Should You Try Accutane For Adult Acne?
Posted by: Leonora Epstein
Filed in:
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11:30AM, Friday October 2nd 2009
There are some things that you would think wouldn’t follow you into adulthood. Fear of the dark, a love for Disneyland, jelly sandals. One of the more annoying ones: acne. Seriously, isn’t that supposed to be one of those things that just scars your high school experience? Waking up to see new pimples when you’re in your 20s? Gah!
If you’re like me, you’ve been plagued with acne since a teenager, and while it’s not as severe as say, those scary Proactive commercials, it’s an issue that’s persisted into your adult years despite your attempts to solve the problem. Considering Accutane? Read on to find out about my experience.
First, the basics. You probably know Isotretonin by its most famous brand name, Accutane. Recently, however, its producer, Hoffmann-La Roche pharmaceuticals, discontinued Accutane production in the U.S. (citing financial reasons). It’s still available under generic names, one of the more popular being Sotret. (Yet for all intents and purposes, most doctors and everyone else still refers to it as Accutane). What it is: an oral prescription medication meant for people who have really persistent acne, especially the kind that comes from deep, down below. You know—those super painful cystic zits that slowly rise to the surface. It’s a derivative of vitamin A, and when taken for several months, it essentially dries your oil glands like a desert.
I’m 24 now and had actually been through a course of Accutane when I was 17, witnessing the miracle effects on my skin. While I actually don’t remember too much of the day-to-day (uh, I maybe blocked a lot of high school out of my memory), I do remember getting to college without one pimple. Unfortunately, what many users of Accutane find is that the effects can be temporary. By the time I had reached 21, I was having cystic acne problems again. Topicals helped a bit, but not much. Oral antibiotics also had little effect. My dermatologist finally convinced me to do another round of the A-man.
In the first two weeks, practically nothing happened, and I began to question why I was even doing it. Around the end of the month, however, my hurting, puss-filled (sorry, gross!) lumps that usually came around were much smaller. The last few days of the first month, I felt like God, a considerable amount of my noticeable acne gone, though not my blackheads.
The second month my dose was doubled and that’s when the scary side effects set in. My skin was fairly dry, and tended to peel a bit around my chin and nose, but nothing too noticeable. My lips, however, became cracked and chapped, and no matter how much lib balm I slabbed on, there was just no beating it. Yet, people started commenting on how great my skin looked.
The third month was progress too, but my skin and lips were more sensitive than ever. When I began dating a new guy, I spent most of our time together worrying if he didn’t want to kiss me because my lips were so dry. And when we finally did make out, his scruff seriously tore up my chin. He had to shave everyday, otherwise he’d leave my face red and raw.
I’m now into my fourth month and see that my garden of blackheads has practically died. I am, however, slightly disappointed to see a bit of a breakout—although, I am about to have my ladytime, so it could be because of that. Either way, I would take back the annoyance of Accutane, and would even stay on it for months more, if it meant continual improvement.
Important things to know:
- You can’t get pregnant. Not even a little bit, not ever. So if you’re thinking of having a baby in the next year, forget it. Basically, if you get knocked up on Accutane your baby will be deformed. And boy, do they want you to know it. Anti-pregnancy warnings are all over the packaging, and you are required to pledge to use two forms of birth control. It’s pretty serious stuff.
- It will eat up some of your time. That is, in comparison to how you deal with other easy-to-refill meds. Even the day you and your derm decide you’re going to start a course of Accutane, you won’t be able to get it for a month. You’ll need to get blood tests then, and again at the end of the month to ensure you’re not pregnant and all your other organs are normal. Once you do get the drug, each month you will have to get a blood test, see your dermatologist in person, and fill out an online questionnaire, which basically tells you over and over again to not get preggos.
- Some people get seriously depressed. Accutane has gotten a bad rep after several suicides were potentially linked to the drug’s tendency to make some people more sad than usual. However, as my dermatologist told me, “Most people actually begin to feel less depressed because they look better.” If you monitor your emotions and tell your doctor right away, you should be fine.
In the end, what I feel is this: I’m willing to put up with some gnarly lips and peely skin that doesn’t cooperate with my foundation for a few months in order to look way better. The end.
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Laurel
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 10:42 am: [report]
My brother went on Accutane when he was around 16—I only wish he had gotten it sooner. It was the ONLY thing that cleared up his bad cystic ance. Accutane is serious stuff, no doubt about it, but having really bad skin can also be seriously emotionally crippling.
Leonora have you tried vitamin e oil on your lips? What kind of chapstick are you using? I’ve found that ones with jojoba and/or shea butter are best (at least for me).
lkb2544
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 10:43 am: [report]
Just a note - Last winter, I was getting more zits than I’d had since high school. I did some research and started taking two omega-3 supplements a day (the fatty acids are very good for skin) and slathering straight-up honey on my face twice a week (wash face, apply honey, leave on for about half hour, rinse), and I’ve had maybe one or two zits since then!! Worth a try for anyone out there suffering and not wanting to take a perscription.
Laurel
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 10:45 am: [report]
@lkb2544 have you been able to find omega-3 supplements without fish oil? I’m a vegetarian and do not want to consume fish derivatives, but gahhhhh my skin.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 10:45 am: [report]
I hate this s*it. It turned my face into the surface of the moon. Literally pieces of my face would just flake off. Terrible.
parijat
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 10:46 am: [report]
wasn’t this taken off the market?? i think you guys posted an article on that as well, http://www.allure.com/beauty/blogs/reporter/2009/07/accutane-pulled-from-the-marke.html
thats the article that says its off the market.
my sister used accutane, she now has serious issues with her digestive system due to the drug and these issues are for life. She is on a special diet since her digestive system cannot digest acidic food, dairy, alcohol, spicy, etc.
nb77
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 11:00 am: [report]
I am a vegi too and I take Flax Seed oil for Omega-3. You can get it in softgel form at most drugstores.
LG AK
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 11:00 am: [report]
I came down with a sudden case of very bad, very deep acne when I was 17. Only last year, when I was 24, did I learn that it was all due to an allergy! My derm. says if it’s primarily on your cheeks (like mine), it’s most likely due to a food allergy. Mine turned out to be a milk protein, meaning I can never eat dairy or I break out (like I am right now). Other women I know get it from a gluten allergy. Beware of the food!
Thanks for this article, Leonora! I’m obsessed with reading about this stuff.
Lexington
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 11:08 am: [report]
My best friend used the stuff, and while they claim that it doesn’t make you gain weight, it was probably responsible for the depression that caused her to gain about 40 lbs in about 2 months. Not good at all.
amber
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 11:19 am: [report]
My acne has never been bad enough to warrant me getting on something like Accutane, but I’ve wanted to. I’m 23 and I still break out, my skin has been going through a change that I’ve never see lately and it’s making me nuts, but still not bad enough. I think if I went to the dermatologist they’d tell me to check my diet or just get a better brand of cleanser.
On the Omega-3 discussion going on in the comments here, just get flax seeds and grind them yourself. You get more benefits from the real thing than oil, not just from the Omega-3s but fiber too. I’m a huge fan of flax seeds, which can be put on ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt and fruit…basically anything you want. You can buy the whole seeds or the pre-ground ones, they give things a slight nutty taste but most of the time I don’t even notice it.
And, now I’d love to try the honey thing on my face. :D
PrettyNicki
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 11:44 am: [report]
Trying to treat my acne has been a REAL problem! My first pimple came in the form of a breakout (all over my face) practically overnight. I was 13 years old. From then on, I would spend a decade going in and out of dermatologist appointments trying to tame my skin. I’ve been on every antibiotic and Rx topical cream known to man and nothing seemed to work. The year before I went to college, I went on Accutane. Hearing the rave about its mechanism of action, I knew I was in for a cure. Not so much. I guess my acne kind of got better, but not enough to deem this pill a miracle drug. I think it would have saved me a lot of time, money, energy, and frustration if my dermatologist suggested getting my hormone levels checked back when I was 13 instead of when I was 22. So, finally, after 10 years… my acne is gone.
The culprit: hormonal imbalance
bogart4017
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 12:09 pm: [report]
Me and 2 of my brothers have been cystic for last 20 yrs and we are all over 40. I don’t know about the others butthe dermatologist can’t seem to answer one straight up question. What do i do to prevent this? My brother had one smack in the middle of his chest. I had one on my earlobe. I had to have surgery to have a ganglion cyst removed from my wrist several years ago. I never fully recovered 100 percent usage (depressing for a piano/guitar player). Where do i go to find answers?
sasserlj
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 12:23 pm: [report]
I went on Accutane at 17 as well. I had tried absolutely everything, and the real push to Accutane came because I was allergic to the oral prescriptions. So I jumped through the hoops and, of course, it worked like a charm, and I had a pretty smooth experience with regards to the whole depression issue (although my mom likes to remind me how bitchy I was when on it…I was a 17-year-old teenager, honestly, what did she expect! haha). It definitely dried up those oil ducts, though. Initially it was a problem - lips, t-zone, everything - but was manageable with a litany of Eucerin products (I swear by their Aquaphore line - the healing ointment is incredible for lips). Now,about 3 1/2 years later, I’ve noticed a definite shift in my complexion. Suddenly, my pores are generating oil again. I’m still learning how to deal with this sudden change in chemistry as it doesn’t seem to be very consistent, but it is nice to not have to lather my face and lips up with greasy products every morning, noon, and night. Yeah, I still have break outs, but now they are at least handled by topical treatments.
I understand and even empathize with the bad press and experiences that others have had, but I would have been miserable if I wasn’t able to find a solution in Accutane and would definitely use it again if necessary.
Lilypie
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 12:26 pm: [report]
Accutane completely fixed my skin in college. It was 5 months of hell to finish the course of it (unbelievable peeling, dry skin, and nose bleeds) but my skin has been near perfect since. For me it worked miracles, but it’s a serious drug and not one to be entered into lightly.
treehugr
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 01:03 pm: [report]
i went on accutane- but it was my last resort, so i took it starting at 21, when my teen acne had progressed into its adult acne phase and it wasnt going away. scientifically- no one knows what causes acne- and i grew up with a nutritionist for a father so the whole crazy healthy eating, vitamin supplements, omega-3 oils, etc. were (and are) still part of my routine. and it had no effect on my crazy bad acne. six months of accutane was the only thing that worked and now a year later im still outbreak free! but i’m very glad that i waited past my teen years because i feel its a very serious drug to be on when your body is changing as much as it is naturally during those years.
MissMay
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 03:53 pm: [report]
I begged my dermatologist for it at 19. Once he finally agreed, I took all my blood tests and pregnancy tests regularly for the whole 3 or 4 months I was on it. My skin dried out so bad, I would almost die without one of the 5 tubes of Burt’s Bees I completely went through during that time. But I thank God everyday for my skin. I am a redhead with fair skin and melanoma history. I am 23 now and take great care of my skin because of all I went through for it.
Always take care of your skin!!!
Oh Kathryn!
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 06:15 pm: [report]
Just because some people had bad experiences doesn’t mean everyone will. There’s no way to prove the people who got depressed did so BECAUSE of Accutane. Accutane was my Godsend at 19 when my skin suddenly exploded. Yes, my skin was dry, yes, my lips were chapped, but now I have clear skin- something I haven’t had since I was 11.
secretstevie
wrote on October 2 2009 @ 06:41 pm: [report]
hey, just for anyone who might want to know:
i am 23, and had acne for 10 years that i just finally was able to get rid of. it took 4 full months but now i literally haven’t had a pimple in ages, my skin is flawless!!
i followed the acne.org regimen
it is a non-profit site that accepts no advertising and all the products are over the counter, stuff you can get at walgreens for cheap. go and read the guy’s story of his struggle (after TWO rounds of accutane, he STILL had severe acne) and you can also read about how he finally was able to overcome acne. they also have message boards on the site for people who are trying different things and want to discuss it.
this isn’t an advertisement or anything, i just wanted to spread the love. i stumbled upon it during a desperate/frustrated internet search and it changed my life!
i feel like drug/cosmetics companies make promises to prey on your insecurities, the first/best thing you can do for yourself is educate yourself about the nature of the disease and then arm yourself with things that actually work.
KathleenLeRoi
wrote on October 5 2009 @ 01:13 pm: [report]
I have struggled with acne all my life and in my forties it got even worse. My face looked almost bloody and was really greasy. The doctor put me on 20 mg of Accutane per day. Accutane did work, but I do remember all the awful scaling & peeling I had – the price I had to pay to finally knock out the acne. About the same time I was cruisin’ around online, I stumbled about the phrase ‘does wonders for those taking Accutane’ or something like that. I tracked it down and then went to the Bioskincare website (http://www.biocutis.com). Oh it all looked too good to be true! I got it and within seven days my skin began to calm down. I had very little skin dryness even with the high dose of Accutane I was taking. It was slow going healing and scar fading (because I am older), but in two months time I was very happy with the results. It has diminished scars and makes the rest of your skin look better all over!!! I think it should be prescribed or sold with every single prescription of Accutane.