Feeling despondent. Looking for encouragement and advice from other multi-course Accutane patients

Using an Accutane-only throwaway accout here. Sorry that it's a bit rambling; I'm just not in a great headspace this evening.

I finished my third full round of Accutane in October (120 mg, 6 months). I'm in my early 30s and have had moderate, persistent acne since puberty. First round of Accutane in high school, second (partial, due to GI side effects) in undergrad, third a few years later, and fourth last year. Side effects were fairly minimal and common this time, and I have a great derm who's thorough, compassionate, and always up on the latest research.

My results were pretty good going into my last appointment. My face had calmed down, but I had developed some blister-like spots on my legs, which was something my derm attributed to dryness. We agreed it would likely calm down once I was off Accutane and my skin normalized. I used a steroid cream in addition to my regular moisturizers (Vanicream, which I love), but those didn't alter it. Now a few months out from that visit, those blisters keep appearing, and my face is regressing. I plan to make another appointment on Monday, but emotionally, I'm just wrecked and feel at the end of my rope.

I would be curious to know of anyone else with a similar experience has found any solutions. (For the record, with the leg blister-type sores, I have also used a gentle AHA lotion and other antibacterial cleansers in case it was KP or folliculitis that somehow cropped up. Neither helped.)

Shout out to all of you on this sub at varying stages of your journey. I don't regret any of my experiences with Accutane, even though I haven't found lasting success yet. Keep supporting each other.

Posted Jan 14, 2023, 3:38 AM UTC

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