Acutane???

Question

My dermatologist has given me a couple different types of medicines for acne..but they're not working as well as they sould I guess.
So..last time I went, she said I should try Acutane.
She said I'd have to go to the gynocologist and take birth control pills for 1 month..then start on the Acutane for 5 months. After those 5 months, I'd sstop the Acutane and birth control, and she said it would be totally gone and never come back.

Anoher dermatologist that I know had taken it along time ago, and she said that the first 2 months..she got alot of acne really bad, and then after that it all went away, and the rest of the time it didn't come back. [after the 2 months]

But the thing is, I've heard that if you take birth control, the acne'll go away,. but when you stop, the acne'll cone back even worse...

So...will the birth control pills do that..and does Acutane work?
Have you ever tried this before, and how did it work for you?

Thanks =]

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Acutane is an intense drug, my fiance was on it when he was a teen and he had to get liver testing once a month, goes to show how crazy this drug is. It DID work though, although sometimes I wonder if there was a better method. My acne was not as bad as his was back then (I didn't know him then, but he still has the scars in some spots) so mine is pretty much under control using the Acne Free system. They make Acne Free Severe or something like that for really bad acne. It is 10% benzoyl peroxide compared to 2.5% for the one I use. It is like Proactiv but cheaper and sold in stores. I don't know if you have tried anything like it but I know people with worse acne than me and it works. You really have to be good about using it 2x a day every day (morning and night) otherwise you will get flare ups. And be sure to use a good moisturizer. If you have already tried it though and it doesn't work then nevermind, I'm just throwing in another suggestion.

I am on the birth control pill and it has never done anything for my acne, I've always gotten it and always in the same areas of my face.

Make sure you drink a lot of water, that is good for skin health.

Good luck with whichever methods you choose, it will take time but your acne will go away don't worry :)

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Thanks. =)

Answer 2

I took acutane when I was younger and it worked wonders....it does tend to dry your lips out so stock up on chapstick. You need to BC because if you get pregnant on acutane, it can cause serioud birth defects in the baby. i hope it works as well for you as it did for me! :) goooood luck

Answer 3

i had a friend who took it and i think it worked for her... but it's also know to cause depression. i remember her being really depressed when she was taking it and it was until later she realized that the acutane was effecting her and many other people in that way.