Alan. I suggest if your acne can't be cleared any other way then use Accutane.

I was on Accutane for 4 months about 13. I'm now 26, in the past 13 years I can say it's been nothing but a wonderful gift to have taken it. I had severe acne that apparantly runs in our family because my father and many of my cousins also had it. My cousins all were also on Accutane.

I have no side effects that I can attribute to Accutane, and am amazed at how unscientifically people claim Accutane caused this or that. I'm not sure how familiar people in general are with the scientific process but there's a lot of people trying to benefit from this drug, then assign ills to it through their own voodoo science conclusions. I had dry lips and dry skin while on the drug. I'm still active and exercise to this day. If I have any future side effects, I will post them here with the notice that a doctor confirmed this drug caused my illness.

My biggest complaint is that I wish I would've been assigned the full 6 month course because it seems my acne is returning. My body is still going through the natural aging process (growing hair in places I never had before like my back, fun) and I think my hormones are working overtime to recede my hairline and no longer making me taller and stronger. smile.gif

Now that I am no longer 13, and have a career which my acne is negatively impacting, with my acne returning I would like to finish up my last two months of Accutane all these years later. We'll see what the doctor says. The minocycline, differin, retinamicro and so forth never had any effect on me.

Get yourself a good dermatologist (one that hopefully isn't too conservative but not reckless like some here seem to have), do your blood tests every month and you'll be fine.

No one understands genetics enough yet to say if or what side effects you may encounter, but if you want to go down that road you have a lot of work to do researching as we consume many unnatural things (sodium benzoate which you came in contact with today because it's in most everything and also controversial), so I suggest if your acne can't be cleared any other way then use Accutane. Life is a gamble, just make the best decision you can and read read read to inform yourself but always note who the source is.

It's truly been a wonderful gift to me in my life and I have lived the last 13 years as a popular, happy, strong young man through high school and at my university because of how outgoing it enabled me to be. Main regret is not taking it sooner to prevent scarring and insisted on the full regimen.