Battled acne for almost 10 years. It was bearable until age 24. It has gotten worse around the cheek area. My dermatologist had been trying to get me to go on isotretinoin (accutane) for almost 2 years but I was hesitant. Finally I decided to go for it. I didn't want to ruin my skin any longer. I will say hands down it was the best decision I have ever made regarding my skin. I was on it for 6 months, yes it got a little worse for about 2 weeks but then about 3/4 months in it began to get crystal clear. Even my marks went away. My only side affects were very dry lips and eyes and a bit more tired than normal. It was well beyond worth it. I debated for so long about taking this. Listen to your dermatologist, trust them it works. It takes a little time but you will LOVE your skin after. Imagine glowing skin and being able to look in the mirror and think "wow that's my skin, it's perfect." At least that's how I feel. Go gain your confidence back because that's what this will do for you. For all you acne sufferers, you understand what I mean :) (start date was in November and finished in June 2014 ) Updated on 29 Jul 2014: I'm about 2 months post isotretinoin. (accutane) I've gotten a few tiny pimples but nothing like before. Still was well worth the 6 months of treatment. Updated on 23 Aug 2014: I don't have many pictures from my before treatment because I didn't like seeing my skin. But this was about 3 months into treatment. It's a little blurry but my cheeks are red and there's still a few pimples, inflamed. But was much better than when I started. Updated on 23 Aug 2014: Trying to keep this updated to be helpful to everyone whose considering treatment. I'm 3 month post now and everything is still pretty good. I've gotten a few little ones but nothing that bothers me. Just some advice DO NOT pick at anything. If you do get any little pimples post treatment they go away very fast. So here is my 3 month picture. Updated on 29 Nov 2015: Well my perfect clear skin has come to a an end. I guess it was too good to be true. It's not as horrible as it was to begin with but its not what should be happening. Back to concealer and of course I picked. Started on my forehead and after that cleared up its on my chin and left side cheek. Extremely frustrating!! I'm going back to the dermatologist in 10 days. If I need a second round I might just do it. Back to being cranky and hating mirrors!

I just finished my freshmen year of high school. I started getting acne in 6th grade, but it was never a big problem until last year. I would get pimples on pimples the entire year. (metaphor). I saw a dermatoligist toward the middle of 8th grade. For a year, i was put on antibiotics and a few topical creams, they would calm down my acne, but they wouldn't make it go away. So towards the middle of my freshman year, i began Accutane. At first. The only symptom that was noticable was the dryness, flaking skin, extremely dry lips, etc. Right now, i just started my final month of accutane. I still get a few pimples, but they are completely flat now.