My son has had pretty sever acne for the past six years and his face has started to scar. After many different treatments on antibiotics and topical solutions, we are now starting the Accutane treatment. I am nervous as there is so much negative publicity surrounding the medication. I will try to give frequent updates to possible help others to make a decision on the effects of the medication. My son is now 18 and has suffered from the way he looks. My son is a hockey player and the bacteria in the helmet is certainly not helping the situation. I hope that the medication will make a difference. edit One week update 9 Jun 2013 We have the first seven days under our belt and so far so good. There have been no side effects yet and we have seen no improvement or worsening of his acne since he started a week ago. He graduated from High School yesterday and I have attached a picture I took after his graduation. He is taking the Accutane daily after a "fatty dinner/lunch", I put together a "survival kit" and can't wait to see improvement. His doctor started him on a very low dose (20 mg qd) for his height and weight (6', 175 lbs) and she explained that starting him on a low dose would help to minimize the acne from getting worse at the beginning of the treatment. She plans to increase his dose at the next visit. We are hoping for the best and are encouraged as we have seen absolutely no side effects during the first week of treatment. 14 Jun 2013 We are at the end of the second week and about two days ago I noticed a huge difference in my son's skin. I will upload a picture that you can see side by side. I also noticed some side effects of the medication. My son is usually a very easy going person and this last week he was moody and agitated. He tells me that he is not depressed but he was not his normal self. I keep telling myself, perhaps I am too sensitive and his moody "attitude" is not even related to the medication, but I am very close to my son and this is not the usual way he acts or feels. So far the results I have seen already clearly outweigh the side effects to this point and I learned to give him the medication in the evening with his dinner. At this point he has not felt that he needed to use lip balm or moisturizer and in his opinion there are no side effects at all. edit 21 Jun 2013 The third week is coming to the end and my son is getting his blood work done today for his follow up visit with his Derm next week. This week was great. He only complaints about a small amount of dryness on his lips, especially in the corner of his mouth, otherwise he tells me he feels great. His mood was great and the previous episodes of moodiness were gone this week. My son has only been on 20 mg of Accutane (his is taking the generic Myorisan/isotretinoin) which I was told for his height 6' and his weight 175lbs is a very low dose. Several people have commented on the dramatic improvement in his appearance in the past three weeks alone and it is exciting to see his complexion clearing up day by day.