Accutane for Pimples and Blackheads?

Accutane is like an athlete or team who only performs best when faced with a tough challenge. When matched with brutal cystic acne, nodules and large pustules, Accutane does a great job. With smaller lesions, such as papules and small pustules, it also performs well. However, Accutane is a paper tiger against blackheads; mild improvement but not even as well as topical Retin A. As usual I agree with Dr. Chen that manual extractions such as found in a deep pore cleansing would be... more

Real Self is a great site for information, but I am hesitant to second guess a dermatologist who knows your full history. Accutane for blackheads is kind of like a hand grenade for a fly in the room, but it will help all forms of acne. It is usually not recommended for milder acne because the possible side effects outweigh the possible benefits to milder acne. You are, however, post-menopausal, so pregnency is not an issue and that is the big contraindication for Accutane. Your doctor... more

Accutane will help with inflamed (red) pimples, nodules, cysts, even pustules.  The one form of acne that Accutane is not very good for is comedones (whiteheads and blackheads).  This form of acne is best managed with acne surgery (manual extraction by your physician or an esthetician). Good luck.