Well, my son started accutane today. After trying absolutely everything, or at least it feels that way, accutane seemed like the only viable option left. After speaking to many other mothers who also had to make this decision, there were more positive stories, in fact the only negative ones were on the web. Accutane has given my son hope. He knows it is not a quick fix, but with day one behind him, he (me too) looks forward to great results. :D

My son was on acutane twice and like your son, it was the only thing that helped. His skin became very dry so you might want to tell your son to put some type of moisturized on his skin at night before going to bed.

Your son may even end up with some scarring if he has been dealing with acne for a long period of time. I suggest using Bio Oil which has been used in England for many years. This oil is used for scars and stretch marks but I have discovered it also works great at reducing wrinkles. I've been using it for about 10 months and I don't have so much as one line any where on my face and I'm 48 years old! So make sure you buy two bottles of this so you won't be stealing your son's - lol! I buymine at Rite Aid drug store and it is located where the band aids, first aid kits, ace bandages, etc. Since I don't know if you have any Rite Aids in your area, you may want to call around the drug stores in your area to see if they carry this. It cost about $11.99 for two ounces.

He can also try using Tea Tree oil which is a natural antibiotic but be warned, it smells awful! If he has a bad outbreak, he can use hemorrhoid cream - don't laugh, that's what it is made for, to reduce inflamation.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for all the advice. We are a week into the accutane therapy and have more downs than up, but realistically expected it.

BIO OIL ROCKS. I work with burn survivors and it is my favorite new product for moisturizing and helping to minimize their scarring. I have a bottle on my shelf (for me!)and it is ready to go for Joe when the dryness that accutane is infamous for starts, but so far he hasnt been too dry. Even his lips are not chapping (yet). He is only on a 40 mg per day dose, maybe his oil production level could use a higher dosage, but we will see when we go back to the derm at the end of the month.

Tea tree oil burns him. He won't use it anymore. He is still covered with acne on his cheeks, under his chin, forehead and even in his eye brows. The parts of his face that are not affected seem to have smooth uncongested skin, which is new for us. This is a painful process and heartwrenching for parents. We can't fix it or go through it for them. :(

Thanks again for the encouragement. It is easy to feel down.

I'm 25 and I started Accutane in May 2008... It did get worse before it got better and I've documented the pictures so I can encourage myself through the process... sometimes thus far, it feels like some of the regression days are so terrible...

I have suffered through the scabbing nose, ears and cheeks and I can recommend the best lip balm for him because he will most definitely need it.

1. Lip Vitamins

2. Kiehl's Lip Balm #1

And for lips and inside his nose at night time when he starts scabbing - use Aquaphor, NOT Vaseline or Triple Antibiotic Ointment (like Neosporin)

Additionally - I wanted to add that everything I've read besides those highly cynical folks ~~ is that Accutane is considered the 'Cure' and it has truly shown improvement thus far... I can't wait to finish.

Give him encouragement and let him know, he will look back and smile later.

You're a great mom for encouraging him to go through this now and stop some of the scarring. :)

Please bring your attention to the posting policy.

Product names are allowed. Websites are not.

I appreciate your advice from your own experience, because as I say, I am just tagging along on this journey with Joe. We are on day 9 and he still has many many pimples. They fill with the yellow pus (sorry for the visual), but calm down quickly. There is clearing but of course its not AS MUCH or AS FAST as he would like.:(

Dryness still hasnt been an issue, but I attribute it to his low dose 40mg/day. Plus he is one oily kid! Cute too.

Hope all is going well with your treatment! Keep posting! It helps alot.:)

I was on Accutane for 6 months my junior year of high school. I'm a female and had dealt with bad acne since 11. Tell you son it takes about 2 months to really see the results he's expecting but it is worth it. I remember trying on a dress for winter formal and was so happy because I didn't have to cover my back. (i had bad acne on my back). I have a few tips

He'll hate this one but burts bees moisturizing lip balm or stick or whatever works wonders once the dryness comes. Also to help the dry skin that occurred everywhere I recommend finding a lotion/body creme that is not too thin or thick. The thicker it is the longer the skin takes to absorb and the thinner it is the less effective. I used all burts bees products while on accutane. For the face I used neutrogena moisturizer.

Also I've been off for about 5 years but my acne has never come back as bad as it was before. I can manage it with neutrogena acne kit now. Much cheaper than the products, (gels, creams and pills) i was taking pre-accutane.