I personally have not taken Accutane, but my mother was on it for many years. For those who are considering Accutane, there is primarily one thing to keep in mind. The use of Accutane can be summarized as follows: it is a short term solution to a long term problem. The medication works great while you are on it, but once removed, the skin lesions will tend to come back worse than ever before. This in turn means that in order to remain effective, you will have to remain on the medication indefinitely. This is cause of concern as there are numerous long-term side effects, as these medications are not developed for prolonged use. This has been the experience of my mother, which has subsequently caused me to shy away from the prospects of requesting Accutane. There was a dermatologist I saw who stated the same thing as referenced in this string. Accutane was his first initial recommendation, which I felt to be a bit extreme. I subsequently saw another derm who was a bit more acclimated to the disease. He did not recommend Accutane for the reasons I have described above, and instead has placed me on Minocycline, which is simply an antibiotic. The results have been only modest thus far. Bactriban has also worked for my mother in the past. Personally, I have found that using Dial soap, as well as a Hibiclens formula appears to be helping me out. I have also found previous success in using a Silver Sulfodiazine cream prescribed by my derm. One more bit of advice for those considering Accutane...please think long and hard prior to beginning this medication. I certainly understand the temptation, especially if your skin is extremely broken out. It works for most people, but ironically, the doctors have yet to determine why it works. It is not meant for long term use, and my mother had to be taken off of it for medical reasons after many years. In addition, the body can sometimes build a resistance to it, which then means a stronger form of retanoid is needed, usually Soriatane. There are some serious long term side effects of taking these medications for a long period, so I emplore you to think long and hard. As stated, I understand the temptation, as they do work, and have even considered requesting them myself on various occassions. I would get fed up with my skin being soo broken out, that I would think, "I don't care about the side effects in the long-term, I just want the results now." Each time however, I have talked myself out of it based upon my mothers prior experiences. She suffers more and more due to secondary infections. This is due to the fact that long term use of retinoids as well as antibiotics causes your body to build resistances. Her doctors are now having a terrible time finding an antibiotic that will work for her. Please continue to pray that we will eventually find a cure for this terrible disease. To all fellow sufferers, my heart is with you. I was diagnosed at age 14, and am now 28.