28 Year Old Female Suffering from Acne Since Age 12 - Fresno, CA

My acne has returned, although not as badly as before taking Accutane. I ended my course in February and by April the small bumps increased enough for me to start worrying. By June I officially had acne again. I just went to my derm last week and she prescribed Epiduo Forte. I go back in six weeks to see if that has helped. My acne is mild, but it's definitely disappointing that Accutane didn't work for me. I didn't expect to have clear skin forever, but 2 months just doesn't seem fair. I'm pretty certain my acne is hormonal, so until I get that sorted out I'm stuck with acne. I've reached the point where I'm over this whole battle. I'm going to accept that I have acne. It's the hand I was dealt. My plan now is to keep it under control since I have no faith in ever "curing" it. It's mainly my forehead, so at least my whole face isn't covered in acne.

I wish all of you who are on Accutane a great journey and long term results. I don't regret my decision to take Accutane. It just didn't put my acne into remission unfortunately. Your experience may be different, so don't lose hope. Hang in there! ????

Hi guys. I just wanted to log back in and post an update. It has been 3 months since my last pill of Absorica and my skin is looking great! :) I still get tiny little bumps here and there, but I haven't had an actual pimple in about 2 months. I almost think my skin looks better now than it did in the last few months of Accutane. I always have some sort of tiny bump every single day, but my skin is a lot more hydrated than it was on Accutane so I think overall it looks better. It's odd though.... most of my tiny bumps are only my cheek bones, a place I didn't normally break out before Accutane. My chin and forehead were my problem areas and it seems like now I get tiny bumps on my cheek bones too. Some of the oil came back at about 2 months post Absorica, but I think this is what normal oil levels are, so it's kind of nice. I have a bit of a glow, not cracking dry skin or an oil slick. I don't wear face makeup, just eye makeup, so I can't say how foundation or concealer would look or feel on my skin. I'm still using the same cleansing and moisturizing products on my face, but I was able to switch to a more mild body lotion without any issues. My lips returned to normal at about 5 weeks after stopping Absorica. I still use Blistex, but I really only use it maybe twice a day. I remember the first day I went all day without any sort of lip ointment and I was thrilled lol. I now wash my hair 2-3 times a week. The weather here in California has been warming up, so it seems to become greasy a little faster now. One of the biggest issues I had on Accutane was joint pain. I'm happy to say that it seems to have subsided! :) I cannot even begin to explain the relief. It was never severe, but it was enough that it bothered me and made exercising difficult. I'm still walking/jogging 4-5 miles daily and it feels great! I don't have any issues with dry eyes, blood in my nostrils, constipation, hair loss, depression, etc. All of my blood results returned to baseline a month after stopping. It seems as though all of my side effects have ceased now that I'm off the medication. I'm so very grateful for this as I know that others are not as fortunate. I'm going to try to update every 3 months. One of the things that I searched and searched for before beginning Accutane was the stories after a course ended. It was so hard to find a follow up months, years after. I'm going to try to do that for you guys in hopes it'll help someone out there make a decision about whether or not to take the medication. I get why people don't update... it's because they start living! It's an amazing feeling to no longer stress over your skin, to no longer research endlessly about "curing" your acne, to not worry, change plans and avoid events or stress over skin care, dietary restrictions/ changes and the expense behind it all. It is such freedom no longer having acne. Not too long ago it hit me... so this is what it feels like to not think about your skin all day every day! I can't believe I missed out on that for 17 years of my life! I wish more than anything that acne didn't exist and that none of us had to deal with the pain it brings, but I am so grateful that Accutane exists. I hope that everyone on the medication is doing well and for those considering please do your research. I wish you all the best! :)