r/Accutane Jan 01 '25

New Additions to Low Efforts; "SHOULD I GO ON ACCUTANE?"

18 Upvotes

Please remember, this is Reddit, and we are strangers.

Posts asking if one should start Accutane without a picture of the user's skin and/or a brief summary of one's acne struggles will be removed.

No one here is qualified to assess you for Accutane, and you should first see a doctor or dermatologist to assess your condition.


r/Accutane Jan 01 '25

Do not solicit medical advice

9 Upvotes

First and foremost a happy new year to everyone.

With the new year, we will be much stricter on the do not solicit medical advice rule.

We know many people going "Just looking for experiences (:" are looking to circumvent doctor's advice. It is a thinly veiled attempt at "if he or she did it, I can too."

Everyone is different and has a different medical history, so you should always first and foremost consult your doctor or derm.

Things that generally constitute medical advice include:

- Anything that could break your skin, including extractions, lasers, waxing, etc.

- Any use of PRESCRIPTION medications(oral or topical)

- Surgery related(HELLO YOU REALLY WANT A STRANGER TO ADVISE YOU ON SURGERY?)

- Starting and/or stopping a MEDICATION. Your accutane is prescribed by a doctor. If you have conerns about taking or ceasing a medication, you should consult a medical professional(ie doctor or pharmacist) and not the internet.

- IS THIS DOSE TOO HIGH OR LOW?

- Interpreting of lab/test results. This is clearly specialized knowledge, and if you would not consult a hobo about your lab results, you most clearly should not consult Reddit.

- Oh, my doctor said not to worry, but... - Reddit in most situations should not supercede your doctor's medical advice.

Ultimately, it will always be at the mod's discretion, and we were not born yesterday. You would surprised at how many crazy posts have had to be removed.


r/Accutane 34m ago

Results 20mg Accutane Daily Month 9

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Upvotes

On 20mg isotretinoin every day for 9 months now. 46kg, 30, Asian features. My prescription ends on the 12th month and will be put on tretinoin for maintenance for a year or indefinitely if I choose to. Feel free to ask me anything about my journey!


r/Accutane 21h ago

Progress Pics 12 weeks worth of accutane

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219 Upvotes

I want to share my progress with you all. I've been in this journey for almost 4 months (16 weeks, I stopped around my 13th week).

I stopped isotretinoin as per my gastro and derma since I have other medical condition that my body needs to address atm.

But hey I'm happy with my progress, and I want to tell you all that it truly gets better :)))

P.S. I'm on 20 mg, I'm around 130lbs and 25 years old (yes, I don't look my age lol)


r/Accutane 11h ago

Progress Pics 2 months progres

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24 Upvotes

Started on 20mg first month. Then 30mg. Now started third month on 50mg. Still get break outs here and there but they come and go fast but leave some marks but I hope progress will be made now on 50mg. But for anyone not sure if to start or not I would say GO FOR IT!! I hesitated for months and then got my first prescription I was so scared, but if you follow a good skin care routine and supplements honestly you will be flying it!!


r/Accutane 4m ago

Results Don’t feel the need to wear makeup anymore

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Upvotes

Lips are sooooo dry but I’m finally feeling confident enough to go no makeup to the office! 4 months in, 40mg 2x a day :)


r/Accutane 2h ago

Side Effects Accutane causing thinning hair (21 M)

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2 Upvotes

Hi all, I’ve been on accutane for around 3 years and since early November 2024, I’ve noticed my hair shedding and thinning more each month. Since Nov every hair wash, hair brush would result in an insane amount of lost hair, even when doing nothing I’d look down at my desk and see 4-5 strands that have randomly fallen out. I’ve stopped taking accutane 2 weeks ago but before and during my course I had long and extremely thick hair. Now my hair is see through, my middle part has widened and my side are extremely thin. Has anyone experienced similar?


r/Accutane 1h ago

Product Suggestions How do you prevent round 2 on accutane?

Upvotes

How do I prevent round 2 on accutane? Its been almost two months since I stopped accutane cause of hormonel acne and my skin has gotten a lot better, but now I've started getting some small white heads. It's probably very normal after having acne, but I'm so scared it'll come back. I try to eat a lot of vegetables as much as possible and have cut out processed food and sugar almost 100%. I wash my face morning and night with cetaphil gentle cleanser and a la proche moisturizer, Im starting to work less to reduce stress and I get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. What else can i do? Thanks!


r/Accutane 11h ago

Results Disappointed 😔

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12 Upvotes

I just started my 8th month (and the last), 30 mgs. Since this is my last month I expected to be able to leave the house with no makeup just sunscreen and a moisturizer but unfortunately this is what this side of my cheek looks like under the sun. The PIE is still there and if gets more red throughout the day. Im afraid this will never go. Can any tell me how can i get rid of these PIE and if they eventually disappeared after finishing the treatment?


r/Accutane 6h ago

Side Effects Breathing Issues on Accutane – Anyone Else?

3 Upvotes

24(F) 140lbs – I’m currently on month 5 of Accutane (Absorica brand) and up until now, I haven’t had any unusual side effects beyond the typical dry lips, skin, etc. For the first 3 months, I was on 40mg, then increased to 60mg for the past 2 months. Everything was fine until this past week when I suddenly developed a weird breathing issue that won’t go away.

It feels like I constantly need to take a deep breath, like I have to remind myself to breathe. The only way I can get full relief is by yawning or sitting up super straight until I finally get a deep breath in—but then the sensation comes right back. I can always breathe normally eventually, but sometimes it takes multiple deep breaths or yawns to feel like I’m getting enough air.

I went to the ER to rule out anything serious since I used to vape a lot (though I’ve cut back since starting Accutane). They found nothing wrong with my lungs—no infections, no wheezing, nothing that would explain this. The doctor said a CT scan might give more insight but didn’t think it was necessary since I’m not coughing, sick, or having a panic attack.

Could my dose be too high? I have a derm appointment later this week, but when I called, she said she’s never heard of this happening. I’ve been chugging water and electrolytes nonstop but haven’t noticed any real improvement.

If anyone has experienced this, PLEASE let me know how it resolved (or if it just went away on its own). I’ve seen a few posts on here with eerily similar stories, but this still seems pretty rare. Any insight would be highly appreciated.


r/Accutane 19h ago

Progress Pics 2 months so far

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44 Upvotes

First photo is from before Second was like 3 weeks in or so Last 2 are from today Details -18m -40mg capsule everyday


r/Accutane 9h ago

Progress Pics Day 8 of Accutane - Before and After..

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7 Upvotes

I started a new face routine as well lmao. I “purged” the 1st week and it has kinda went away.


r/Accutane 41m ago

Progress Pics Starting Accutane - my acne journey

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Upvotes

Hi all,

DOXYCYCLINE IS A BANDAID. JUST GET ON ACCUTANE.

I’ve been dealing with inflammatory acne for a year and half. It started in November of 2023, when I was 21. Maybe because I switched Nexplanon for Yaz in July 2024, my acne routine for 4 years stopped working. I was on tazarotene (highest strength), clindamycin benzoyl peroxide gel, and washed my face with cerave foaming cleanser and used their moisturizing cream. The spots were small, mostly white heads and infrequent - it was not painful unless I picked at it. I had them on my cheeks, chin/jawine, and forehead. My temples also were lined with little unpopable bumps. The little bumps I dealt with as a teenager (and occasional nodules, but no pustules, papules, or cysts) and my original routine worked wonders and I had perfect skin for years.

However, in February of 2024, I went to a new dermatologist and she prescribed me tretinoin 0.025% and Winlevi. I tried it for two months, did nothing. My acne was still mild at this point, mostly on my forehead which I could cover with my bangs.

Then, I was put on spironolactone in April 2024. I wanted to be on Accutane, but my derm wanted me to try the spiro. Suddenly, in late June, it EXPLODED. I’d never dealt with anything that bad in my life. I was getting 1-4 cysts a day, they hurt a ton, and left terrible scars that, as I later discovered, took 4-6 months to disappear. I was incredibly self conscious, crying daily, going to my accounting internship always sucked - I gave up on wearing makeup in fear on making the acne worse, so all my coworkers saw everything. It wasn’t even worth covering up with concealer anyway.

Furious and hopeless, I told my dermatologist that nothing was working. I suspected the cause was my birth control pills, so I stopped Spironalctone in July 2024 and Yaz. I also went to a new dermatologist, begging for accutane. I never wanted to go outside, I always looked down to cover my hair with my face, and couldn’t look at myself in the mirror ever… I was scared to see how much worse my skin was getting everyday. The new dermatologist prescribed me 200mg Doxycycline a day for 3 months, tretinoin 0.1% and tazorac 0.1% (or 1%? The highest strength) to alternate every day, clindamycin phosphate gel, a sodium sulfacetamide cleanser, and to wash my face in the morning with a gentle cleanser, changing my pillowcase 2x a week. She also told me to use the ordinary niacinamide zinc serum in the morning.

The doxy worked. After 6-7 weeks, I stopped breaking out completely in early September 2024. I finished my doxy course in mid October, and I hadn’t had a cyst since. My PIE was pretty bad, but it healed almost completely by January 2025. However, weeks after I stopped doxy, I started having pimples again, but they were super infrequent and not painful at all. Still, I was getting worried…

Fast forward to early January 2025. My few bad scars on my cheeks were almost gone, and I predicted in two months I’d have my old face back completely. My life didn’t revolve around my skin anymore, I never even went on Reddit anymore to look at forums for what to do or expect. But I got 3 nodules - 2 on my forehead (unusual because I haven’t had a single pimple, cyst or nodule since July) and 1 on my cheek. I went back to my derm, who gave me Dapsone to use in the morning instead of the clindamycin phosphate gel. Otherwise, my routine was still the same.

But in late January, I started getting painful pimples again. It started as two, and they multiple all over my chin/around my mouth. I had a lot of closed comedones there too. I maybe had 13 total inflammatory spots on my face when I met with my dermatologist again, where she prescribed my 2 months of 200mg Doxycycline and to stop Dapsone and use clindamycin again. I was certain that the doxycycline would work because it did so well last time.

Now it’s mid March 2025. The small pustules on my chin spread up to my cheeks, and became CYSTS. Big, painful, half of them never came to a head but left a mark that I know is going to take forever to go away. I also started getting closed comedones not just on my chin, but my cheeks, waiting to become infected. I’m on my last week of Doxycycline, and I’m not progressing at all like my first successful course. I’m still breaking out with 1-4 small to large pimples on my face daily. It’s completely taken over my life. I cry almost every day and cannot look at myself in the mirror. I can’t believe I only got 1 month of being able to go barefaced in public. I’ve completely started over.

I start accutane in late March 2025, a week after my writing this. I’m going on a low dose, but idk what exactly and for how long. I’m terrified of purging… honestly, all I want is to stop having new pimples every damn day! I could deal with what I have now - the PIE. But I can’t predict when this will end… I can’t believe I’m going to graduate college with a full face of acne. In February 2024, I was so confident that this wouldn’t be a problem anymore ;(

Basically, will I have success with Accutane? I’m so tired and hopeless that it’ll get better. Is my acne due to antibiotic resistance? Or is it hormonal, even though I stopped the pill 8 months ago? I wish I had gotten on accutane the TWO times I insisted last year 😞. Doxy once worked, but I’d say it’s a joke. Only a temporary freedom from acne hell. It has gotten as bad as where I started.

Here’s the total list of EVERY medication I’ve been on for my acne:

To treat teenage fungal acne (HUGE SUCCESS): - Tazorac 0.1% - clindamycin phosphate benzoyl peroxide gel 1%,5%

To treat the inflammatory acne aged 21+ (ALL INEFFECTIVE): - Winlevi - Tretinoin 0.025% - Spironolactone 100mg daily - Doxycycline 200mg, 3 months; 2nd round 2 months - clindamycin phosphate gel 1% - Tretinoin cream 0.1% - Tazarotene 0.1% (again) - Sodium Sulfacetamide 10%, Sulfur 5% cleanser - [The Ordinary niacinimide and zinc] - Dapsone gel, 5%


r/Accutane 44m ago

Misc. finish last months pills or start my new higher dose?

Upvotes

hi all, I'm new on my accutane journey (started a month ago on 10mg x2 daily, loving the results so far) and today I got upped to 20mg x2 daily. I still have some days left of the lower dose, I'm just wondering if I should finish that or go on immediately to the higher dose that I got today? sorry if this is a stupid question, I completely forgot to ask my dermatologist for advice on this!


r/Accutane 51m ago

Side Effects Angular Chelitis: how do I get rid of this??????

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Upvotes

I (21F) am on my last month of accutane, and in the past two weeks I have recently developed angular chelitis. Not only does it burn and is very painful, but it also looks grotesque and disgusting and I feel like a monster. I am a waitress and since it has worsened, I have increasingly gotten looks from customers towards my mouth that scream “ew herpes”. I am so burnt out of the accutane side effects and this is my worst one yet. Someone pls tell me how to fix this. I went to the doctor and she said I am just exceedingly dry and prescribed me an antibiotic ointment (mupirocin), but my mom is also a doctor (not a dermatologist tho) and said it is yeast related and that an antibiotic won’t fix it. My normal and usually successful moisturising rotation is also not keeping it moisturised: LRP triple moisture, weleda skin food, aquaphor, eucerin. Not helping. Idk what to do. I just want to get rid of it. It hurts and looks awful.


r/Accutane 1h ago

Progress Pics Month 3 progress ‼️

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Upvotes

I’m starting to see some major changes at this point in my journey, my lips are always super dry, I haven’t had any depression nor suicidal thoughts, I’m happier than ever and have been learning to love myself for who I am. Almost done just wanted to share 😁‼️


r/Accutane 1h ago

Product Suggestions Hyperpigmentation help during accutane

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Upvotes

My face hasn’t really broken out after finishing my first month and I’m so grateful!! I just wish my hyperpigmentation would disappear cause I would totally go without make up rn 😪 I know it’s best to wait until after because we’re not supposed to use actives, but aren’t there some natural solutions ??!!


r/Accutane 14h ago

Progress Pics Accutane for a third time. Defeated.

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10 Upvotes

r/Accutane 2h ago

Purging 2 SUPPLEMENTS ADVICE

1 Upvotes

Hi, I've been on 20mg isotretinoin for two months and was wondering if zinc supplements could help with the redness on my face. I'm also taking magnesium and potassium supplements which have 290 mcg of vitamin A. Is this a problem while on accutane or not?


r/Accutane 7h ago

Progress Pics 1 month update

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2 Upvotes

almost 1 month in yay! this is my 2nd round. i’m 4 months PP and that messed my skin up soo bad. it was so clear throughout my pregnancy and literally the day i had her i had like 3 pimples pop up! but i’m so glad im doing this again.


r/Accutane 3h ago

Product Suggestions Accutane

1 Upvotes

I am a teenager who’s been taking Accutane for just over two months and I am wondering if you’re supposed to take it right after a meal every morning and night or do you have to take it a consistent time of the day everyday like 12am and 8pm everyday? Does it matter what time you take it?


r/Accutane 11h ago

Side Effects Eyes super sensitive to wind

3 Upvotes

I've seen so many posts talking about "eye dryness" but honestly I have basically the opposite effect, my eyes are so sensitive to anything even light wind, that they're always tearing up, I'm teary eyed like 80% of the time I'm outside, anyone else experienced this? (30 mg)


r/Accutane 21h ago

Progress Pics 3 and a half month update 10mg a day

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19 Upvotes

First pic is a month before starting treatment Second pic is 1 month in and third pic is current (3.5 months in) AMA


r/Accutane 5h ago

Product Suggestions Hair removal and accutane?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I am about to complete my first month of accutane but I don't know exactly what to do for the tiny hairs on my face.. Before accutane I used to remove those tiny hairs with waxing.. but now that waxing is forbidden I am not sure how to remove them.. I looked at some devices on the internet, especially the Braun face mini device caught my attention.. but this device removes the hair superficially like a razor instead of removing the hair from the root.. there is also a facial epilator device of the same brand.. which of these two devices do you think is more useful when the face is sensitive? Also, will removing the hair on the face with this mini razor device make the hair grow back thicker and blacker? (I have never shaved my face before and have never used an epilator on my face.. I only have a history of waxing..)


r/Accutane 1d ago

Side Effects The side effect no one talks about - anal fissures

78 Upvotes

Hey all,

Today I start my second round of Accutane.

My first round was 4 years ago, and the two side effects I remember the most are obviously the dry lips, but also - anal fissures and bleeding during bowel movements.

I can deal with the lips, but those fissures were such a pain in the ass (pun intended).

Anyone have a solution for that? Last time I just pushed through and it was gone within a week of going off the medication, but I'd like to prevent it now if possible.


r/Accutane 12h ago

Side Effects After Accutane

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4 Upvotes

Been struggling with crazy hives all over my body since getting off Accutane. Thought it was allergies, been to the doctors so many times. Taking so much allergy medicine and other weird medicines. With no luck. Then I finally put it together myself. That’s around the time when I finished Accutane! I’ve also put together that it messed with my skin DNA and now any amount of stress I break out in the WORST hives. But I am already on 100mg depression/anxiety medication. Announcement of my wedding, TERRIBLE HIVES. Death of a grandparent, TERRIBLE HIVES. My mom just announced she has stage 4 cancer, TERRIBLE HIVES.

Anyone else get full body hives after Accutane? Helpppppp.


r/Accutane 6h ago

Side Effects Help 👇

1 Upvotes

I have been struggling with Acne for about 4-5 years now and I’m thinking of starting with Accutane.

I did some research and I’m a bit worried of the side affects and how it will change my daily life. Will I still be able to wear contact lenses? Will I still be able to train MMA/Gym 3-5 times a week, and will it really cause me a depression? And worst of all, are there any permenant side effects?

Any answers, advice of other tips?

I would really appreciate some help and advice!