Acutane in IB

Did acutane back in HS and it was one of the best choices I ever made. I wouldn’t call it a “purge” though, it essentially removes all the oil from your skin and will dry out your skin to a crazy extent. You need to be incredibly diligent with moisturizer and sunscreen when taking it, especially sunscreen bc you’re admin is so sensitive you can burn incredibly easily and at a higher risk of skin cancer. Also no amount of chap stick and Vaseline will make your chapped lips not torn up.

I know this sounds super doom and gloom but it’s legit lifechanging, i haven’t had a breakout since taking acutane and the few months of dry skin is easily worth it.

One last point, start taking it now, you don’t want to be taking in the winter because the air is much dryer and the cold air and wind will make everything way worse. Regardless of weather sunscreen on your face needs to be an everyday thing. I hope this was helpful

Been down the derm road myself, didn't get all the way to accutane but had plenty of friends take it in high school and college. Your skin doesn't *usually* get that much worse, just SUPER dry. But no one will even notice that much or say anything. 

Also not sure if you are already working with a dermatologist, but accutane is usually an absolute last resort. They will try other, less terrible meds first which might help you. I took sarecycline for a bit and it cleared my moderate/severe acne right up with no negative effects. 

I took Accutane in middle school. Would echo what everyone else is saying here but would add that the nose bleeds for me were pretty annoying at times.

Went through accutane in college. I wouldn’t recommend doing it while you’re in IB. Accutane can be brutal on your body and adding more stress on your body on top of the already stressful IB environment might be a recipe for disaster. 

Took acutane in high school - it is totally worth it but it is not fun. Drinking on it is very bad for your liver and it makes your skin extremely dry / lips cracked. Working IB hours and feeling physically like shit without the option to drink heavy doesn’t sound fun to me, it really depends on how bad your acne is to assess the trade offs. Good luck

Just wanted to echo what everyone else said. Would take now (if recommended by dermatologist) and use lots of vaseline for the lips. 

yes!! do it now it will boost your confidence

I personally have mild to moderate acne and I don't really care about it. I remember once a derm nurse tried to recommend it for me but the small risk of uncurable depression and suicidal thoughts was just not worth the risk for me.

I did it in my late 20's and wish I'd done it earlier. I was worried about all the side effects from what I'd read online but the derm was basically like "You can keep trying topicals and potentially be in the same place in a year, or just get rid of it. I prescribe this every day and most people don't have bad side effects, or if they do it's usually teenagers who already have depression."

And she was right. Honestly aside from dry skin I didn't have any major side effects or a purging period. Having a few drinks every now and then also isn't the end of the world. Just make sure to stay hydrated.

Took it way back and never had a "purge" period per say. Low dose for a year and you'll never have acne again, changed my life. Just be warned that drinking on acutane will get you three sheets to the fucking wind shithoused. Do with that what you will 

Second this. It can do staggering things for your acne and deserves to be extolled. All the other perfunctory stuff I tried using before, like vitamins and face washes, was pretty much unavailing with the abhorent acne I had at the time. While on accutane though, it was pretty rough. I was the most sulky guy ever. Not a medical advice -- go to see a derm first. It's a serious medicine and you need to have blood check ups done regularly, for your liver and all. 

Agree with taking it, I took it in my first year of university and don’t regret it at all. Just note that a very common side effect is depression, so taking it right as you start FT may not be wise. You might be in the gutter for a few months. Also, you can’t (or shouldn’t) drink while on it without irreparable liver damage—so keep that in mind too.

If you've got a few months, definitely go for it. I was on 24mg in HS and it cleared up my acne really well. I actually didn't (or at least barely) purged. Definitely not like you see online. I used tretinoin after though, but that helped a lot too. 

Don't underestimate how bad the lips get though - real painful. Go for Aquaphor instead of Vaseline, works way better

Cleared up my acne in a year but got super depressed during that time period from the medication. Worth it though.