Oral Retinoid
Reviews
3.9
2791 Reviews
Oral Retinoid
Efficacy
87%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
1
2
3
4
5
Note: Use with EXTREME CAUTION: Causes severe birth defects and fetal death.
Oral Retinoid
Side Effects
High
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.
Read All About Isotretinoin (Accutane®)
Compare To Other Treatments
5
37.1%
4
33.4%
3
15.5%
2
7.3%
1
6.6%

Used Isotretinoin (Accutane®)? Rate It:

Choose from 1 to 5 stars
October 14, 2013
Accutane came with a price

Pros:

Completely rids your acne, clears your face up
Completely rids ANY acne on your body as well
I had to shave less because my hair on my body wasn't growing as quickly Lol

Cons:

Extreme Extended Hair Loss in my case
Expensive, Cannot drink alcohol, dry skin, skin rashes, Must be very observant to your body, God awful possible side effects than can truely affect your life
Acne came back after 6 months , Really hard to get a Dermatologist to presrcribe it to you

I would most definitely recommend this to someone with SEVERE acne ONLY. To those who have mild acne I'm absolutely against them taking this and those with mildly severe-if you wish proceed with caution. Now before I started this medication I did an extended extreme amount of research, even though my acne was severe and I was deep in depression I still didn't just jump right into it. I read a ton of FORUMS about it and a ton of reviews. First off let me say that the first 2 months I combined Accutane at 20mg with Cephalexin which is completely safe, why you might ask, those two combined have been known to prevent that nasty IB of Accutane that I read all about. I never got an IB my acne stayed consistent without worsening and my face started to clear up within that month. Which was the ending of October last year. I wasn't completely clear till about 2 months or so. It is the least to say that it not only saved my face but it saved me. I was losing myself in a mask that I couldn't take off. It was a God sent. However by the beginning of month 5 I started to experience extreme hair loss. Clumps of hair in the drain and as the shower hit my head from the back when I would wash my hair I could feel it falling down my back. So I stopped the medication but the hair loss didn't. We are now in October obviously and my hair loss has just stopped suddenly and my hair is growing back like-pregnancy hair... it's crazy. I read a bunch of forums about those who suffered hair loss from Accutane and how it wouldn't stop. I read this one review about this lady who hadn't been on it for 3+ years and her hair would not stop thinning. That was one of the worse and almost had me in tears but others that had the same side effect like me, had similar experiences with the hair loss not stopping. I've lost about 50% of my hair in comparison to when I started Accutane. And my acne has returned but definitely is nowhere near the way it was when I started Accutane. Even with the hair loss, I don't regret taking Accutane one bit... I was in a bad place and Accutane was the only light that helped me get out of there. No topical or antibiotics could save me from the hell risen acne that I had at that time. Would I take Accutane again? Hell no. Ill do everything I can to rid my now mild acne by Dan's Regimen or at least keep it at bay but I won't ever go back on Accutane.
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report
July 18, 2013
Amazing. It works.

Pros:

no more oily skin!
clears acne

Cons:

dry eyes
blood tests

For years I had pretty bad cystic acne, the big pimples that hurt. After trying all the OTC systems, Clean & Clear, Proactiv, etc. Then I finally turned to a dermatologist. After trying all the topicals, and antibiotics, which didn't help, I was left with only Accutane to try. The side effects weren't too bad, the worst part was the monthly blood tests haha. I took really good care of my skin with a lot of creams and moisturizers to combat the dry skin. The worst part for me was dry eyes. I was unable to wear my contacts after the first month because accutane just dried them out too much. Overall, if you can put up with constantly needing moisturizer for 5-6 months, I recommend accutane. I haven't had a breakout since the beginning of my second month!
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report
July 17, 2013
It worked, wish the treatment lasted longer!

Pros:

oily skin dried up, pores got smaller, blackheads went
spots, cysts went
got my self esteem back

Cons:

dry lips, itchy scalp, some joint pain

I've always had spots and oily skin, since I was 12 years old. I was put on many oral and topical prescriptions and nothing worked. I live in the UK so got the treatment on NHS, I paid £7.65 for each prescription for which I got 2 months supply of Roaccutane. I took 20mg twice a day for six months, from september 2012 to march 2013. I had to be reffered by my GP, I saw the Derm every 2 months, I had to have a pregnacy test every month so that I could get my next months supply. I also had to have blood tests every 2 months. I loved the effects of the treatment, the oil dried up within a month the spots/cysts took longer to go. I had wasted so much time in head on worrying about the oil and the spots on my skin. It was amazing to be so confident and not ashamed of my face and skin and not to have to blot my skin every chance I got. I'm disappointed however in the fact that for me the effects wore off very quickly, I got the oil back within 3 weeks of ending treatment and the spots soon followed, they are currently around my hair line and chin. The spots are growing up my face I also have a couple on my chest, no cysts yet. I told myself during treatment that my DNA will out, I should have tried harder to engrain that in brain so that I would'nt be disappointed that my skin bounced back to what it was before. So to everyone else, popping a pill for a few months will not change your DNA, it is what is.
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report
June 21, 2013
Effective but not worth it

Pros:

Clears Acne

Cons:

Scarring
Hair Loss
Other major sideffects

Over the past years I have been suffering significantly from acne. Up until last year I managed to keep it at bay with minocyclin. Regretably, my doctor took me off it because he wasn't comfortable with such long treatments (past 1.5 years) and my acne came back. Instead he prescribed isotretinoin. I held out for half a year to just wait how my skin developed but after it kept getting worse, I started a treatment. Initially I was happy with the results and was suffering from few sideeffects (dry skin and lips, later dry eyes). However within 4 weeks I was visibly losing hair and I started to notice my acne scarring (it never scarred before even though it was much worse. And no, I did not manipulate it or anything). After 7 weeks I aborted the treatment due to feeling depressed, mainly about the scarring and hairloss. I have been of it for several weeks now. What is left is that my skin is a little better but I still get pimples while I have scars all over the place. My hairline has receded by 1-1.5 cm and my hair has gone from being super thick and having a nice texture to being able to having about 60% less hair, the individual hairs being much thinner and the hair itself feeling really dry. I would go back to my state before isotretinoin anyday! Please note that the sideeffects I experienced will not be experienced by everyone. However the possibility is high enough to pose a seriouse risk, so PLEASE read the forums and reports on this medicine before going on it! It is in no way a mirracle worker and while acne will go away over time, some of the sideeffects from isotretinoin may not. Also, I experienced all of these sideeffects with a rather low dose in a short period of time (first week 20mg per day, remaining time 40mg per day for 62-65kg, did 7 weeks of 26 week treatment)
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report
June 14, 2013
Until this...

Pros:

Clear skin
Smaller pores
Natural looking complexion

Cons:

Weight Loss (nothing to complain too much about) ;)
Body aches
Gaunt Face (maybe or maybe not related to accutane?)

I've broken out since I was ten years old, and throughout high school I was stuck with cysts and basically a full on pizza face. I decided to write this review because out of everything, this has been the number one. I'm not all the way complete with my treatment but I'm close enough to say that it was 100% worth it and then some. Feel free to follow my little blog I have going as well as my picture I posted. I'm pretty impressed.
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report
April 1, 2013

Pros:

- Clear skin, for the first time in a year!
- Soft Skin

Cons:

- Dry lips
- Dry cheeks, occasionally
- Does not treat discoloration, but it should fade in time

I highly recommend this product. It's seriously changed by life! I was initially so worried about the side effects too, but thinking about it this way- if the negative side effects start to appear, then stop using the drug. You don't need to complete the entire dosage of isotretinoin just because you start it.
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report
March 23, 2013

Pros:

. Clear skin that stays clear afterwards
. You don't need to wash your hair very frequently
. Gets rid of most blackheads
. Gives your face a natural glow
. Also gets rid of back acne

Cons:

. Incredibly dry lips, so dry that even vaseline wouldn't work.
. Coldsores
. Very dry flaky skin on face
. Joint pains in thighs, I actually couldn't run for a while.
. Monthly blood tests:

Since the age of ten I had quite severe acne, i started using Isotretenoin when i was 12, after using almost every spot cream on the market and none of them worked. After 6 months, I came off Isotretenoin and believe it or not, I had clear skin! My spots started to come back after a month or so but i soon sorted that out with some clearsil. Six months later I still have clear skin! :)
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report
February 21, 2013

Pros:

•you'll definitely have flawless skin
•pimple-free
•regular menses (for me)

Cons:

•breakouts for the first month
•dry lips
•dry skin
•affect liver function

I am really happy with this medicine. I'm the kind of person who easily gets depressed for just having 2-3 pimples because ive got really horrible skin for the past years. Pimples all over my face. This was, so far, the best treatment for acne. But the acnes will come back, maybe 1-2 mos after you stop taking it.
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report
August 13, 2012

Pros:

clear skin

Cons:

none

i was worried at first but bit the bullet and persevered and now i have perfect skin
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report
July 20, 2012

Pros:

no more oily skin
no more acne

Cons:

chapped lips
dry skin
noise bleeds
body aches (back pain, etc)
liver problems
irregular period
tired all the time

if you can deal with the side effects... IT'S WORTH IT after i finished the course all of my side effects disappeared and now i'm left with clear skin (for now at least)
This Was Helpful

3 user(s) found this helpful

Report

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.

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.