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
March 7, 2012
Cons:
I still have to apply lip balm throughout the day even after 8 months of being off the tablets.
You get terribly dry skin, lips, eyes and nose.
I felt I had no energy and felt as though I was becoming very weak.
I did become mildly depressed towards the end of treatment, but since treatment has finished, I've been fine.
I tried so many things before I went to the doctors and they recommended me accutane. At first I was thinking "why would I want to go on a treatment that can cause suicidal tendencies and can give you such health problems?"
But I went on it and honestly I can say it is the best decision of my life. I was so unhappy with my skin before and now my skin is so clear, it's actually unbelievable!
Yes, it was a hard six months because you're constantly applying moisturizers and I had to give up sport because I just felt too weak and it sometimes hurt on my joints, but after the treatment was up, it was the most rewarding thing. I have had maybe 3 spots since the treatment ended 8 months ago and I have never been so happy with the way my skin is. Yes, it's still a bit dry and I do have to apply a LOT of lip balm, but I genuinely think it's worth it and hopefully these remaining side effects will subside within the next couple of months or so.
It is a horrible treatment to have to endure and I definitely wouldn't want to go through it again, but if your acne is so bad that it's making you upset etc, then I really do strongly recommend this treatment because the likelihood is that you'll never have acne again after taking the accutane course.
Also, I read a previous review saying that the accutane caused them to burn severely; I went to Greece for 2 weeks about 3 weeks after my treatment ended, was on factor 20 sun cream and not once did I burn; I actually came back with the best tan I've ever had! I guess it goes to show that for certain skin types it works differently. So, don't be scared off by the bad reviews because if you really can't handle the treatment, you can always ask the doctor if you can stop the treatment.
Seriously, it was the best decision I've ever made and I really recommend it.
March 7, 2012
Pros:
-Cleared up skin completely
-Hair didn't get as oily
Cons:
-Dry skin and eyes
-Extra sensitive to the sun
I would definitely recommend Accutane to any one with moderate-severe acne. It's a wonder drug for me! It cleared my acne up completely in about 4 months; even after a week I noticed improvements. My hair didn't need to be washed as often as it used to and my face didn't grease up within a few hours of washing. Some of the downsides were that my skin became really dry. I had dry a face and lips, and even my eyes and hands felt really dry, though this was easily overcome by diligent use of moisturisers and lip balms, and really it was a welcome change after having had a greasy face for so many years! You also have to been super careful in the sun on this medication! My brother was on it as well and he got some of the worst sunburn I've ever seen on a 23 degree day in 15 minutes! After finishing the course, my skin remained crystal clear for another 6-8 months, then my acne started to return. I was pretty disappointed, but my dermatologist recommended another course of it. My skin reacted to the medication much faster, and the side effects weren't as bad - I hardly noticed them at all. After a month or two my skin was back to it's best. After finishing the second course, my acne started to return (after about 9 months) but it was pretty manageable (maybe 1 or 2 tiny pimples a week and a few blackheads on my nose). It's been 1 1/2 years since I was last on Accutane and my skin's back to being pimply, though it's no where near as bad as it used to be.
March 7, 2012
Pros:
-eliminates oiliness completely
-clears skin!
-makes skin soft and smooth
Cons:
-causes general dryness of skin
-can cause chapped lips (fairly mild for me)
-mild skin redness
Going on Accutane was the best decision I have ever made for myself I started getting acne when I was only in the fifth grade. It was fairly mild, but incredibly premature for an elementary student. Once I hit about age 12, near the cusp of puberty, my real troubles began I started developing cystic/nodular acne that sprouted one or two pimples about twice a month,(usually on my chin or around my nose, where they are impossible to hide) and it took weeks for them to go away. By the time that one pimple left, another was just beginning to grow again. As a young, awkward, impressionable pre-teen, these large, painful bumps were cause for much anxiety and shame. My skin also became ridiculously oily. These large pumps continued to plague my skin, and soon I also developed consistent, numerous, smaller pimples that became staple figures in my T-zone. In high school, my acne devastated my self-esteem. I would try desperately to cover up the acne with loads of make-up, but because of the sheer oiliness of my complexion, by the end of the day my face looked patchy, shiny, and red. I could hardly stand to look at myself, let alone look people in the eye during a conversation and have them stare at my skin instead of my eyes. I decided to start on acne when I had a huge break-out that caused more cysts than I have ever had before, and I was desperate. My fore-head and chin were covered in large, painful cysts that were not going away, and the oiliness of my face only made it worse. The first thing I noticed when I started on Accutane was that my skin gradually became less and less oily, and more and more soft and dry.My skin cleared up completely in the following months. As of today, my skin has never looked better It is the best feeling in the world wake up in the morning and feel good about myself. My friends have all noticed a change.
Acne is no longer a factor in my life, and I feel proud of my skin. My only regret abo
March 5, 2012
Pros:
-Gives you acne free skin like so you finally feel what its like to have normal skin
-Results can last forever if you are male and over 20, otherwise it gives you respite to get acne under control
-Never have to fear about getting a spot so you can focus on other things
Cons:
I had only a few side effects, but the ones i got did get quite bad, they were.
-(Usual) dry lips, dry skin on face
-extreme tiredness throughout the course
-bright red flushing and facial redness
-Low mood hit me near the end, but i believe accutane doesn't cause depression, but simply can make it much more pronounced and was due to my own shallow wanting anyway
-side effects can take 6 months to go after treatment
It has been a long journey, and one i probably would not want to go through again. With only mild effects, I became too complacent near the end of treatment, then it became though. Thankfully, iv been off the medication for 6 weeks and the side effects of skin dryness and flushing have slowly begun to subside quite a bit and will go completely in the next 5 months. Recommendations-
-Lip balm and mild exfoliating face wash
-Don't spend all your time reading forums for advice, most of it is guess work, rumours and pure ignorance, trust what your dermatologist says.
-Permanent side effects will not effect you, they are very very rare and those unfortunate ones will go online to post comments online to scare others whereas all the situations were accutane works, these people will not go online but live their lives. Even for these nightmarish stories, the effects go after they post a comment or they are explaining side effects unrelated to accutane and have just so happened to occur after, so they blame accutane. Most people suffer other illnesses as well, accutane can not be the cause.
-Dont fear it because it helps so many people. If it was a dangerous drug then it would not be prescribed to people, it is merely an intense drug, never dangerous as long as the precautions are set.
-I am a Buddhist and the only scary thing iv noticed is some peoples complete obsession with beauty. Writing 'accutane ruined my life, now i have 2 enlarged pores' or 'Im going slightly red, now i think i am developing severe nodular rosacea'. Ignore shallow people and the media and learn to be selfless and not want to be perfect, understand that there are people in the world who are not shallow and will not judge or hate someone just for having acne.
-People who post apocalyptic comments of the disasters of accutane are mostly ALWAYS people who seem self obsessive, self pitying and over reactionary to any imperfection on their face. Karma? Be humble and t
March 5, 2012
Pros:
Pretty girl swag
aka
amazing skin
Cons:
Eczema
Dry nostrils, skin and lips
Sore heels
I've read some crazy reviews and was iffy about all the side effects buuuut I tried it and literally there was a noticeable difference in my skin within the first month with no horrible initial breakout. When I first started I was still using topical benzol peroxide for the first week or so before my skin got too dry, then I switched to just washing. Then it got to where I only wash my face at night cause my super oily skin stopped producing all that ish. I'm loving how my skin looks and feels! ooh but I have had some side effects too- first came the dry lips. Then my scalp started getting a little flaky but I stopped washing my hair everyday and that fixed it right away. Add that I've been getting the occasional eczema rash on my hands/arms. I also noticed my heels started getting sore a little, not a crazy amount or all the time but it's noticeable. Finally and most annoyingly, the insides of my nostrils have all dried out- que asco mocos but I'll be real it's like my mucus dried up in little pieces. My derm recommended using a q-tip with aquaphor inside and that helps. Looking at that paragraph of drawbacks it sounds like a lot but it's actually not hard at all to live normally while taking accutane. The symptoms are not severe for me, I still drink socially with my friends, and if I ever feel like my symptoms are getting too bad I just skip a day or two of taking the pills (it doesn't make me break out and it helps). I'm on my 3rd month, with no breakouts, just the occasional little bump. for comparison i've been on 60mg per day the whole time. ~buena suerte a todos~
March 4, 2012
Pros:
no oily hair
clear skin
confidence
Cons:
dry lips
occasional nose bleeding because of dryness
is not cure for acne
I would recommend it because it has been the only treatment that has given me clear skin for a while, the problem is that after a year and a half of finishing my treatment I started having acne again and it would not respond to any antibiotics, so I had to take another round of medications and it got rid of my acne, but now I have it back again. I would recommend it no matter what the side effects are, I just prefer having clear skin for a while than no clear skin at all, but it ´s NOT a CURE for your acne.
March 4, 2012
Pros:
+ First advise, please don't be scared taking this drug....It is life changing for acne sufferers. If nothing has worked for you so far this will definetly do.I have been suffering from mild to moderate acne past 12 years. I have oily skin, and have tried every product OTC and all antibiotics ( azithro,minomycin) Nothing has stopped my acne until I tried Isotretinoin.
+ I have been prescribed 1 * 20mg for 20days and 1 * 10mg for another 20 days. Only 40days course with vitamin supplements.
Cons:
To be honest on such a mild dose there are no cons....however, I would like to talk about pros.... It stopped my excess Oil on my face, my post acne marks & spots vanished, my skin is very clear now...and I feel very confident. Today is 25th day of my treatment and my skin is like reborn again....Also my doc has given me Clindamycin gel for tropical use along with Isotretinoin and as I mentioned before Vitamin supplements 1 each until Isotretinoin course.
I love it and definetly people with acne should try it. I know how acne feels like.
March 1, 2012
Pros:
Clear skin
Confidence
Cons:
Dry lips & nose
Muscle pain
Eczema
I've been one of the lucky ones; Accutane worked for me almost instantaneously, without any initial breakouts, and tolerable side effects. I was on 25mg for a month which was increased to 50mg for 5 months afterwards. In terms of side effects, my shoulders were a problem - they ached like hell whenever I lifted my arms. I had to stop going to the gym for fear of permanently damaging myself. My nose was extremely dry inside and my lips could get quite painful if I didn't plaster them in Aquaphor (which I hugely recommend purchasing by the way). I experience eczema on my arms and hands, but nothing intolerable. I used Cetaphil on my skin and this helped battle any dryness. I didn't experience any flaking until I ran out of that stuff... Yes there are side effects, but in my experience the pros by far out way the cons if you want better skin. I've been free of Accutane for about 3 months now and I've only had one spot. Fingers crossed this remains the miracle cure people make out eh?
March 1, 2012
Pros:
Cleared 100% Acne.
Blackheads 100% Clear
Whiteheads 100% Clear
Cons:
Doesn't work on Acne Scars.
Doesn't work on Red Scar Layer.
Severe dry Skin during the course.
Nose Bleeding.
One of the KILLER medicines ever had.
Proactiv, Tactuo, Neutrogena, Skin ID everything was a piece of sh*t! Doctor prescribed me for 6 months for 80 mg, but it worked for me in just 3 months. I was told to stop.
March 1, 2012
Pros:
Cleared my skin 95%
Only thing that worked, tried anti-biotics, creams
Cons:
Dry Lips
Dry Eyes
Dry Skin
Sunburn Easy
Muscle Fatigue
No Alcohol
It works and I do not regret going on it. Was tough being on it. Over a year later now I still get some break outs but it seems if I clean my skin every night and put retinol A cream on, then the pimples are kept to a very minimum, i.e. 1 or 2 small ones on my face. You have to remember to keep washing your face, putting pimple cream on after you come off the drug. It is a good drug but i found that it didnt stop break outs caused by not washing my face etc. My advice, go on it, get it done with, its not that bad and move one with your life
Pros:
It 100% worked for me; I no longer have to worry about getting spots!
My hair was never greasy.
I suffer with bad allergies to animals, dust, etc and I found that the accutane actually helped a lot with my allergies, only during treatment though.