OK To Do a Chemical Peel 2 Months After Accutane? Did 3 Month Course.

In my practice, I recommend patients wait 6 months after finishing isotretinoin (Accutane) to have elective treatments to the face.  Isotretinoin makes the skin very sensitive and impairs healing. It is especially important to stay out of the sun and to avoid laser treatments. 

This is a on-going controversy in Dermatology. Some experts think that patients should wait 6 months, and other experts feel that the period immediately following Accutane is a time of therapeutic opportunity. There is much activity in the skin, many healing cells are in the tissue, and along with them, growth factors. My advice is to ask your doctor if you could have a "test site" treatment. This is where the patient and I select an inconspicuous area and conduct a test treatment...but I do not recommend something that is ablative (CO2 laser). No ablative treatments..only treatments that aid the body in repair and help you with any problems you have..for example, working on the excess oil. By the way, if the oil problem is on your face, there's a great product called OC-8 that helps with oil control. It can be applied daily to give you a matte-finish look to the face. I am sure that you can find it online and it should be no more than $40.00. For other people reading this who are on Accutane, it is common to get a little re-bound acne (small pimples, with some oiliness) at about 4-8 weeks after Accutane but this process calms after about 8 weeks.