I read your review on accutane. I also have had acne for a long time. I use spiralactone and it keeps my skin clear I haven't had a pimple in over 2 years. I used accutane also and it didn't work as well.

Okay I have had acne since I was 11 years old. I inherited from my mother's side. So it was very difficult to control. I have tried every drugstore product at least twice. Nothing works, ever! My skin is beyond sensitive as well. I have also used the prescription drug minocycline when I was 14 (2004), which gave me major stomach pains. It worked momentarily. So I tried accutane (2005?), it worked wonders! Amazing, only thing that has ever worked, no doubt about it. Problem is, it comes back. 6 years later (2011) my acne came back with a vengeance. Sad thing is I cannot live on accutane, I cannot seem to find anything I can use on a daily basis to maintain healthy skin. Has anyone else had this problem? I am also wondering whether they had to deal with this. In 2011 I went back to my derm, and was once again prescribed to Accutane. It cleared my skin in only 2 weeks!! I was on it for 9 months, and it worked better this time around. My skin was so healthy, I didn't even have to wash my face (I did though). It was a pleasant feeling to not have to worry about my skin every minute of the day. So now I have been off it since September 2012 and my acne is slowly coming back :( I do not know what to do, I see this as an endless battle. It causes so much stress. I am going to wait a little longer and perhaps go back to my doctor. The thing that concerns me is how fast my acne came back this time around in comparison to the first round I was on. If anyone has dealt with a similar issue, please comment I would greatly appreciate it.

I know it's not the safest drug, and it is certainly not for the faint of heart, but Accutane is truly a miracle drug. I did one round of Accutane exactly a year ago, and my skin was perfectly clear for about 7 months afterward. Matte, smooth, clear, and gorgeous. I was on 40 mg daily for 5 months. However, within the past few months my cystic, very persistent, pain in the ass acne has returned with a vengeance. It has gotten especially bad within the past 2 moths, which is why I went back to my doctor today and got a prescription filled for more Accutane. So my second round of Accutane has officially started ! I've tried everything, and i mean everything to combat my acne. Clearasil, Clean & Clear, Neutrogena, Vichy, Kiehls, Minocycline, birth control, etc.I used to get it badly on my back as well, but the first round of Accutane handled that quite nicely. My skin has gotten progressively more oily, and I'm getting more cysts as time goes on. I finally had enough when yesterday I felt too terrible about myself and my skin to even go to school. Accutane truly is amazing, and if you suffer from acne that gives you serious insecurity, I'm of the opinion that you should absolutely try to get on it. Make sure you're in good health, get your bloodwork done regularly, and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize ! Aquaphor is great on lips, inside the nose, and on dry skin. Also don't shampoo your hair as often, as your scalp will produce much less oil as well. This drug is life-changing, and soooo worth it. I can't say enough good things about it ! continued >>

EDIT:
I'm now on round 2 month 4, and I remember why accutane is so great now. I'm getting that accutane glow and I'm 90% clear.

I have documented all my progress and products in my notepad.


I went on Accutane for 9 months, 20mg/day, so total dose would be 120mg/kg. It was amazing, I was completely clear after 2 months, and this was after months of various antibiotics and topicals.

The side effects I got were dryness. Dry skin, dry eyes, dry hair, and my periods would only be 3 days instead of the normal 5-6 days. Maybe this was because of the lack of fluids, so the blood can't flow? Idk.

Also, the nosebleeds. They are SCARY as fuck. But just put on vaseline inside the nostril every couple of days and it'll be fine. But if I get a cold and have to blow my nose alot, there's bound to be a nosebleed. And it's seriously flowy and heavy, like to the point of the blood flowing backwards into the throat (LIKE you're drinking your own blood, ewwwww).

After 1 year of finishing the course, I seemed to be breaking out a little. Not sure whether the effects have worn off or it's the products I was using, but now it's 18 months after I've finished my first course, and I have mild-moderate acne, some clogs, some cystic spots and some pustules.

18 months after finishing, my skin isn't super oily like before, it's more normal/combination. It's not really sensitive anymore,, but I have some breakouts.

I am now going on a 2nd round of accutane a 10mg/day, a very low dose and I hope it'll get better.

Bottom line: It isn't a miracle once-off cure for acne, but it does help alot. Acne might come back, but it won't be as bad as before. The side effects aren't that big of a problem, in my opinion.

I had dealt with acne since I was eleven, up until nineteen. My doctor tried to shoo me off with topical prescriptions for years on end, telling me it'll go away after puberty, letting me try antibiotics when I was persistent enough.
After years of such nonsense, finally insisting on a dermatologist, and pressing the dermatologist to just give me accutane already is the best thing I could have done.

If you're starting an accutane treatment, keep in mind that it will take a while to kick in, it might get worse in the beginning, and it's hard to predict the severity of the side effects for you. I found it perfectly manageable. It dried me out a little, and the effect it had on my lips turned me into a lip balm addict to this very day. (blistex daily lip conditioner=HG) But that's nothing if you've had your self confidence wrecked for so many years. This works.

So weigh the pros and cons, consider what you're willing to deal with. This stuff is meant to absolutely nuke your acne. On the other hand, don't be scared of accutane either. In my experience, it's not the scary last resort boogeyman it's made out to be.

I've had problems with acne since I was 14. I tried everything but Accutane, honestly because it scared me and I went for a while without insurance. Just this year I got insurance, went to a dermatologist to get a prescription for more Tazorac, and he suggested Accutane. He had taken it himself and was able to be very clear about all the possible side effects. I went on it for 5 months and it is the BEST decision I've made when it comes to my skin.

There are side effects. I have to carry chapstick everywhere, and feel desperate if I forget it because my lips get so dry. I have to use moisturizer daily, where before it was rarely necessary. I got cracks at the corner of my lips that were very painful and took a while to go away (just the one time). My eyes are dry and I have to carry eye drops with me also. Due to this, I get styes very easily. I had a couple pretty bad headaches at first until my body got used to the medication. To me though, the most stressful thing was figuring out how to schedule two Dr. appointments per month: one for a pregnancy test and one for bloodwork to make sure it want raising my cholesterol. But after all of that, everything was worth it and I would take it again in a heartbeat.

My skin is so clear I don't know what to do with myself. Before it was so easily agitated and I couldn't wear most makeup including eyeshadow and blush because it would break me out. Now I can wear whatever I want without having to worry. Before I hated for anyone to see me without makeup. If I had people over I would wake up early to put on some foundation before they saw my skin. It pretty much controlled my life. I decided whether or not I wanted to go out based on how my skin looked that day. Accutane saved me. Yes, it can have very scary and dangerous consequences, but it also WORKS and has the power to change lives. I would recommend it to anyone who has tried everything else without improvement. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to stop acne in it's tracks before it gets out if control, like I wish I had done 15 years ago.

My acne had gotten out of control to the point that i couldn't hide it with any makeup. I took accutane for 9 months and this did work for me. After 2 years it came back but it is a lot easier to control now. The worst thing about it is that it can cause depression, but acne also can make you depressed, so it is up to you to choose what you want to do. I would recommend this product to people who have tried everything and nothing had worked for them.

Miracle drug for my brother and myself. We each took Accutane, about 4 years apart, at the age of 15/16. My acne was quite bad, although I've blocked out memories of just how bad, I think. Few photos remain from that time, thanks to my parents not owning a digital camera in 2005. I don't remember having cystic acne, just very intense regular acne. I took Accutane for 8 months and it completely cleared my skin up. Yes, the side effects were unpleasant, but not unmanageable. I kept chapstick with me constantly and used a prescription moisturizer for my hands. My bloodwork never came back abnormal that I know of (hey, I was 15. I would definitely get every result now.) One weird thing is that it kinda turned my teeth yellowish, but I would rather have clear skin and yellow teeth than horrible acne and a bright white smile. I didn't get any of the really bad side effects, luckily.
Its been about 7 years since I stopped Accutane, and my skin is so different. I actually use moisturizer now! Its still wild to me. Some people on here comment that their acne has come back, which is a shock to me. I'll get the occaisional zit, mostly from hormones I think. I even get comments about how clear my skin is (the first time that happened I almost fainted haha).
I only have positive things to say about Accutane, but keep in mind that it is an intense drug. There are some nasty side effects that have been associated with this drug. Way out the pros and cons of taking it with your dermatologist, and make sure you trust your derm. You might even want to get consultations with multiple derms before you decide to take it!

Accutane saved my skin. I had the worst acne when I was 15. I had cystic acne all over my forehead and cheeks and no matter what I tried, (drug store, antibiotics, doctor prescriptions) nothing worked for me. My skin was so horrible I couldn't look in the mirror without crying, at any given time I would honestly have about 80 pus filled bumps on my face.


My dad finally decided to take me to a dermatologist, within 5 minutes he said my only hope was Accutane and warned me about all the dangers, risks and everything associated with it. I got it that day and did two 8 month courses. I remember my skin being very dry and getting dandruff for the first time. My lips were always cracked at the corners and my hands felt like a trade workers. My skin also got worse before it got better.


All this was worth it though, because after a year my skin was clear, free of acne and scars. I was finally confident in myself and my skin stayed acne free for about 4 years until I hit my 20's, now I get breakouts every now and then but nothing compared to how I did as a teenager. I wouldn't recommend this to anybody though because some of my friends tried it and got depressed or it worsened their acne. I recommend acne.org and have been using the regimen since May with great results.

I feel this medicine is always going to get a bad rap, partially because of Dr's who do not sit down with their clients and go over the good and bad aspects of this, side effects and long terms pros and cons.

I had a great derm who walked me through everything, didn’t lie to me and we discussed (after I also did my own research) if this was going to be the right option for me. I have had cystic acne since I was 12, I had it so bad at one stage my face was completely swollen with infection and I couldn’t wash with anything as it felt that my skin was being seared off. I did the antibiotics, change in diet, topical drugs, I've pretty much been on every available drug and acne program on the market, so I felt confident that I wasn’t being forced to take something where there may have been something else out there, for me this was the last option, and frankly having acne at 37, with the job that I have is not acceptable.
The first two months were tough, and yes my skin did dry out, the lips were the worst part but I just kept carmex on me at all times. For my body I did crème washes and moisturised with coconut oil, and shea butter, I also used olive oil which was really soothing and nice.
For my face I invested in some heavier skin crème, and also used Kheils midnight recovery which really made a difference. I did panic that too much oil would exacerbate the problem I was trying to get rid of, but the derm assured me that I needed to add moisture back in, and she was right.
The second 2 months my skin really started to even out and if I got a blemish it was tiny and went away quickly, by the end of the two months I had none to speak of, and the dryness was still there but not enough of an issue to make me stop the treatment.
I had a further 2 months to complete my programme (this will depend on your acne severity) and at the end of the two months I was pleased with the results.
I still had some scarring which I knew would take awhile to disappear, and your skin does become quite fragile so you cant do too much to deal with that until after your skin starts to normalise. I did get body aches, but I do a lot of walking so I just kept it up but slowed the pace, that way I wasn’t inactive, and I drink a ton of water normally as well so I personally had no issues with my kidneys. I drank no alcohol the entire 6 months I was on it, and ate food with as little cholesterol as possible. I had my blood tests which all came back at the same levels over the entire 6 months, so due to my taking extra care with my body the cholesterol levels did not get any higher that the initial spike that I had when I went on it.
I understand that not everything works for everyone, and you have to weigh up what you can deal with and what your derm feels is the right approach, but for me this was the only option left and I have no regrets about going on it, I am happy with the results and don’t feel that the side effects were too much to deal with. I know depression has been noted as one, but I personally didn’t have an issue with that and I do have a history of suffering from depression so I was hyper aware that I needed to make sure I was ok at all times. The big contribution to me sticking this out was that I could see the results; I knew it would get worse before it got better but I committed to seeing it though and I had a great derm that supported me and didn’t make false promises. I also didn’t have a lifestyle before that meant I was giving up food or alcohol that made me feel like it was a "chore" to take this course, I just gave up a few things and it was really no big deal, six months is no time at all really.
For me I would do it all again, no regrets.