Accutane – Is it the Right Choice?

Disclaimer: Before taking any type of medicament, drug, or treatment, consult your doctor or healthcare provider. This blog is only to share thoughts but not to recommend, prescribe, or suggest any treatment for any reader.

Accutane – also known as Roaccutane– is something I've wanted to write about for a while. It's a medication that is prescribed to completely obliterate acne from one’s skin. I know a lot of women who have taken the Accutane treatment to achieve flawless skin after struggling for years and years with irritating pimples. The issue is, for such a drastic drug, you don't need a prescription in Lebanon, and that can be quite problematic.

What Accutane Does

Basically, Accutane dries up your whole system, from the inside out. This is because its main objective is to dry up and suppress your skin’s oil glands, diminishing acne. There are a lot of things you need to watch out for if you’re on the Accutane treatment;

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

As I mentioned, your skin will dry up, your mouth, your eyes. Lips will become extremely chapped to the point where they bleed.  If you’re taking Accutane you need to be hydrated at all times:

1. A lot of water and veggies are crucial.

2. You need to stock up on Chap Stickand lip balm to keep your lips from drying up.

3. Eye drops are a must. I know people who have had sight problems after their Accutane treatment because they did not hydrate their eyes.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is off-limits. There should be a month’s worth of time between and treatment’s start/end and the start of a pregnancy. Breastfeeding is also impossible.

The UV Effect

You need to know that during the treatment, your skin will become super sensitive. It needs to be protected from UV radiation at all times

Don't leave the house without an SPF 15 sunscreen, but try to avoid sunlight in all cases.

And to my dear tan-o-holics, don't even think about that solarium.

Consult Your Doctor!

My message to all the people out there reading this blogis: do not self-prescribe. Only your TRUSTED DOCTOR can judge whether or not you should go on the Accutane treatment or not.

Last in Line…

Accutane is only prescribed after you have tried all types of solutions before to treat your acne issue; topical creams, gels, lotions, or antibiotics, facial cleansings, diet changes, etc. Only when none of the solutions work, will a doctor ever prescribe Accutane as it will be the last in line.

By The Book

Ladies, remember, this blog is not a reference, but just a combination of general information. You need to stick to your doctor’s words if you ever end up on an Accutane treatment. Remember, this is a highly sensitive treatment and needs you to be very cautious. You need to follow your doctor’s diet and lifestyle guidelines and list of do’s and don’ts – otherwise, you can seriously damage your system.