AHAs whilst on Roaccutane

Posted by Cara on August 07, 1999 at 10:37:15
Hi Doc,
I'm currently on a high dosage of accutane due to my acne and  I'm not due to visit my derm for another 6 weeks so I hope you can give me some advice.  
On my first visit to my derm I was told that there was no need for me to use any BHAs/AHAs while I'm taking roaccutane since they would only make my skin even more dry.  However, I have found that by using a 10% AHA gel every night followed by cetaphil cream where needed has made a world of difference to my skin; it's now completely flake free and well hydrated and has an overall healthy look.
My real preoccupation is that the use of AHA could lessen the effect of my accutane medication (this was mentioned on a newsgroup). If this is the case could you please explain to me why would something topical effect a medication that is taken orally.  If however this not the case would it be ok for me to continue to use the AHA since I have had such a positive result?
Thank you in advance,
Cara

Posted by Derm M.D. ASR on August 07, 1999 at 21:26:19
Cara:
I agree with you.  Not only have I never heard that AHA's interfere ith the efficacy of (Ro)accutane, I can't think of any reason why they would.  I advise patients to use any moisturizer thay like, since people differ in the texture they prefer (e.g. greasy vs. light, etc.)
If you like what the AHA's do for your dryness, please feel free to use them.  They will in no way vitiate your treatment's effectiveness, which is likely to be substantial.
Best.
Dr. R
keywords: acne, Accutane, Roaccutane, dryness, moisturizer, AHA, Rockoff
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