Anybody been on Accutane? Re-appearing acne years later?
Hi,
So, I have struggled with acne since I was in 5th grade. When I was in 9th grade, I went on Accutane for 9 months and it CHANGED MY LIFE. For the better. Depsite the side effects--I no longer had horrible inflammatory (cystic) acne and only had the occasional breakout during my cycle.
Now, I'm 25 and I see it coming back. It's been bad-ish for the past year but now it is REALLY bad. I THOUGHT it was because I was going through some stress a few months ago, but no..I thought it was my diet, but....didn't do much, either. Neither did changing my pillowcases, or oil cleansing, or 2.5% benzoyl peroxide treatment....and blah blah.....
I am at the point where I feel like an insecure teenager again. My acne is BAD. It's the same cystic acne I've had when I was 14. It's all over my chin, my mouth, and up my cheek a little bit. I have to pound on foundation (I know, but I have to) to make it look semi-okay. I am wondering if anybody else has been on Accutane and had it re-appear years later? I have a dermatologist appointment on Friday so I am clinging to hope that they will be able to give me something to cure it. I am wondering if it is hormonal maybe, and if Spiro will help it. I would even get on Accutane again at this point because I am so desperate to fix it, even tho the side effects really suck. I hope they still prescribe Accutane and they don't take it off the market.
So, just wanting input on re-starting Accutane, or experiences with Spiro..or any other medications for acne.
Re: Anybody been on Accutane? Re-appearing acne years later?
I haven't been on it, but my boyfriend did two cycles when he was a teenager. His face cleared up and has stayed clear, but he still experiences what are likely side effects of it (mostly stomach problems). It's still on the market, but if you have other options, most dermatologists will probably encourage you to explore them first. Charlie has been pretty vocal on here about Spiro being great for her, so if you think your breakouts are hormonal, I think you should bring it up with your doctor.
As a topical option, have you tried any chemical exfoliation?
Re: Anybody been on Accutane? Re-appearing acne years later?
I have done chemical exfiolation and used to exfoilate constantly, so I may look into starting that again. I just have to be careful...I have very sensitive skin so if I do it too strong it burns soo bad and is just way too harsh, I turn into a tomato and basically can't touch my face for a day or three. I'm going to have to see what others who have sensitive skin use, in the percentage of the peels they get.
Yeah, dermatologists do want to explore other options, I was on topical medications for a year before they finally decided to put me on Accutane. I am scared they will try to do that again! I wish I would have seen a dermatologist months and months ago before trying to intervene with other solutions myself, because I think it is at its worst point now. I was just reading stories about a lot of people that have been on Accutane and it was a miracle drug, but some do have re-occurences...usually years later...I know my aunt was on Accutane way back in the day, and a few years later she had her first child and it came back after that. I see a lot of people saying two cycles of Accutane seems to do the trick.
Re: Anybody been on Accutane? Re-appearing acne years later?
I have really sensitive skin, but I haven't done a peel yet, though I'd like to. I stick to almost 100% chemical exfoliation with Retin A and Stridex pads. Manual exfoliation (with wash cloths, scrubs, and clarisonic, etc) can be really easy to screw up and should not be done every day; I wouldn't recommend it at all. Chemical exfoliation can be done daily in most cases though, and it is more gentle and consistent. You'd have to get a prescription for Retin A (tretinoin cream is the generic and is fine), but Stridex maximum strength pads are really great, inexpensive, and over-the-counter. My boyfriend's body breakouts returned after Accutane, and I have been making him use the Stridex every night when I do my face. His skin showed signs of improvement within the first two days. If nothing else, chemical exfoliation will help you to treat any acne-related scaring.
Also, what kind of face wash are you currently using? My skin was doing great a year or two ago till I was dumb and started using an apricot scrub. I've since educated myself a lot more on skincare and realize the scrub was totally the instigator.
Re: Anybody been on Accutane? Re-appearing acne years later?
^ she's right about the stridex pads!! ill vouch for those too! cleared my cysts and acne right up after 2 or 3 days! the oil cleansing method however makes my skin soft but has made acne worse.
my boyfriend and friend were on accutane, as well as proactive and while it made their skin clear in the beginning, it came back even worse.
did you dermo tell you what the root cause was? hormonal acne is a bitch to conquer
Re: Anybody been on Accutane? Re-appearing acne years later?
Are these the Stridex pads you are talking about?
http://www.amazon.com/Stri-Dex-Medic...ywords=stridex
And it helped you clear up cysts? Salicylic acid has never worked for me because I have inflammatory, cystic acne...but if it worked I am so ordering this!!
Re: Anybody been on Accutane? Re-appearing acne years later?
Yes ma'am, that's them. I don't have as bad of skin as I did when I was younger, but these still help clear up the few bits of inflammation I get, and I have definitely noticed a huge decrease in the number of blemishes that pop up after work when I use these.