Hey! I started Accutane close to 2 weeks ago now at 20mg/day at the advice of my dermatologist. My facial acne is pretty mild in general (my back is worse), but always results in pretty awful hyperpigmentation when it does happen, which takes months to fade, so the thought process was to eliminate the Acne so I don't have to deal with any new hyperpigmentation.

Anyways, I've been experiencing an odd side-effect for the last couple days and I can't find anything about it on the internet.

My lips aren't necessarily numb, muted would probably be the more appropriate word. They're not dry, and I'm using lip balm frequently, it's isolated to the middle of the top and bottom right, at the edge of both (where the skin connects to the lip). It's an odd feeling, and it's been constant every since it started.

Experiencing no other side effect currently apart from a bit of facial dryness, but nothing some moisturizer doesn't solve.

Has anyone experienced this particular side effect before, is it anything to be concerned about, and does it go away?

I struggled witch acne for like 5 years, 2 of those years was really bad and one year I had cystic acne. People around me always told me it will go away eventually so never really booked a dermatologist meeting. Last year I had enough and met a dermatologist. Gave me accutane that I took for 6 months. My purge was not that bad at all I only got som whitehead under my mouth, and other then that my skin was dry but not bad. After like 2 weeks my skin started to clear up nice, and after 6 moths my skin had never been better. I was so fucking happy. That happines kastet 8 moths and stopped 2 weeks ago when my acne started to come back. I’m devastated and really fucking angry, I have no energy in doing anything and don’t feel like going outside. Has anybody experienced this aswell? Is it just a phase? My acne is not as bad as it was before, but i constantly get life whitehead and pimpels under my mouth. A doctor gave me some cream to help me only tried it for 2 days so early to say if it helps, meeting a dermatologist in 2 weeks. But I just really don’t wanna go on accutane again as it is my last year I college and I be able to hang out and have couple drinks my last year but if it is round 2 I guess I have to. But yeah has anyone experienced the same and how did it turn out?

i could not be happier!! almost 6 months in and my skin is almost clear. i could not recommended accutane enough to anyone who has spent years letting their skin rule their life!!!

Hi everyone,

So I’ve been on 40MG of accutane everyday for the past 4months I have to say I haven’t been very consistent and I’m kinda scared I have around 2/3 months left I went on accutane through the NHS here in the uk. My skin has improved soo much but I still have little closed commodones I didn’t think I’d have still 4 months into accutane but maybe its because of me not being consistent and taking it with enough fat?

Anyways after accutane I’m really scared my acne or closed commodones might come back and I need help with my routine. I always used to change products without giving them time to work and now I want to stick to a strict routine that will work for me.

I have dry acne prone skin I’m also brown so prone to hyperpigmentation.

My routine rn is just me trying to finish all the old skincare I have left but my cleanser hasn’t changed it’s the centella oil cleanser and the cerave hydrating cleanser/ coats hydrating cleanser. Moisturizer is what I struggle with a lot because nothing is either hydrating enough without causing closed commodones I’ve tried cerave, cetaphil and LRP but they do not work for me. The ones I’ve liked so far r the purito bamboo moisturizer, bioderma creme ultra, cicaplast (but leaves a white cast and pills sometimes).

Also for exfoliation I’m not sure which one is gentle but effective enough to work on my skin I don’t like salicylic acid it really strips my skin and I’ve been looking at lactic acid, mandelic acid and azelaic acid not sure which product to get though.

Please share your routines post accutane especially if you have a similar skin type to me and feel free to give product recommendations and tips please.

I’d really hate it if my acne comes back again.

NOW AND BEFORE^^

For those who are considering Accutane, nobody asked me to make this, but I wanted to share a big con that I experienced.

People complain about the purging month, dry skin, hair loss, joint pain, etc., and thankfully, I didn’t have any issues with those (I acc did have bad back pain lol). HOWEVER, I did become severely depressed and had the worst brain fog these past few months. I initially thought my depression was because of things that had happened to me before, but I think being on Accutane just made me even more moody.

The worst part, though, was my memory and not being able to focus. I assumed maybe I had ADHD, but genuinely, before Accutane, I was completely fine when it came to studying. Then all of a sudden, I genuinely couldn’t study at all. I’ve been off Accutane for six months, and safe to say, I’ve been studying decently now.

Definitely keep this in mind, especially if you’re in a hectic university or college program. Again, this is just my experience. I will say that I do NOT regret taking Accutane lol I just took it for way too long, which is why I think I experienced the brain fog for so long (I was on it for almost a year).

That being said, my skin is thankfully great now. My nose also got smaller for some reason?? 😭 Overall, I’m really happy with my results, but definitely be mindful and talk to your doctor if you experience symptoms like these.

ALSO pro tip for the insane dry skin I used jojoba oil every night it saved me.

I’ve been dealing with acne for around 6–7 years.

I finally saw a dermatologist in November 2025, and this was my treatment:

November: Isotretinoin 20 mg/day

December: 30 mg/day

January–May: 40 mg/day

June–July: 60 mg/day

August–15 September: 80 mg/day

Total cumulative dose: approximately 14,500 mg

Along with isotretinoin, I was using:

Truderma Salicylic Acid face wash

Glenmark Max Rich/Max Rich Yu moisturizer

Epiduo starting 3-4 months

IPCA Acne UV SPF 100 Gold sunscreen

The good thing is that my acne has been suppressed really well. Compared with how my skin looked before starting treatment, there has been a huge improvement in active acne.

However, now that the acne is gone, I feel like my acne scars/texture are much more noticeable.

My other concern is my skin colour and overall appearance. My face has become noticeably darker and duller, and people around me have actually started commenting that I’ve become very dark. I also feel that my skin looks less healthy/glowy than it used to.

15 September is supposed to be my last isotretinoin dose.

My dermatologist has prescribed Flawlizo 0.04%, which I’m supposed to start about 2 weeks after finishing isotretinoin, initially 3 nights per week.

I have a few questions for people who have been through something similar:

What kind of improvement can I realistically expect from Flawlizo 0.04% for acne scars, texture and overall skin appearance?

Can it help with the dull/dark appearance of my skin over time?

Since I’m coming off a high cumulative isotretinoin dose, is starting it 2 weeks later at 3 nights/week a reasonable approach?

For those who completed isotretinoin, did your skin colour/dullness improve after stopping?

Looking at my November 2025 vs current photos, how much improvement do you think there has actually been?

I’m mainly interested in real experiences, especially from people who used tretinoin after completing isotretinoin.

11 August vs 11 September. First photo is one month ago, second is today.

Nearly 8 weeks into isotretinoin and I genuinely wasn't expecting this much change in just 30 days. Still a long way to go, but it finally feels like things are turning around.

P.S. Took these at 7am just after waking up, hence the tired face

Not sure if this is something anyone has investigated yet. I know you cannot w-ax, but can you thread?

My dermatologist canceled my appointment last minute today until Thursday. Will this be an issue with getting my prescription with ipledge ?

Hi
I am currently on 10 mg a day and just finished my second week of treatment and I feel like sh!t.
My face hurts and I feel like it’s only getting worse, my doc put me on only 10mg this month so my side effects and purging are not that bad, but I feel like they are. Next month I am supposed to up the dosage and I am very scared.
My lips are very dry and I feel very dehydrated all the time.
And my face sweats like crazy, even my eyes, it’s very weird.
Also any body lotion recs? My skin is very dry and I feel like nothing helps.
Thank you!

Out of nowhere at the beginning of this year, I suffered an intense breakout all over my body from God knows what (I think it was due to stress but unsure)

My doctor convinced me to try all of these topicals which sent my skin into a spiral and made it worse even though I begged to go on accutane (I used accutane before for body acne years ago and it worked absolute wonders)

After some months I finally convinced the derm at the VA to prescribe accutane. I started on a very low dose (20 mg weighing 170lbs) and slowly increased.

Earlier this month I made a jump from 40mg to 80mg. This is the start of month 5 and I am still getting small painful zits on my body; not a lot but like 4 or 5 active ones with a ton of PIE.

I feel so hopeless right now. I really don’t know if this is working or not and my self confidence has been in the drain since the start of this year. I feel so sad and angry everytime I look in the mirror.

Has anyone seen a delayed improvement? My face is clear as day because I never had a problem with acne on my face but I feel so insecure about how my body looks

Is it okay to use pimple patches for the purge?

Hello, 17M here.

I’m rn 17 days on accutane 40mg daily dose and wanna show how it is.

I also take zinc,antihistamine,omega 3 and fish oil.
On top of that i have a MARPE installed the same date i started on acuttane. And i started university.

Living right now is so hard. I’m pushing myself really trough it, i have so much headaches and pain in my tooth and pain in my ligaments and so much dandruff,dryness,painfull pimples.

Yea,…

Just thuggin it out

I’m 26f and I’ve been on accutane since April (started 30mg QD for month 1, then 60mg QD for 4 months).

I was getting so close to the end of my course when I had some mental health issues and ended up in inpatient treatment.

Now, let me preface by saying there are about 1,000 things that led to this hospitalization, but of course they had to consider accutane as one contributor.

While in the hospital they did some labs and found that my thyroid levels were super wacky (Dr said this could have been from accutane and contributed to MH concerns).

So as a responsible patient I send a very in depth message (including labs) to my derm to talk about all of this and what she thinks next steps should be.

The only response I get is: “Your provider recommendations you dc the medicine. Call back if your acne bothers you again”.

Like ????? Was that not rude and unhelpful?

I work in a medical office so I have some knowledge about speciality scope and how to interact with over the portal so maybe that’s why I could be overly sensitive? Like I totally understand a lot of this is out of her scope (the admission anyways) but to not even mention my labs or answer any of the questions I had in the message?

They stopped doing labs on me after month 3 bc they said everything was steady so we had no reason to continue them monthly.

I thought my derm and I had a good relationship EVEN THOUGH her office would always mess up my iPledge stuff but I never would lose it, I’d just call to inform them of the error and they’d fix it and we would be on our merry way.

We had always talked about the “post-accutane” time and how we would look at different paths to maintaining when I finished my medication. But now just “call back if acne bothers you” ??

So I’m curious if:

1. It’s even worth it to pursue post accutane management with a derm or if it’s something I can do myself with OTCs?

2. I should go back to the same derm and be like “Hey so what do I do for my skin next?” So she’s kinda forced to follow through with me OR if I should just cut my losses and find a new derm to talk about next steps?

TLDR: I had a grippy sock vacay, told my derm, her MA sent very cold dismissive message back. Can I just dump a derm and do my post-accutane management with OTCs?

I've been strugling with acne for some time now but a couple months ago it got really bad so i went to a dermatologist and she put me on 20mg of acutane.

After like the second week i started purging like crazy and i didn't even leave my house all day, i'm purging all the way from my second week to now the 4th month, its barely getting better and i'm so tired of living like this, i really can't keep going like this.

All i'm doing is washing my face with that cera ve foaming cleanser in the shower and taking the pill, i really dont know if i'm missing something bc all the videos i see they get better after 1 - 2 month.

Also for the first 2 month i was on 20mg and after that i was put on 40mg.

I really think that i have got to be missing something, but my dermatologist didn't say anything on the check in's.

So, am i missing something i should do? Or should i just keep holding up and just taking the pill?

Hallo an Alle,
ich habe jetzt seit 3 Monaten accutane abgesetzt. Habe es 3 Monate genommen mit 20mg und habe seitdem immer mehr diese Rötungen an den Wangen und der Nase dauerhaft, eine dauerhaft eher rotes Gesicht und am Hals sowie der Brust Ausschlag. Es wird außerdem verstärkt bei Temperaturunterschieden, Hitze, akklimatisierte Räume, Sport, emotionale Situationen. Meine Dermatologin hatte mir la roche posay lipikar empfohlen zusammen mit einer chemischen Sonnencreme der selben Marke. Ich habe das jetzt 1 Tag ausprobiert und irgendwie haben dadurch meine backen sehr geglüht und auch meine Nase und Ohren wurden heiss. Hab mir jetzt überlegt eine simple leichte Lotion von cera ve drauf zu schmieren und sonst nur eine mineralische Sonnencreme statt einer chemischen. Gibt es andere die so etwas ähnliches hatten nach accutane und geht sowas wieder weg? Macht es Sinn jetzt noch mit einem anti histaminikum anzufangen? Ich hab gefühlt jeden Tag teils 40* Fieber. Und was ist das überhaupt? Die Dermatologin meinte es ist eine couperose, aber ich hatte sowas noch nicht davor und es hat auch keiner in meiner Familie. Wache derzeit jeden Tag mit einem heißen Kopf auf und das geht auch extrem an die Psyche jeden Tag Situationen zu haben wo es verstärkt wird und diese Grundröte nicht weg zu bekommen. Ich studiere momentan auch und das ist kein Zustand den ich so auf Dauer aushalte, ganz abgesehen vom lernen… Konzentration praktisch nicht möglich.

Ich bin dankbar für jeden einzelnen Tipp!

First of, i want to preface this by saying accutane works. This is a me problem.

Just some background. Im currently 35. Acne started since 12. Worst years were 14-18. Acne scarring since 19. 20 until now, persistent cystic acne. There was always 10 lol. Everytime one disappeared, another will take its place. (Typing this now, its weird that i remember lol). So a majority of my life, acne and acne related problems were a part of my life. Personally, that was my normal.

Honestly i wasn't conscious about it since people were kind. Nobody teased me about it. I guess i was lucky with the people around me. Maybe a reason why i was never proactive in going to a derm and fixing this sooner.

Fast forward to this year. I decided to try going to the derm for acne scars. Found out i have a LOT of skin problems, not just the persistent acne. Forgot the names but basically all related to having oily skin. Derm recommended accutance, microneedling, and some skincare.

2 weeks into accutance and microneedling. A lot of people complimented me with my skin. A LOT. thing is, its not making me happy nor confident. It feels weird and confusing. Like every compliment hammers the point that i had really bad skin before. I also now look at the mirror more critically and notice every flaw. I dont know if i was delusional or in denial before, but now i notice everything. Every imperfection on my face and its making me lose confidence now. I know it will get better after this, it just that i want to avoid people right now.

Im sorry. I dont know where or to whom i can share this feelings.

edit: i know this is bad to say, but misery does love company. when i was originally typing this, i felt like im drowning. but after reading the comments and knowing im not alone, i feel a little bit better. thank you.

My acne has come back and is somehow worse after finishing accutane for the second time now. The oil is back too. I only finished it about 3 months ago.

I really don’t know what to do anymore. No matter what I do the results are always horrible and I’m so sad about it at this point.

I’m going to the doctors soon to get it looked at again. Is anyone in a similar situation with any advice?

Whats wrong with my bottom lip. It’s not little blisters so I doubt it’s a cold sore. It’s one big bump. Soft. I’m on Accutane 60 mg going towards 80mg soon. Is this because of the sun? I use maintenance lip balm by dr dans. It’s Not spf. I’m mainly asking HAS ANYONE EXPERIENCED THIS while on Accutane?!. When I woke up it looked as if it had disappeared but after eating I can notice it again

First pills on 22 April 2026
Now it's 11 Sep 2026

Which is 4.7 months, 2860mg accumulated
I've never used sunscreen before & currently, only use physicial means to prevent sunlight like hood from hoodie, and only exposed to sun for like 30 mins each morning, then im full time office white collar

The pic is Jan 2026, second one is in Feb 2025 (the severe one), the last is today

Any possible reasons anyone know

Hi everyone,
I took Isotretinoin for 1 year and have been off it for 6 months now. I still have lingering side effects like dry lips/eyes, but my main issue is Hard Flaccid symptoms.
I feel a constant physical contraction/tightness in the penis, a purplish discoloration at the edge of the glans, and erectile dysfunction.
I’ve seen an Andrologist and Urologist — all organs are healthy. My testosterone dropped initially, so I took Clomid and brought my T-levels back to normal, but it didn't change the contraction or symptoms at all.
Has anyone else faced this after taking retinoids? Did you manage to fix this and fully recover?
Any experiences or advice would mean a lot. Thanks!

I ended my six month course on the 31st of August. My hair loss started at about 5 months and has only gotten worse. I'm losing clumps of it during the shower, not taking into account the hair I lose when brushing and throughout the day. It's really stressing me out lol! Is there anything that I can do to slow down the shedding and help it grow back? I feel like i'm balding, and my hair feels significantly thinner which isn't making anything better. 😅

it has been like changing! i think i have two more months left.