Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
Skip to the end if you want just the treatment...
Skip to the end if you want just the treatment outcomes, because I'm a long-winded writer and have some history here first! ;-)
Both my parents had very active cystic acne well into their 40s. My parents divorced when I was an infant, but I remember my father STILL being so desperate that he sometimes stopped by the house to get my mother to help him "deal with" a zit, because no one else understood. I personally thought they were both insane at the time. I mean, what?!
Well, I ended up understanding when I hit my teens. I was aware of Accutane, but it was definitely not an option at that point. To my mother (a pharmacist) it was too risky to do when other treatments could be tried. She was right, of course. However, just like nothing had worked for her, nothing worked for me. Until I was 25, I tried Clinique's 3-step cleansing method, benzoyl peroxide, Retin-A, clay masks, raw egg masks, oil-absorbing makeup primers, sun lamps, various methods of exfoliation, androgen blockers, topical antibiotics, antibiotic capsules, birth control pills, pore strips, salicylic acid, comedone extractors, essential oils, mineral makeup, astringent toners, face steamers, homeopathic nonsense pills, the oil cleansing method (NO!!!!), voodoo goat transfiguration, and howling at the moon.
When I was a shy (thanks, acne) 20-year-old, I tried going to an actual dermatologist. I wasn't having a terrible breakout on my face at that moment, but I did have a cyst the size of a robin's egg on my shoulder. I asked him about my acne, told him about my family history of it, and he laughed at me and said, "What are you complaining about? You're old enough to be growing out of it soon!" Given that I had already told him that I would probably have at least 25 more years of it, I don't think he was taking me very seriously. I left there feeling awful.
For the next 5 years, I tried more ineffective witchcraft on my face. It was the oil-cleansing method that finally caused the situation to escalate. I can't believe I was dumb enough to try something like that, but I was getting desperate. At least, I thought I was getting desperate. I was about to get TRULY desperate when it backfired! I don't know how it works for some people, but it made my acne go from cystic to Krakatoa. My usual methods of taking an hour to cover my acne with makeup were no longer fooling my co-workers and I felt I couldn't lift my face to look people in the eye. My jaw especially felt painful at all times. I had to get help. "They're just going to put you on Accutane," my mother warned. I didn't care anymore.
I found another dermatologist, one who wouldn't humiliate me and kick me to the curb. (I ended up having to settle for her PA, but at least the doctor did duck in at one point when my acne was still being recalcitrant later on.) Well, when they saw me, there was no way they were going to dismiss THAT pizza-face. It was bad. They did try some more things before finally suggesting Accutane, but it was really the only thing that could be done. The original plan was to have me on it for 5 months, but my skin had other ideas. I ended up being on it for 10 months. Some of these cysts would NOT go away. I'll spare you the details.
One funny story, though: despite the fact that I was a virgin at 25 (by choice, and not an ignorant one), you still of course have to go through all the safeguards to assure you're not going to risk pregnancy upon this highly teratogenic drug. Imagine my--well, droll amusement--when the PA called and said that the initial blood test had showed that I was pregnant and she was shaken because she had believed me about my being a determined virgin, etc. After laughing a bit, I told her to double-check with the clinic, and YES, they had switched my bloodwork with someone else. The thing that does trouble me about that is...what if the woman who WAS pregnant got her "negative" results and went out and drank a ton?? Ooooh...no. Anyway, it was no trouble for me to keep from picking up a parasite while on Accutane, but I know somebody (married to an OBGYN!!!!) who did and harmed her baby, so this is NOT to be taken lightly. Be honest with your doctor and yourself! There are reasons why doctors can't trust patients like me do tell them the truth. Have you ever watched House? "Everybody lies." (Yeah, I just lied about not picking at my face as much as I did...but...but...it's hard not to!)
It's been about 7 years since I finished treatment, and I'm still glad I did. I didn't have any acne to speak of for a long time after the treatment. What I have now is manageable with a good skin routine, and it honestly doesn't bother me enough to usually adhere to such a routine like I should! I still have oily skin, but not like I used to. And nightmare acne? No. I'm not going to be like my parents. My mother used to try to get all over my face to check my skin like a mother monkey before Accutane. Now, I can visit her and just complain about the lack of rain and the excess of Kardashians like normal people do. Thanks, Accutane! I'm more attractive and less dysfunctional now, for life! :-D
Side-effects? Heh, I got off EASY. For 6 months after treatment, I had mild posterior blepharitis. This is when the meibomian glands dotting your eyelid rim get blocked. I had to use extra-lubricating eye drops and carefully squeeze the glands with hot compresses. It cleared up. Probably should have waited until AFTER it cleared up to get LASIK. Man, those regular eyedrops they restrict you to for a while sure did burn with no natural oil in the eyes!!!
I did well, yes, but don't ignore the dangers. It doesn't just have to do with birth defects! Accutane is a SERIOUS treatment that can have SERIOUS consequences, particularly if you don't take it...well, seriously. I do not urge anyone to "just do it." In my case, however, it was the best treatment available. I've had some people try to give me crap about taking it--I guess based on their personal principles--but I did try everything else and waited only until my skin turned into what felt like aching leather over lakes of pus. If I'd done it sooner, then I wouldn't have the scarring (including the psychological, yay, high school) that I do now.
I like holding my head high and smiling at people without wincing in pain. Hooray!
Both my parents had very active cystic acne well into their 40s. My parents divorced when I was an infant, but I remember my father STILL being so desperate that he sometimes stopped by the house to get my mother to help him "deal with" a zit, because no one else understood. I personally thought they were both insane at the time. I mean, what?!
Well, I ended up understanding when I hit my teens. I was aware of Accutane, but it was definitely not an option at that point. To my mother (a pharmacist) it was too risky to do when other treatments could be tried. She was right, of course. However, just like nothing had worked for her, nothing worked for me. Until I was 25, I tried Clinique's 3-step cleansing method, benzoyl peroxide, Retin-A, clay masks, raw egg masks, oil-absorbing makeup primers, sun lamps, various methods of exfoliation, androgen blockers, topical antibiotics, antibiotic capsules, birth control pills, pore strips, salicylic acid, comedone extractors, essential oils, mineral makeup, astringent toners, face steamers, homeopathic nonsense pills, the oil cleansing method (NO!!!!), voodoo goat transfiguration, and howling at the moon.
When I was a shy (thanks, acne) 20-year-old, I tried going to an actual dermatologist. I wasn't having a terrible breakout on my face at that moment, but I did have a cyst the size of a robin's egg on my shoulder. I asked him about my acne, told him about my family history of it, and he laughed at me and said, "What are you complaining about? You're old enough to be growing out of it soon!" Given that I had already told him that I would probably have at least 25 more years of it, I don't think he was taking me very seriously. I left there feeling awful.
For the next 5 years, I tried more ineffective witchcraft on my face. It was the oil-cleansing method that finally caused the situation to escalate. I can't believe I was dumb enough to try something like that, but I was getting desperate. At least, I thought I was getting desperate. I was about to get TRULY desperate when it backfired! I don't know how it works for some people, but it made my acne go from cystic to Krakatoa. My usual methods of taking an hour to cover my acne with makeup were no longer fooling my co-workers and I felt I couldn't lift my face to look people in the eye. My jaw especially felt painful at all times. I had to get help. "They're just going to put you on Accutane," my mother warned. I didn't care anymore.
I found another dermatologist, one who wouldn't humiliate me and kick me to the curb. (I ended up having to settle for her PA, but at least the doctor did duck in at one point when my acne was still being recalcitrant later on.) Well, when they saw me, there was no way they were going to dismiss THAT pizza-face. It was bad. They did try some more things before finally suggesting Accutane, but it was really the only thing that could be done. The original plan was to have me on it for 5 months, but my skin had other ideas. I ended up being on it for 10 months. Some of these cysts would NOT go away. I'll spare you the details.
One funny story, though: despite the fact that I was a virgin at 25 (by choice, and not an ignorant one), you still of course have to go through all the safeguards to assure you're not going to risk pregnancy upon this highly teratogenic drug. Imagine my--well, droll amusement--when the PA called and said that the initial blood test had showed that I was pregnant and she was shaken because she had believed me about my being a determined virgin, etc. After laughing a bit, I told her to double-check with the clinic, and YES, they had switched my bloodwork with someone else. The thing that does trouble me about that is...what if the woman who WAS pregnant got her "negative" results and went out and drank a ton?? Ooooh...no. Anyway, it was no trouble for me to keep from picking up a parasite while on Accutane, but I know somebody (married to an OBGYN!!!!) who did and harmed her baby, so this is NOT to be taken lightly. Be honest with your doctor and yourself! There are reasons why doctors can't trust patients like me do tell them the truth. Have you ever watched House? "Everybody lies." (Yeah, I just lied about not picking at my face as much as I did...but...but...it's hard not to!)
It's been about 7 years since I finished treatment, and I'm still glad I did. I didn't have any acne to speak of for a long time after the treatment. What I have now is manageable with a good skin routine, and it honestly doesn't bother me enough to usually adhere to such a routine like I should! I still have oily skin, but not like I used to. And nightmare acne? No. I'm not going to be like my parents. My mother used to try to get all over my face to check my skin like a mother monkey before Accutane. Now, I can visit her and just complain about the lack of rain and the excess of Kardashians like normal people do. Thanks, Accutane! I'm more attractive and less dysfunctional now, for life! :-D
Side-effects? Heh, I got off EASY. For 6 months after treatment, I had mild posterior blepharitis. This is when the meibomian glands dotting your eyelid rim get blocked. I had to use extra-lubricating eye drops and carefully squeeze the glands with hot compresses. It cleared up. Probably should have waited until AFTER it cleared up to get LASIK. Man, those regular eyedrops they restrict you to for a while sure did burn with no natural oil in the eyes!!!
I did well, yes, but don't ignore the dangers. It doesn't just have to do with birth defects! Accutane is a SERIOUS treatment that can have SERIOUS consequences, particularly if you don't take it...well, seriously. I do not urge anyone to "just do it." In my case, however, it was the best treatment available. I've had some people try to give me crap about taking it--I guess based on their personal principles--but I did try everything else and waited only until my skin turned into what felt like aching leather over lakes of pus. If I'd done it sooner, then I wouldn't have the scarring (including the psychological, yay, high school) that I do now.
I like holding my head high and smiling at people without wincing in pain. Hooray!
Provider Review
Commonwealth Dermatology
See main summary. She was a PA, and I'm sure she's moved on long ago. I'm pretty sure the practice is now closed.