To say adult acne is not fun is an understatement. When I went to my dermatologist for help, I was prescribed an intense medication called Accutane or Isotretinoin. I have been taking it the past 7 months and my last pill will be taken tomorrow (yay!) The end result has been amazing but I did experience a lot of ups and downs over the course of the time I have been on the medication. So today, I am sharing my experience with Accutane for adult acne in case it helps someone else who may be dealing with something similar or trying to decide if Accutane is the way to go.
Before we dive in, let me emphasize that I am NOT a medical doctor. I cannot tell you whether Accutane is right, wrong or safe for you. That is a discussion between you and your doctor/dermatologist. This post is only meant to describe the experiences that I personally had while taking Accutane for adult acne.
A Little Background
I have always enjoyed relatively clear skin. A blemish here a blemish there but nothing too crazy and nothing that wasn’t gone in a few days. Fast forward to turning 35 and deciding I no longer wanted to use birth control. I had been on it for over 10 years and it was just time. I was ready to be rid of all that so I stopped using it in January of 2017. All was good for about six months. After that, I started breaking out a little more often than usual. A little annoyance but nothing major. Then things started to escalate pretty quickly.
It got progressively worse until my face and jaw line were covered in painful cystic acne. I was 35 years old! This stuff was supposed to be done with wasn’t it? I couldn’t understand what was happening and I was beyond frustrated with the state of my skin. It got to the point where I was so embarrassed and felt like I couldn’t leave the house without makeup. It was all over and angry and so visible that it started to effect my self-esteem. And before you cue the sad violin, I am well aware that my situation may not compare to someone else struggling with adult acne. This is just an account of MY personal experience and MY feelings on what I was dealing with.
I started to get a little panicked. It was just something so uncharacteristic for me and I wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. I started by switching to more natural skin care products and getting regular facials. No change. I switched up some of my favorite beauty products just to see. Nada. I even tried just forgoing makeup for a while to see if I was only clogging my pores more by trying to cover it up. I tried coconut oil washes because I had read about it online and coconut oil cures all right? Nope. I even completed a round of Whole30 during that time. I focused on only eating wholesome clean food and got rid of all sugar and dairy and still nothing. After about a year of struggle, I met a dermatologist for an acne consult.
Getting Started With Accutane for Adult Acne
After chatting with the dermatologist and going over all the things I had previously tried, I was prescribed a topical treatment called Epi-Duo and a medication called Spiranolactone. Spiranolactone is typically used as a blood pressure medication but they found it also helped adult acne in women. I figured it was worth a shot and at this point I was pretty desperate. I was told to use both for three months and then come back for a follow-up. After 3 months I was left with no change except some flaky skin due to the drying effects of the Epi-Duo.
When I went in for my follow-up, they discussed options with me and I was prescribed Accutane. I had heard of it and knew what it was because my husband had taken it as a teenager. I knew it was a strong medication with some significant side effects. As a male, my husband's time taking Accutane was a little easier.
As a female, I had to come in to get monthly pregnancy tests in addition to the routine blood tests. If you are a woman, you are required to “Pledge” that you will use two forms of birth control while on Accutane because of the significant risk of birth defects. You also have to answer comprehension questions in the form of on online quiz about this rule every visit. Just something to be aware of if you are considering Accutane.
After all is said and done, I will have taken Accutane for 7 months. Everyone's dosage is different based on your weight and recommended cumulative dosage. As I experienced some of the side effects, I was often asked if I wanted to go down to 1 pill a day instead of 2. Since the prescribed dosage is cumulative, that would just mean I would be on the medication even longer. So when I was experiencing those side effects, I decided to stick with the two pills a day in order to be done as soon as possible.
Speaking of side effects….
The Side Effects of Accutane for Adult Acne
Dry Skin/Skin Sensitivity
This one was expected as it is the number one most common side effect of Accutane. You will be DRY. All. The. Time. Your face and your body. I changed my skincare to something more moisturizing and that definitely helped with some of the dryness. I did at times feel a little itchy all over so I made sure to have lotion around to help with that. The only thing I didn't have to change up was my face wash. I was able to use my tried and true Philosophy Purity Made Simple face wash which has been one of my skin care staples for YEARS. Here are some of the other products that I did switch up to really help me combat the dryness.
Cerave Moisturizing Body Cream
Herbivore Moon Fruit Night Cream
Just FYI, this stuff is AMAZING! I feel that it really helped me with my skin's overall texture as well as scarring.
The area I feel the most dry is my mouth/lips. And this has actually gotten even worse the last two weeks for some reason. My lips and the corners of my mouth are often dry and recently the skin there has been flaking off no matter how much moisturizer I use. I know, gross. Luckily I am almost done but it was kind of odd that I had not experienced the intensity like this up until now. To help with my lips, I keep chapstick within an arms reach of wherever I am. In my purse, in my car, at work, in my nightstand, in the bathroom, in the living room- you get the idea. There are lots of special balms on the market but really what worked best for me was Kopari Lip Glossy (linked above) and plain old regular chapstick. Nothin’ fancy.
The other side effect of using Accutane for adult acne is the overall sensitivity of your skin. I could wear SPF 70 and get a sunburn walking from my car in the parking lot to the store on really sunny days. I had to make sure I had SPF with me at all times and I covered up when I was going to be outside. My summer was spent indoors instead of lounging by the pool. Nothing I couldn’t live with.
It is also important to know, that you cannot get waxes (not even bikini waxes), facials or do anything exfoliating while on Accutane. My friend told me about how she got her eyebrows waxed while on Accutane as a teenager and it pulled the skin right off. The horror! I switched to threading for the duration of my Accutane and that seemed to be just fine. I did however, use a brightening peel off mask that ended up burning a little piece of skin on my cheek. Lesson learned. You also cannot do things like get tattoo's because you can end up with severe scarring. And with Accutane, you scar SO easily for the smallest things. Sometimes even when I just absent-mindedly scratched my arm, I would end up with an actual scratch that would last a couple weeks. Because of the susceptibility to scarring and irritation, I would find that I bled more easily. Simple scratches turned into scabs that would bleed. This happened especially around my ears which was odd. Not glamorous but its real life.
Hair Loss
Some people noted some significant hair loss with Accutane. I only experienced this on a mild level (thank goodness). It started about 3 months in and it was just a little more shedding in the shower than usual. I think maybe my daily collagen peptides (PS code BEAUTY10 saves you $$ on their website!) helped out to minimize this in my case. I highly recommend them even if you're not taking Accutane! Other people commented their scalp got very dry or itchy which I did experience. My hair has always been a little more oily at the root so if anything, Accutane actually helped the texture of my hair. Go figure.
Update May 2020
Things seem back to normal on the hair front. My hair stylist noticed a lot of baby hairs coming in in the 6 months post Accutane. So luckily what I lost seems to have come back! Now my hair is currently recovering slightly from my 2 year stint with hair extensions.
Joint Pain
This side effect was by far the worst for me. The pain in my back and hips started small and progressively got worse the longer I was on the medication. So now, being that I am only a week from finishing, it’s probably the worst it’s been. Everything hurts. All the time. As someone with a pretty active workout routine, this has been the most frustrating thing to deal with. I was getting to the point where I no longer enjoyed my workouts and I dreaded them because I knew it would cause some flare ups. Recently I switched to doing more cycling instead of running or weight bearing exercises to help. I also started seeing a chiropractor. According to my dermatologist these symptoms should dissipate after a couple weeks of being off the medication so I am definitely looking forward of that! Collagen peptides also came to the rescue with side effect to as it helps with joint pain so I can't even imagine what it would have been like if I hadn't been using that daily.
Update May 2020
Thank the Lord baby Jesus that this side effect was gone about a month post Accutane. It was my biggest struggle and I was worried it would continue but I am happy to report that I haven't experienced anything similar to what I felt on Accutane. The normal aches and pains sure, but thats about it. My workouts are back to being enjoyable and something I enjoy.
Mood Swings/Depression
This was a hard one for me for the few months that I experienced it. I knew ahead of time that one side effect of Accutane is depression symptoms but a couple months in when it started happening to me, I didn’t even think about it being related to the medication. I felt like I was going crazy. I was sad for no reason and always on the verge of tears. I’d have a couple days of feeling like myself and then it would come back. I experienced this for about a month before I realized that it was probably due to the medication. It lasted for about 6 weeks and since then, I haven’t noticed any more symptoms. It definitely made me more sensitive to those who have to endure long-term struggles with depression.
I do wonder though how much of my weight gain over this year (about 15-20 pounds) is attributed to Accutane. Weight gain in itself is not a direct known side effect however, given my history with food and being overweight, whenever I felt sad or angry, I turned to food. This happened often while I was on the medication. And the weight gain only made me more frustrated so it was just a vicious cycle for a while.
Increased Cholesterol/Triglyceride Levels
Accutane can also affect your triglyceride and cholesterol levels which is another reason why the monthly blood tests are required. I did see an increase in those levels the first month or so but after my last test result, my doctor assured me I was still in the normal range so I tried not to worry too much. After a few months of “normal” blood test results, I only had to come in monthly for the pregnancy tests. The pictures below show the progression of both my cholesterol and my triglyceride levels. I plan on getting new tests done after I have been off the medication for a few months just to follow up. If your levels are already high to begin with, it's something to keep in mind and monitor.
Overall Results
In terms of results I am definitely 100% satisfied with the condition of my skin now. Accutane for adult acne totally worked for me. My skin is better than it has ever been in my life. I have not had a breakout in months and when I did, it was a small blemish that was gone in about a day. I am very lucky with scarring as well considering how much I went to town on my face armed with an extractor and a magnifying mirror (don’t judge me. You know you’ve done it). Side note: DO NOT pick at your skin while on Accutane. Because your skin is so sensitive you are much more likely to scar. I learned this lesson when I tried to pick at my face the first few weeks. If I left things alone, blemishes would disappear in about a day or two. When I tried to pick at it, I would end up with a week long scab for the tiniest blemish.
Accutane improved the overall texture and appearance of my skin in addition to clearing up my acne. It truly was a miracle medication for me when it comes to results.
The pictures below are both without filters and without makeup.
Accutane is no joke when it comes to side effects. The ones I did experience are enough to make me hesitate should I ever need to take it again. I don't anticipate having to ever go through it again but they do warn you that some people have to do multiple cycles. Another thing to be aware of.
And to wrap things up, this post is not meant to be pro or against Accutane. Every person experiences side effects differently and you really need to research thoroughly before deciding if it’s something you want to take on. I just want to share my real life experiences with Accutane for adult acne. Both the good and the bad. One of the first things I did when I was prescribed Accutane was google all about other people's experiences. Hopefully this was helpful if you are exploring your options!
Update May 2020
It's officially been 2 years since I took my last pill and I am still so happy with my results. I haven't experienced anything beyond the regular hormonal breakout when my period comes around. I have heard stories of people needing to go on multiple rounds of Accutane so I am very glad that hasn't been the case. Accutane was truly a skin saver for me.
Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. The products linked are ones I use personally and wholeheartedly recommend.
Thank you for your continued support!
Stacy says
Thank you so much for sharing your journey! I am at the exact same spot currently. Tried everything for my adult acne (I'm 38). Currently working my way through a series of chemical peels at the Derm. I had planned to bring up Accutane at my 3 month f/up in 2 weeks.
Jen says
Yea it's so tough! I was getting regular facials and she was doing all she could but my skin was NOT cooperating. I hope you get your answer soon!
Jessica says
This is such a great story for people struggling with the decision on whether or not to use accutane. I’m sorry you had to go through the skin issues and the side effects of the meds but I can’t believe the results! I mean I do, but I’m amazed. Skin appearance certainly affects our self esteem! I’m glad you were able to find something to help you.
PS I’ve heard really great things about the Herbivore products like the moon fruit cream you posted above.
Miranda says
Thanks for sharing your wonderful posts.❤️ I have only been on Accutane for 2 weeks now but already I see such a difference! So happy ? I googled ' BEN247AC ' and got the treatment. Everyone is complementing how smooth my skin looks ?! I had severe acne all over my face, moderate on my shoulders and back. My skin acne made me miserable, it was all over my entire face and it was red and agreessive and bumpy. Now it is pale pink and has gone down drastically and I have only been on it for 2 weeks! The side effects I have experienced are dry skin and cracked lips. I put coconut oil on my lips and moisturise constantly and that is helping to manage it a lot.
Valerie Womack says
Thank you for sharing your journey! I have been dealing with adult acne for the past decade and it’s getting progressively worse as time passes. Like you; never did have have an issue until I was in my early 30’s. What a total mind F! And thank you for sharing untouched pics! I will do the same, I have already done research and all the previous trials of a TON of meds! And the labs/ initial pregnancy test/ iPledge form, etc...my next appt is in a week.
Thank you for your story!
Nat says
Thanks so much for sharing your story and unfiltered pictures. I am also struggling from adult acne and did one Accutane treatment back in my mid twenties for around 8 month. It never cleared my skin completely but still made a huge (!!!) difference. Just like you I went of the birth control more than 1,5 years ago and my face keeps on flaring up, to a point where I feel so helpless, not knowing what else to try. It’s not as bad as it used to be, but still, with 36 I feel like I could stop covering up blemishes. 😉 I am considering a second go with Isotretinoin, which has also been suggested to me twice. Do you feel like your skin became dryer even 2 years after the treatment?
Jen says
Hey there! I definitely know how you feel. So I think my skin overall is a bit drier than it was prior to accutane but not insanely so. I would say I now have more "normal" skin instead of oily.
Rebecca says
Thank you for this - I’m 31 and about to start Accutane and found this really helpful!
Lindsey says
Hey Jen! I am midway through month 3 right now with accutane (40mg month one and two and 60mg now), I am still having regular breakouts and my skin is consistently “pushing out” oil, especially on my nose. I’ve noticed a bumpy texture on my chin as well. Was wondering what you experienced month by month and when you were completely clear? I have stubborn mild acne so I thought I would be more clear by now. Thank you!
Jen says
I started noticing actual skin clearing around month 3-4. I think by the 4th it was finally a big difference.
Kristen says
Hi Jen, as always thanks for sharing with us. I've not tried accutane, so far I've been able to keep my acne under control for the most part with over the counter washes and a good skin care routine (using a lot of your suggestions in your favorite skin care products). But not even when I don't have any breakouts I'm very self conscious of my scars. I'm curious if you struggled with scarring at all? It doesn't look like it, you're skin looks great! But if you did was there anything in particular you thought was helpful? Thanks!
Jen says
I luckily did not have a huge huge issue and I attribute a lot of that to the daily collagen I take along with the product I mentioned in the post from Herbivore. The mood fruit cream. I felt like that really helped even out my skin and reduce the appearance of scars.
Candace Murphy says
Hi Jen - Let me start by saying that you are a stunner even while suffering with the cystic acne. Secondly, can you answer two questions:
1. Did your cystic acne get even worse (bad eruptions) during your first two months?
2. Did you use the CocoKind Facial Repair Serum DURING/While on Accutane?
My sons nodular/cystic acne has erupted so bad since beginning accutane, BUT I know this can be normal. On March 16th he will be at the three month mark for beginning accutane. He is starting to see some clearance now - the dark red/purple areas are pink, but I am so worried about the discolored pit/pock marks that are left. I was on accutane myself in my early 20s and know that a lot of this will go away (I think I remember mine being sorta similar but not as bad). He uses the Cerave Night Cream and has found O’Keefe’s Night Lip Repair in the little orange tub to be his best option for guy’s lips - no shine. I am beginning him today on the Collagen Peptides and will buy the Herbivore Moon Fruit Night Cream once I can find it (your link to Sephora isn’t working - it looks like they don’t sell it anymore). If you could answer the two questions above - that would be so great!!! Thank you for this information!
Jen says
Hey there! So I dont remember having worse breakouts but I definitely still had breakouts for the first couple months and I remember being annoyed it was taking so long haha. And yes, I used that serum and the herbivore cream during accutane and I really feel like it helped.Thanks for letting me know about the broken link. I'll fix it. I was a total picker when it came to my skin and I was really lucky in terms of scarring. I attribute it to those products and collagen! I hope your son clears up soon!
Jackie M. says
Hi Jen! Thank you so much for sharing your story. I'm 39 and have struggled with acne since age 37. I start accutane in a couple of weeks and am in the preparation stage of gathering information and resources for dealing with side effects. This is so encouraging to know that there is hope at the end of this and I won't be ashamed to go out in public without my face being covered. (Face masks being one small benefit to all of this. Thanks 2020?)
Bruna says
Thank you for sharing your story, your results are amazing, you have a beautiful skin 👏🥰 I did this treatment when I was around 18 and only felt nose and lips dryness. For around 7 years, my acne was totally under control, I was even able to stop the pill without major issues. I was make-up free and so happy, even when I had little breakouts. But then at 24 I moved to another country with a very different climate, food and even water hardness, so it made my skin over produce sebum again and maybe some hormonal unbalance due to stress... so it was all back again, very angry, red, swollen, non-stop and hurtful. I went back on pills, managed stress, and found better skin care products and it helped for a while. But after around 2 years, I don't know what happened this time, it came back one more time!!!! It is a life time of struggling, since puberty. I cry on frustration, I feel so ugly, can't leave without make-up for 5 years... it is what I think about when I go to sleep and when I wake-up "is it better today? No, not yet", and it goes like this everynight until it is month and years. Some times I feel so down and tired of it I just avoid seeing people and going out to exercise. It was supposed to be simple - jaust put sports clothes and go sweat, but then I look myself in the mirror and that is devastating. It sounds silly and shallow, I know, and that also hurts... I didn't want to be worrying about it, I just want to be "normal", I'm not futile, just want to have a healthy looking skin and feel good, that's all. I was avoiding Accutane so far, as I'm very afraid of side effects. Where I live the air and water are sooooo f* dry, I already know the dry skin will hurt so much. But right now, I wish I had started sooner, I'm tried, I'm so sad, I'm broken, just want it to be gone.
Sorry for writing so much, I believe I just needed to talk a bit. It is so nice to find stories like your and feel understood 🥰 and also feel hope.
Wish you all the best!! ✨️
Jen Lopez says
I'm so sorry you've been going through that. I definitely understand and it's not easy. I was so very self conscious too. Thank you for sharing. I hope you find some relief soon!
Graygad says
Thank you for this; it was very honest and informative. Thanks too for the courageous photos you shared. This is my third round on Accutane, and I'm in my 50s. I am trying the Absorica this time. I am at the scabby, flaky stage at week 6. I had previously used low dose Accutane for years, but I wanted to give my body a break. It controlled things, but never left me comfortable without makeup. Hope this is a permanent fix; I should be focusing on wrinkles at my age!
Jen says
So sorry you're going through that! I hope it gets resolved soon. I definitely know how frustrating it can be.
Kirsten says
Hey Jen! Thank you so much for sharing, your pictures and your journey have been so helpful. You look amazing preaccutane and post accutane!
I am about to turn 30 and have been dealing with acne since I was a teen. I went on the birth control pill to help my acne and like you, I stopped taking it after 10 years because I wanted my body to be natural and do it’s thing on its own. After I stopped birth control in February 2020 I broke out in cystic acne 3 months later which kept getting progressively worse. I then went back on birth control because it was my hormones going crazy after being on the pill so long. Now being back on the pill I’m still getting acne regularly but not as cystic and am contemplating accutane. I wanted to know what birth control method you used while taking accutane (pill, IUD, etc) are you still on a hormonal birth control post accutane? What I’m worried about is accutane helping my skin but once I get off the pill then it will flare into the cystic acne again.
Thank you so much!
Jen says
Hey there! I was actually not on birth control while taking accutane. My acne started after I stopped birth control. I have not gone back to any hormonal BC since I got off. I let my body just cycle out of it and started accutane about 1-2 years after I got off the birth control
Veronika says
Hi Jen, I have been struggling with acne since I was a teenager, now at my 40's it got calmed and my skin was looking better but then all of a sudden say 3 or 4 months ago I sarted breaking out!! I went to the derm and now I'm ready to change my skin for the better and I'm about to start my journey with accutane! I'm a bit nervous because of the food, I got a list of a lot of food I cannot eat and I was on keto diet, so it turns out a lot of the food I used isn't permitted while on accutane, like nuts, cheese, milk, bacon, butter, oils, and a lot more ! Can you tell me what was your diet while on accutane, please?! I also enjoy and exercising 5 times a week, I hope I can keep on doing it while on this med! Thank you for your great article, and your results were marvelous, congratulations!!
Jen says
Hey there! I was never given any food restrictions while on accutane so I ate normally without any issues. That's interesting they told you that!
Jessica says
Wondering if you could provide an update on your skin now. Have you had any breakouts since ending accutane or have you remained relatively clear?
Jen Lopez says
hey there! My skin is still clear and I very seldom even have a minor breakout now which I am very happy with! 🙂
Amanda says
Thank you so much for sharing! Your story is almost exactly my story. I’m 36 and in the stages of researching to start accutane. I have one question about the two forms of birth control. My dermatologist told me they’d accept a vasectomy as one but told me I’d need to be on another form of birth control. Like you the reason my acne had flared was because I went off the birth control pill. Did you go back on birth control for the accutane? Sorry if this is too personal but this is the one thing I struggle with.
Jen Lopez says
Hi Amanda! I definitely did not go back on BC. I didn't want to go down that road again.
Kaci says
Thank you for sharing. I'm 42 and am considering this route for my cystic acne. Mine started at about 35 or so and has progressively gotten worse. My face hurts all the time and it's never ending. In addition to the cystic acne, I also have Polycystic ovarian syndrome with endometrial hyperplasia which causes a huge hormone shift which makes breakouts worse and also causes hirsuitism (facial hair growth). I literally have to shave every morning which doesn't help the breakouts and the sensitivity in my skin.
Jen Lopez says
Im so sorry you're going through that! I hope you find relief soon!