Do acne medicines work?

Accurate works but has serious side effects.

Like what?

My kids skin is still uber dry. My 30 year old daughter actually has more wrinkles than me.
If you get pregnant while taking it it causes severe birth defects.

Treating acne with acne products takes time and patience. It may take two or three months of daily use of an acne product to see results, and acne may look worse before it gets better. Almost all medicines do have side effects.
I never used any medications, I used to wash my face every morning and night with warm water and gentle cleanser. I just used a moisturizing cream and hardly use any makeup (only for some functions) and would always use a sunscreen. The most effective treatment for acne or any skin disease is to make a paste of neem leaves and turmeric and use it twice a week. Regular usage shows result. Neem Oil is ideal for acne-prone skin because it can help to soothe irritation and inflammation and clear up pimples.

@Judi I believe you mean Accutane, not “accurate.”

Accutane can also cause severe depression and thoughts of suicide. A mental health evaluation is usually required before beginning to take the medication. Here is a list of all the side effects, common and rare. Pretty scary. It should only be used on severe acne.

I had acne as a teen but having dry skin as well kept me from being able to use any strong medications. Everything my dermatologist tried would make my face flaky and gross. So, nothing really worked for me. I just had to let it take its course. I still have some issues, but it’s not as bad as it once was. Though, I went off birth control for awhile and broke out like crazy, even on my back where I never had acne as a teen. Now I’m terrified of going off of it when my husband and I try to have kids.

I know a few people that say Proactive worked wonders for them. It didn’t do a thing for my niece.

So, do they work? It varies from person to person.

I will not allow my son to take Accutane because of the side-effects. He gets those acne cysts that are from way deep within the skin. The only things that really help him are daily antibiotics – but I worry with those that he’ll damage his stomach or have other side-effects, too.

I follow two people on Instagram who take accutane. While on it, they get dry patches, body aches and ingrown toenails. They say they would take it anyways, despite these side effects, because it helped them so much. It also helps with acne scars, after their acne is all cleared up.

@livelovelaugh21 , damned autocorrect!

Through my 20’s I used salycilic acid. It worked wonders for me. I still get acne occasionally but now I use glycolic acid.

Mechanism of action of accutane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotretinoin#Mechanism_of_action

Basically, nobody knows. But in reading it, it sounds pretty creepy. I’d only use it as a last resort.

People with severe acne can’t count on stuff sold in drug stores. You have to look to your doctor to evaluate your situation, and then prescribe something that is not sold in stores, like Accutane. I knew someone in school who took that, and she took it for about six months. Granted I was dropping out of school at the time so we pretty much parted ways, but I saw her later and she had a cute little baby face. I think that stuff works good, although as already mentioned, the side effects can be horrible. I think the pamphlet said shit like yellowing of the skin to suicidal tendencies. seriously, wow
I had some zits as a teen, not enough to need serious treatment for, but I can still tell you that shit like Oxy does absolutely nothing.