Moderate acne from time I was 13-25 y/o. Tried everything, nothing worked. Weve all heard it. Moderate acne runs in my family. Accutane was the only thing that worked for my brother years back, but I was hesistant because of all the side effects and being a girl I know how much of a hassle/process it was to get. My skin had to get pretty bad (scarring, hyperpigmentation, small holes in my face from popping, cystic) in order for me to become willing. I did my research tho over the course of 2 years, I read up a ton and watched alot of Youtube expriences. Dermatologist said it would take probably take 16-20 weeks for my treatment. I started at 40mg first two months, topping out at 60mg for the last 3 months ( my weight was about 110-115lbs at the time). I was scared I would have the "initial breakout" that everyone talks about but surprisingly didnt. That in itself taught me that MY experience may not be yours and YOUR experience may not be mine. Side effects throughout my treatment: - EXCESSIVE HAIR LOSS (dry and brittle due to no oil production) - dry, flakey/snake-like/ super irritable sensitive skin - chapped lips constantly - lower back pain in beginning of my Tx - bloody stool (3-5x a month) - dry eyes - bloody, scabby noses all the time - elevated liver enzymes - ringworm on both forearms (lasted 2 weeks) - eczema/ rash on my hands (througout Tx) I took progress pictures throughout my journey (which i recommend you do). My skin didnt clear up instantly and didnt really start to see the results I wanted until month 4 almost into month 5, towards end of my treatment. The side effects that I went through were so annoying but tolerable, and I questioned if it would really be worth it or not. I stuck with it. The most annoying side effect for me was that Ive lost about 40-50% of my hair thickness. It still continues to fall out in the shower pretty depressing and I am hoping it will stop soon. My last dosage was almost 2 weeks ago. I tried a million over the counter Txs, prescribed topical creams, birth control, prescribed diuretics , oral antibiotics, fixing my diet.... nothing worked. If you ask "Would you reccomend accutane or would you do it again?" My answer would be "Absolutely, and only if your dermatologist rides the journey with you ."

I used Accutane when I was 15. It cured my severe cystic acne for probably 4 years. I have struggled with cystic acne off and on since then, though it has never been as bad as it was before Accutane. The only reason I am hesitant to do another round is because of the severe purging that took 8 - 10 weeks. This apparently doesn't happen to everyone. If you can survive the purging, go for it. I would do it again if I could hide in a bunker for the first 3 months.

Unlike many people, I received no side-effects from Accutane aside from poor night vision and obviously dry skin. While I was taking Accutane (I was 14 and/or 15) my acne was 100% gone. Sadly, it did come back and it was still fairly bad, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be. I honestly have no idea why I didn't go back on this stuff. It worked great and I had no problems with it. I should've gone back on it when my acne returned. I was told my acne would return to a certain extent, but I think mine was a little worse than necessary. When I first started taking Accutane, my acne got worse for about a month. Don't worry: this is normal. I also want to add that I had no scarring afterwards.

Well , I'm 5 months in my 40 mg dose and a month and a half ago so depressed and I was losing all hope for ever having tolerable skin never mind beautiful... I had always had oily skin since my early teens. I had bad breakouts but in my 20's it got terrible. Big cystic acne. It was so bad and swelled so much ppl thought I had got into a fight. Full of self hate and anger at my ugly acne I started the terrible habit of picking, I would spend hours picking at it or poking a big cyst with a pin or anything pointy thing. I would try and justify my self mutilation 'If it would only drain then I could start healing'. Consequently I became a mess and started to scar. I had to do something as it was affecting my life, I didn't want to go outside or do anything I was so depressed. So I stared to try everything under the sun, high end products, low end, at home remidys, old wives cures...sight, to no avail. Finally depressed and defeted I finally went to a derm and got on isotretinoin. For the first few months NOTHING changed, actually it did get worse.. I was so upset. But my derm told me to just keep plugging along. Finally about a month ago thing started healing and no new ones came. I have now finally fully healed not a single open sore or blaring red pimple. I always had to leave the house with a thick layer of foundation before leaving house, now I just use a tinted moisturizer *if I'm going out and want to hide pink scars*. A lot of times I don't wear make up. I have my fingers crossed that this is it. I am so thankful. I had got a lot of flack for going on such a dangerous drug but I'm glad I did, also I'm a testament to sometimes it does take a good long time to start working. Try it and also give it time to work. I hope this helps. Best of lucky to anyone living with this terrible condition. I lived and feel your pain, and hope you find your treatment best for you! Your friend in the struggle, Rebecca

I began getting severe acne on my face at an early age (11) (As I got older I began getting acne on my chest and back as well too) I tried EVERYTHING you can imagine and NONE of it worked, it was frustrating & it was causing me to grow up with poor self esteem. At 16 my dermatologist put me on accutane(isotretinoin). She told me to expect my skin to "get worse before it gets better" and that a month into taking the meds my skin would begin improving. Well month 3 came around and I saw very little improvements in my skin. At this point I was getting discouraged,but by the 5th month my skin actually did clear up a lot. My advice; don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate results! My dermatologist even told me she was beginning to worry because for most patients it did not take so long for results. I guess i was a rare case. It has been three years since I took Accutane and my skin is still clear!! I still break out from time to time (but like a normal person, not 8 zits at a time) But the medicine was definitely worth it and I could not be happier about the results! PROS: My skin is finally clear!! CONS: VERY dry face and lips while on meds(I recommend eucerin lip ointment),causes depression(I did not get depressed but it did make me extremely moody), can not drink while taking it, face is relatively dry now. Now just need to get rid of the horrible scarring from 6 years of acne!! :(

I've had a horrible severe acne since more than 2 years ago. My face, my chest and my back, horrible. So I've been on Isotretinoin this year, and well, these are the results: - My face, which was HORRIBLE, cleaned like 95% - My chest is less horrible - My back is still horrible. So, why 4 stars? Because of the face clean, saved my life.

I have been dealing with acne all over my face for just over a year, I was put on accutane in may 50gm, so I'm currently on my 3rd month. My acne has cleared and all that's left is the scaring, which Is amazing! I feel so much more confident and it feels amazing having smooth skin! BUT there are side effects the most difficult one I have experienced would be hair loss, my hair has thinned a lot since started but in my opinion having clear skin is more important ( although I naturally have long hair that is rather thick so it wasn't a deal breaker for me) I take Vitamin C and hair supplements to try and help . some other side effects are: dry lips/ swollen lips, I just keep them moisturized this isn't a big deal for me they dont get too bad. bloodshot eyes, my eyes water more easily too, I look like I've been crying or I'm stoned a lot. also drying of the skin, I recommend putting jojoba oil on your face at night, it stops the drying and it's great for your skin. side note- the face wash I use is angels on bare skin by Lush, and the tea tree toner by lush, both are great and I recommend. All in all I'd say that this product is worth it, although luckily I live in the UK and get it free, I don't think i would pay for it considering the price and the side effect.

Brief description of myself: Female, 32 years old, 63KG. On 40mg- 60mg. I started taking this med in March, all seemed ok until around 3/4th day where I was ready to just give up, I started getting extremely hot, my face was on fire constantly, I was always red and of course peeling! Honestly I had "snake skin!". I was prescribed double based cream which I felt like I had to keep on putting on my face. Anyhow I didn't give up, what I did was adjust a few things- instead of using the cream I started using raw organic coconut oil (previously used now and again)- my god what a difference! My face was constantly moisturised and it tackled the horrid scars! I only used coconut oil for my face nothing else. Beauty regime- Morning- "cream" face with coconut oil (quite a bit), shower (water dries your face so be sure to put quite a bit of oil PRIOR to the shower), pat dry your face after shower, apply make up (I used Double Wear by Estée Lauder- amazing!). At night I would "cream" my face with the oil (over the make up) then with cotton wool rub it off gently, wash with warm water, pat dry and apply a decent amount of oil before bed! Always keep Vaseline near you, dry lips are terrible, and over time they get worse 😩.. My scalp got very dry too, again I used coconut oil. Put a good amount on your scalp, go sleep and wash in the morning! This problem was tackled within a couple of days! I never broke out, in fact within a week or so I saw a huge improvement - my face was literally almost cleared! I couldn't believe it.. a couple of weeks ago I saw my derm and was hoping I would be told that my treatment was complete- however I still have 2 months to go at 60mg (previously on 40mg). I started taking the extra pill and the side effects got worse to the point that I almost gave up again, so I've decided to go back down to 40mg and unfortunately will have to stay on for a little longer.. I gave this med 4 stars purely down to the side effects, it is a rough ride but I personally think it's so worth it! My skin looks amazing, not ONE spot! (I've previously counted 30+!) . My scars are next to none (maybe the coconut oil has helped).. If your about to start good luck, hope you don't have such a rough ride that you decide to give up.. All the best!! Ahh yes- joints hurt too. 6months later..... I previously wrote a review whilst on this treatment, so thought it would be good to let you all know what life is like once you finish yours! Absolutely fantastic! Not one single spot on my face or back.. I finished my treatment at the end of sept 2015, and since then I haven't had any breakouts , skin is back to normal (no longer feels sensitive), no more dry lips, or aching joints. I do wish I had taken this stuff sooner. I had previously given the medication 4 stars due to the side affects, it is a rough ride, but it's worth it.. I still only use raw coconut oil as a moisturiser, hardly ever wear foundation (only wear if I'm going out, for a smoother finish!) - that was a big thing for me when I had spots, I couldn't leave the house without - and I mean layers and layers of it! I have absolutely no scars what so ever, I don't know if it's because I used the coconut oil instead of double base cream but either way I'm happy I made the decision not to use the cream provided.. Please feel free to read my other review, it has some tips. I also went on holiday whilst taking this, and was fine. Didn't burn at all, I used factor 50, applied fairly frequently- I had a lovely tan.. Good luck !

I'm 22 years old now (female) and have been struggling with acne since I was 13. It got to a point where I was severely depressed over the state of my skin and didn't want to leave the house. My confidence was very badly affected and I still suffer with the crippling self consciousness that acne induces. I do still have acne now, but I would like to say first and foremost that does not mean that this drug doesn't work - Accutane works, it really works. I had cystic acne in almost every pore in my face and all over my neck and back - I simply felt terrible about myself. Now I have a clear back, but I do still struggle with hormonal acne - I am hoping to go back on Dianette and I will also be getting laser treatment on my face for the hyperpigmentation caused by my acne. I took 40mg for 6 months alongside Dianette (the contraceptive pill) and I also took (and still take) daily B vitamins and cod liver oil. The first month was very difficult as it is common to experience a flare up in your skin when you first start taking Accutane, in other words, it gets worse before it gets better. That is exactly what happened, alongside very dry lips. However with the use of a brand of moisturiser called Cetaphil, plus a good lip balm, and persevering with a good skincare regime, all my acne cleared up wonderfully within 6 months. I had baby soft, smooth, and clear skin, I was so delighted to feel normal again - i.e not look in the mirror and feel horrified at my reflection. Long story short, my skin became spotty again fairly soon after stopping it but I would like to be clear that this was probably due to one of the following factors 1) I entered a depressive episode and wasn't taking good care of my skin, 2) I was under a great deal of stress, 3) I started taking the drug lithium which is known to cause acne, 4) I switched to a contraceptive pill (Gedarel) that aggravated my acne and skin inflammation issues. Despite this, I don't regret using Accutane, it is a very effective drug and if you maintain a good skin care regime and a healthy diet, it should stop it from returning. Be careful with contraceptive pills, I have personally found that the only one that doesn't aggravate my skin massively is Dianette. Dianette blocks the effects of androgens in the body which is why I feel it was particularly effective for my severe hormonal acne.

I took 50mg for 6 months, I've now been off it for seven months I started out with mild, but persistent inflammatory acne Took me about 4 months to clear completely, and I had horrendously bad break outs. Side effects: nerve problems, anal tearing, dry skin, back pain (I took fish oil and aquafor for these, and they mostly all went away or were more manageable) After I stopped the drug, all my side effects completely went away. Unfortunately, my acne also started coming back slowly but surely. It's not nearly as bad as it was before I took it though, so I would recommend it to people that have tried all the different retinoids without success. Expect your acne to get better, and for you to clear completely while on the drug, but don't expect any miracles after you stop taking it. This is not a cure for most people. Don't freak out too much about all the accutane "horror stories." In my experience, they sucked but didn't stay around forever. I still have mild, but persistent inflammatory acne. At least it's better though.