Acne treatment with Accutane

If you are looking to treat your acne for the foreseeable future then the protocol below should be followed. You may find that a few months after stopping treatment your acne returns. In this case you need to run another course for the same length of time.

Accutane should be ran at mg per kg of bodyweight. It is one of the few drugs where the more you take the better. A person weighing 85-90kg should take an 80mg dose of accutane per day, like wise someone weighing 65-70kg should take 60mg dose of accutane per day. This should be taken as one dose either in the morning or prior to bed (although taking it prior to sleep can often cause sleeplessness.)

You should run Accutane for at least 4 months although I recommend running it for at least 6.

Each month you will need to get a blood test for the following:

Complete Blood Count

Liver Function

Liver Values

Lipids

This is to make sure the Accutane isn't affecting your liver, cholesterol etc to much. It is a strong drug so try to get blood tests at all costs.

Running Accutane on cycle

This protocol is to stop acne from appearing on cycle. This will not treat your acne only help control it or remove it on cycle.

If your just beginning a cycle of steroids and are acne prone then I recommend starting to run the Accutane at a dose of roughly 1mg per kg of bodyweight. Again for a man of 85-90kg this equates to an 80mg daily dose of Accutane. Run this dose for the first 2 weeks, then drop into a maintenance dose of 20mg a day or EOD. If your acne begins to flare then increase the dose to accommodate this.

Week 1-2 : 1mg per kg of bodyweight

Week 3 onward : 20mg a day or EOD

Again I recommend you get blood work whilst running accutane.


Accutane to treat severe acne flare up on cycle

If you are already on cycle and you have begun to get a massive flare up then use the following protocol.

Run a dose of 1mg per kg of bodyweight until you notice a dramatic decrease in your acne. Continue to run this does until your face is completely clear. You can then drop your dose to 20-40mg a day and continue to run it throughout your cycle.

Along with this I highly recommend you apply a topical antiobiotic called Zineryt. It is available from your doc on prescription. It will dry your skin up severely and make it look red and inflamed but it works hand in hand with Accutane to reduce your acne flare up as fast as possible. Remember things always get worse before they get better! Don't stop using it!!!!! Apply the Zineryt before bed at night. It will itch to the point it hurts but just know that its working with the Accutane and will help to reduce your acne in a matter of weeks as a pose to months.


Using the above Zineryt / Accutane protocol I managed to remove a severe acne flareup I developed during a cycle of test E a few years back. I managed to remove 90% of the acne in less than 4 weeks! I highly recommend you follow this if you start to suffer from a massive flare up.

Combating Accutane Side Effects

The most common side effects associated with Accutane treatment are dry eyes, tiredness and chapped lips. Some people do experience more severe side effects such as depression, extreme acne flare ups etc. If you suffer from any of the more severe side effects you will need to visit your doc or the hospital to get it checked out.

Treating Dry Eyes
To treat dry eyes you can pick up hypromellose / fake tears from your local chemist for around £1.

If you can't use eye drops Optrex do a product called ActiMist. Again this can be picked up OTC from your local chemist for £12-£15 but I am unsure of its effectiveness.


Treating Dry Lips
I highly recommend a product by Johnsons Lipcare called Moon Care. You can apply it before you go to sleep at night and again in the morning. It lasts for a long time and whilst using it you can hardly tell you have chapped lips from the accutane.



Acne Scarring
If you have any redness / scarring left over from your acne. You have a number of options available.

Firstly you can look into cosmetic solutions such as microdermabrasion, laser scar removal, acid peels and silicone injections. Although these can all cost a fair amount of money.

If you are looking for a more natural approach. Cut half a lemon and squeeze it into a bowl. Add two tablespoons of milk and then apply the solution to your acne scarring. (This will only remove red scarring, pot holes will require cosmetic procedures!). You will notice your skin starts to prickle and burn. This is becuase the acid in the lemon is acting like a natural peel. Do this 2-3 times a week before bed. You should notice a dramatic improvement in the redness within 4-6 weeks.



Sunbeds
Sunbeds can also help to mask the redness of acne scarring. I find they do help to reduce acne flare ups as well, but you obviously have to be careful how often you use them. As we are all aware prolonged use of sunbeds can have dangerous consequences, but if you are sensible then they can be beneficial. I'd recommend no more than 6 minutes every 1-2 weeks. Some people may use them more, but you then run the risk of developing serious complications later on down the line. Only last year I had a mole removed from my stomach which was probably a result of over using the sunbeds so just be careful.

I often find people ask if they can use the sunbeds whilst cycling Accutane as well. I have personally used them whilst on Accutane but I tend to only go on for around 6 minutes every month or so. Accutane makes the skin very thin and sensitive so try to be sensible when using them on the drug.

Summary

Mild Acne :
PANOXYL HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED!!! The doctor can prescribe benozyl peroxide cream but failing that you can order various other alternatives online. Just remember the prices are usually much higher than they were with Panoxyl!!!

Panoxyl 2.5%, 5%, 10% ( I recommend the cream over the gel, although I think the 10% version only comes as a gel from what I remember)

COOP Hand wash (use as shower gel)

Simple hydrating light moisturizer


Moderate to severe acne :
Accutane

Zineryt

Simple hydrating light moisturizer

COOP Hand wash (use as shower gel)


Acne Scarring :
Microdermabrasion

Laser scar removal

Acid peels

Silicone injections

Lemon / Milk (Reduce redness)

Again always try to be as clean as possible. Wash twice a day, wear clean clothes, and change your bedding and pillow cases once a week.

Like I say I'm not a doctor. Everything I have written about here is from personal experience. I just hope it can help other people to deal with their acne problem