Hi everyone,

I’m writing in a state of deep desperation. Please—anyone who has had a similar experience, please respond!

From January to March 2024, I took isotretinoin for the first time (10 mg daily) and already after one week I experienced an extreme inflammatory worsening. Before that, I had closed comedones (non-inflammatory, not painful).

Over the course of three months, things worsened drastically (progressing to very painful, deep nodules).

It was so incredibly severe that I had to stop isotretinoin, especially because gram-negative bacteria were found in a swab…

I then received antibiotics for several weeks and had a 5-month break from isotretinoin.

During those 5 months, no gram-negative bacteria were found anymore. My skin is now severely scarred, but it had mostly cleared of the nodules.

Since mid-October, I’ve been taking isotretinoin again (2nd attempt), but with a very slow dose increase.

I’m currently at 10 mg every other day.

I’m almost at the end of month 3, and I’m once again experiencing ONLY worsening on a weekly basis.

I honestly don’t know whether isotretinoin is permanently making my skin worse. I’m so desperate, and I keep asking myself: Is it possible that no matter how long I stick with it, I’ll never see any improvement in my acne?

I’m incredibly grateful for every single reply, because my mental state is really, unbelievably bad, and I truly want to understand what is happening to me :(

The photos are:

a) before isotretinoin

b) after 1 month

c) after 3 months

Thank you!

Please help: horrible purge