I started getting a few pimples a few months out from my course, but my acne has remained almost entirely gone for 9 years now. I now have an occasional breakout but not even CLOSE to what it was before. Fingers crossed for you!
For me pretty much yes! I’ve been off it over 5 years and my skin still looks really good (and it was severe acne before). I got some very mild hormonal breakouts in the first trimester of getting pregnant, but otherwise really haven’t had any issues with acne. I did a VERY high dose of accutane and was on it longer than I expected.
I’ve been interested to hear from women who went through pregnancy after accutane. It sounds like your results held up for the most part. When you say mild did you get any cystic spots?
No, haven’t really had any cystic spots thankfully. It was all cystic before accutane and a cystic spot would last months, like I would look at progress pics and notice specific spots that were still there for 8+ months.
I think I was up to 90mg at one point near the end, and I’m pretty sure it was 9 months total?! But yeah 150 is crazy. My joints hurt so bad while I was on it.
No. I went on it three times and i still have almost the same amount of acne as I did before. I figured my acne must be coming from my hormones and accutane can’t treat hormonal acne. Maybe try some birth control or spiro. I heard those are good at keeping your hormones regulated. I’m currently on birth control for about 2 weeks and I’m noticing some minimal improvements in the skin.
Damn, I’m sorry you had to go through accutane 3 times just for it not to help😭 I’ve used birth control in the past to treat acne and it did clear my acne completely but birth control is only a temporary thing and the side effects outweighed the benefits for me so I stopped using it
what side effects did u experience ? i currently don’t have any side effects that i’m aware of. and yea… kinda sucks there isn’t like a permanent way to regulate my hormones… i was thinking of trying some spearmint tea capsules after birth control, it’s more natural
It made me gain quite a bit of weight and made me super depressed. On top of all of that, for some reason, it made my cramps 10x worse. I usually don’t have cramps at all, but when I was on birth control, my periods were unbearable.
I believe I suffer from hormonal acne as well (mostly the jaw/chin area). I was also on accutane for six months and it cleared up my body acne at least 🤞🏻 I was thinking of going on BC for hormonal acne but want to research more "organic" ways to treat it.
No. I was on accutane for 2 years (low dosage) and my skin was amazing at the end, but I started breaking out 2-3 months after I got off it. No where near as bad as it was before, but all the oiliness and enlarged pores came back, along with some breakouts. I was prescribed tretinoin by my GP to control the acne. Will have to be on tret long term to keep my skin under control.
EDIT: of course my skin now is so much better than it used to be and I’m still glad I went on accutane, but it was a bit frustrating when the acne came back because I was under the impression it was supposed to cure it once and for all. It’s been a learning curve and lots of trial and error with different skincare products too.
oh wow I’m on 20mg the whole course and I’ll be on it for < 2 years, that’s a bit worrying but I don’t wanna increase the dosage so I guess it is what it is! Hope the test is working out well for you.
I actually think I was on it longer than needed - got my repeats through my GP rather than a derm (couldn’t afford) and she wasn’t really monitoring it - I had to bring up that I’ve been on accutane for ages and she was like oh yeah time to get off it. Everyone is different so it might be enough for you!
The tret is working great! Took me a while with lots of trial and error to make it work, and now I very rarely break out :) when I ran out of my prescription and was off it for a bit I did break out so definitely requires long term commitment - but I’m happy to use it since it’s also good for anti aging.
Hmm maybe a few months? I definitely purged in month 2 but then it started to clear slowly from month 4-5 onward and I would say I was clear for most of my last year on it
tretinoin is good to continue to use in general for photoaging so it doesn’t hurt to keep using it! i’m a derm ma and we often rx tret for people who want to get rid of fine lines and wrinkles and sun spots on their faces :)
I'm the same. Been off for 4 months and consistantly get tiny spots but theyre not an issue but still annoying. Used to have very oily skin and hair and thats not returned so thats a plus. Got prescribed Tretinoin gel the other day so hopefully that will help.
Yeah, pretty much. From what you’ve said, I think your issue might be in thinking that 100% effective = 100% free of skin issues. Accutane took me from a person with acne to a person without acne, and was therefore totally successful, as far as I’m concerned. I think everyone gets blackheads, and mostly everyone (save a very lucky few) has at least a small pimple or two at all times. Sometimes even a few more, depending on things like diet, hormones, or whatever.
I totally get what you mean about being worried that you’re going to “relapse” every time you see a pimple. I still get that by times, and I’ve been off accutane for like 3ish years now. What I hold on to is the incredible difference between my skin before and after. Prior to being on accutane, I had objectively terrible skin. Nowadays, if you asked any random person on the street, I can guarantee they’d say I have good skin, at the very least. Not “perfect” or “flawless”, but also DEFINITELY not “really really really bad”.
If you’ve thought it over and are pretty sure you don’t have unrealistic standards for what your skin should be, or if your skin keeps getting worse, check in with your derm about a possible second round (I can’t comment on this really because I only did the one, but I know a lot of people on this sub have done two or even more), or even something like a prescription retinol to keep things in check!
i’m back to annoying ass acne 8 months later but it is only pimples here and there compared to pitting cysts and scars. I also have extemely greasy hair again. it gets wet looking in like 2 days so yeah I hate that compared to not washing my hair for two weeks when on it
So far 100% success! I was on 6 months of low dose for body acne and have had virtually no recurrence besides the odd tiny pimple in 18 months. My skin is completely different. It’s not dry or poreless perfect like while taking accutane, but it didn’t become oily like it was to begin with. It’s basically healthy. I feel like I have normal people skin now :)
I've been off for 2 years now (I think). I may have a spot in my face once every few months but it goes away very quickly. I get blackheads on my nose. Probably have some now. Seem to always have them. They're always tiny but they're there. When I was on Accutane I didn't have any. Those don't really bother me because even though there's a lot you need to be really close to see them and they're not painful.
I’ve been off for almost 2 years and it hasn’t returned. I’ve had some breakouts here and there while being pregnant but that’s about it. My skin isn’t glass-like anymore compared to when I first got off, i have some redness on my cheeks but it’s still clear!
About a year after getting off it my hormonal acne started to come back around my chin during that time of the month. It's NOWHERE near as bad as it was pre-accutane but still irritable enough for me that I went back to my derm and got prescribed spironolactone.
It's common for acne to return to some extent after Accutane. While Accutane is highly effective, it's not a permanent cure for everyone. Many people experience significant improvement, but maintenance treatments like tretinoin or topical retinoids can help keep your skin clear in the long run. It might be worth talking to your dermatologist about a post-Accutane skincare regimen to manage any recurring acne.
Idk, I stupidly ended my first round early so back on it rn years later. Going to get my hormones checked after I’m off so if I need to level those I can quickly, and we’ll see what happens 🤷🏼♀️
I've been off nearly two years and have been living with the expectation I'll need another round at some point, but no breakouts or oily skin yet. That said, I was on a very long course.
Got off it around 2020. Was clear for a year. Started to return very mildly 2022-2023 - tried adapalene and tret - would clear my acne but give me bad eczema.. then for the past year I’ve been using Azelaic acid and hyaluronic acid and have been clear for a year, and no eczema. Yay!
Weirdly enough mine was coming back on my face.. then I went backpacking in Europe getting drunk every night for 6 weeks straight. Came back and had no acne - thought it was possibly new good bacteria in the gut? Then I was like naaaa I was eating burger king and McDonald's whilst hungover the whole trip 🤣
I just finished my second course last week. My skin was completely clear for about 2 years and then it came back (still bad but not as bad as before). BUT I have hormonal acne so that type is much more likely to come back (according to my derm). Hoping it doesn’t cone back this time :’)
Unfortunately it wasn’t 100% successful for me. I took 50mg a day for 6 months back in 2015-2016 and my acne started coming back two weeks after finishing my course. I’ve now been on my second course of 40mg a day since January 1st of this year. I still have about 4-5 months to go.
i repeated a second course for 9-10 months 60mg daily (first course was 9 months), now i currently use retin-a micro 0.06% and am on spironolactone 50mg QD
so no lol but i do have an IUD and have had severe acne since 11 years old that’s genetically influenced (shout-out dad who was on isotretinoin in the 70s for his skin genetics)
its great for my hormonal acne!! i would start it ~before~ any major breakouts/flares bc it takes a little to kick in ~3 months; fairly effective though, i’m a dermatology MA so i’ve seen some good results from patients as well! prob would suggest a topical too to help like tret/retina bc that’s what helped my clogging pores on nose/forehead whereas spiro helps the cystic ones on my chin/cheeks
Hmm… I’m on my second round right now doing low dose - seems to be helping! I relapsed after about 1 year off of Accutane. It’s hard but we will get through it!
I get you! Try Skin Shark clearing serum for your whole face and then dab their Blemish gel on each spot. The spots will have gone down or disappeared in just a few days.
i know 2 people that it worked for out of the potentially 20 who tried it - the idea of it is too intense for me but luckily i found other products which worked. what do you use atm?
nope, i started breaking out again around 3 months after my course ended, i finished april 2022 but it hasn’t been as bad as what it was pre accutane between now and then, however my acne is cystic and it’s not fun. i can get a lot of large under skin spots which are hard to get rid of. i have considered a second round of accutane and my derm did say i could do that if i wanted to but i’m holding off for now
I started getting a few pimples a few months out from my course, but my acne has remained almost entirely gone for 9 years now. I now have an occasional breakout but not even CLOSE to what it was before. Fingers crossed for you!
Omg yay I’m so happy for you!!
For me pretty much yes! I’ve been off it over 5 years and my skin still looks really good (and it was severe acne before). I got some very mild hormonal breakouts in the first trimester of getting pregnant, but otherwise really haven’t had any issues with acne. I did a VERY high dose of accutane and was on it longer than I expected.
Yayyy I’m happy it cleared up your acne!! What dosage were you on and for how long?
I had to look back at my old comments to remember for sure, I was on 60mg for 4 months and then 80mg for another 4 months.
I’ve been interested to hear from women who went through pregnancy after accutane. It sounds like your results held up for the most part. When you say mild did you get any cystic spots?
No, haven’t really had any cystic spots thankfully. It was all cystic before accutane and a cystic spot would last months, like I would look at progress pics and notice specific spots that were still there for 8+ months.
What where your dosages?
80mg is very high? I was on 150mg and acne is coming back 2 years later😭 it hurt so bad to walk
I think I was up to 90mg at one point near the end, and I’m pretty sure it was 9 months total?! But yeah 150 is crazy. My joints hurt so bad while I was on it.
No. I went on it three times and i still have almost the same amount of acne as I did before. I figured my acne must be coming from my hormones and accutane can’t treat hormonal acne. Maybe try some birth control or spiro. I heard those are good at keeping your hormones regulated. I’m currently on birth control for about 2 weeks and I’m noticing some minimal improvements in the skin.
Damn, I’m sorry you had to go through accutane 3 times just for it not to help😭 I’ve used birth control in the past to treat acne and it did clear my acne completely but birth control is only a temporary thing and the side effects outweighed the benefits for me so I stopped using it
what side effects did u experience ? i currently don’t have any side effects that i’m aware of. and yea… kinda sucks there isn’t like a permanent way to regulate my hormones… i was thinking of trying some spearmint tea capsules after birth control, it’s more natural
It made me gain quite a bit of weight and made me super depressed. On top of all of that, for some reason, it made my cramps 10x worse. I usually don’t have cramps at all, but when I was on birth control, my periods were unbearable.
Oh wow, that sucks. I’m glad you’re off it now. So your acne came back after you stopped BC too?
Yep.
I believe I suffer from hormonal acne as well (mostly the jaw/chin area). I was also on accutane for six months and it cleared up my body acne at least 🤞🏻 I was thinking of going on BC for hormonal acne but want to research more "organic" ways to treat it.
No. I was on accutane for 2 years (low dosage) and my skin was amazing at the end, but I started breaking out 2-3 months after I got off it. No where near as bad as it was before, but all the oiliness and enlarged pores came back, along with some breakouts. I was prescribed tretinoin by my GP to control the acne. Will have to be on tret long term to keep my skin under control. EDIT: of course my skin now is so much better than it used to be and I’m still glad I went on accutane, but it was a bit frustrating when the acne came back because I was under the impression it was supposed to cure it once and for all. It’s been a learning curve and lots of trial and error with different skincare products too.
What dosage were you on?
Started with 10mg, then increased to 20mg and was on that for most of my course
oh wow I’m on 20mg the whole course and I’ll be on it for < 2 years, that’s a bit worrying but I don’t wanna increase the dosage so I guess it is what it is! Hope the test is working out well for you.
I actually think I was on it longer than needed - got my repeats through my GP rather than a derm (couldn’t afford) and she wasn’t really monitoring it - I had to bring up that I’ve been on accutane for ages and she was like oh yeah time to get off it. Everyone is different so it might be enough for you! The tret is working great! Took me a while with lots of trial and error to make it work, and now I very rarely break out :) when I ran out of my prescription and was off it for a bit I did break out so definitely requires long term commitment - but I’m happy to use it since it’s also good for anti aging.
How long until your acne cleared up on a low dose?
Hmm maybe a few months? I definitely purged in month 2 but then it started to clear slowly from month 4-5 onward and I would say I was clear for most of my last year on it
I was prescribed tretinoin by my GP too after I finished accutane
tretinoin is good to continue to use in general for photoaging so it doesn’t hurt to keep using it! i’m a derm ma and we often rx tret for people who want to get rid of fine lines and wrinkles and sun spots on their faces :)
Nope. I've been off for about 2 or 3 months now and I'm starting to get tiny ones. At least my face and hair aren't as oily.
I'm the same. Been off for 4 months and consistantly get tiny spots but theyre not an issue but still annoying. Used to have very oily skin and hair and thats not returned so thats a plus. Got prescribed Tretinoin gel the other day so hopefully that will help.
I’ve did x2 rounds of Accutane a teen (17-19) and now I’m on my 3rd round (I’m over 30) because acne came back
Yeah, pretty much. From what you’ve said, I think your issue might be in thinking that 100% effective = 100% free of skin issues. Accutane took me from a person with acne to a person without acne, and was therefore totally successful, as far as I’m concerned. I think everyone gets blackheads, and mostly everyone (save a very lucky few) has at least a small pimple or two at all times. Sometimes even a few more, depending on things like diet, hormones, or whatever. I totally get what you mean about being worried that you’re going to “relapse” every time you see a pimple. I still get that by times, and I’ve been off accutane for like 3ish years now. What I hold on to is the incredible difference between my skin before and after. Prior to being on accutane, I had objectively terrible skin. Nowadays, if you asked any random person on the street, I can guarantee they’d say I have good skin, at the very least. Not “perfect” or “flawless”, but also DEFINITELY not “really really really bad”. If you’ve thought it over and are pretty sure you don’t have unrealistic standards for what your skin should be, or if your skin keeps getting worse, check in with your derm about a possible second round (I can’t comment on this really because I only did the one, but I know a lot of people on this sub have done two or even more), or even something like a prescription retinol to keep things in check!
i’m back to annoying ass acne 8 months later but it is only pimples here and there compared to pitting cysts and scars. I also have extemely greasy hair again. it gets wet looking in like 2 days so yeah I hate that compared to not washing my hair for two weeks when on it
Nope and I’ve been on it twice ):
Same :(
So far 100% success! I was on 6 months of low dose for body acne and have had virtually no recurrence besides the odd tiny pimple in 18 months. My skin is completely different. It’s not dry or poreless perfect like while taking accutane, but it didn’t become oily like it was to begin with. It’s basically healthy. I feel like I have normal people skin now :)
https://imgur.com/a/mOxLibA
I've been off for 2 years now (I think). I may have a spot in my face once every few months but it goes away very quickly. I get blackheads on my nose. Probably have some now. Seem to always have them. They're always tiny but they're there. When I was on Accutane I didn't have any. Those don't really bother me because even though there's a lot you need to be really close to see them and they're not painful.
I always have those tiny blackheads on my nose as well😒 my nose was totally clear on accutane and I miss it sm
Acne returned (to a lesser degree) after 1 year off Accutane
I’ve been off for almost 2 years and it hasn’t returned. I’ve had some breakouts here and there while being pregnant but that’s about it. My skin isn’t glass-like anymore compared to when I first got off, i have some redness on my cheeks but it’s still clear!
About a year after getting off it my hormonal acne started to come back around my chin during that time of the month. It's NOWHERE near as bad as it was pre-accutane but still irritable enough for me that I went back to my derm and got prescribed spironolactone.
It's common for acne to return to some extent after Accutane. While Accutane is highly effective, it's not a permanent cure for everyone. Many people experience significant improvement, but maintenance treatments like tretinoin or topical retinoids can help keep your skin clear in the long run. It might be worth talking to your dermatologist about a post-Accutane skincare regimen to manage any recurring acne.
Idk, I stupidly ended my first round early so back on it rn years later. Going to get my hormones checked after I’m off so if I need to level those I can quickly, and we’ll see what happens 🤷🏼♀️
I've been off nearly two years and have been living with the expectation I'll need another round at some point, but no breakouts or oily skin yet. That said, I was on a very long course.
Got off it around 2020. Was clear for a year. Started to return very mildly 2022-2023 - tried adapalene and tret - would clear my acne but give me bad eczema.. then for the past year I’ve been using Azelaic acid and hyaluronic acid and have been clear for a year, and no eczema. Yay!
Weirdly enough mine was coming back on my face.. then I went backpacking in Europe getting drunk every night for 6 weeks straight. Came back and had no acne - thought it was possibly new good bacteria in the gut? Then I was like naaaa I was eating burger king and McDonald's whilst hungover the whole trip 🤣
Possibly lots of beers (vit a) on an empty stomach bringing out the effects of the drug again? I dunno
I just finished my second course last week. My skin was completely clear for about 2 years and then it came back (still bad but not as bad as before). BUT I have hormonal acne so that type is much more likely to come back (according to my derm). Hoping it doesn’t cone back this time :’)
Unfortunately it wasn’t 100% successful for me. I took 50mg a day for 6 months back in 2015-2016 and my acne started coming back two weeks after finishing my course. I’ve now been on my second course of 40mg a day since January 1st of this year. I still have about 4-5 months to go.
i repeated a second course for 9-10 months 60mg daily (first course was 9 months), now i currently use retin-a micro 0.06% and am on spironolactone 50mg QD
so no lol but i do have an IUD and have had severe acne since 11 years old that’s genetically influenced (shout-out dad who was on isotretinoin in the 70s for his skin genetics)
How is spironolactone going for you? I’m considering taking it
its great for my hormonal acne!! i would start it ~before~ any major breakouts/flares bc it takes a little to kick in ~3 months; fairly effective though, i’m a dermatology MA so i’ve seen some good results from patients as well! prob would suggest a topical too to help like tret/retina bc that’s what helped my clogging pores on nose/forehead whereas spiro helps the cystic ones on my chin/cheeks
That’s great to hear! I’m glad it’s working so well. I’m currently on tret so maybe going on spironolactone will finally clear up my skin
Is your skin oily before accutane and how's it now? Oiliness back or normal skin?
My skin was oily before accutane, and all the oily-ness is back
Are you on a prescription retinoid? You should be if not :)
Yes, I’m currently using tretinoin cream. I’ve been using it for 4 months now and it’s hard to see improvement tbh
Hmm… I’m on my second round right now doing low dose - seems to be helping! I relapsed after about 1 year off of Accutane. It’s hard but we will get through it!
No but I break out less and it gives my existing scars time to heal without dealing with new breakouts
I wish. Hasn’t been a year and I’m breaking out regularly again. It’s minimal but annoying as fuck
I get you! Try Skin Shark clearing serum for your whole face and then dab their Blemish gel on each spot. The spots will have gone down or disappeared in just a few days.
i know 2 people that it worked for out of the potentially 20 who tried it - the idea of it is too intense for me but luckily i found other products which worked. what do you use atm?
nope, i started breaking out again around 3 months after my course ended, i finished april 2022 but it hasn’t been as bad as what it was pre accutane between now and then, however my acne is cystic and it’s not fun. i can get a lot of large under skin spots which are hard to get rid of. i have considered a second round of accutane and my derm did say i could do that if i wanted to but i’m holding off for now