Isotretinoin (Accutane®)
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Side Effects

Isotretinoin is a vitamin A derivative called a retinoid that is taken orally and is approved only for severe acne. It is thought...

Isotretinoin is a vitamin A derivative called a retinoid that is taken orally and is approved only for severe acne. It is thought to clear acne primarily through its ability to permanently reduce skin oil (sebum) production.

Isotretinoin is available in capsule form and is usually taken twice a day. Your physician will prescribe an initial dose, and this dose may increase or decrease depending on the response to treatment and side effects.

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4
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3
15.3%
2
7.3%
1
6.2%

Used Isotretinoin (Accutane®)? Rate It:

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April 4, 2011

Pros:

Perfectly clear skin!
Even skin tone!
Hardly any bad side effects.. for me. :)

Cons:

Chapped lips!! Like veryyy chapped!

Accutane was my true life saver! I had acne all over.. not cystic acne but mild acne that covered my fast chest & back.. I was extremely self consious about this. I skipped my school trip to Big Splash bc i wouldnt let people see my chest and back! I was put on a low dose of accutane my junior year 20mg once a day.. within the six months i was on it i had beautiful skin with no scars and noo spots anywhere to be seen! this is a true miricle drug.. i will be forever in debt to the makers of this.. it got my confidence and my life back!
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April 4, 2011

Pros:

-reduction in greasy face
-acne going away slowly
-increased confidence b/c of less zits
-possibility of acne totally gone at end of treatment.

Cons:

-red sunglass face look
-shedding skin
-difficult to establish a skin cleaning regimen (reduce zits, but not irritate skin)

-30ish male, 5 weeks into treatment -had good luck with...(1) drink only non-chlorinated filtered water and drink 8 glasses/day, (2) installed a whole house water filter that takes out chlorine and other stuff, (3) washing face for no longer than 10 seconds, (4) stopped eating sugar, (5) stay out of the sun. These 5 things have reduced my facial redness significantly (or maybe just a coincidence???). 40mg 1st month, 80mg currently scheduled for remaining 5 months. I hate accutane, but I have no other better options. It's going as good as it can I guess.
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April 1, 2011

Pros:

Clear Skin
No Greasy/Oily Hair/Skin anymore
Huge Improvement and Compliments on my face

Cons:

Dry Lips
Dry Face

Ive been on Accutane 4 or 5 Months and my chest/back has cleared up 99%. My face I have maybe 1 active pimple and I get pimples very rarely. My face looks so much better than it used to 4-5 months ago. Another month or two and my face will look amazing. I Highly recommend accutane Ive tried thousands of products and pills and spent so much money and this is the only thing that has worked for me. If anyone out there is considering taking accutane or is currently taking accutane I use Aquaphor for my lips/body/hands and cetaphil antibacterial bar soap to wash my face and than throw cetaphil lotion on afterwards it works great. I hope I was of help to anyone wondering what products they should use with accutane.
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April 1, 2011

Pros:

Perfect skin!
Really, really smooth skin
Hair doesn't get greasy
Blackheads disappeared from nose and other areas

Cons:

Dry lips
Very dry inside of nose
Dry eyes
A bit of eczema on back of hands and top of arms in second month
Tender skin in the first couple of months

50mg daily for 4 months. I would 100 million% recommend Roaccutane to anyone considering to go on it. I researched it for ages before I decided to do it, put off by some of the horror stories that you hear. At the end of they day I realised that in the time I'd been considering it, I could have just done it. The cons would nowhere near outway the pros, I literally have the skin I have dreamed of, I genuinely didn't think it would work this well. I'm not sure what the general consensus on alcohol consumption and Roaccutane is but I didn't change my drinking habits while I was taking it.. I'm a student so that is a fair amount per week. I could not recommend this any more!! I have a few friends who have taken it as well and their results have been amazing too. MIRACLE CURE!!!
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March 31, 2011

Pros:

My skin was almost perfectly clear for about two years after using Accutane.

Cons:

It dried me out so bad! My skin, not just on my face but especially there, was so flakey, and I literally peeled a layer off of my lips every morning. Not to mention it has many other very serious short and long term side effects. I took it for 6 months about 5 years ago, and within the last couple of years I started breaking out again. In the last six months it has become a huge problem again.

It was nice while it lasted, but I'm upset that I went through all of that just to break out and go through the "What can I try next" cycle. You're supposed to basically never break out again after Accutane, and that's definitely not the case for me. If you're desperate it might be worth a shot, but do your research before beginning this treatment, because the health risks probably aren't worth it. This is serious stuff.
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March 31, 2011

Pros:

This stuff is absolutely incredible. I used to have the most oily skin by far of anyone I knew. After only 2 weeks on accutane - my oily skin was GONE!! it was completely amazing and then the rest of my 4 months on accutane was great - minimal side effects

Cons:

dry skin, dry lips, nose bleeds - that's it.

Wow, this stuff is absolutely incredible. Been off accutane for only 2 weeks but I am so glad I did it. I used to get nodules on my face that would take up to a month to get rid of and now I haven't had a single pimple in the last month ****knock on wood!!!****
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March 29, 2011

Pros:

100% clear at 3 months
No greasy hair
Pore size smaller
acne scars/marks have faded
People complement my skin : )

Cons:

Chapped lips (Aquaphor is a good for dry lips)
Dry skin on top of hands
First Month had bad chest pain
At times i had low back pain
dry eyes

I was hesitant to go on Accutane at first. After trying numerous acne creams, washes, antibiotics, this was my last resort, and im so HAPPY i did it. I started on 40mg once a day. Within the first week, i noticed a soreness in my chest and top of my shoulders. This worried me a little, but went away about a week later. I didnt have a breakout that was out of the ordinary for me during the first month. The beginning of the 2nd month, i noticed i had fewer breakouts, and lips became really dry. Third month i was bumped up to 40 mg twice a day and my chest pain came back. I couldnt handle the pain, so i went back down to 40mg. My face was completely clear at end of 3rd month. Im on my 5th month, and still not one pimple. Im so happy i did this, i have 10 pills left. Its so nice to be done!!!! I would recommend this to anyone who is suffering from moderate to severe acne. You dont have to live like that anymore. Time flys by while your on it.Good Luck : )
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March 27, 2011

Pros:

Skin no longer oily at all
Spots healing more quickly
Old scars fading
Skin smoother & softer
Hair never gets greasy
Available on NHS so only £7.20 per month

Cons:

Dry/split lips
Dry & sometimes peeling skin on face
Eczema on backs of hands (although now gone) also on tops of arms
Occasional back ache
Some joint pain
Occasional crying spells/feeling depressed
Tiredness

I've listed quite a lot of cons, however, I am very optimistic that the outcome will make these side effects all worth it in the end. Also, I do not feel that the side effects are all that severe and are quite easily managed & easy to put up with in comparison to the feeling of having bad skin. I have only been on roaccutane for 10 weeks now and was previously on a very low dosage of 20mg/day so had not seen any improvement, if anything it seemed worse than before. However, my dosage has been increased to 40mg/day & despite only being on this dosage for 1 week, I can see a massive increase in the condition of my skin & amount of blemishes/spots already. I'm very hopeful that it will continue to improve and hope that I will one day be able to go out without make up and not feel self conscious about it. If anyone is faltering about whether to take roaccutane, I say try it as if it doesn't work, you can always stop taking it anyway.
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March 27, 2011

Pros:

Self-steem booster!
Made me more confident and it was actually
the only med that actually worked for me...
It worked wonders and I wouldn't doubt to take it again if I had to.
Low doses in longer periods work amazingly too.

Cons:

In my case, I had a horrible IB even under a low dose
Lips get really dry
Face skin gets flacky and feels weak
Overall skin dries out and it can easily get damaged.

Even though I had very severe acne, I went through a low-dose treatment for 7 months and it worked really well. I recommend this med without a doubt.
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March 26, 2011

Pros:

No oil at all, clear face, the occasional pimple goes away superquick, improves acne scarring as well for some reason. I think the dry skin drops off leaving newer skin underneath? idk. Not to mention increased confidence.

The main pro would be the ability to eat pretty much ANYTHING you want without having to worry about how it will affect your face. kfc anybody?

Cons:

Dry eyes, dry lips.

Don't drink a lot of alcohol. I pushed my limits once and got pretty drunk - felt like my liver was going to explode..It subsided after about an hour but was pretty scary. A little bit is alright but don't go overboard or you'l regret it.

Have just finished my 6th month of treatment. The first month sucks but I tell you it's worth it and will go by faster than you think. After that you will see improvement like never before. Never experienced sore joints or anything like that. I've been continuing going to the gym lifting weights 3 days a week as well as martial arts and gymnastics at least 3 days a week and isotretinoin has not affected my performance whatsoever. I also have never experienced tiredness from taking the drug. I believe it's all in your mind - just continue what your doing, have a happy outlook on life and stay active. It will be the best thing that will ever happen to you.
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Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.
Find a Doctor Using The American Acacemy of Dermatology Website

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.
Find a Doctor Using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Website