Phira

I started having terrible acne when I was in third grade (I was the little nine-year-old with the breakouts), and it only got worse and worse. I tried several standard acne medications, including different strengths of benzoil peroxide, Retin-A, Differin, doxycycline, and minocycline, as well as several recommended face washes. Since my acne is inherited as well as hormonal, and since I was ten when we started trying different medications, PCOS wasn't considered as a possible cause. Finally, when I was thirteen, I went on Accutane, and it was a miracle. For a while, I had no acne. Then I had a little bit, but it was never as unmanageable as it had been before.

By the time I was sixteen, the acne had gotten worse again, and this time, we knew about my PCOS. I started on birth control, and my acne improved for about two months, but it got worse again (which happened with every med except Accutane). Finally, during my junior year, my dermatologist suggested I do another round of Accutane, and so we did. Now, so long as I'm on birth control, I get very little acne. And when I do get any acne at all, it's never EVER as bad as it used to be. People ask me how I got such clear skin, and sometimes I can't believe they're talking to me.

The side effects I experienced on Accutane were dry eyes, dry lips, and the ability to be sunburned so easily that it could have been a super power. Of course, I wasn't wearing sun screen all those times, which was irresponsible of me. Many people are concerned about depression as a side effect, but if you actually talk to your doctors about Accutane, they will clarify things for you. There have been no suicides as a result of depression caused by Accutane, and depression is very, very rare.

Both times I went on Accutane, my doctors made it very clear to me that I NOT get pregnant. The first time I went on it, I was 13, so no big deal, but now most women must be on the pill to be on Accutane, since some women are getting pregnant and then blaming doctors for not warning them. Accutane causes serious birth defects, so do not get pregnant on it. You have to sign forms that say you understand this. That's the biggest deal, I've found, with Accutane. They ask that you use two forms of birth control during intercourse. Lucky for me, I was already on the pill, so I didn't have to wait to go on Accutane that time.

I know several people who have been on Accutane, and all of them are happy with their results. I definitely am. On days where I have a breakout, I remind myself that I used to dream of having that little acne.

So, severe acne from age 9 to age 13 and age 16 to age 18, and mild to no acne otherwise. Accutane is a big deal, but if nothing else works, it does.

Aaaah, now I feel like an ad.

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