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
March 4, 2012
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 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?
January 26, 2012
Pros:
Perfectly clear skin for 6 months after treatment.
Cons:
low back pain, skin took on grayish tone, low energy, sore muscles, very low healing rate.
I've had acne problems all my life. I'm 30 now and still bogged down by how horrible my skin makes me feel. I took accutane about five years ago. It felt like I had every side effect I was warned about. I looked like the living dead and my bf was so worried about me. Unfortunately I don't remember the dosage but I took it for about a month, maybe more. I came off the meds because the side effects were too much to handle. Fortunately, for the first time in my life I had completely clear skin! No blemishes at all after I stopped the treatment. It lasted for about 6 months and those 6 months were amazing! Pimples started popping up slowly and very mild after that and they would go away a day or two later without any nasty flare up or scaring. 5 years later here I am with never before seen pustules on my face. Combined with regular acne pimples. My face is in pain constantly and the scaring is traumatizing... and again I'm reconsidering accutane. I'm that desperate! I've been on Doryx for about a month and its no longer working! Seeing my derma tomorrow, will see about a low dosage treatment. Good luck all!
January 23, 2012
Pros:
On my 5th or 6th month now of Accutane, honestly my skin is about 90% clear and now i get a pimple every once in a while. I still have scars but they're starting to fade.
Cons:
-Dry lips
-Dry skin
-Nose bleeds
I would recommend this to anyone, just be careful of the side effects :)!
January 12, 2012
Pros:
Completely clears your skin up within a matter of months
Cons:
Risk of dangerous side effects in addition to dry skin and extreme sensitivity to the sun, acne may come back a few years later
I used this when I was a teenager and it completely cleared up my skin. By my early 20's my acne came back though and it was worst then ever. I went to the dermatologist and they told me that some people need another treatment later. So I tried it again, but even on the lowest doses it burned the skin inside my nose. Very weird and painful. It's definitely not worth the risk and pain of using it, just to have acne resurface again later. I would try zinc supplements and benzoyl peroxide first. Eliminating diary from my diet drastically reduced the amount of cystic acne I get so you could try that first as well. And to think, all those years of drinking milk for healthy bones. Ha, what a load! Good luck!
October 21, 2011
Product used: Oratane (Isotretinoin)
Pros:
It immediately started drying up skin and stopped new pimples appearing.
No serious bad side effects.
It works!
Cons:
Dry lips.
For the first few weeks I had trouble with my sports (I run for a harrier club 6 times a week), but this wore away after about the 3rd week.
Acne scars remain.
Had to get prescribed by dermatologist, seeing the dermatologist cost a bit of money.
It works, and although it doesn't remove scars, new pimples have stopped.
No serious or long-lasting side effects.
I've finished using it now after 6months on 20mg pills once a day and it has worked really well.
Hopefully it works for you too!
October 3, 2011
Pros:
cleared skin by 90% in 13 days on 20 mg
no initial breakout
no more greasy face and hair
no need for make-up
easier to take than applying creams and gels
Cons:
hair loss-despite the low dose.hair fall continues 15 days after stopping the drug
slightly chapped lips-didn't bother me much
skin takes forever to heal even after the smallest zit
For me, it worked very well from the aspect of skin-clearing despite the low-dose.I did not experience any other side effects during the month i used it except for the aformentioned. However,i quitted as the hair fall bothered me quite a lot and made me quite anxious about what will happen when i double up the dose as recommended.I prefer having a few pimples rather than being bald. Of course,everyone is different and this doesn't mean that all people will have the same side-effects.I would recommend it for someone with severe acne,but if you have light-to-moderate acne like mine please try everything else first.Unfortunately i didn't and my hair still falls.Currently i'm on diane35 and
bactrim and my skin is good,but i'm off accutane for just 15 days, so this could be due to it.Good luck to everyone!
September 30, 2011
Pros:
-CLEAR skin while on it
-Skin that was once super oily, is normal now
-clear skin for a year after coming off
Cons:
-DRY lips
-kinda dry skin
-worse acne in the first few weeks of being on
-acne came back after a year of being off accutane
I started accutane when i was about to turn 17 and i was on it for about 4 months.
As treatment for acne, it was simply amazing. My skin was sooooo clear. Unfortunately, after being off it for a year, my acne came back. Not worse than it was before, but pretty much at the same severity. Also, my dermatologist is reluctant to give me accutane again due to its reported dangerous side effects. Instead i was prescribed Diane 35, a contraceptive used for treating acne. I will be starting that pill today.
September 21, 2011
Pros:
no more acne even whiteheads and blackheads are all gone.
clear smooth skin
shine free skin
Cons:
expensive
chapped lips
dry flaky skin
I used roaccutane for 4 months 20 mg. I can say that this drug really do wonders on my skin. It dramatically clears my skin. I had severe acne since I was in high school until before I used roaccutane,(now I'm 26) My self confidence then was too low. I visited lots of dermatologist and gave me tons of facial wash and creams but still the severity of my acne is still the same. I even had regular facials to remove the white and blackheads just to lessen my acne. When i came to Saudi, I went to the Dr, and he directly prescribed me with roaccutane. I did blood works to see if everything is in normal. So i started taking the pill and i didn't noticed any major side effects that would worry me. My skin was so dry so i just increase my fluid intake to hydrate myself and used vaseline as a moisturizer. Just make sure before using this drug that you know the side effects and used it with caution because this drug is so strong and teratogenic. Now I'm so happy that i used this drug. I just hoped that i used this years ago. I gain self confidence and my life back. I have no regrets on using this drug 'coz its really effective on clearing your acne like no other drugs can. I'ts been 7 months now after using roaccutane and my skin is still acne free. I just really hope that it won't relapse as some user experienced. Now i'm just maintaining my skin with isotretinoin cream and benzoyl peroxide facial wash. Don't be afraid to use this pill because it's really worth every penny. Hope this is helpful. Goodluck...=)
August 16, 2011
Pros:
- No more oily skin
- Cleared up my acne (there wasent a single breakout left)
- Smooth skin
- Hair also wasent oily anymore
Cons:
- Severe nosebleeds in the beginning (I used Vasaline, it worked well)
- Extreamly chapped lips
- Really dry skin
- Acne came back after almost a year (Not as bad)
-Still had many acne scars
I would recommend this product because I had pretty bad hereditary acne all over my face for about 3 years (I'm 16 now), & this completely cleared it up. I was so happy & I didnt have to be so insecure about my skin anymore. I started in May 2010 & ended in September 2010. About 7 months later, my reign of clear skin had come to an end & I started to get some breakouts on my forehead, which is where my acne first originated when it was severe. It has now been almost a year & on a scale of 1-10, I would rate my acne at about a 4 which is definately not as bad as before (which would probably wouldve been an 8. I'm really sad it didnt really have lasting effects for me, but I did go back to my dermatologist & she said that acne does come back in about 35% of the people who use accutane. I was unfortunately apart of that percentage. She told me that I could take it once more & there will be a better percentage that my acne will clear up for good, but I'm still trying to convince my mom on that one since Accutane is a strong drug & she worries that taking it too much might damage my liver. But I really hope that I'll take it again & hopefully have better, longer lasting results. Overall, I would recommend it because although it didnt clear my acne for the good, it did make it less severe.
Pros:
no oily hair
clear skin
confidence