Accutane for 13 Year Old

Obviously I am not a boy, but did take Accutane in my early 20's for really bad acne (I had huge red, infected cysts on my lower face and neck). The acne was so bad it really hurt. I tried everything and nothing worked till Accutane. I am 38 now and I can count on one hand the number of pimplles I had since I took Accutane. I took the Accutane as directed for the entire course of treatment. As a female the dr. I went to required me to go into the office every month for a pregnancy test (had to sign a form stating I was on birth control) and I think he also tested my Vitamin A levels. I remember you had to be really careful about not taking Vitamin A supplements or even eat any foods with too much Vitamin A because of some sort of toxicity. It is a very hard course of treatment, lips get so dry I thought they would fall off. But it was all worth it, and I wish I could have done it earlier. Each person is different so just be very careful and ask the dr.'s lots of questions to make sure you know all the ups and downs. Good luck,

Not sure if this helps but I took Acutane as a teenager almost 30 years ago with no problems.

L., I highly recommend trying ProActiv. You can get it many places now. I was skeptical when I saw the infomercials several years ago, but tried it out anyway. I'm 35 and still need it for breakouts. It truly works better than anything I've ever tried. I've never tried Accutane I must admit. You can order it online as well as from QVC. They have kiosks in a lot of malls now too. You only really need the daily facial cleanser, toner, and the healing cream. They have a ton of more products but those are the most important ones. Good luck to your son!

I don't know about taking it that young, but I CAN tell you that both me and my sister used it as freshman in college (I didn't finish it the first time, and it came back, so if he does it, make sure he finishes it ALL, even if his skin clears up.) We didn't experience any major side effects besides the driest lips in the world. (CHAPSTICK ON HAND AT ALL TIMES!) It was SO worth it. We are both totally cured, and it's been 5-10 years. IF you decide not to try it, I can say that Proactiv (not the fake stuff, but the real program) worked wonders on my skin, but after a year, my acne started to come back. That's when I did the second course of Accutane.

Aloha L.,
I could suggest using a product that is botanically based for your son's acne treatments rather than accutane.
It is called Clear Advantage from Arbonne International (It is a swiss skin care company that helps people take care of their skin naturally...with NO CHEMICALS).
Please reply back to me and let me know if you are interested in more information about it; since you need to acquire the product through an independent consultant.
Please visit my website www.lauraamerio.myarbonne.com
I hope this helps,
~L.

I strongly reccomend the Murad Acne treatments, if you have not already tried them. My son is 17 and struggles with the same issue. Some of his acne was septic, and the doctor gave us a topical antibiotic for the skin which really helped (and didn't destroy any good bacteria, since it was not an internal (pill) medication). Alot of the products out there are pretty harsh, and even more irritating to sensative skin, and murad treats the skin before the acne.

L.,
Arbonne International has a products specifically created for teenage acne. The product is called Clear Advantage. It is a skin care regimen with a wash, toner and lotion specifically created for these skin problems. It also comes with an internal supplement to help from the inside out. The company has been in existance for 27 years and the products are pure and safe. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to call me. I have heard many success stories about this product.
www.brisbin.myarbonne.com

My husband had amazing results at the age 19 from Accutane after years of acne and scarring. Why wait until it's damaged his self esteem AND his face? Of course, monitoring it daily and being very adamant that if YOU see/notice anything, you are taking him off immediately. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Have you considered the option of perhaps trying laser treatments for acne?

I have advice. I have a 16 year old with the same genetic inheritance. We have tried many things to help her skin, went to the doctor also, got the Retin-A which she could NOT use (she has VERY sensitive skin) and were dumbfounded as to what we could do. I recently started a home based business and one of the things in the catalog was a "kit" (face wash, astringent/toner, moisturizer and another thing we call the "rolly thing" because I never remember the name of it. Anyway, I was REALLY surprised to find that this kit worked what seemed to be miracles on my daughter's skin. I don't mean to come off sounding like I'm trying to sell you something, and to be honest with you, some of the products I am selling I would not endorse, and do not (if someone asks my opinion, I always tell them the truth, that I would NOT buy this that or the other based on MY personal experience) but.... if you are remotely interested in the product, it sells for about $20.00 (has lasted my daughter two months so far, although we replaced the "rolly" thing") and for reasons beyond my control I can not publicly advertise the name of the product, but if you would like to contact me through here, I can tell you and you can go from there. The only reason I stay with the company is because of this product, and a handful of others that I genuinely like. The other stuff can kick rocks as far as I'm concerned. LOL

I have seen scarey side effects with accutane: mood swings, severe depression, isolation, even social side effects.

There are places that provide 'blue light therapy' for acne.

See if someone in your area: tanning place, dermatologist provides blue light therapy.

Hi L.. I used Accutane when I was 17 years old. No side effects. I am 32 now. I tried everything, including Retin-A to get rid of my acne and that was the only thing that seemed to "cure" it. If you are interested, I have some products for acne that are similar to the Proactiv treatment. You can check them out on www.ornelas.ltdteam.com and type in "beauty" as the password. T.

Since I used Accutane 20 years ago, there should be alot of research on how it affects teenage boys. See if your doctor can find this info for you. I took it when I was 20 and they are mostly concerned with women of child-bearing age. I can say I didn't have residual affects of it. The Accutane didn't clear up my skin, because I wouldn't take it religiously. It is so drying for the skin.