I've been on two courses of Accutane throughout my life. It has been the only thing that has consistently kept my face clear while I've been on it. The side-effects are a pain in the butt, especially the dryness of skin in almost every unpleasant place; however, I believe that it was worth it considering the mental effects acne has had upon myself. I found that it took around 2 months for Accutane to really deliver noticeable results, so try to stick it through it's worth it. Unfortunately for myself I relapsed after taking the drug between 1-3 months afterwards, so at least in my case, it wasn't a permanent solution but it gave me some temporary solace.

After all I had read about Accutane, I was pretty scared going into my treatment in early September of 2013. As I took my first little orange pill, I was terrified. I had heard so much about the horrifying side effects of the 'miracle drug', and, being a bit of a hypochondriac, I took to the best source I knew ' the Internet! After hours of reading blogs about people's experiences, looking at before/after pictures and scouring forum after forum, my head was spinning. I read about people's faces peeling off, having suicidal thoughts, and suffering through the worse breakouts of their lives. I saw images of cracked lips and sad faces with captions that read, 'my face feels like someone took a meat tenderizer to it.' I read about dry eyes, bloody noses, something called dry butt'"I don't even want to know what that is...NOT encouraging! As I kept reading and scanning, devouring these peoples' stories and experiences, I began to feel physically sick. My back ached, my head hurt, my brain running in circles of is this worth it, am I going to become suicidal? Am I suicidal right now? I was really a mental, physical, emotional mess on Accutane Day One. But then day two came. And day three. Four, five, six ' twenty-seven, thirty-nine, before I knew it I was (am) three months in! 20 weeks down, 8 to go, said my dermatologist today! My skin is not miraculously clear ' not yet, anyways. It is improved, yes, but not done yet. I am choosing not to despair until the treatment is done. I have hope. For all my worrying, and the tizzy I worked myself into on that first day, Accutane has NOT been that bad. It is a very serious medicine, and it should not be taken lightly or until you're ready for the responsibility of its potential side effects. But thankfully mine have been quite minor. It's really just been a few key lifestyle changes. Things I've learned to do while on Accutane: 1. Apply lip balm like it's my job. I literally cannot go ANYWHERE or any length of time at all without Chapstick, Vasoline, Carmex, Blistex, whatever I can get my hands on. As long as you keep your lips moisturized, they won't crack or bleed or peel or any of that nasty stuff you've read about. They'll be dryer than you've ever experienced, that's for sure, but keep those pesky little tubes handy (and don't put them in the wash) and you'll be okay. Sidenote: my hands also cracked and felt a bit like dragon scales at times. Keep hand lotion at the ready, as well. 2. Lay off on showering (a bit). Maybe this is just me, but Accutane really dried out my hair from the first few days. I have naturally quite greasy hair, and being on this drug made it dry, or at least normal like other peoples' hair. I only need to wash it every few days'"which is awesome'"and it looks absolutely great! Thanks Accutane for this one sweet side effect! Also my arms and legs have been dry, so I've had to adjust to showering less often and moisturizing EVERYWHERE after I do hop in the bath. 3. Be okay with picking my nose. You think I'm joking, but it's for real. The mucus in your nose will dry right up on Accutane, resulting in painful and sometimes bloody boogers. I'm just laying it out there for you'"those things are NOT comfortable to leave be, so you'll need to make time to just clear it out once a day. Just don't do it while driving, unless you have really tinted windows. Even then, it can wait! 4. Look forward to that one beer each week. Drinking alcohol while on Accutane is a touchy subject. Some completely abstain, others risk it (who needs a liver anyways, right?) I made a pact with myself to have no more than one beer a week while on the treatment. My liver scans (blood tests) have always been clear, and it actually has been kind of nice. It makes me really look forward to that one drink, and make sure I enjoy it in a special way'"with good friends or an extra delicious burger. 5. Be extra picky about my products. I swear by the following: Neutrogena Extra Gentle Moisturizing Face Wash to start and end each day, Cetaphil Lotion before bed, Aquaphor for those especially dry days (on scaly spots and lips before bed). Lip balms I'm not so picky ' whatever is closest is the best, no questions asked. Well, that's what I've got so far. Two more months to go ' maybe three, depending on progress. I'm thankful for relatively easy side effects, and being able to somewhat hide my excessive Chapstick needs under the cover of 'it's winter! Everyone's lips are dry!' To everyone else joining me in the exciting, frustrating, seemingly endless but ultimately (fingers crossed) effective journey that is Accutane, Godspeed. We are in this, together. ---- Flash forward to today, my one-year anniversary of starting Accutane. I'm happy to say, my face is totally clear! I haven't had a pimple since I can remember, much less a full-on breakout. No matter what time of the month, or how stressed I am, my skin stays clear! A little tinted moisturizer (and some sunscreen) in the morning, and I'm good to go for the day. In fact, I'm back to the oily t-zone I did NOT miss while on the medication ' but it doesn't bother me as much anymore. My skin isn't perfect. I have scars. Bumps, spots, marks on my chin and cheeks and nose. But instead of fixating on those I choose to be thankful. Thankful that someone invented this crazy, painful, apparently wildly effective medicine, and that I had the opportunity to take it. Thankful for people in my life who saw through the acne I had before and will see through it if it comes back again, but also rejoice with me that I can feel confident and pretty and more grown up than before. The journey was rough, I won't deny it. But a year out, I can say I'm glad I tried Accutane. I'm even more glad it worked. And I'm the most glad to say it's over.

I am 21 year old male and had acne for seven years. My acne was moderately severe, and cystic. I took Accutane (Claravis) for 80mg a day for 5 months. My improvements were extremely slow. The first month nothing really happened. From about second to third month breakouts started taking place. The IB acne was very deep and mostly cystic. It wasn't as much as quantity as much as quality. The acne on my face slowly went away, until I was completely clear on my face around month 4. My back acne faded about one or two months after I finished treatment, with minor breakouts to this day. Accutane still didn't clear me completely, but just enough to where I can feel like myself. As far as side effects go, I had dry lips and dry skin, which didn't bother me that much because I live in South Texas where it's always humid, and the winters are mild. I had a couple headaches and sore joints/back. As far as my vision, mental sanity, internal organs go, they were completely fine. It has been seven months since I finished Accutane and all my side effects are completely gone. My skin is a lot less oily, but still somewhat oily at times, but the difference is I don't break out as much anymore. I would highly recommend this, but it is up to the individual if they want to try it, and their level of how they are fed up dealing with this problem. I did not have insurance and had to fork out a little over two grand, and I don't feel sorry I did. There are many times when I thought of what I could buy for two thousand dollars, but my treatment seemed like the answer I was hoping for all those years. Although Accutane didn't work the way I expected, the result in the long run outweighs the risk, cost, and discomfort.

I just started round 2 of accutane today. The first round was 6 months of 40 mg / day. I'm a 120 lb, 21 year old female for reference. Those 6 months were the happiest of my life. I've never been so confident or happy in my own skin. It was FLAT and dry and beautiful. My skin is extremely, extremely oily usually; NOT having that constant itchy oily feeling and having my makeup patchy and sliding off was amazing. I got eczema on my arms and thighs and butt and dry lips and my lower back now aches when I do a housekeeping shift at work, but I really don't mind at all for the sake of clearing my severe acne (face and body) and drying out my skin. My skin is now clear and flat and thanks to Apple cider vinegar the hyper pigmentation is dramatically reduced. I have permanent scarring but I don't mind. Two months after finishing my first round I'm beginning round 2 because the oil came back after two weeks. My dermatologist says once I'm past childbearing years I can go on 10mg /day for the rest of my life. Until then he's hoping that a second round will keep my oily skin at bay for longer. I have nothing really bad to say about the drug; it was worthwhile to me and the side effects were nothing terrible and it made me happier and more confident than I've ever been in my life!

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!

The only reason I am not giving this 5 stars is because I have just had my last derm appointment and am yet to see what will happen when I stop taking this. Firstly I will say after 4 months I have only one or two very mild spots. Which considering what it was like before is amazing. I just want to share my experience because I know I did a lot of research before taking this. Pros: my skin has cleared up, it's amazing not to have oily skin, don't need to wash my hair constantly. Cons: dry skin: in particular my lips- stock up on Carmex & don't use Vaseline (it doesn't moisturise it creates a barrier.) I got mild eczema, small rashes, dry eyes (get eye drops!) I have in the last two weeks of medication had problems where when I go to the toilet it starts bleeding- this is because it must be drying up every where. Now that is quite a lot of cons but I STILL maintain it's been more than worth it & it's not been as bad as I was expecting. What I used to help my skin through the dryness- Cetaphil moisturiser & Cleanser, eye drops for dry eyes, home made manuka honey and aspirin face wash/ mask, hair masks, head & Shoulders shampoo & conditioner- (you will get dandruff), eve lom cleanser, Carmex, aloe protective restoring mask (body shop), Estée Lauder do a spot treatment that I found good, lancome tient visionarie (non comedegenic foundation), clarins instant smooth perfecting touch (as a primer -also non comedegenic) Things I learned- DONT use an exfoliating glove I took half my skin off doing this. DO moisturise as often as possible (on your body too! (I never moisturised before taking this so a routine for me has taken some time.. But trust me when I missed it out that's when I ended up with eczema. DO avoid perfumed products.- I made the mistake of taking the travel sized soap and glory stuff with me on holiday and ended up with eczema and rashes all over me- they are so perfumed. Don't spray perfume on your skin- Stick to your clothes- same Reason as above! Anyway hope this is helpful! X

I always had perfect skin as a child and teenager, right up until I was 18 and I went on the contraceptive pill. After 2 years on the pill I came off as I found that it made me very edgy, plus I wasn't in a relationship anymore and felt no need to continue with it. 6 months later, at 21, I had my first ever acne breakout and it was bad. It started with a few spots, then it covered my entire jawline (classic hormonal acne) the top half of my face was clear, the bottom half was covered in spots that kept coming back again and again. I took antibiotics for a year and tried various topical lotions, used expensive skincare products and herbal remedies, I even tried acupuncture but nothing worked until I went on Roaccutane. I am lucky that I have had an amazing dermatologist throughout the whole of this who has been able to shed some light on the situation; to cut a long story short - the contraceptive pill f**ked up my hormones resulting in adult onset acne. He was swift to get me onto a 3-6 month (it was 5 months in total) course of Roaccutane so as to avoid any deep scarring of the skin. He was strict about skincare products (I can only use oil free cleaner and moisturisers and avoid makeup, using mineral oil free matte powder and blush but no foundations or concealers) and I keep to this routine and try to avoid 'messing about' with different products too much. Roaccutane has been a harsh and difficult journey, I felt like sh*t when I was on it. The dry lips are a distant memory now, but I remember how awful they were (mine sometimes split at the sides and I reapplied lip salve, what felt like, once a minute!) I haven't suffered from any depression but I would feel a tiredness that I have never ever felt before and I can see how people become depressed by this, especially younger acne suffers (I was 23 on my course and felt strong enough to cope.) My whole body ached and I felt completely knocked out. I would come home from work eat and get straight into bed to just lie there or nap for hours and hours. I love the gym, and I found that my knee joints played up (I remember going for a 6 mile run, which would be a normal thing for me to do pre roaccutane, but 2 months into the treatment and I couldn't walk the next day after the run, a pupil at school helped me up the stairs like a woman four times my age - scary) so be prepared to have to completely take it easy and essentially live in a bit of a haze for the months of treatment.... My life was a weird blur during those 5 months, but I could see the light at the end of the tunnel as my skin improved quickly. Once off the drug, the redness, tiredness, chapped lips and joint pain all went away within 2-4 weeks. My honest advice would be - try other options first, research the drug, read up about it, talk to a dermatologist, think about the root of the problem not just a quick fix and be prepared mentally and physically for the treatment. I wish you all the love and luck in the world. Be strong.

Best thing that ever happened to my skin. I was 16 years old when my derm prescribed this to me, since my moderately severe acne was not improving with topicals or oral antibiotics. I was about 5'6 and 115 pounds at the time so my dose wasn't heavy. I believe I was given 40mg every other day for the first month, then 40mg every day for the next two months, and then for the rest of my course it was 40mg everyday except on MWF I would take 80mg. Overall my course was 8 months and I never got completely clear. However, I saw major improvement and it's the most improvement I've ever seen with my skin (the regimen is a close second). I didn't really experience dry skin on my face, but my hands and lips were extremely dry. It definitely gave me my confidence back. I even got compliments on my skin! My skin was never oily, I didn't have any blackheads, and my cystic acne almost completely disappeared. I did have a few lingering clogged pores, which I believe was the reason why I still had a little acne. I'm 18 now and I was recently diagnosed with PCOS which causes oily skin and acne. I never took birth control pills while on accutane so my hormones likely intervened. After I finished the course my derm gave me differin but we didn't have insurance and my father spent a lot of money on the accutane, so I never got the prescription and I haven't been back since :( I used 2.5% BP and aloe vera to maintain my skin and it was decent for about a year. Did the regimen for half a year but quit to try oil cleansing and all that. Now my acne has completely transformed, in a bad way. I don't get cysts anymore but almost all my acne is pustules, whiteheads, and clogged pores. The regimen got me to a good point but I got lazy, wanted to try new things, and now my skin is worse than ever (still no cysts but I swear it looks worse than before accutane). So all in all, this medication gave me more improvement than any other skincare treatment, and I will be booking an appointment for my derm in the near future so I can take a second round. Oh, and I never get cysts anymore.

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.

Since I was 13 I have been breaking out, but as soon as I turned 17, it went from only a couple pimples to mild/severe cystic acne. I had tried any product you could name, and the effects were always good on my skin and acne for a few weeks or so, but then it was as if my skin was immune to it afterwards. When I chose to take the plunge with Accutane, I did my research and took care of myself as best I could since I've been on it. I am now starting my 5th month on it now, and especially in the last month my skin has changed dramatically... and yes, because Accutane makes your skin super dry and sensitive there has left some scarring from previous acne, but all but a couple pimples have been banished from my face now, giving me a much clearer appearance. Without Accutane, my face wouldn't be continuing to get better as it still is today, and I look forward to finishing my last month of it and moving onto treating my scars in the future. My advice for hopeful Accutane users is to keep at it, don't give up hope and keep your head straight because your acne will gradually begin to fade away, and along with that your confidence will begin to grow again. Do not use any harmful acids on your face, use only gentle washes e.g. Cetaphil and moisturise your face, lips and use eye drops, because they DO get dry! Best of luck to future Accutane users!