How Does Accutane Work?

Hi, I’m Dr. Chad Hartmann, a board-certified dermatologist with U.S. Dermatology Partners, and today I want to talk to you about Accutane. Accutane is a medicine that's taken by mouth to treat acne. It's not only very effective at treating acne but it's the only medication that can induce a long-term remission or cure of the acne. Accutane is taken for a period of approximately five to seven months what we call a course of acne. After a course of acne, most people have their acne completely cleared. Even more impressive is that two out of three of those individuals won't have their acne come back. In the one-third of individuals where the acne does return. Normally, it's not as severe as it was prior to the Accutane, and we will normally put those individuals on a second course of Accutane because then only one out of three of those individuals will have their acne return. Accutane works by several mechanisms, of the mechanisms we currently understand probably the most important are two. One, it exfoliates the skin to help unplug the pores getting rid of those blackheads, and two it helps to reduce oil production, and oil production is important because that's what certain bacteria that cause the inflammation with acne feed on and allows them to grow. Many people ask me how long it takes to see improvement with Accutane, and although that can vary from person to person, typically within one to three months we can see significant improvement in individuals on Accutane. After six months almost all patients have had their acne clear. If you are suffering from acne and have further questions about Accutane, please contact one of our U.S. Dermatology Partners locations so that we can help you.