<p>I agree Accutane is a wonder drug but very dangerous, and everything else should be tried first. My twins were on various treatments for years (Aczone, Dapzone, Differin, Azelex, Tazorac, doxycycline, etc.) to no avail.</p>
<p>My 18-year-old daughter took Accutane for 6 months, finishing right before she started college this past fall. </p>
<p>PLEASE BE AWARE that there are serious systemic effects that include tooth decay! Here’s the thing…the excess vitamin A dries out your entire body, which means very little saliva is being produced, which can result in the aforementioned decay.</p>
<p>Why is this on my mind right now? Because DD, who’s had maybe 1 cavity in her life as an elementary-age kid, just had her first dental checkup since finishing Accutane.</p>
<p>NINE cavities. I just paid $1,365 on Friday for the work. </p>
<p>It’s possible that, had she been more scrupulous than usual (though she’s attentive to her oral hygiene), she might have ended up with fewer cavities. But you can also find reports of Accutane users ending up with 20 cavities and the like.</p>
<p>So please be aware of the dental concerns! </p>
<p>Having reported all that, DD is very happy with how clear her face is. Her main side effect on Accutane was incredibly dry/chapped lips that were very uncomfortable. She swiped Vaseline on her lips constantly for six months. The monthly blood tests weren’t fun either, but she dealt with it.</p>
<p>Her twin brother’s acne isn’t great, but he is opposed to Accutane, having seen how uncomfortable his sister was during her treatment.</p>
<p>Instead, he’s considering trying a blue light photodynamic treatment (BLU-U) that his dermatologist recommended. It requires frequent visits to the dermatologist for five weeks, so he plans on trying it over the summer, when he’s home from college.</p>