Will Acne Return if I Stop Taking Accutane?

I get respone rates close to 100% with Accutane. By that I mean, that almost every patient is clear by the time they finish 6 months of Accutane. And in most cases, the acne does not come back. That does not mean you will never get another pimple for your entire life. But most patients never go back to the severe acne that they had prior to treatment. Who is at most at risk for their acne to recur after Accutane? Younger patients (16 years old and... more

Will your acne return after Accutane?  You have to wait and see.  The purpose of a course of Accutane is to potentially clear acne long-term.   This is the case for many patients- assuming they take a complete course of 1 mg/kg/day for 5-6 months.  For others, some acne may return but usually not as severe as before treatment.  A small number of patients need a second course of Accutane.  A smaller number do not respond at all.  Most patients get... more

In my experience and in studies, nearly 1/2 of patients do not have any significant return of acne after a proper course of Isotretinoin (Accutane).  The other 50% of patients eventually have some acne return, but rarely to the degree they had before.  About  1:20 patients eventually require another course of treatment. To insure best results, a dosage goal of between 120-150mg/kg, given over 5-6 months, is most effective.  Be sure to be evaluated, and followed,... more

In my experience only time will tell if your acne will return. Certainly your oil production will return, which is normal. Even if your acne does return it will never be as bad as it was before you used accutane. Some patients just have very stubborn acne. The good news is that most patients, if they take the full recommended course of accutane, will have excellent and lasting clearance of their acne. Hope this helps. Take care.

The chances of your accutane recurring and the degree to which it recurs depends on the cumulative dose of medication you received and on you as an individual. In people who undergo the full course, I have never seen acne returning to the degree of severity prior to taking the medication, so you should still have some long-term benefit. Stress and anxiety also contribute to acne so I hope you are able to put your worries aside. At worst, you may need to undergo another course. Good luck.... more

Acne is influenced by genetic, hormonal, environmental, stress, and possibly even food related factors. Accutane can do little to treat any of these multifactorial causes. Thus, depending on your variant of acne, it is unlikely to 'cure' your condition. 

Studies have shown it is the total cummulative dosage that most influences whether your acne returns, other factors being equal. It is my experience that your acne is more likely to return if you had severe, recalcitrant acne at baseline. In that case about one third of patients require a second course. If you were treated for six months at 1 mg./kg. your acne is less likely to return than 0.5 mg/kg. for five months...common sense. I would not be overly stressed if you have a few new p more