[brucephillips]

I grew up with cystic acne that persisted into my early 20s, until two courses of Accutane cleared it up.

Anecdotally, I tried everything before going on accutane. I cut out sugar to the point of avoiding fruits with high glycemic indexes. I cut out dairy. I cut out meat. I tried every supplement you can imagine. If you're thinking about asking "but did you try X", don't bother, I did.

Only accutane worked.

Reading studies such as this, as well as the internet discussion regarding acne is a bit frustrating. Yes, there are anecdotes of this and that diet and lifestyle change reducing acne, but there's very little clinical evidence that non medical treatment improves cases of cystic acne, and yes, many diet studies have been performed.

Even this study grossly overstates their conclusions. Studying two primitive societies is not nearly enough data to support the conclusion in the title of this article.

[SOLAR_FIELDS]

Every acne thread has the inevitable comment about Accutane.

And every comment is essentially the same. It’s the only thing that worked for me.

I still love to read them. I’m still amazed by it. It’s literally the only drug I’ve ever encountered that could truly be called a “magic pill” in that it will permanently cure you of what you are taking it for.

The side effects are pretty crazy though. I had to wear sunglasses even when it was cloudy due to photosensitivy for the months I was taking it. Carried Aquaphor in my pocket for the perpetually dry lips and my whole face pretty much flaked off during the first few weeks.

100% worth it. I get a minor pimple every 6 months or so if I don’t wash my face. It used to be completely covered with acne.

[brandonmenc]

Can confirm, Accutane is magical.

A single round of it when I was 16 totally cleared me up. That was over 20 years ago.

Luckily for me, my mom remembered how my dad's acne in high school left his face scarred, so she got me into a dermatologist at the first signs of cystic acne.

The doctor tried everything on me, and Accutane was the last resort.

I implore:

If you have kids with acne, please, take them to a real skin doctor. Don't rely on unproven treatments like cutting carbs or dairy or meat. You have one chance to get it right, and if you don't, they'll have to live with facial scarring forever.

I see adults with acne or scarring and I am so thankful I was put on Accutane.