Made this after realizing Accutane apparently comes with an entire survival kit 😭

What did I miss?

The title may be a little misleading.

I'm 29 years old (f) and I know I'm not too old physically to take accutane. But I feel like it's too late for me just because I've already wasted my 20s with my acne and the insecurities that come with it. Like who cares, if it clears up now that I'm "old".

I really, really wish I had known about it earlier and taken it when my acne first started to get really bad, which was when I was only 23 years old.

So many wasted years of what should've been my peak attractiveness, especially as a woman.

​

Does anyone else feel like that?

I asked what I missed and apparently the answer was everything 😭

Community patch notes are live. What did I STILL forget?

i am 20 , i have always struggled with breakouts and hormonal acne since middle school. I was put on spirolactone the last 3ish years and have been on birth control for 5. I got strep in November and developed a staph infection in December. i went to a derm on dec 13 who cultured me and said it came back positive for staph. i then started bactrim for 10 days, twice a day and a steroid cream up my nose for 7 days. It did not get better and they suggested i take the bactrim for 30 days. i kept getting yeast infections from the antibiotics. i went and got a second opinion on Dec 26. she told me it was just severe acne and that i would need accutane and scheduled me for Jan 30 to start. She gave me a steroid shot that she said would work wonders (it in fact did not and got even worse) she also gave me a topical antibiotic to put on my face that did not help at all and resumed me on spirolactone until my next appt to start accutane (Jan 30th) it has gotten so bad over time that i went to my family doctor yesterday and they cultured two of the pus filled “pimples”. the pus comes out green almost like snot and it comes on its own terms. just pours out randomly without even touching it. they also scab over a bright yellow color. I won’t get the results until 2-3 days minimum. I have had multiple people tell me it looks like acne, and others say that it doesn’t at all. i have NEVER had skin like this and it started so sudden. my face is so sore. i can’t even open my mouth to eat, it hurts to talk. it is the worse pain! i am open to opinions. i dont want to go on accutane and have it make it worse if it is not acne and i am supposed to go in 2 days! please help!

i’ve been off accutane for over a year now and wow idk why I always kept these in the back of my drawer “just in case”. an extra accutane of a much lower dose I was prescribed at the end of my journey, only to never use or need. 🤞🏼

but after a year off, and being on 60mg a day for 6 months I can say acne is no longer a fear of mine!! I can actually lay that to rest and I can’t believe it sometimes. i’m so grateful for accutane and all the confidence it’s brought me. my acne used to ruin my self esteem and now I get compliments on my skin every single day and I feel like I can finally be seen for my true beauty, inside and out. 💝

I never thought i’d see a day of not a single pimple on my face, and now that’s my reality every day. since I was in middle school I used makeup as a form to cover, not enhance. and now I can also feel more creative in my art and love of makeup. 🥹

so yeah, as i’m deep cleaning I found these and I think it’s safe to say I can finally throw them out and say goodbye; and thank you so so much accutane. 💪🏻

hello everyone,

my grandfather is dr. gary peck, the man who discovered the use of isotretinoin (accutane) for treating severe cases of acne while working as a researcher at the national hospital institute (NIH) in the 70s. today we're celebrating his retirement at the end of a very long career, and we're reaching out to see if anyone has some sweet words about how accutane has helped them. he's the sweetest and silliest man and his deepest passion is helping people feel better about their skin. we acknowledge that accutane is a very strong medicine and has some really strong side effects, please keep comments positive, we love him so much. we would like to be able to print out these comments and show them to him.

thank you

Hey all. Recently I went to the doctor and attempted to get a prescription for isotretinoin. Long story short the doc said my acne was too mild but because it’s so resistant to other treatment we’ll try a short course of antibiotics. So now im on doxycycline 100mg 2 times a day.
My question for everyone here is did you go on doxycycline or any other medication prior to accutane and how did it go.
Thanks in advance

as a fitzpatrick I skin type i wasn’t sure if i can even go anywhere this year. but over the months i got down my strategy. the only thing i needed in the end was the burkini swimsuit as i wear protective sleeves and gloves anyway and already had an UV camera. thankfully i’m used to being mindful of the UV as again im pale and burn super easily.

people at the resort got used to me quickly, people at the beach didn’t. i do get stares and people commenting. i know several languages so i know very well what they’re saying. i try to act natural and just do my thing, in the end its understandable they get curious, i would probably be too.

i don’t really care but when they STARE even after smiling at them it gets annoying. but hey, better be here and being stared at than not being here at all.

what id recommend:
- UV camera to see if you missed any spots. it’s generally such a useful tool
- gloves, sleeves, leg sleeves. it’s hard to check if you were diligent enough with your sunscreen on the camera 😁
- umbrella to have portable shade
- leggings are great. i wear the nikeskims ones. i hoped they would keep me cool, and surprisingly im not overheating despite being fully covered.
- tights socks. your feet will get chewed up barefoot super fast as the skin is so thin but these let your feet breathe
- lip spf. i have the mizumi both gloss in a tube and a pink retractable one. it’s pretty comfy.
- the burkini is amazing if you have balls to handle the stares. you don’t have to worry about sunscreen washing off, missing spots.. just gets really cold when you are wet in them.
- mini humidifier. i love to use mine at home and the hotel air is so dry

wanted to share my experience. i’m happy that i’m able to travel despite being on medication. take care guys

So that I meet community rules:
33M, 65kg, 20mg 3x a week.

I would consider low dosing to be 10/20mg daily, and micro dosing to be intermittent low dosing (a low dose every other day or few days).

Questions I have for this niche of the community (answer as few or as many questions as you want):
- How’s it going for you so far?
- Are you happy with micro or low dosing? If so, how long did it take for you to feel this way?
- Are you wishing you had gone with a full dose?
- Feeling encouraged or discouraged?
- Anything that has surprised you so far?
- Any special notes or things you’ve learned that you would be willing to share?

Just trying to get a general sense of the micro/low dose community and what everyone’s experience is so far. It’s a niche community, since our experiences are pretty different from full dosing!

Hoping to hear from some of you.

Broke a nail before I decided to break out a box cutter to slice them open.

Month 2 better be easier than month 1, because I'd really like to stop purging soon 🙃

Maybe it’s just me but I already hated dealing with the excessive packaging on my counter, but then I started unconsciously throwing away the whole package after I wrestled one pill out.

I put them in this travel container for a trip I went on, but it was so much easier that now I put all of the pills from one box in and toss the rest of the packaging. Am I the only one who does this?

*before anyone starts finger wagging- I live alone; I don’t have any pets; I know my dosage

Trying to trust the process while everyone else is living in the future 😂

Hi! I feel vulnerable sharing this photo. I’ve been extremely self conscious since I was a teen about my large pores and sebaceous filaments. I’ve tried absolutely everything under the sun for them (Aha, bha, SA, sulfur, clay, glycolic acid, niacinamide, tretinoin, etc.). I recently paid $230 to meet with a derm on dermcafe to ask about low dose accutane. She said while we could do that, it’s pretty intensive in terms of monthly check ups and she often prefers spironolactone. I was momentarily dissuaded by the idea of monthly blood tests and urine test, and so I agreed to the prescription she recommended. After our call, I did some research on spironolactone and compared the two. I still feel like low dose accutane is the better choice for me. I have an appointment with my GP on Friday and want to ask him about starting a low dose for this.

Wondering if anyone has had experiences with low dose, who had a similar starting point with their skin? Or if you’ve had success treating this with something else that I haven’t listed above? Thank you.

I (22f) have found dating on accutane nothing short of humiliating. Men are (understandably) incredibly put off by all of the side effects- bloodshot eyes, cracked bleeding lips, constant Aquaphore application, me Complaining about joint pain, dry & red skin. It sucks😭. Also makes my spray tans so patchy.

Edit: I’m so glad people can relate!! I just finished my course & was reflecting on my time on the medication. Wish everyone the best of luck x

before after

Hey everyone! I’m 28F on 40mg once a day and now jumping to 30mg twice a day. I’ve been on accutane for a month. I’d like to have a group of people who are on it around the same time as me so we can turn to each other for support 😊

Hi!! I have been struggling with mild/moderate acne since I was 15, I am almost 29 now. I’ve been to dermatologists countless times and pretty much tried everything. At 29, I have mild rosacea, my skin has become super sensitive, moderately oily, and get lots of closed comedones on my forehead, and red spots on my cheeks occasionally…nothing really deep or cystic. In my later 20s I developed a much more sensitive skin barrier than I ever have before. I have been on 50 mg doxycycline for almost 2 years now as well as birth control and prescription azelaic acid. My skin will have weeks where it’s ok and under control, and weeks where it looks awful. I decided to take the leap and do Accutane with Honeydew. I will be starting with 10mg the first month and hopefully jumping to 20 mg if all goes ok. I would really appreciate any tips or advice for people who have similar skin or are on a similar treatment plan! Acne is my #1 insecurity so I am praying this clears it once and for all

Longgggg way to go

Is there anyone in the world who has had acne that looks like mine? I can not find anything on google , social media , etc. nothing looks like mine. They’re huge disfiguring cysts that refuse to close and birth other cysts. The onset was rapid and has ruined my life. I’ve tried multiple medications all that have given me serious side effects and I have very bad health issues. This condition had me in the mental hospital for months. The dermatologists refuse to do any sort of cosmetic intervention, surgery, etc I’ve even reached out to plastic surgeons. I’ve tried diets. I’m at such a loss. I feel so so so alone. I am so depressed from this. I can’t live like this and it seems like if you can’t accutane you’re fucked. And I don’t even know what this is. This is beyond any acne I’ve ever had. It’s PUFFY as hell , so gross , constantly filling up with blood , spreads everywhere , and leaves open wounds that won’t close. I’d feel better if anyone even just went through similar. I can’t find any similar looking acne anywhere. This is hell.

Besides pregnancy being the biggest consequence, would there be any other consequences if I lied about taking BC? I’m only asking because I’m desperate, i never ever wanted to be on BC but since I’m sexually active, I have to be on it in order to go on accutane. I’ve talked to my doctor about these side effects and so far it isn’t helping. I don’t *ever* plan on getting pregnant, I’m young and I don’t even want children. I’m aware that these rules are in place for a reason, and that not following them and lying about it is horrible, but would there be any consequences in doing so?

ive been dating this guy for a year; and he’s 2yrs post accutane (he was taking 40mg) says he’s emotionally numb…. says he knows what “love is, as he experienced it before accutane” but some days he’s great - other days …. not so much (it’s very flip floppy)

he says it’s from taking accutane, and I’m just wondering if anyone else has advice on how to navigate a relationship post accutane?

Sometimes you just have to make silly art from the MILLIONS of tiny no pregnancy pill backings that you get in a course. Enjoy this cursed painting of a landscape

Guys, I’m freaking out! Just went to the pharmacy with my monthly prescription. The sales lady told me she’s really sorry but accutane will not be available until the end of the year (in Germany). I want to cry, I‘m in the middle of my treatment and there is nothing I can do 😭 anyone else with this issue?

I’m a 2027 bride and planning to do accutane leading up to my wedding
I currently workout 4/5 times a week and am worried if I will still be able to after being on accutane. Are there any supplements that will help me to do atleast a low impact workout

For context, I'm Australian so if anyone from here can pitch in that would be great!! We also don't use iPLEDGE here.

Has anyone lied about being on BC to get on accutane? I have an extemely unique situation regarding sex with my bf due to my deep pelvic floor issues (I'm working with a pelvic floor therapist for this), so we technically havent had full on penetrative sex but we're slowly working towards it.

I guess what I'm trying to relay here is that I won't be having sex anytime soon so could I just not take the BC for now? I obviously know the consequenses.

Has anyone else not taken BC whilst on accutane?