when to up the dose!!

hey its my 20 day of accutane my inital flare is still persisting a bit better, my skin is very dry dont need to wash my face at all !! i was wondering do i need to increase my dose to make the flare go away or i shoud wait it out!! and how do u decide on increasing the dose?

[loiloi]

Hi, increasing the dose can result in another temporary worsening of acne, similar to the initial outbreak. The dose should only be increased if you are not responding to the medicine after 4-8 weeks and if your acne is severe. It is normal not to see any improvement after 20 days. Was your face with a bland cleanser such as Cetaphil rather than not washing it at all.
The usual starting dose is 0.5mg x kg patients bodyweight per day (so if you weigh 60kg you'd take 30mg). Your dermatologist may increase this to 1mg x kg patients bodyweight if you don't respond well.
I know the initial outbreak is frustrating, but this is a normal side effect and shows your medicine is working. Be patient, Accutane is your best hope of a long term remission from acne.
Best Wishes, Eloise.

[Lynsy333]

I was on accutane about a year ago.  And almost the whole time I was on it my skin was very dry and it seemed like I kept breaking out - VERY frustrating!  Stick with it and take your doses even if your skin is going crazy.  When I finished my accutane course my skin was immediately better.  Going on accutane has absolutely been on of the best decisions I've made.  My skin has been completely clear and healthy for almost a year now - and that's a really great feeling :).  As much as the treatment sucked it was worth every day of frustration.

Stick with it - it will pay off!!

[tipsy85]

thanks for the responses guys!!