Am I likely to see improvements on 10mg Accutane daily within the first 2-3 months?

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

10 mg daily accutane is a very low dose.  With standard dosing, improvement is usually seen towards the end of the second month.  For optimum results, the total cumulative dose is important, so more months of treatment are required for people on lower doses.  It is important to follow up monthly with your Dermatologist to monitor for any side effects and/or needs to adjust your dose. 

Why are you on only 10 mg? Most of my patients start at 40 mg per day. Some also need to be on oral antibiotics as well as accutane to give you some early improvement. I know from personal experience how hard it can be in the first few months. I also did not want to be seen in public until I started taking an antibiotic which gave me at least some improvement. Hope this helps! Hang in there.

Generally, people start seeing results at about 2000-3000mg cumulative dose level. Which will be more than 3 months out based on your dosing. At 10mg daily, at 3 months you will have only taken 900mg cumulative. You can talk to your doctor about upping your dosage if that's appropriate for you. "This answer has been solicited without seeing this patient and
cannot be held as true medical advice, but only opinion. Seek in-person
treatment with a trained medical professional for appropriate care."