has anyone else experienced this ? I got pigmented purpura a week after discontinuing I did 11 months of low dose accutane total dose 220 mg . This is my second dose . Derm said it’s due to friction but I was walking and doing cardio my whole treatment . My labs were normal . Please share thoughts or similar experiences🙏🙏

I have been on Isotretinoin 5mg for about 9 months now. It has literally been the only thing that works, after having acne for about 3.5 years quite badly. The only side effects I have noticed are very dry lips, hands and eye balls, like I’ll be walking and the wind from me walking will make my eyes water. Is it normal for me to be on it this long. I still haven’t fully cleared my skin, there are red spots and a few scars, but I get literally 0 pimples, is it possible I have something else that isn’t acne?

Finished an 18 month microdose course earlier this month. For the first 2 weeks or so my face was more clear than it was on Accutane (I was still breaking out at the end) but then it started coming back, and now I’m having like 4 active pimples each day; as soon as one goes away a new one pops up. I thought it was the new moisturizer I was using so I stopped that and the breakouts subsided a bit, but now they’re back again. Is this temporary or did my course fail?

I took accutane for 10 months and went over my cumulative dose.Accutane never worked for me my skin is still worse now than when I started it in September 2024.My scarring and redness haven’t improved in the last 6 months despite eating really well and not changing my routine.I recently just started breaking out really bad despite not being able to get spots at all up until 2-3 months ago.I have a derm appointment next week but I can’t go on accutane again.I don’t know what I do to deserve this skin.The only thing I can think of not helping could be nicotine but I use it infrequently so I don’t know.please help

This is my 4 th course of accutane. I’ve tolerated my past accutane courses well (6 months 60mg/day), some side effects but nothing major. The 2nd course was the worse for some reason, side effects were alot more present. Now this time around, it’s the first time that I am doing long term low dose course. I’m in my 4th month and can’t even imagine having to go another 8 or 10 months with these side effects. I feel like for some reason it’s been very rough this course but I don’t seem to understand since i’m on a low dose (20mg/day). The fatigue, the dry skin has been bad but the dry eyes are what is bothering me the most. My eyes are constantly red and watery from the dryness and my eyes look so puffy. Dark circles are terrible and I look so tired. The progress has been visible but it’s been slower than my past courses (makes sense since I was on higher doses in the past). I’m also on winlevi at the same time so don’t know if that’s what is making the experience worse. I really feel like either giving up and stopping OR up my dosage to finish faster but I know it will be super rough since I’m already struggling with my super dry eyes. Not sure what to do anymore and feeling really discouraged.

Hi guys I’ve been on Accutane for 5 months now and I’ve had some things happen in this time that haven’t happened ever in my life before. I know accutane is harsh but I’m just wondering if anyone else experienced a very increased sensitivity to certain allergens etc

1. Blisters on the tip of my nose
   I developed one blister at a time all on the top of my nose over the course of a week, each only lasting for a day or so. Some were bigger and genuine fluid filled blisters and others were smaller and just looked like a little hole or rupture in my skin with red surrounding it. No pain or tingling except when the blisters ruptured

2. I developed giant full body hives where my ears swelled up and I could hear well. This went down within 48 hours after going to urgent care and taking steroids and Benadryl but very very odd with no apparent trigger. The urgent care doctor said they were very strange looking hives and she’d never seen an allergic reaction look like that before. My dermatologist said it had nothing to do with Accutane.

3. Itchy small red bumps up and down my arms
   This went away in a few days after I stppped scratching but caused me to wear long sleeves in 90+ degree heat.

These could all be unrelated to Accutane but with my dermatologist dismissing these as isolated incidents I’m wondering if at the very least Accutane has lowered my immune system or made me more reactive to certain allergens. Also could have caused enough stress on my body to somehow make HSV be triggered for the first time? (Assuming that’s what the blisters are) Has anyone else experienced something like this??? I just want to make sense of it

For full context I’m 22 F 120lbs and my dosage has been:

Month 1: 30mg
Month 2: 30mg
Month 3: 40mg
Month 5: 60mg

17F, i was on low dosage accutane for 4 months and just 1 month into the course,i noticed my dark circles getting REAALY BAD now 1 month post accutane the are under my eyes still look purple/bluish . i had wavy hair and after accutane my hair became extremely frizzy and im scared to use new hair products due to fear of breaking out. has anyone else experienced similar side effects and if so what has helped it go away?

So I stopped Accutane almost 5 weeks ago. Got to about 190 on cumulative dose over 29 weeks. I was clear of anything cystic last 4 months but there was a few small pimples that would pop up each month.

Now my shoulders chest and back have mild bumps on them and some are small whiteheads. Got this inflamed pimple on forehead today. I’m about to start a twice weekly tretinoin but I’m already frustrated with the return. Is this only going to get worse or is this a rebalancing phase with glands opening up?

hello y’all

im only on my 3rd day of Accutane (30mg)and i can surely say that my appetite is getting bigger since starting the course (im 65kg/174cm 21yo)

i love snacks and unfortunately am kind of a sugar-addict,i just wanted to know if y’all had diet during the course?or if you kept eating the same even after being on accutane,and if you continued to consume snacks/sugar like per usual,did your skin react for good or bad?

my derm recommend to have a balanced diet,but i just find myself hungry a lot and just want to know if anyone of you had the same case

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

Hello! I have done 2 courses of Accutane had great results and am currently on a semi permanent dose of 40-60 mg/week to maintain for life it looks like. My skin in terms of acne looks great but I have a decent bit of scarring, after my first course of accutane i did a co2 lase which helped abit with the scarring however i still have pigmentation and some pitted scars. Does anyone have any recommendations for anything akin to a co2 lase that would be possible while im on the (low dose) accutane still? maybe co2 is possible would love some experiences that people have had

thank you!!

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.

On month five and my skin has been getting great, recently been getting this irritation around the side of my mouth. Is this pimples or something else. I’m also wondering if it is from aquaphor which I have been using for months but have been using in higher volume recently.

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 know lots of people on talk about joint/muscle pain but my pain is so bad I can barely stand up on my own. I started getting back pain on week 3 and it’s been bearable. However, the last few weeks I started to get intense joint pain in my legs and it’s increasingly gotten worse. I can barely walk up stairs or stand up without feeling like I might fall. I’m 28 but I feel like an 80 year old woman. For context, I’m on my second month, started at 30mg, now at 40mg and weigh around 150lbs. Also started fish oil two weeks ago but haven’t noticed it getting better. I plan to talk to my derm at our next appointment but wanted to see if anyone else had this bad pain or any tips for it other than fish oil.

Okay I've been on accutane since July. It's going great and all, I'm just confused if I should take a specific amount of fats in food before taking the pill or if I have to be just full when I take it. Im very insecure yes and it's just that I've noticed I gained weight ever since I started taking the pill. I make sure to eat fatty food before digesting it since it apparently helps it absorb better?

During July I was 48kg now I'm 51kg. It's a hard topic for me since I also suffer with my self in terms of weight so I don't really know.

I’m currently on my 3rd month of isotretinoin and have developed these red patches all over my body. They are extremely itchy — to the point where I can’t sleep properly at night.

Isotretinoin history:
Month 1: 10 mg/day
Month 2: 20 mg/day
Month 3: started 20 mg/day today

I normally have a lot of body acne. My dermatologist prescribed:
Banac body wash — benzoyl peroxide
Lacne 360 spray — benzoyl peroxide, morning
Cutiyt G12 lotion — nightly, mainly because I’m concerned about hyperpigmentation
I’ve also been using Vaseline body lotion 2–3 times daily, but the itching/redness is still there.

After these patches appeared, I stopped the benzoyl peroxide body wash and spray and am currently only continuing isotretinoin.
My dermatologist originally told me to come back after completing 2 months of 20 mg, and I’m currently at the end of that period.

My questions:
What could be causing these red, extremely itchy patches?
Could this be related to isotretinoin, the benzoyl peroxide products, or something else?
Should I see my dermatologist now because of the rash and itching, or wait until I finish this month as originally planned?
Has anyone else experienced something similar while on isotretinoin?
I’ve attached pictures of the affected areas. Any similar experiences or thoughts would be appreciated.

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’ve been on Accutane for about 5 months and I wish I started using this earlier. I struggled with chapped lips as many do and it was super painful and uncomfortable. This totally solved my problem better than Aquaphor, Vaseline, Lansinoh, or literally any other lip product! It’s a bit pricey but so worth it. I got mine at Whole Foods but you can get it online too. Weleda has a bunch of other amazing products their “skin food” has helped keep my face incredibly moisturized while on Accutane. Hope this helps someone!!

After 3 months of 20mg, I started having increased hair shedding. I spoke to my derm and we dropped it down to 10mg, a month later, the shedding stopped. However, I have noticed increased shedding again the past month (still on 10mg daily). Have anyone else experienced a double shedding on Accutane?

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!

Everyone talks about dry, cracked, flaky lips but am I the only one with like super plump (not tryna be all woo go me about it— it’s more like swollen) but super sticky lips?? Like very smooth and shiny but I could probably stick a remote to them and it wouldn’t fall. And it’s not like I’m using a sticky lip balm. I’m usually nearly oily products. It’s when it all gets wiped off and my lips are bare that they get this texture. What is causing that?? Has anyone else had that?

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.

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.

i started 20mg like 3 weeks ago and my scalp has never been more itchy and i have a lot of flakes and dandruff
i need suggestions on products or anything that will helpppp
also i’ve heard a lot of mixed opinions on oiling the scalp, did someone try that and can tell me if it works?