Im in the same boat as you..

I have had acne since 12 and im 22 now and to be honest I doing it sick of it im not a teenager and I want it gone.

I have tried everything and its like I have to use 2-3 cleansers on my face just to clear it up temporarily, I have tried prescription and it always made it worse even after 2-3 months b/c never helped..

I hope someone has an idea cause im frustrated

Yeah seriously

& i'm tired of going back to the derm. Only to get prescribed some other antibiotic or topical cream that isn't going to work. It's been a waste of my money & time. So that's why i'm trying to get opinions on accutane because next time I go to the derm. I'm just going to tell them I want to get on it & be done w/ all this crap it's so annoying.

I'm 19 and I started using accutane about 5 months ago, and i'm glad I did. For sure, the first thing you should do is discuss it with your dermatologist. But i'd been going to the dermatologist for, like, 3 years now and everytime she mentioned accutane I didn't want to use it (what with all the side effects you hear about). Finally, I got sick of my skin and decided to hell with it - after a while, I just got pissed off and decided to go for it. And i've tried everything too, like the creams and the other pills, even chemical peels. Bleh.

But if you're worried about side effects, these are the ones I experienced (of course, accutane will affect different people differently):
- dry lips
- nose bleed (went away)
- really dry skin (first few weeks, but lessens gradually)
- really infrequent periods (this is the one i'm worried about, but my dermatologist said that it should go back to normal after I finish the accutane)

and about the depression - well, frankly, I feel a lot better without the severe acne. For myself, i'm just pissed off that I hadn't started it earlier, woulda saved a lot of hassle and misery.

Was your skin so dry that even good moisturizers wouldn't make it better?

See the only thing that concerns me about the dry skin is that, I wear makeup. [to cover up my acne, obviously] - if my skin is so dry that it flakes off, then makeup won't look too good over top of that.

Do you think with a good moisturizer and everything I should still be okay to wear makeup?

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I guess it would depend on how much the accutane dries out your skin. A moisturizer under my makeup has worked for me, but try not to use so much or your skin can get too greasy from the moisturizer and the makeup together. It's kind of hard trying to balance it out, because sometimes my skin can be too dry or I apply too much moisturizer.

For the most part, i've just tried to use as least amount of makeup as possible, and moisturizer only on the really dry areas. I figure its for 6 months only, so I can deal with it. But, on the positive side, I spend a lot less time on makeup because I don't have to spend so much time on covering up pimples.

Yeah .. Spending less time covering my imperfections would make my morning go so much smoother.

I'd rather sit in front of a mirror just to play up my features a little, instead of sitting there for what seems like forever trying to cover up the redness from the pimples :/

Agreed. And looking at myself in the mirror before was a chore in its own right. I guess I never realized before how much my skin affected my outlook on things, but I do feel much better now.

Whatever you decide to do, all the best :)

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that i'm not taking actual accutane. I'm taking clarus (which is basically the same as accutane, but it's a generic drug so I don't have to spend so much money on my prescription). So if money's a problem, maybe ask your dermatologist about clarus.

So how long were you on it before you truly saw results?

Pretty much immediately (like the first week I started). And you'll know too, cuz your skin gets dry like crazy. It's kind of...Yech...But maybe try to start it during vacation, or on a long weekend or on a friday or something. Once your skin starts drying, you're skin gets a lot less bumpy within the first 2-3 weeks.

Just drink 4 cups of green smoothie a day (a fruity tasting drink made of fruits and leafy greens) - you'll most likely get rid of your acne, and you'll get healthy too! I would stay far away from accutane!! It's full of dangerous, synthetic vitamin a. The green smoothies are full of natural, safe, vitamin a. You don't have to worry about vitamin a overdose if you're getting it from your food.