A Pale Girl's Review of Accutane

Why specifically a pale girl's review?

Because I can tell you from the perspective of a pale girl an onslaught of huge red pimples screaming across your face feels disfiguring.

I'm not in any way trying to diminish non-pale people with severe cystic acne, but there was a part of me that envied them. The big red zits seemed less angry when set on the background of a face that wasn't paper white. Add to that the difficulty any pale girl has finding concealer and foundation, and you end up with a difficult task when making vain attempts to cover the mountains erupting on your face.

I tried everything before I resorted to Accutane. Diets, like the ones recommended in all of those Perricone books, supplements, antibiotics (one of which resulted in fluid accumulating on my brain), masks, cleansers, Proactive, you name it.

My acne was stubborn, persistent, and leaving me humiliated and depressed. Severe cystic acne hampers so many aspects of your life. I hated people looking at me in sunlight, especially if I was driving in the car and my passenger would turn to talk to me. I feel like things somehow look more severe in your car during the day. I'd picture them seeing my bright white skin, with a smattering of huge red bumps.

On top of that, acne is incredibly painful. The huge bumps are painful to the touch, yet you somehow touch them throughout the day, as if you can't believe these ugly, painful intruders are actually violating your face.

I finally went to my dermatologist, frustrated and in tears, and they decided to try Accutane. Let me be clear, Accutane is a nasty drug with a slew of side effects that are terrifying.

It was also one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.

Accutane works by essentially killing your oil glands. According to Acne.org, it reduces the size of the skin's oil glands, as well as reduces how much oil they produce. Since there is now less oil on the skin, which is what skin bacteria tends to live off of, it also greatly reduces acne-causing bacteria, as well as slows the production of skin cells inside the pore, which can cause the pores to become clogged. And it has anti-inflammatory properties. This drug does it all.

But I remind you, it does come at a cost. Here are just a few of the side effects that can come with Accutane:

Nosebleeds
Lip inflammation
Dry skin/hair
Hair loss
Yellow deposits on your eyelids
Sensitivity to the sun (great for us pale people)
Oozing and bleeding skin bumps
Elevated liver enzymes
Pancreatitis
Breathing difficulty
Birth defects
Muscle pain/joint pain
Bone overgrowth
Arthritis
Rapid breakdown of muscle tissue
Headaches
Vision impairment
Low white blood cell count
Anal fissures/rectal bleeding

Oh yeah, and suicide.

What? Yes. Suicide. It's rare, but has happened.

Did I read about these crazy side effects before I took it? Yup. And I still wanted to do it? You betcha.

Call me vain, but it went beyond that. Severe cystic acne destroyed my self-confidence and I was tired of it.

To take Accutane, if you're a woman, you have to declare two forms of birth control and take a pregnancy test before each month's prescription is given to you. They really don't want you pregnant on Accutane. In fact, this is the little illustration you see on each pill bubble before you pop out a pill:

It's not a matter of if it will deform your baby, it's how badly. And it's bad. You also have to take a monthly blood test to test your cholesterol and liver values because it can wreak havoc on both. But once you pass all your blood tests, you're in the clear and you get your monthly prescription. 

They told me it typically takes 4 weeks on Accutane to start seeing a difference in your skin. After one week of taking Accutane, literally all of my acne was gone, and my face was smooth, glowing and beautiful. I'm not lying. I was amazed. People who knew me were equally amazed and the compliments on my skin started pouring in. I only needed to be on it for four months, but I know people who have been on it longer and even needed several rounds. 

That was almost 10 years ago, and I've not had an acne problem since. My husband who only knew me post-Accutane is amazed at these tales I have of what my skin used to look like. I wish I had a picture to share, but I honestly didn't take many pictures back then. But here I am today, with cute hubby:

Fun side bonus while being on Accutane: You can literally go for a week without washing your hair and it will look just as fresh as the first day you washed it. Absolutely zero oil or grime. It's unbelievable and I wish it lasted forever! 

Bad side of Accutane: I developed eczema that I'm still dealing with to this day, and probably will be dealing with for the rest of my life. 

But I honestly don't care, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  

To be clear, everyone has a different experience with Accutane, and there are plenty of people who have not had as positive an experience with it as I did. It's a personal decision everyone needs to think about long and hard, but I think it's an option that is definitely worth considering if you have persistent severe acne that is impacting your life.