best decision I've ever made
I contemplated taking Accutane for a while because of all the crazy possible side effects and stories, but from my experience its 100% worth the risk. My skin is literally flawless, and it feels AMAZING. I had tried so many different treatments before trying Accutane, so I didn't expect it to work, but luckily this was not the case. This medicine is truly magical, I have not had a pimple in months! Absolutely try it if you can!
November 4, 2014
So Grateful for Accutane
I started getting acne in middle school and tried about every antibiotic and topical out there. They helped get my acne under control for a while; I wasn't completely clear but I could cover it with make up and my mom was really against accutane. My senior year of high school came around and everything just stopped working, my skin started to get really bad again and after talking with my doctor, my mom finally allowed me to try accutane. I am a division 1 athlete and one of my biggest concerns was the joint pain. I have been on it for almost six months an I have not had to stop participating in any of my training due to pain. The biggest side effect I have noticed is the thinning skin. I have at least one new bruise after practice and my skin gets really red really easily. I also had nose bleeds for a few weeks but those went away after probably the second month. And like everyone says, USE AQUAPHOR!!! I have three days left of my 6 month treatment and I am very pleased with my skin. I can't wait till the red marks have a chance to heal up once I'm done taking it to see the final result. I was afraid of the side effects, but in the end it was so worth it!
November 3, 2014
Amazing
Amazing! But you must be prepared. I wish I had discovered this website, beginning my course of accutane. I strongly recommend this, but you must be warned. As you must guard your face with your life as it thins your skin and any scratch will/may cause a scar! I am almost finished with a 4 month course 40mgs twice a day! I weigh 140lbs. It will help out a lot. There are many things you have to do,I recommend getting informed properly before taking this drug. Overall take this if you feel that your acne runs your life, you will get clean skin! Your skin will be red due to the medicine working as my dermatologist told me. He said it will go down after my treatment but the results are after the medicine. Scarring will occur,but I heard it's from acne that would have caused it anyway. Take care of your skin by moisturizing with non skin clogging lotion.
August 8, 2014
Accutane
Accutane is a permanent solution for 7 out of 10 people with acne. It is effective, but for some people (like me) acne comes back within 6 months. I did two rounds of Accutane and unfortunately it came back both times although not as severe. I have bad cystic acne that just wont go away for some reason but now I am taking probiotics, using topicals Duac & Tazorac, drinking lots of water & drinking lots of green tea and red tea (antioxidants) & my acne seems to be under control. I don't regret going on it twice, it did clear up for almost a year & it was so nice to get a little break from acne or oily skin lol! THE STRUGGLE!
July 23, 2014
2nd time around
This is a beautiful drug.. It cleared my skin up well.. I took for 5 months.. 4 months in I was completely clear. Oil went away and marks did too.. Didn't really care about blood test in stuff.. I was just grateful to be getting clear skin.. After about 8 months after stopping drug.. The acne came back.. And so did oil.. So now I'm trying it again..I heard once u take it the second time around it's hard for it to come back again.. I don't regret taking accutane. It does wonders for your skin, that's y I'm trying it a second time.. The worst side effect I had was just dry lips.. But I rather have that then bumps everywhere.. If there is anyone out there that has did accutane twice please write a comment to tell me how it went.. Thanks and good luck on journey.
June 9, 2014
2 Rounds of Accutane - Big Fan but Not a 100% Cure
I did my first round of Accutane when I was 20 years old after trying multiple other treatments. My moderate acne was primarily around my cheeks and chin and had affected my confidence negatively for years. Like most, my skin got dry and flaky and I felt like my face screamed "Accutane!" My back would ache for 5-10 minutes every night when I would lie down and I was going through lotion bottles like a madwoman. I was confident the sacrifice would be worthwhile, though, and sure enough by month 5 my skin was smooth and clear. I had a newfound confidence that made me a believer. Unfortunately, the clear skin only lasted about two years and then slowly returned, although not nearly as bad as it was before. After some discussion with my dermatologist, I decided to do Accutane again. Round 2 was just as awful but the results were just as fantastic. Now, two years after my second round I still deal with occasional (manageable) breakouts and am still really hope the acne doesn't get much worse. It has been fairly stable though so I think this is my final result. I hoped that the strong drug would "Cure" my acne once and for all but that was not the case. I am truly grateful to Accutane for giving me back my confidence, however, and though not a perfect solution, it left me with a very manageable degree of acne and am able to keep my face very clear if I am consistent with my skin care regimen. That would not have been possible for me before Accutane. Overall, Accutane WAS a miracle drug for me. Truly a life changer. I would definitely recommend Accutane for those dealing with moderate to severe Accutane and would absolutely do it over again myself if (heaven forbid) I had to go back to those acne-ridden days.
November 30, 2013
My Accutane Journey
Cons:
Dry skin/ lips
Eczema
Can influence mood slightly
Accutane has changed my life. I've always had problems with my skin, but at the start of 2013, I began to develop large, cystic whiteheads and pimples all over my face, back and chest. They became inflammed and red so I went to a dermatoglist to be diagnosed. He told me I had severe cystic acne, but it was a much rarer kind than that found in most teenagers suffering from the same problem. From April 2013 to June 2013, I was on 10 mg, which seems like a small dose but it was enough to bring out my acne to it's worst. For the first six months my skin was in the worst state it had ever been in. It was red and inflamed with large cystic pimples protruding from every part of my face.
I am now finishing my 8th month of Accuatane and I couldn't be happier with the results. My skin has improved tremendously and I have never felt more confident and treatment isn't even finished! Accutane has changed my life. View my before and after here: [link edited out]
June 28, 2013
2 rounds of Accutane; My thoughts
Pros:
Cleared my acne
Boosted my self esteem
Does the job
Cons:
Side effects
Long duration
Slows the healing process of your body immensely
I'm a 17 year old female with moderate to severe acne. I have oily skin (it's in my genes).
I have always had acne; I believe it started in middle school around 7th grade.
I never really did anything about my acne until high school.
My mother and I finally went to the derm and he gave me Doxycycline and I stayed on that for quite some time, but it never really seemed to work.
Eventually my acne got to the point where it made me depressed and I never wanted to do anything except sleep.
So my mother and I went back to the Derm and he then told us about Accutane along with the effects and so on. I went on it and the first month there was a flare up and possibly the second, but eventually it dies down.
I was on it for about 5 or so months and afterwards my face was so clear and smooth I couldn't believe it.
Well, a few months down the road, (I play soccer and we condition in the summer) I started breaking out again.
At first it was just a few bumps here and a few bumps there, then it seemed to just continue and it never stopped.
My derm told me that I would get pimples from time to time, but this was a full fledged break out that never went away.
Eventually I couldn't stand it anymore so we went back to the derm and he put me on it for 3 months and the same thing happened the first time I was on Accutane; my skin was clear.
Well I got off my last dosage 3 weeks into March and it's June and I'm training for soccer and exercising and my face is breaking out again.
It's not horrible;it's mostly on my cheeks and forehead, but it still bothers me.
I just want to know that I'm not alone..
Has anyone else experienced this problem?
I recommend Accutane.
Though I'm still breaking out, my face isn't as bad as it use to be, and for that I am thankful.
If ANYONE can help me or give me some words of advice .. it would much greatly appreciated!
June 27, 2013
REALISTIC Accutane Review
Pros:
Acne has gone
saved my life
Cons:
Side affects
Acne PIH
time on the drug
My acne was very severe from an early age and when i was 16 i was referred by my doctor to a dermatologist. My derm was very keen to get me on accutane, but after reading the side affects i was quite reserved on the idea at first. But after a while i decided that i had no other option and i had a corse of accutane for 6 months. Now heres the point that everyone wants to know, Does it work? Obviously people react in different ways to medication so theres always going to be some variation in its results. However my conclusion is that accutane does work. It may not feel like it in the first place after having the initial breakouts but i can honestly say that it cleared my skin of acne. I still get the odd one now an again but no more than any one else. The major issue i had after finishing accutane was the hyperpigmentaion, which i still have today 2 years after finishing my accutane course. Granted it has faded massively since then but still it is there.
To round up, if you have severe acne and have tried everything and you want to get rid of your acne for good, get on accutane. its a long long process but its worth it!!!!
Pros:
Major improvements
Skin is completely cured
Minimizes pores