Accutane

[littleshrimp]

Hi, I'm 29 years old and I have suffered on and off from acne since I was 17. In 1996 I took accutane and had great results,
until about a year and 1/2 ago when the acne came back. And since then, everthing that my Dermatologist has prescribed has
given me moderate results. My question is, during my last few
weeks of taking accutane in 1996 I noticed small amounts of
blood from the rectum when wiping. Like I said it was very
small amounts and it wasn't an everyday thing. But after all
these years, on average about once every 2 months, i still see
small traces of blood. I'm thinking that it might be from eating
spicy foods, is that possible?  Do other people who haven't taken
accutane have these occurences? Is this something to be concerned
about. Would this be an issue if I took a second cycle of
accutane to clear up my acne?


How nice it would be to feel the summer breeze upon a acne free face!!!!!

[Concerned Mother]

I am a mother of an 18 year old high school senior that just started a prescription of Accutane 6 weeks ago.  I myself took Accutane back in 1986 with very good results, so I encouraged my daughter to try it.  My concern?  My daughters face is at it's worst.  Never has she had such an outbreak this bad and last so long.  I did not experience this myself therefore I can not offer her any advise.  She is seeing her regular doctor.  Her normal acne was bad, usally across the forehead, lower checks, jaw line and some in the neck area.  Rarely any cists, just normal acne.  She has had good results with ProActive, but even that product did not help eliminate the problems.  My question...is this 6 week outbreak normal?  When is the average period of time to see results? Thank you for your time.

[cita]

HI, I AM A 19 YEAR OLD FEMALE AND INTERESTED IN ACUTANE. I HAVE WHAT I WOULD THINK TO BE MODERATE TO SEVERE ACNE BUT AM ABLE TO COVER IT UP NICELY WITH MAKE-UP. BUT, I AM CONTINUOUSLY BUYING PRODUCTS AND WAHING MY FACE. I HATE IT. THE ONLY CONCERN I HAVE IS THAT I WILL BREAK OUT EVEN WORSE ONCE TREATMENT STARTS. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE HAVE THIS SIDE EFFECT AND HOT LONG DOES THE ACNE LAST UNTIL IT STARTS TO CLEAR UP? WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT?

[cheergirl14]

hi, i'm 14 years old and i suffer from severe acne. it's horrible, and i've had it for four years now. it's so sad-i feel so ugly some days, and the fact that i get teased from it everyday doesn't help. i really want to take accutane, but my mom doesn't want me to take it because she's afraid i will be come depressed. my grandmother has bipolar disease and my mom doesn't want me to become depressed. however, i am so tired of this acne and nothing else works. i feel like a lone person agains the world most days. what should i do? i need some help on how to convince my mother that it would be okay. i think people would notice if i became depressed. how could i convince her i'd be fine?

thank you,

acnefighter

[cheergirl14]

hi, i'm 14 years old and i suffer from severe acne. it's horrible, and i've had it for four years now. it's so sad-i feel so ugly some days, and the fact that i get teased from it everyday doesn't help. i really want to take accutane, but my mom doesn't want me to take it because she's afraid i will be come depressed. my grandmother has bipolar disease and my mom doesn't want me to become depressed. however, i am so tired of this acne and nothing else works. i feel like a lone person agains the world most days. what should i do? i need some help on how to convince my mother that it would be okay. i think people would notice if i became depressed. how could i convince her i'd be fine?

thank you,

acnefighter

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Accutane can dry up mucous membranes, but in my experience rectal bleeding from dryness is not common.  The fact that it's persisited after you stopped suggests that your bleeding is just from irritation--a common occurrence in that area.  You can combat that with moisturizers (like Vaseline) and perhaps occasional hydrocortisone.  That aspect shouldn't influence your decision to use Accutane again one way or another.

Although it is no dangerous per se to use Accutane a second time, you should know that if the acne came back after one course, it may come back after a second.  Of course, you're older now, so you may be closer to the time you grow out of it.  (Don't laugh!  You almost certainly will.)

Discuss the matter with your skin doctor.  It may well be worth at least one more Accutane try, if other measures are having unsatisfactory results.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff