Isotretinoin is a pill you take for four to five months. Your acne will start to improve in one to two months, and the vast majority of people are clear at the end of treatment. It is the only acne medication that permanently reduces acne an average of 80 percent—some people a little more and some a little less.
What should I expect after treatment? Your skin might keep getting better even after you stop taking isotretinoin. Most of the side effects go away in a few days or weeks after you stop taking isotretinoin. If your side effects last for more than a few weeks after you stop taking this medicine, talk to your doctor.
It can do a good job of clearing up your skin, but there are some potential side effects. Most of these fade within a few weeks after you stop taking it. The dose is tailored to each person, and treatment usually lasts four to five months.
This is usually due to purging, in which the isotretinoin pushes out dead skin cells and debris. Because your skin can become red and dry, the medication sometimes makes acne look more inflamed and obvious.
Maintaining Clear Skin After Treatment:
Think: a gentle cleanser, hydrating moisturizer, and a facial sunscreen with at least SPF 50. Post-Accutane, your skin should be pretty low-maintenance, but it may take some time to adjust.
How does it work? Isotretinoin works by shrinking your oil glands and normalizing the way your skin grows, which prevents pimples and clogged pores. Because your lips have a lot of oil glands they will become dry first, followed by your face and possibly other areas.
Hormonal acne is more likely to come back after a course of Roaccutane (Accutane) has successfully cleared it. Besides being stubborn to treat, hormonal acne causes redness for prolonged periods, scarring and pigmentation.
"Prescription Accutane [which targets severe acne] shrinks pores during the time you are on the medication, as it shrinks the oil gland and dries the skin out," says Dr. Jaliman. "When you stop taking Accutane, often the pore goes back to the original size.
Many patients with severe acne notice that they have had oily skin. While on isotretinoin, your skin is not as oily as it had been. Usually the skin oiliness does return, but may not completely return to the degree it was before. Most patients find this is an additional benefit of the treatment.
For some patients, this cure is permanent. Isotretinoin is a derivative of vitamin A, and it's the only acne medication that targets the four driving forces behind acne, the AAD explains. It combats excess oil production, an excess of Propionibacterium acnes bacteria on the skin, clogged pores, and inflammation.
Put simply, Accutane permanently shrinks your oil glands. Because people with acne produce more sebum than necessary, the elimination of the excess causes your skin to stay clear because your pores no longer get clogged.
"[Isotretinoin] affects the thickness of the skin and how it matures. And so the barrier is thinned a bit, which can also contribute to its fragility.
While you are taking Accutane, the medication actually shrinks oil glands and dries out the skin. But when you stop taking it, your pores will return to their original size. Chemical peels can improve the skin's texture and minimize the appearance of pores by peeling off the old layer of skin.
In addition to clearing acne, dermatologists found that their patients on Accutane began to have a more youthful appearance. Their fine wrinkles disappeared, their skin tone was more even, and their face appeared fuller.
Most dermatologists agree that Isotretinoin is one of the few medications that can give prolonged control of acne even after the treatment course for many years, and in some instances, it is a permanent cure.
Accutane, the powerful acne drug already known to cause birth defects, seems to raise the risk for potential heart and liver problems more than doctors had expected, according to a new study.
Birth defects which have been documented following Accutane exposure include abnormalities of the face, eyes, ears, skull, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and thymus and parathyroid glands.
We conclude that isotretinoin causes mild suppression of pituitary hormone levels, which may be beneficial for tackling the pathogenesis of acne.
Maintenance therapy with a topical retinoid, applied regularly for the first 2 years after completing treatment with oral isotretinoin, and oral antiandrogen treatment in women were 2 key protective factors for decreasing the relapse rate.
Most people on a typical course of the drug of 0.8 mg/kg for a 16- to 20-week course could do three treatment courses over their lifetime if necessary. Many doctors will use the approximate 0.8 mg/kg as an average treatment dose but will not hesitate to increase the dose in order to get the desired results.
How Effective Is It? Accutane is the single most effective drug for treating severe acne that hasn't responded to other treatments. About 50% of people who take it experience cleared skin to the point that they never need to treat acne again. Most people take this drug for four to six months.
Official Answer. Previous scarring is not improved with Isotretinoin (brand name is Accutane). Acne often gets worse around week 3 or 4 of treatment and lasts for several days.
Accutane, or isotretinoin, attacks acne in a number of ways: It reduces the production of oil on your skin, slows down the growth of skin cells that can clog pores, and kills the bacteria in your pores that can cause acne and inflammation. It has a high success rate: 85%.
Accutane improved the overall texture and appearance of my skin in addition to clearing up my acne. It truly was a miracle medication for me when it comes to results.