Accutane

Sooner or later in every acne-ridden person’s life they ask what I commonly refer to as the accutane question: is my acne to bad enough that I should be taking accutane? While only a Doctor/Dermatologist can really give you a solid answer, hopefully the following information will help you with your accutane dilemma.

Accutane Does Not Equal Clearasil

When most children hit teen-hood they start getting some pimples. The natural question to ask is what can I do to get rid of this acne? When this question is asked, most people head to the local supermarket and purchase some Clearasil or some other over-the-counter solution. However, occasionally (usually when other family members have taken accutane in the past) a teen or a teen’s parent wonders about accutane. In these situations, when a teen is just barely starting to get zits, a good general guideline is to not go straight to accutane.

To understand why you shouldn’t jump straight to accutane let me give you an analogy. Let’s say you’re just learning how to drive. If you were to hop into your Dad’s Lamborghini you would wreck the thing in an instant. Accutane is like the Lamborghini of acne medicine.

Sometimes I get a little nervous talking about the side effects of accutane, because the truth is that it is approved medicine and it has probably done more for managing acne than all of the other treatments combined. I mean we’re talking about taking a pill for a couple of months and then never having to worry about your zits again. This sure beats having to do some 3-step program until you’re retired at age 56.  That being said, it does have some side effects. I have included some of the major side effects below. Note that there are a lot more potential side effects than what I have listed below.

• Don’t even think about taking this stuff if you’re pregnant. Seriously it shouldn’t even cross your mind. The damage that it does to fetuses is astounding (even one does can cause serious problems to the baby).
• Weakening of the bones. It is usually recommended to avoid sports that can injure your bones while you are taking accutane.
• Sensitivity in the skin. Try to avoid harmful UV rays while you are taking this medicine. When you go outside make sure to put on sunscreen.
• Decreased night vision. It’s hard for me to say how something like accutane (that is packed with vitamin A) can cause decreased night vision, but it can.
• Dry Skin. This one may sounds obvious, but you may be surprised how dry your skin gets while on accutane.

How It Works

In short, accutane works by making it so your glands don’t produce as much oil. Without as much oil, your skin doesn’t have as many pimples. It is also said that accutane helps your skin renew faster.

Pricing

The price of accutane will vary depending on your location, pharmacy, and the dosage required. To give you some estimates a 10mg pill of accutane will cost you about three dollars. A 40mg pill for more severe acne will cost you around five dollars. You take one pill a day for a couple of months so the price can add up. However if you compare this to a lifetime of spending $40 a month on acne cleaners you are actually getting quite a good deal.

Other Important Information about Accutane

Accutane is used for severe nodular acne. To see if you have this type of acne, talk with a dermatologist or doctor. However as a quick self-check severe nodular acne can be identified as larger spots that are quite painful. This type of spot or pimple can sometimes last for months.

Accutane works on about half of the people that use it. While this number may not seem great to you, you have to remember that this means you won’t have to take any sort of acne medicine again after you are done with the accutane bout.

Some patient’s acne (about 1 in 5) tend to get a little bit worse when they start taking accutane (usually for about the first week or so). After that they start seeing improvement.

Hopefully this article has been able to clear up some of your questions. Remember to visit a dermatologist if you are seriously considering taking accutane. Do not ever try to buy accutane pills online or outside of the USA as it is in violation of the Food and Drug Administration.