Acne

[JazzyAmbs]

How do they treat acne these days? I am from the era of Dianette and Roctutane which are clearly out of favour. What type of treatment is given now? Thanks

Also interested in the answer to this as I need to get something for my eldest DS.

I’m just about to go to the gp for my son with acne. If you Google acne cks the guidelines will come up

Roaccutane hasn’t entirely gone out of favour, but it is used for extreme caution, for good reason. My son had bad acne in his late teenage years/ early 20s. He tried all sorts of things, including various prescriptions from GP. I was very reluctant for him to try Roaccutane, as I had read about the potential for adverse mental health effects. But he did start a 6 month course of it when he was 21 and it has been amazing, his skin looks fantastic.

For ds it was antibiotic cream which worked for a while, followed by oral antibiotics which didn’t work, followed by a course of roaccutane and he has had clear skin now for 2 years.

Colleagues dd is currently having a course of roaccutane.

I don’t think roaccutane has gone out of favour as such but it has significant side effects, needs close supervision and NHS dermatology waiting times are long - it was a year before ds got an NHS appointment. His acne was painful and all over face neck and shoulders so we went private and he was clear over 6 months before NHS appointment even came through.

Dd15 is on week 8 of 24 of roaccutane. Prescribed by private dermatologist. Yes it’s expensive and yes needs to be taken with caution but so far, so great!

Thanks interesting. My daughters dad has roaccutane and he was fine with it so maybe she would be too.

How old is your daughter? Roaccutane is highly toxic to unborn babies, so if there is any possibility of pregnancy, they won’t prescribe it. My niece (in her 20s) has had bad acne for years, but doctors won’t prescribe Roaccutane, even though she is a lesbian and never has sex with men.

I had great success with Roaccutane, it changed my life and I wish I had been prescribed it sooner. It made my lips peel like crazy but I didn't care. You have to been careful in the sunshine too but it was all worth it. I went from embarrassed and not wanting to leave the house and if I did with a full face of makeup to not caring and being happy to go out bare faced.

I’m in my 40s and still suffering. I’ve never tried Roaccutane as I chickened out in my 20s.
Mine has been treated with antibiotics and antibiotic cream intermittently however my DH got me an LED mask for Christmas and it’s been life changing. I’ve never known anything like it! Pricey but I’d highly recommend!

My DD is on roaccutane (actually the cheaper generic, isotretinoin) privately. The consultant uses a different approach to standard which seems much safer in terms of mental health effects. He starts on a very low dose (one or two tablets per week) rather than straight into two per day. Then increase very gradually. My DD took a few weeks to get to 4 per week, and stuck at that dose because of the positive effects.

We’re also on low dose. It’s suppose to be half the body weight in kg worth of mg. Eg my daughter is 49kg so she should be on approx 25mg but she’s on 20. This is only one pill a day. We’re 8 weeks in and still on the same regime.

DD17 has just been told that she should take Isotretinoin. She was taken off Dianette due to migraines and put onto a different pill. 4 weeks later her acne is back with a vengeance. God knows how long it will take to get a dermatologist referral.

Please can you tell me which one you have?

If by any chance you are in the midlands pls let me know which consultant. Thanks!

Happy to recommend our private consultant in SW London. Around £325 for initial consultation. With necessary blood tests and twelve weeks worth of prescription, all in was around £600.

We’re in Hertfordshire unfortunately.

I suffered from bad acne from the age of 9. I had tried every cream and antibiotic that was offered. Was back and forth to GP all the time. They eventually referred me to dermatology and was given Roaccutane. I had to have bloods taken and pregnancy test done monthly (even though i was only about 13/14 and not sexually active). The only side effect i noticed was extremely dry lips. I had to constantly apply vaseline to stop them from cracking. It worked though, im 34 now and have never had acne again (although I do get the odd hormonal spot)

Dc is seeing dr gach through spire healthcare in Solihull. https://www.spirehealthcare.com/consultant-profiles/dr-joanna-gach-c4556550/
i want dc to have roaccutane as they suffer with horrific cystic acne. Done antibiotics and cream to litre success. Got blood tests done at gp so one less cost and got an nhs referral so hopefully they will continue prescribing after private appt.

@Haggisfish3great thanks

Just for some balance I have taken Roaccutane 3 times now (teen, 30s and 40s and it hasn’t worked. And the third time I started to feel quite depressed while on it - it has been linked to suicide.

Dianette and Epiduo have been the most effective things for me. I have PCOS and my acne is definitely hormonal.

Shark cyro mask. I’m using on the blemish setting which is 8 mins for 8 week. The difference is remarkable for my hormonal acne. I’ve not had a single breakout since I started in December. Prior to that new and old break outs would overlap. I hadn’t had a fully clear period since holiday in June.

I feel like I have tried every product under the sun, including Roaccutane, which did work for a while. About 8 weeks ago I started 47 skin, pricey but I am willing to try anything nowdays, and it’s the only product thats ever made a difference. I am not 100% spot free all the time, but the difference is amazing. I finally feel confident again and even went out without make up for the first time in years. Definitely would say it’s worth a try and I’ve never been able to say that about a skin care product before.

My daughter saw Dr Anand Patel at Spire Nottingham. 7 month treatment after trying everything. A year on her skin is still perfect but it was quite brutal on her skin. Very dry and sore around her lips and eyes.
expensive but worth every penny.

Oh @olivewalls I have some of that at home but not tried it yet. Will give it a go. Are you using it alongside other anti acne treatments/skincare or on its own?

Might look into the LED masks too

I have been using the face wash and serum twice a day, and the moisturiser once every couple of days as the serum is very hydrating. I now also have the mask that I use 2/3 times a week. Not using anything else. I noticed a small difference within about a week and now at 8ish weeks I’m almost spot free.