Is 13 too young for Accutane?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would wait. The side effects of Accutane are excruciating, and there are other options now that weren't available when we were kids.

Sounds like this child has tried those other options. I have posted on other threads about Accutane. I have a now 17-year-old who started Accutane at 15 and finished at 16 (she took it for about nine months). She had NO side effects other than very dry lips. And her painful, scarring acne disappeared entirely. It was life-changing for her and if you have tried everything else that your dermatologist recommends, I would definitely proceed if your doctor is okay with it at that age (I'd probably double check with the pediatrician just in case). Good luck.

[Anonymous]

My 15yr. old is finally on Accutane after 2 years of trying everything else and cutting down certain foods.

Doctor started her on a 30mg. dose with monthly check ups and blood work. It's been 3 months and we haven't seen a lot of changes, except for the back and chest. No side effects either, except dry lips, which is very common. We're on a 60mg daily dose now and really hopeful of starting to see the Cystic acne disappear.

My sister did Accutane in her late 20s, She's 40 now and she wished she had done it sooner. She had terrible acne in high school and college years. She was a big influence/success story for us to consider going forward with it.

Dermatologist will start you on other meds before considering Accutane so I do think 13 might be very young.

Consult a dermatologist with experience administering isotretinoin.

[Anonymous]

Yes, she should use Accutane. It was hands down a huge self esteem saver for me. That said, just know that her age is perfect to do this because the doctors will be testing her to see if she is pregnant due to the potential for birth defects from taking this drug. Once you finish the treatment you are fine but during it you need to be careful not to get pregnant, stay out of the sun due to hypersensitivity while on it. But other than that Accutane is a miracle worker. After redness and peeling and just seeing everything come out of my pores I finally got new skin and never again had a problem with acne. Forgot to add that the doctor should monitor your teen for depression while on it. But this medicine did so much fior me. I can’t begin to tell you how crushed I was having had acne and this was a game changer. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

It will be a godsend for some and a disaster for some. You and the doctor and your DC will make your best guess about whether it’s right, but you can’t know. You’re just going to have to accept some risk and doubt here (either way).

[Anonymous]

My daughter had acne since 9 yrs old. Started on her face, then showed up on neck, back, shoulders. Dermo tried an antibiotic and creams. Didn't help. Daughter said it was painful. At 13, she asked to go back to dermo. Assigned to new one. He was a cheerleader for accutane. Specifically said to me, "won't affect her growth." I said - "OMG, are you sure? as you can see she is petite. I wouldn't want her to lose even an inch of growth!" He assured me it wouldn't affect growth. Just watch for depression. Because she was younger and only 100 lbs, he said he would give her half dose but then she would need to take longer. She finished full dose over about 10 months. Recently took her to pediatrician for annual wellness checkup. No growth at all for last year, from age 13 to 14. She has grown every year of her life, no stops or breaks ever and I took her every year for annual checkup so growth was documented as a steady incline. Took her for blood tests related to growth and all normal. Did bone age study and at 14 years, suddenly her bone age is 16! We are just devastated. She is only 4 ft 10 3/4 inches, less than every height prediction we ever received! I wouldn't give this to a young teenager. Wait until they are finished growing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter had acne since 9 yrs old. Started on her face, then showed up on neck, back, shoulders. Dermo tried an antibiotic and creams. Didn't help. Daughter said it was painful. At 13, she asked to go back to dermo. Assigned to new one. He was a cheerleader for accutane. Specifically said to me, "won't affect her growth." I said - "OMG, are you sure? as you can see she is petite. I wouldn't want her to lose even an inch of growth!" He assured me it wouldn't affect growth. Just watch for depression. Because she was younger and only 100 lbs, he said he would give her half dose but then she would need to take longer. She finished full dose over about 10 months. Recently took her to pediatrician for annual wellness checkup. No growth at all for last year, from age 13 to 14. She has grown every year of her life, no stops or breaks ever and I took her every year for annual checkup so growth was documented as a steady incline. Took her for blood tests related to growth and all normal. Did bone age study and at 14 years, suddenly her bone age is 16! We are just devastated. She is only 4 ft 10 3/4 inches, which is less than every height prediction we ever received! I wouldn't give this to a young teenager. Wait until they are finished growing.

(Another anti-growth connection) I want to add that after I told a friend of mine about the growth stop, she said she had recently been to the dermo (she's 50 yrs old) and has asked for accutane for cystic acne that had returned to her back, he told her that she might have permanent hair loss (her hair has already started thinning) and he would not advise it. Think about it, what is another way to say "permanent hair loss" - "your hair will stop growing permanently." See the growth connection? Also, look at the original conception of this drug, Roche identified it as a compound that might stop cancer (aka stopping the growth of tumors) so they knew it had anti-growth properties. when it didn't stop cancer, they found it helped with acne. Then the lawsuits started about various side effects and anti-growth effects on growing fetuses. It is fast and easy to do a bone age scan of the wrist, identify that growth is finished, then try accutane if you want to take the risk of the other side effects. But don't think that every side effect will "stop" once identified and medicine stopped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what seems to be working for my teen

1. Taking a daily probiotic.

2. In morning wash face with just water
3. Rose water or Witch Hazel for toner.

4. Aloe vera gel.

5. In evening wash face with African Black Soap

6. Repeat steps 3 & 4.


My kid also washes with African Black Soap and their back and chest acne has improved and in some cases cleared dramatically.

Do you mind sharing the brand of soap you use?
+1 For the African Black Soap I had skin issues and nothing prescribed by the dermatologist helped. African Black Soap has cleared my skin. Another plus for me is that it's more natural than other products.

[Anonymous]

Started getting cystic acne on my chin around age 11-12. They were painful, I would try and hide behind makeup, my hair & if anything, the acne caused me anxiety and a lot of shame. Thankfully my parents took me the dermatologist regularly. Was on several topicals, antibiotics & then at 15 took Acutane. It was a game changer but my acne did come back. I took it again at 18 and then when I was 23. My current dermatologist was shocked that I had done 3 courses. Like another person on this thread chin acne reappeared after turning 40. I'm now on spirnolactone and it is also a game changer.

For me, having clear skin allowed me to be more confident. I said no to so many things because I was embarrassed by my face & would prefer to hide in my house. I do remember the blood tests. I always thought it was to make sure I wasn't pregnant which was amusing considering I was a virgin for the first 2 rounds. I have a 12 year old daughter who recently got her period & guess what has appeared on her chin about a week before she gets her period, a lovely cystic acne. One benefit of wearing a mask to school is that no one sees it but I've already made her an appointment with the dermatologist for next month. If it came to needing to do Accutane, I wouldn't hesitate to put her on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eliminate ALL dairy. Be strict, and see where that gets her.

Right now is the most important time in a girl's life for building bone density. Do not eliminate dairy please.

[Anonymous]

Such a hard decision. After trying everything for many years my son took Accutane for 6 months. Four years later his skin still looks pretty good, Accutane made a huge difference.
However, six months after his treatment he developed a bipolar disorder. I’m not sure if there is causation but I wonder about it. It has been extremely painful for him and for all of us.

[Anonymous]

My 15 year old is on accutane (was 14 when he started) and his dermatologist and pediatrician went through a list of possible side effects, but restricted growth was not one of them.

He has been on for almost 6 months and his skin has cleared a lot in the last month or so. His doctor ramped up his dosing slowly due to his small size (weight) but you stay on the medication until you reach an optimal cumulative amount. He has experienced extreme dryness on his lips, eyes, and nose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Such a hard decision. After trying everything for many years my son took Accutane for 6 months. Four years later his skin still looks pretty good, Accutane made a huge difference.
However, six months after his treatment he developed a bipolar disorder. I’m not sure if there is causation but I wonder about it. It has been extremely painful for him and for all of us.

There is often a genetic component to bipolar disorder. The people I know who have it all have a family member who has it. Accutane doesn't cause mental disorders but it can exacerbate existing ones like depression.

[Anonymous]

Over half of NYC was on accurate as a teen. No long term issues, just that shiny face for awhile while on it.

[Anonymous]

Since this is a 2017 post that someone decided to revive for no good reason, I’m guessing OP’s has probably made a decision by now.

[Anonymous]

I had cystic acne and tried everything — Countless antibiotics, gels, creams, changes in diet, etc. Finally took a course of Accutane at 20 and it was life changing in a positive way. It wasn’t covered by insurance and my parents didn’t have much disposable income, but I am so appreciative that they made the sacrifice for me. My self esteem was in the toilet and I cried a lot because I thought I was ugly. That’s a tough place to be as a young college gal.

The only side effects I had were chapped lips and sensitivity to sun.

Those of you making snarky comments about the Accutane Marketing Team don’t truly understand how horrible cystic acne is when you’ve tried all other conventional treatments and nothing worked.