Hey y'all! Recently I've had a few good friends start accutane, and I wanted to share my experience to ease some nerves and hopefully answer questions.
Accutane (isotretinoin) is a prescription retinoid used to treat severe acne. It decreases the turnover of skin cells, essentially shrinking your oil glands. Sebum production is greatly reduced, and your skin clears after only a few months of taking the pill by mouth. However, as great as this sounds, there can be severe side effects, and accutane is generally suggested by your dermatologist after all other treatments have failed. With this in mind, here is my experience with it, and remember that each person responds differently to medicine. Even though I had this experience, you may have a completely different one!
I took 40mg of Claravis Isotretinoin daily for five months about a year ago at the beginning of summer going into my sophomore year of high school. Overall, my experience was enjoyable and definitely worth it. Within three weeks I saw visible results and luckily did not have a "purging phase".
The side effect which affected me most was sensitivity to sun exposure; by the end of a 15 minute car ride, my face would be cherry red burnt! I did not need to apply sunscreen religiously to my body, but my face and ears needed to be protected at the cost of me becoming a tomato. I used lotion with zinc-oxide, which proved to work best, even though it turned my face white!
Another typical side effect is stiffness in joints, which I mildly dealt with. The soreness was bearable and not anything more than expected.
I also dealt with headaches the first few weeks of taking accutance, specifically after waking up in the morning. These were fixable with advil, and after about a month and a half this side effect subsided.
Because of my previously oily skin texture, my skin did not become incredibly dry. When dryness did occur, I used a gentle lotion which helped immediately. One thing which I did not expect was the dryness in my eyes, which was very painful. It was difficult to wear contacts for long periods of time without using eye drops. This was not a terrible side effect, and only happened sometimes, but it definitely caused the most pain!
I really enjoyed my time on accutane. It was nice to wake up and not have to wash my face or deal with oil! I could finally wear makeup for hours without my face turning shiny, and my hair became much less oily too. I had zero breakouts and I felt a lot of stress towards my appearance go away. Post accutane, I stayed completely clear for about a year. Now, after a year and a half I deal with occasional hormonal breakouts, which are totally managable. I am very happy I chose to go on accutane and am able to feel more confident in my daily life.
Kommentare