Ask a Derm: Do I need Accutane?

From the Community…

• 
  Posted by simba s Tue Dec 9, 2008 9:48am PST

  I was put on accutane when I was a teenager. It was AWFUL. I had bloody noses all the time, my lips were constantly chapped, my skin was super dry and my acne never really went away. I believe I was on it for ever 5 months when I finally said ENOUGH! To me, it wasn't worth it being on the stuff. If I were you, I would stay away from it.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Jasmine Tue Dec 9, 2008 9:49am PST

  OMG this shouldn't even be an option. The side effects are waaaaay too severe. I have bad acne from time to time but at the end if the day, I'd rather use Pro Ativ any day!

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Erin Tue Dec 9, 2008 9:58am PST

  I was on acutane twice as a teenager it was incredibly difficult both times. I cried the second time I went on it. I ended up on prescription chapstick from the medication overly drying out my lips. I also had dry spots all over my arms and legs. I'm in my late twenties now and still have issues with acne, however they are not nearly as severe. However, I have changed my diet, drink tons more water than I did in high school and use procactive. Really think long and hard about going on this drug. Do the side effects outweigh the benefits and know the benefits may only be temporary.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by kaliluna Tue Dec 9, 2008 10:18am PST

  I can't believe they still even prescribe this stuff. I had a cousin go on it when he was a teenager and it was really harsh on him, and a friend who was on it said it made him sick all the time. I have deep cystic hormonal acne like the person who wrote in but my doctor refused to put me on Accutane (she called it chemo for acne). Another doctor tried to precribe antibiotics but I refused and finally I was referred to a dermatologist who prescribed Retin A. Finally something that works! I've been using it for a year and while I still get one or two breakouts a month (usually around that time of the month) it has worked pretty amazingly. The writer should ask to be referred to a derm to get a good idea of all the options available because while Dr. Gross may monitor his patients carefully, not all doctors do and there are other alternatives which are safer for your body.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by HawkeyeGirl Tue Dec 9, 2008 12:03pm PST

  I loved being on Accutane, because it worked while I was taking it. Yes there are side effects-a few bloody noses, dry eyes and nose, but those are SO minor compared to being a 27-year-old woman with bad skin. Sadly, acne riddled skin destroys your credibility in the professional world.

  The problem is that Dr. Gross is completely wrong. Accutane does NOT cure acne. I'm 30 years old and I've been on four courses of Accutane. It worked great while I was on it. As soon as I went off, it came back just as bad as before. I cannot go on it ever again because of the potential for liver damage. Oh, and if you are over 25 or so, your insurance probably won't cover it-most companies say you are too old to have acne problems. And damn, is that crap expensive! I'm an attorney and could barely afford it.

  Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid were invented by the devil-they destroy sensitive skin and aggravate acne, they are not fit to be sold in stores. I shudder to see them on shelves.

  I finally had to go to a skin renewal center run by both physicians and a cosmetologist and am getting some relief there, and for the first time, they've been honest that acne can't be cured, just maintained. I will be getting weekly microderm abrasions for a few more months, then just as needed. I use a system called dermesse, which is based around Retin-A, but works much better because it's combined with a chemical that delivers the medicine deep into the pores. Retin-A is useless without the delivery system. It's pricey, but the system is slowly working it's clearing magic and I can look clients in the eye without them wondering what's wrong with me.

  Beware dermatologists! I've been to countless throughout the midwest and not one helped my skin. They are useless when it comes to acne, and I'm never going back to mine again. The least they could do is be honest with you and stop giving you the lie that Accutane is a permanent cure.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Sarah Tue Dec 9, 2008 2:23pm PST

  Both me and my sister used accutane and it worked wonders. Yes we both had dryness during the course (emo oil works great by the way) and a few bloody noses, but that was it. Now that we are both off of it we only have the occasional small breakout (and my sister has been off of it for 10 years). I would definitely recommend anyone who has severe acne to try it. No more stress and unhappiness due to acne :D

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Kristin Tue Dec 9, 2008 2:44pm PST

  I had one course of Accutane as a teen (15) and it was like a miracle drug for me. I had horrible acne all over my face and back and very fair skin that scarred easily. I had tried every single drug out there- both OTC and prescription- with no positive results. After trying everything else, my derm prescribed Accutane as a last resort and I was amazed at the difference I saw immediately. The acne got a little worse before it got better, but by the time I had finished the course, I looked like a completely different person!

  I did have the side effect of muscle pain and weakness, but I never told my derm because I was so desperate to fix my acne problem. I felt like an old lady. Some mornings I was so stiff I could barely get out of bed. At the time, I didn't care because the acne had driven me to a nearly suicidal depression and I was not thinking about the long term consequences of letting the drug's side effects go. Now that I am older and a mom, I wish I wouldn't have been so stubborn. I have suffered through two pregnancies now with a very rare complication involving improper liver function and I am convinced that the Accutane is what damaged my liver (since there is not a hint of this disorder in my family). I don't know if it's even possible to have liver damage from only one course of Accutane, but I would be willing to bet that it is.

  Therefore my advice would be that if you do decide to take Accutane, do be sure to report any and all side effects to your doctor immediately...or suffer the consequences!

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Kristin Tue Dec 9, 2008 2:48pm PST

  Also: my major acne has never returned. Since taking Accutane, I have only ever had very slight and very mild breakouts, very occasionally. And my skin that used to be overly oily, has become normal to dry. What does that stuff do anyway? Destroy the skin's oil glands?

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Hayate Tue Dec 9, 2008 6:57pm PST

  I thought that it was causing emotional problems in teenagers and they stopped using it ? I've heard of suicide and depression caused from it and I thought how could this be from an acne treatment. Then my cousin went on it and became very emotionally disturbed and was taken off of it.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Gatsby Wed Dec 10, 2008 4:45am PST

  I'm 25 now. I started having 'bad' acne at 18, so by the time I was 24, I had tried just about everything 'topical' under the sun.

  In November last year, my doctor put me on a 7-month course of Isotretinoin, the drug used in Accutane, or Curacné, which is the one I took, from a French laboratory.

  I had to undergo everything that is described above: monthly checkups, monthly bloodwork, bloody noses, utterly dry skin especially in my face, utterly dry lips (which you can treat with special lip balms).

  I have been off this treatment for 6 months now, and not a zit! Nothing. The skin in my face is really perfect now. No blackheads either. No extremely oily skin. Now I have to undergo some peeling treatments to get rid of the marks I have from so many years of bad acne.

  But it was all worth it. I completely reccommend it.

  Report Abuse