acutane and skin cancer

My 16 YO son has scarring acne which has been resistant to antibiotic therapy.  We're considering acutane but wonder if a family history of skin cancer is of importance.  His maternal grandfather is a survivor of melanoma in the lymph system (also had severe scarring acne) and maternal grandmother died of aggressive sweat gland carcinoma.

Are there permanent changes to the oil glands with acutane?  I wonder how skin will look in his later years if the oil glands are not functioning.  Many thanks for your service.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Don't worry, Joyce, Accutane won't affect the risk of cancer, skin or otherwise.  In fact, doctors use Accutane to prevent skin cancers in certain families especially prone to them; the drug certainly doesn't promote cancer.  It also doesn't kill the oil glands, just puts them to sleep while therapy is going on.  Accutane's been around for 18+ years.  People I see many years after treatment look just fine, only with less acne or scarring than they would have had otherwise.  If the acne is severe and resistant and your doctor recommends it, I'd go for it.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff