S
Sillygrl
Guest
Hello, does Accutane help the appearance of acne scarring? How beneficial has it been to those who have used it? What are some negative side effects? I am curious about it and would like some input, thanks!
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Hey there.
It worked wonders for me when I did a 6 month course of it in high school. I went to the dermatologist because I had severe cystic acne and it was to the point that I wasn't only worried about it not going away but the cysts leading to scarring. The 6 month course cleared me up almost completely. At the end of it my dermatologist told me that my acne would likely resurface again in my mid 20's and it would take one more course of it to get rid of it completely. I'm 23 and it has resurfaced but its not near on the level that it was when I was in high school, nothing that would cause scars. Still, it sucks. I'm in the process of trying to get back on the drug, you wouldn't believe how hard it is nowadays.
Side effects:
-extremely dry skin
-extremely chapped lips
-dry skin on the inside of the sinuses, often leading to bloody noses
-really thirsty sometimes
-minor joint pain
Keep some moisturizing lotion on hand for the dry skin and chap stick and aquafor or vaseline for the inside of your nose will be essential. I just drank a lot of water because of the thirstiness. As far as the joint pain goes it was nothing too serious, just some times when I ran in gym class my knees would get a little sore.
If you suffer from bad acne like I do then I can't recommend it highly enough. My advice would be to see a dermatologist and get their opinion, because of the side effects (some people claim that it causes suicidal tendencies which I think is complete BS but nevertheless people on accutane have committed suicide) most dermatologists will try a few other options before starting you on accutane, unless it's really bad, but ask them about it anyway.
Best of luck.
It worked wonders for me when I did a 6 month course of it in high school. I went to the dermatologist because I had severe cystic acne and it was to the point that I wasn't only worried about it not going away but the cysts leading to scarring. The 6 month course cleared me up almost completely. At the end of it my dermatologist told me that my acne would likely resurface again in my mid 20's and it would take one more course of it to get rid of it completely. I'm 23 and it has resurfaced but its not near on the level that it was when I was in high school, nothing that would cause scars. Still, it sucks. I'm in the process of trying to get back on the drug, you wouldn't believe how hard it is nowadays.
Side effects:
-extremely dry skin
-extremely chapped lips
-dry skin on the inside of the sinuses, often leading to bloody noses
-really thirsty sometimes
-minor joint pain
Keep some moisturizing lotion on hand for the dry skin and chap stick and aquafor or vaseline for the inside of your nose will be essential. I just drank a lot of water because of the thirstiness. As far as the joint pain goes it was nothing too serious, just some times when I ran in gym class my knees would get a little sore.
If you suffer from bad acne like I do then I can't recommend it highly enough. My advice would be to see a dermatologist and get their opinion, because of the side effects (some people claim that it causes suicidal tendencies which I think is complete BS but nevertheless people on accutane have committed suicide) most dermatologists will try a few other options before starting you on accutane, unless it's really bad, but ask them about it anyway.
Best of luck.
S
Sillygrl
Guest
Thanks for the response. I was not lucky enough to get accutane and I have scarring. My skin is 10 million times better in terms of the acne breakouts, but I still get them on occasion. Why is it so hard to get accutane now? Is it because of the suicidal thing?
That among other things. Unfortunately Accutane does have a lot of side effects other than what I posted, such as the potential to raise cholesterol and triglycerides and can cause birth defects if pregnant women take it. You have to get monthly blood tests if you do get on it and can have no more than 1 month supply at a time. Also as you are a woman you would have to take pregnancy tests each month.
My acne is not as bad as it was when I was in high school by any stretch but I'm a bit older now and I'm not happy at all with still having acne so I'm trying to get back on it. However since I last took it I developed slightly high triglycerides and my dermatologist told me she would only put me on it if my regular doctor OKed it. I just went to see him and told him about it and he told me that he won't even prescribe it because of the controversy and that she was essentially passing the buck to him so she couldn't be sued in case something did happen while I was on it. Now I have to go on a low fat diet, take 4 omega 3 fish oil pills daily and exercise regularly for the next month and if that fails to bring my triglycerides down to a normal level then I won't be able to get back on it.
In my opinion it's a miracle drug and if I was never able to get on it in high school my skin would be covered with scars right now, but unfortunately there's a lot of controversy surrounding it and the side effects can be a pain.
If you're that bothered by your acne though, I would definitely at least talk to a dermatologist and give it a shot, because if you are in a condition where you can take it and remain healthy it works wonders.
Best of luck.
My acne is not as bad as it was when I was in high school by any stretch but I'm a bit older now and I'm not happy at all with still having acne so I'm trying to get back on it. However since I last took it I developed slightly high triglycerides and my dermatologist told me she would only put me on it if my regular doctor OKed it. I just went to see him and told him about it and he told me that he won't even prescribe it because of the controversy and that she was essentially passing the buck to him so she couldn't be sued in case something did happen while I was on it. Now I have to go on a low fat diet, take 4 omega 3 fish oil pills daily and exercise regularly for the next month and if that fails to bring my triglycerides down to a normal level then I won't be able to get back on it.
In my opinion it's a miracle drug and if I was never able to get on it in high school my skin would be covered with scars right now, but unfortunately there's a lot of controversy surrounding it and the side effects can be a pain.
If you're that bothered by your acne though, I would definitely at least talk to a dermatologist and give it a shot, because if you are in a condition where you can take it and remain healthy it works wonders.
Best of luck.