<p>I would avoid accutane at all costs. It can cause Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis, along with other issues. </p>
<p>Try acnefree. It’s like proactive but much cheaper, and it works pretty well for me.</p>
<p>je pense, donc je suis</p>
<p>
They really wouldn’t. Accutane is reserved for severe cases of acne and can have pretty awful side effects, many of which are very common ([Common</a> and Rare Side Effects for Accutane Oral](<a href=“Accutane Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing - WebMD”>Accutane Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing - WebMD)). Even with my horrible acne, my dermatologist refused to consider it. I had to get monthly blood tests for Bactrim, but I did not experience any side effects.</p>
<p>Yeah, my friend got ulcerative colitis from accutane. I think it gave me high cholesterol, I’m not sure.</p>
<p>^And if you’re a girl, forget about sex if you’re on Accutane. It causes all kinds of birth defects if you accidentally get pregnant, so you have to use two forms of birth control. A lot of the people I know are hard pressed to even use one.</p>
<p>OMG. I remember on an episode of True Life someone had bad acne and wanted Accutane. I never would’ve figured the side effects for something like acne medicine would be so serious and potentially dangerous. Yikes.</p>
<p>“A lot of the people I know are hard pressed to even use one.”</p>
<p>you know some dumb mother****ers then</p>
<p>lol, i remember the days i tried anything and everything to get rid of my acne. And when they were legitimately ineffective, you’d get advice telling you just to use them longer.</p>
<p>With the accutane thing though, I went on it and can honestly say I have absolutely no regrets. Yes it can have some harsh side effects, but most of them are blown out of proportion and the rest are very manageable IMO. Some of the side effects of acetaminophen (Brand names Tylenol, Panadol, Paracetamol etc.) that you take so often without second-guessing range from severe liver damage to possible hallucinations and irregular heartbeat. I would only recommend accutuane for severe acne, though mine was between mild-severe but I just couldn’t stand it so I went on a low dose regimen (20 mg). Now i just use Retin-A (which is like a topical version of accutuane, which is basically just a high dose of Vitamin A) to control the occasional mild breakout.</p>
<p>But one thing i cant understand. How exactly did the people on the commercials get their skin clear if they didn’t use proactiv etc. I’m sure all of their before and after pictures weren’t photoshopped.</p>
<p>I was taking a pill… but I couldn’t really tell if it was doing anything. Add the eating restrictions and the fact my body would slowly adapt to the drug making it less useful later in my life, I figured I’d stop. </p>
<p>I still have some, but i’ll live with it for a little while longer.</p>
<p>Lol! In my area there’s a TV commercial of a law firm advertising a warning for others to stay away from Accutane and if people have been severly affected from the medicine or got ‘so and so side effects’ to call their number right away.</p>
<p>Accutane really isn’t that dangerous. Complications are actually pretty rare unless you get pregnant but they have an entire program designed to keep you from getting pregnant including pregnancy tests every month from the month you start to the month after you are finished. Plus on the actual medication package on top of every single pill (and all over the rest of the package) they have a picture like this <a href=“Accutane (isotretinoin) Side Effects Long Term and Warnings aka Acutane”>Accutane (isotretinoin) Side Effects Long Term and Warnings aka Acutane; that you see before you take your medication every day. They also do blood tests every month to check on how your body is responding. The only side effect that I suffered (I took 40 mg twice a day for for my mild to moderate acne) was chapped lips.</p>
<p>I love proactiv and am using it right now! It works very fast for me and I find that it’s worth my money. My face is so smooth and clear. Proactiv and a nutrogena product are the only things that have worked for me.</p>
<p>^^You reacted well to it—others don’t. I’ve had three friends who all experienced extremely chapped lips (chapstick didn’t help) and extremely dry skin which was made better by lotion, but they had to apply it periodically throughout the day or else their skin would itch. Side effects are extremely common with Accutane.</p>
<p>Chapped lips and dry skin are common side effects of accutane at any dose, but they are a small price to pay for clear skin if you ask me :). The worst part of taking accutuane was the WAIT! (2+months till you see real results).</p>
<p>Clearly for severe acne Accutane would be appropriate, but there are plenty of other medications for mild-moderate acne that don’t have the side effects of Accutane.</p>
<p>My problem was that none of the other medications worked. I tried other medications for about a year and a half and none of them were completely effective. And yeah the chapped lips were terrible (if I went more than an half an hour without applying aquaphor my lips would start peeling) but six months of that is worth a lifetime of no acne.</p>
<p>I actually used to be a regular at the acne.com forums. I have heard wonderful things about Dan’s product there.</p>
<p>I have moderately sensitive skin. 10% benzoyl peroxide is a LOT for some people and can cause more irritation which can in turn cause break-outs. It got to a point where trying to apply it would cause me excruciating pain. I have heard good things from others, but bad as well. </p>
<p>I recommend consulting a dermatologist. For me, only three things have worked effectively for my hormonal acne – antibiotics (and only two specific ones!), birth control, and a certain light treatment that is rarely offered. Salicylic acid, the most common ingredient in acne treatment, does not affect me at all.</p>
<p>My make up actually has salicyclic acid in it. I use the almay clear complexion liquid make up. Maybe that’s why my skin’s been so nice lately. XD As long as I’m not taking too many boring classes (tend to cradle my head in my hands and get breakouts from touching my face), I hardly ever break out at all anymore. When I do, proactive is great. I went to the dermatologist for years and tried so many different creams and pills and nothing helped.</p>
<p>I guess it’s just a matter of finding what works for you!</p>
<p>Like I said, a violet ray machine is a very viable option. If you don’t know what that is, have you ever seen those sphere’s at the science centers where the “beam” is attracted to your finger? It’s literally the same thing, accept that it is in “wand form” and you can control the intensity. </p>
<p>I don’t have any sources in front of me, but apparently electrostatic fields (which is what the violet ray generates) can have a very beneficial effect on the skin. </p>
<p>All i can say is my skin is clear for the first time since I was 15. It is even helping the scars that are there to heal even faster</p>
<p>Proactive worked, but I got addicted to it.</p>
<p>I used Merle Norman Luxiva - Clear Complexion Line. It was pricey but within 3 months I was acne free, and now I just wash my face with face wash. :)</p>