Like all of you reading this write up.. I was once (until a few weeks back..) a frequent visitor of Acne blog sites , not that i loved reading about it, but was left with no choice to find a solution to what i was going through. All i did was to shy away from the mirror and unmeet a lot of people to stay away from pitying questions and stares. All this started a few years back when I did not know that Acne can become the Cuss word of your life nor did i know that I will be spending rest of my years looking for a holy grail that did not exist! All i remember is meeting doctors and then meeting a lot of doctors. Every time i meet a new doctor and get a new product, life is filled with hope for a few days and then I am forced to come back to my DIY's and blogs. Years later, when I still wasn't tired of meeting doctors and trying DIY's, all i accomplished was to find out what did not work for me. While benzoyl peroxide and clindamycin became the tough routine, my facials and skin treatments took a laid back seat. I had tried almost everything that's out there and was soon an expert myself with the chemical names and compositions. Accutane was feared and was not a choice for years. I meet a doctor and am prescribed Accutane 20 mg and I come back reading the blogs on what a nightmare it could be to get into the course of 6 months. Here I am after 3 months on Accutane, with No Acne! Ya No Acne at all. Sun screen with a SPF 40 and a beeswax lip balm in the night is all you need to get through this. IB was minimal and dryness can drive you nuts, but that doesn't stand a chance before your flawless skin. Accutane it is!

After having perfect skin as a teenager, I was mortified when I developed very red acne at 20. 4 years have gone by and I tried everything, natural remedies, diet, ALL over the counter acne options and nothing worked. Accutane was my last option, and one which I was very hesitant to try as I was concerned about the possible side effects. But I wish I had tried this years ago, I could have avoided so much social anxiety, embarrassment and tears!! I have only been on this for a month, 20mg once a day but I notice a difference after the first week. I did not experience any acne flare up, as I started by taking it every second day for the first week to ease my body in to it and I think the lower dose has been more gentle but still effective. Around the 2 week mark I had minimal sensitivity and slight dryness, but nothing that couldn't be combatted by lots of moisturiser - and it was back to normal after 2 days. The last 2 weeks I have had dry lips, but again a small and manageable side effect compared to having acne! I usually would have multiple pimples popping up every day, but since starting it I would maybe have one new pimple once a week..and this week none at all. Looking in the mirror today I have redness from previous acne, but not one single active pimple..the first time I can say this in 4 years! If you were like me and hesitant, I urge you to try it and talk to your dermatologist about starting on a lower dose to see how your body reacts to it. This has absolutely changed my life, I will now be able to go out with no makeup and not feel like a monster!!! Couldn't be happier with the results :)

Ok I know everyone is different, but I was apprehensive to start accutane due to all of the horrific possible side effects and "scare stories". I am in the uk, and paid to see a private dermatologist -pricey! But this can be done free of charge through the nhs too. It is honestly the best thing I have ever done. When I say no side effects; I literally mean 0! To the point where my consultant didn't think my body was absorbing it. I was on 60mg per day and if I'd have weighed more I'd have been put up to 80mg because it wasn't giving me any bad reactions at all. I didn't even get the dry skin! Even so; I was also using topical isotretnoin too. My skin has cleared up AMAZINGLY! I'm not saying that everyone will get away with side effects Scott free, but what's dry skin for a few months if the end outcome you are free of the crippling acne you've been so desperately trying to fight!? If side effects are bad you can discontinue the medication! But unless your dr says that you have conditions which would make you unsuitable to take it, please give it a go. My life has changed. I don't want to hide every day. And I can roll out of bed and go to work ;) no more hours of slapping on makeup! Haha

I can't reccomend this highly enough!! Accutane cured my persistent acne that was around for years. I'm currently 18 and have had acne since I was in 7th grade. It was causing scarring, making me insecure, and even at points depression because everything I did wouldn't get rid of it. Finally, after countless topicals and different pills from the dermo, he convinced me to try accutane. I knew friends that had amazing results, but was simply scared of the blood tests because I hate needles! However, this was the best choice I ever made for my acne. I'm now 6 months post accutane and have amazing skin. I also now eat a plan based diet (vegan) and my skin is glowing. There are many unknowns with this drug and it is intense, but I figured it was better than constantly being on different pills trying to find one that worked. I've had no lasting side effects. People that struggle with acne should for sure try this. My 6 month course was all I needed to clear my skin.

I have just finished my 5 months of Accutane and feel I owe it to acne sufferers everywhere and Acne.org to say that please, just give Accutane a go. I have never been more confident in myself as Accutane has drastically cleared up my skin to the point it is absolutely unnoticeable i even had acne. I am back to being me again, and i know you can feel the same. The worst that could happen would be that you don't like the side effects enough to stop taking the medication. For me it's a life changing medication with only positive results. Please don't listen to people talking badly of the drug as if your acne has you feeling low, it is a miracle cure. And remember no one looks at you the way you do. People see the bigger picture - not just your skin. Sure they will notice you have acne, but anyone who has not suffered themselves would not see it as disgusting, they will see a bit of redness. And the people who have suffered will only sympathize with your situation. And i mean this in the nicest possible way but no one cares about your apperance - they care about theirs much like you only care about your own. So smile, live through it, and trust me. Try accutane. All the best, Ben

There is a higher ratio of people leaving negative reviews on accutane than positive reviews because many people who reaped the benefits don't come back to write " it worked for me" , but here I am to say " IT WORKED". My dermatologist had been encouraging me to take accutane for years now but I was scared from reading all the negative reviews ,so I resorted to natural methods ( which did not work to the magnitude I desired). After finally giving up, I gave it a shot and luckily for me I experienced the common side-effects which go away after discontinuing the drug. I was 19 years old when I took the drug, female, 5'4, weighed around 120 ( for the people who care about stats). Did not take birth control because I didn't want any extra drugs circulating my system especially when accutane is a strong drug on its own. Avoiding pregnancy was not an issue for me so my doctor was lenient about this. I took Accutane - 30 mg for the first two month. Epuris- 40 mg for the other 4 months. I started in May 2015 and ended in November 2015. The type of acne I had was related to unbalanced hormones, stress, poor diet- all factors which I had a hard time fixing due to being a full time university student. Stress and poor diet was unavoidable in my case no matter how hard I tried. Problematic areas for me were my cheeks and sometimes forehead, it was not flaming red acne all over my face. I was still able to cover it up with makeup but vanity was not my reason to take it. It was very painful, I would get cysts on my cheeks and back ( had been suffering from bacne for 6 years now). During the first month, I felt the common side effects of dry lips, dry skin, aching back. The most problematic side effect for me was the back aches and the knees cracking so I asked my doctor to switch me to another brand Epuris which alleviated some of the back pain. For the remainder of the treatment, the dryness was my pressing issue. No matter how much lip balm I used , they always felt chapped and dry. My skin was very dry so I constantly moisturized with Ponds. I also had a very dry scalp causing me to have dandruff but that quickly went away when I started using mustard oil before shampooing almost 3 times a week. The mustard oil REALLY HELPED keep the scalp dryness at bay. Most days I wouldnt have aches but few days I would experience bach aches. I was also very keen on applying sunscreen twice a day, your skin becomes very sensitive. In terms of grooming, I stopped waxing my face, eyebrows, stopped laser and electrolysis treatments for a year total. Threading was the best way to go. If you opt for this, please let your person know so they can be slow and careful with your skin. My acne started disappearing right away when I started taking away with a flare up during the 4 month. It wasn't a severe flare up , a few pimple on the lower right side of my cheek but at that point it felt like alot because I had gotten used to my new skin. The flare up cleared in a week and a half. Ever since I have been clear and only get a few small pimples here and there, those are usually related to poor skin care, like leaving my makeup on overnight. After discontinuing the treatment, my dryness subsided in about 2 months. 2 months post-accutane my lips were back to normal. My skin and scalp were not too dry but wasn't oily either, I'd like to say normal. The back aches still occurred after stopping the treatments but completely stopped after about 6 months. I am clear and pain-free now. For me it worked really well with side effects that were tolerable and went away after stopping the treatment. I would do it again if I had to ( hopefully I don't have to). If you are able to stick through the side effects, then it will be worth it. At the same time, I want everyone to understand your body chemistry will be different than mine so the severity and types of side effects may be different. I had a positive experience which is why I wanted to share mine with you accutane hopefuls out there. Good luck !

Well where can I start? I had acne since I was about 14 and it lasted me all through high school (fun). I am now 20. I was so embarrassed because it was getting so bad it got to the point where I started getting some cystic pimples!. Finally, I visited my dermatologist in 2014, who helped clear my acne with topicals but the acne returned, and she immediately suggested Accutane because she knew how long I struggled and how much the antibiotics and topicals weren't working. All I can say is that 6 months on Accutane was soo worth it because my skin was soooooo clear I got so many compliments and people were asking me what I been using!. I could eat what I wanted and not worry about getting terrible pimples. I did have to stop after one month because my liver couldn't take the drug I guess it was too strong at first, but after going on a healthy high-fat diet of eating salmon, avocado, etc. My liver was fine and I got back on Accutane. Also, I did notice my hair was falling out a lot more and got thinner :( but having clear skin is totally worth it Lol. These were the only bad side effects I experienced tbh. 2 years later and my skin is stillll clear and going strong! I am so happy! I have this confidence now that I never had before tbh. I realized that I shouldn't care what people think even if my acne does return. Now I only get like tiny pimples once a month if I eat too unhealthy or because of my period, which I don't mind. If you are scared of going on Accutane and are reading through reviews and watching videos before you take the plunge please take my advice and go for it!! I survived and so will you!. You have nothing to lose even if it does not work for you. THANK YOU ACCUTANE, I LOVE YOU! <3 LOL Btw, I was on 40mg once a day for 6 months

I am a 30-year old female who has had bad cystic acne for well over 15 years. I thought Accutane was a last resort for only the worst cases, and I only had it on my chin. I was fed up with trying everything and went to like my 5th derm. She talked about Isotretinoin and I was on board! It took a little getting used to to be seen monthly and filling out the stuff online through iPledge. The first month was kind of bad getting used to the chapped lips (use Aquaphor) and very sensitive skin to the sun (ALWAYS apply sun screen and avoid too much time in the sun). My derm advised me to not drink and I probably did too much towards the end and I would often get sick, so be easy on your liver! By months 2-5 I was loving the results and how non-oily my skin and hair was. I finished after 6 months and I could not be happier and I wonder why I didn't do this 10 years ago and save the heartache over the years. Plus in most cases, you only need to do this once. Be patient, follow your derm's instructions, and do it.

Just fantastic. im on 60mg a day for 20weeks. Currently on week 6. Amazing difference! Side effects so far; Excessive heavy nosebleeds (slowing now) Dry skin/rashes (on my arms weirdly) Mega dry lips (Highly recommend 1% Hydrocortisone cream for stings and rashes- Miracle when you're desperate!) Dry itchy scalp Moody/anxiety- a little between weeks 3-4 (now ok) Had initial flare up of spots on week two, lasted around 10 days, now literally haven't has a new spot since! My skin seems to be peeling like a snake, be on guard with a good moisturiser, tons of lip balm and Vaseline. Stick it up your nose before you go to sleep, gross yes, but you'll thank me for that advice! Any form of Lippy or lip-gloss makes mine ten times worse, so I going with practical over pretty for 20 weeks. Ive had terrible skin since I was 15, im now 31. I battled to get this med, and it comes with more warnings than an explosive ship. But its SO SO SO WORTH IT!!!!! Week 6, my skin is already better than its looked in my WHOLE adult life! I can deal with the dry skin etc, the moodiness, a bleeding nose, and scratching my head all day long like I have nits, because my skin is already dramatically different!!! I cant wait to see what I look like by September! SO seriously, the side effects are a little unpleasant. But isn't having acne day in day out more unpleasant?! I think so. My confidence has been rock bottom for so long. Im always wearing make up. But now im so nearly at the stage by wk6 of going make up free!!!!!!!! Mega life win that will be! Just a word of advise- DONT try and squeeze spots once you've got going with this medication. Literally all they skin comes off around it and you are left with a huge red patch if red raw skin. Especially around my nose I found, literally it make the skin lift off under pressure. Just leave the spot, it will be gone tomorrow!They vanish the night! Go for it, you wont regret it!! ( I ignore all the ' this ruined my life reviews'). Make your own mind up. The side effects are gritty, but I cant say living with acne has been much fun so i'll take this one!

Best thing to happen to me EVER Prior to this drug: depression, hated my skin. Avoided all social interaction (as much as I could). Held back on relationships. Didn't bother sitting in certain lighting. Didn't go swimming, sauna, gym etc as I didn't want to be seen without make up. Didn't even open my front door as I couldn't handle the acne on my face. Accutane period- 7 to 9 odd months of Accutane. I would say it got worse before it got better. This was last resort for me but I was at the end of my tether and NEEDED relief as the acne was cystic, painful, red and unfortunately leaving me with A LOT of scars :( First few months was hard. Spots kept appearing. Skin hurt. Month 4-5 turning point in my skin. Clearer, better, brighter complexion. Friends and family noticed the difference and commented on how great it was. Month 6-9 up and down good and bad skin days. More good than bad. Towards he end it was great. Skin improved and improved even some of the scars filled up. LOVED the drug. Side effects: dry hair. Dry eyes. That's it nothing else Positive side effects- have my confidence back. I'm a new person. I can go out with my friends now. I don't hold back in reltionships. I DO have a lot of scarring but I literally do not care (sometimes) as I have been through the sh*t and back with my skin. I am no longer depressed! One year on; 2016- I do get the odd spots here and there. The acne has DRAMATICALLY reduced. It is not acne anymore it is a few spots mostly around my period. No biggie. I no longer get depressed about this life goes on! Scars - It does bother me. I have become great at concealing my scars with makeup. You can see them but only if your at a 40 cm distance from my face. So not bad. I will be getting treatment in the near future around 1.5-2 year time. Bottom line: try the drug. It is close to a miracle. Your depression days will be gone and you can finally feel at peace with your face. :) There IS light at the end of the tunnel (cliche but true)