Acne.org Products
Oral Retinoid
Efficacy
87%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Use with EXTREME CAUTION: Causes severe birth defects and fetal death.
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.
Used Isotretinoin (Accutane®)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
May 11, 2009
Cons:
dryness, skin and nose
I was EXTREMELY SCARED and i mean EXTREMELY scared to do it but i tried mostly every route including natural way and nothing seemed to work, it stopped most breakouts just scarrring and somewhat reoccurance! but overall ACCUTANE isnt as bad as everyone thinks! IT WORKS BUT IT TAKES TIME!!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! dont be scared honestly, i am like 6 ft 160llbs and i originally started out at 20mg and it worked and there were ABSOLUTELY NOOOOOO sideewffects, now im in about a month and a half and on 60mg, side affects are MINIMAL and acne is clear just a little scarring from before!!! VERY GOOD,m and if scared or nervous start out with a low does like me!! but it does take time remember that!!
May 8, 2009
Pros:
Oil reduced. No more breakouts after 1st month. Face feels much smoother.
Cons:
Has done nothing for large closed comedones yet- maybe even a little worse.
Nearly at the 2 month mark of Accutane and although I can feel a difference in the texture of my face, the photo comparison from day one isn't impressive. I'm happy that the large pustules and cysts have stopped forming completely, however I'm still plagued by hundreds of bumps which are very visible, even under make-up. My face is also very discoloured and uneven from the previous breakouts (which ceased after month 1) however I am reassured that these marks will fade over time. Hopefully only a few light scars will remain, which I will tackle post treatment. Overall Accutane is doing what it's meant to: successfully reducing breakouts.
May 6, 2009
Pros:
i had the worst acne when i was in 7th grade, and i tried everything, proactive didnt work and neither did over the counter drugs, finally in 8th grade i was put on accutane and have never had acne since!!!
Cons:
it does make your acne worse before it gets better, makes your skin dry for a period of time and in some cases may make your skin red
this is the best medication i have ever used for acne. taking this medication has made my skin 100% better and i am more confident then ever. i have never had acne since being off this medication, and have never had more then 2 zits at a time. this product is amazing and does work. however the side effects may seem scary and extreme, they are very rare cases and its deffinately worth it. i would reccomend this product to anyone who has moderate-severe acne. i would not reccomend this product to someone who has light acne, sine the pills are very strong and and the treatments are expensive. my insurance didnt cover accutane, so i was fortunate enough to get samples every month and it cut the cost down immensly! great product and i strongly reccomend it!
April 30, 2009
Pros:
Skin clearing up, no oilyness, less acne
Cons:
Severe skin & lip dryness...cannot have dirct contact with sunlight
It's great i love it. It put an end to all the misery i faced from acne. Even though there are side effects, but its all worth it, and i would take it all over again!
April 28, 2009
Pros:
absolutely beautiful skin
Cons:
really dry lips
dry eyes
bring chapstick with you EVERYWHERE you go.
other than that, i didnt think it was that bad my skin was absolutely perfect within 3 months of taking this medication and stayed that way for nearly a year.
Accutane was the only thing that's ever worked for me.. definitely give it a try! it was one of the best things ever to happen to me.
unfortunately, my acne did come back, but only about 20% as strong. i'm starting a second course in june to hopefully get rid of it for good...
April 22, 2009
Pros:
It's going to work! I have been trying stuff for 20 years and I know this is it. I am moving on with my life in 3 months when my treatment is finally over! It's like chemo for acne.
Cons:
I am trying not to focus on the price I pay in my body... aches, chapped lips, dry nose, eyes, mood swings - pretty emotional a lot of the time. Scabs on my head from it being so dry, and I itch all over but its worth it!!! : )
This is my bottom line. My ticket out of skin obsession hell. I am ready to put in my time lik a big girl and get through this treatment and then enjoy the rest of my life without the stress and anxiety and frustration of having problem skin! If you have tried everything, then try it! And take it right, with a meal, use the same brand the entire time you are on it, don't miss a dose. And get support on this site when you get discouraged because it feels like its too hard. You can make it! : ) Blessings, ClaraB
April 20, 2009
Pros:
Fantastic on nodular acne, starts working within a week to two weeks, clears up oily skin as well, extremely affordable with good insurance
Cons:
Extremely dry skin, chapped lips, redness, will take time on blackheads/whiteheads, extremely pricey WITHOUT insurance
This is absolutely the must-try gotta-have if you are trying to get rid of nodular/cystic acne - I've tried every over the counter medication, every antibiotic, every ridiculously priced foam and none of them did ANYTHING for the nodular acne except for this, and this has reduced the amount of them by at least 75% thus far, and it's been about a month. However - as for your run of the mill blackheads, whiteheads, standard acne, it's gonna take time I'm thinking - that is not clearing like magic, but is still having a much better response to isotretinoin than to anything else I had tried.
April 9, 2009
Pros:
I used to Always get breakouts and the kind that come underneath our skin now say Good-Bye to acne, I rarely get a zit everymonth now.
Cons:
Dry lips (to a point that it burns and you cant even smile), dry skin (My skin is really sensitive and my hands broke out alot with exzema) Dry Hair, Pregnancy tests every month and blood work every 2 months.
I highly recommend this to people that are sick of their acne. This is the best thing that worked for me. I've tried, differin, tazorac, retinol A, Duac gel, Monocycline, and Doxycycline. Accutane was the best for me. I used the generic Claravis. Ive been off of accutane for about a week now because I finished my 5 Months, and my skin looks great! Now all I have to do is get rid of the light scars that I had before and Im acutally using Modern Friction from Origins, its a rice/wheat scrub that you use twice a week using it for a month is like you did microdermabrasion. Anyways I hope it works out good.
March 31, 2009
Pros:
Best treatment you can get for acne, hands down. Clear skin within 1-2 months for first treatment. It only took about 2 weeks for my second treatment.
Cons:
Dry lips and skin. I've been off accutane for 2 years and am still addicted to chapstick (every 20 mins while taking meds, still use it every couple hours even off accutane). I have already had 2 treatments and the acne is back...again.
Everything else aside, it gets the job done. Dryness is an unavoidable side affect. I experienced minor depression and lacked interest in some of my usual activities, but the benefits outweighed the risks and my clear skin left me overall satisfied. The only problem is, my acne is back again in full force and I really would much rather not get on accutane again. 1 treatment is worth it....3 is not.
March 6, 2009
Pros:
Clears skin up fast!
Cons:
Chapped lips, dry skin.
I've been on accutane now for only about 2.5 weeks, and my face has already dramatically cleared up! I take 40MG once a day. So far the only side effects I've experienced are the chapped lips and dry skin... no big deal. It's nothing a little moisturizer won't take care of. If you have any acne at all (whether severe or not), THIS IS THE DRUG TO TAKE. Don't even bother messing around with proactiv or any other over the counter treatments, those all suck. They're just a waste of money. Don't let all the side effects mentioned in other reviews scare you. My dermatologist told me that he's prescribed accutane thousands of times, and has never seen any serious problems.
Pros:
reduces oil and breakouts as well as white and black heads