Accutane Made my Acne Much Worse?

Question

Accutane made my acne much worse before it got cleared. Now I'm left with tons of red marks from the inital break out. My acne was moderate when I started accutane , in August after 1 month , it was very severe with cysts , now everything cleared up and I have these red marks all over my face, I look 10 times worse than I looked when I started accutane , accutane made my skin worse!! Will red marks from inital breakout fade faster than normal red marks?

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Accutane is a go-to medication for patients with recalcitrant cystic acne. It can reduce pore size and also reduce sebum production in your skin, making it less oily; and in turn, dryer. Accutane can be used to control acne, but patients receiving the medication should be carefully monitored. In terms of skincare, always wear an appropriate sunscreen and reduce direct sun exposure. In my patients, I recommend a good ceramide moisturizer such as Elevase whenever they are on Accutane. This will keep the skin hydrated and reduce the oiliness of the skin that is associated with oil-based moisturizers.

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian 
Realself100 Surgeon

F. Victor Rueckl, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

Accutane does cause initial breakouts and some of these can be worse than "normal" for each person, however, it's a necessary part of the process of curing you acne and clearing up your skin. While you may not have noticed the general redness and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation of your skin before, you may notice it more now, as the cysts and acne marks clear up. This is normal. The redness over time, will go away. But stick to your course of medication!

Accutane Made my Acne Much Worse?

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Accutane Made my Acne Much Worse?

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Everything you need to know about Accutane

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