Last Resort - Accutaine or Laser?

[Brighteyes]

I'm at my wits' end here! In terms of last resort treatments, which is better, accutaine or laser? I've heard a lot of mixed reviews (success and horror stories) about each and need to know which is less likely to go bad. Ideally, I think doing laser first then accutaine would be best because you can't do laser while on accutaine but I don't want to mess things up further if accutaine will work fine on it's own. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

[Stphn]

Hey there, just my story, but hope it helps:

I went on accutane first, to clear P&P, waited a month or so, and then went and had laser treatment to remove redness and flushing. worked wonderfully. that was many years ago and i am again beginning to have some similar issues, particularly in the areas when i did not have laser treatment (neck, behind ears, forehead).

i plan on seeing what clearance i can achieve with another round of laser treatments and topicals/dietary changes before i look into accutane again.

many say that low-dose, long-term accutane has worked well for them, and with minimal side effects (5mg-10mg). As far as risks with lasers are concerned, it seems to depend on your reaction to the particular laser, as well as who is administering the treatment.

i suggest searching the IPL section of this forum for some tips on finding more info on both accutane and lasers.

Hope this helps,

Stphn

[GJ]

To a quite large extent that will depend on your symptoms. What troubles you most?

[Yvette]

Hi -

Do you have acne/pustules and have tried different topicals or medications without much success? If so, then I'd try low dose Accutane first before lasers. Reason being, when you start Accutane, it will push out all the acne and clogs you have underneath your skin. It will "purge" and clear your skin. Once the purging is done, then Accutane will further work wonders in trying to decrease your oil gland size/oil output and soften your skin.

I took low dose Accutane for nine months. Loved the results during and after. Low dose is key - 10mg a day for most works well. I was 10mg a day month one/two and then mostly 20mg a day for the remainder. This worked well for me. I had mild (but persistent acne) and mild Rosacea. I had Vbeam six months after finishing Accutane and then a series of IPL's. I prefer the results from IPL's.

If you have flushing only (without much acne, papules, pustules) I'd not recommend Accutane, but laser. Accutane will rid papules/pustules/acne and lessen the inflammation associated with it. It's mildly effective for base redness, but not prescribed or indicated for these symptoms.

Good luck!!

Yvette

[Brighteyes]

Thanks for the replies! My main problems are ocular, redness, and large pores. I'm currently taking 50mg doxy 2x/day, 10mg nadolol 1x/day and using a sulfer topical. The nadolol and sulfer topical seem to keep my flushing at bay and I don't really get acne - just redness. Also, I do not respond well to Metrogel or Finacea - they exacerbate my symptoms.

[Yvette]

Hi-

If your symptoms are mostly redness then, lasers would be your best bet. And same as you, my skin reacted badly to Finacea and Metrogel doesn't seem to do much except make my face red and feel like saran wrap. However, these topicals do work for some.

Good luck to you and please keep us updated.
Yvette

[RedFaced]

If you have any flushing issues whatsoever I would use extreme CAUTION with Accutane. Just do a search on this site, there are numerous people here for Accutane induced flushing which is severe for many of them who had no flushing prior and some who had minor flushing that resulted in the flushing becoming a lot worse.

To be honest, I think Yevette is the only poster I have personally read that advocates for Accutane on this site for rosacea (probably more that I do not know of) as she was one who is fortunate enough to not have this side effect. But also remember that those who post are usually the ones with problems, so I am sure there are more out there like Yvette with positive results, but still a gamble in my opinion given the dozens of posts I have come across on various forums with posters who have had this severe flushing problem from Accutane.

Not to say it will happen for sure, but I think rosacea and accutane is a very risky combination due to its known effects on inducing flushing especially in those predisposed, which is often permanent.

I would really only consider Accutane for acne or Rosacea if you have severe papules/pustules with potential to scar that have not responded to any other treatments.

This is just my opinion and experience for what it is worth. I know it can be a very good drug for a lot of people especially those with severe, scarring acne.

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

[Yvette]

Hi -

There have been others I've exchanged posts and emails with that were pleased with Accutane. These are: Googoo, Steve 95301, RedRum, and DukeCity. I also reviewed "Kelli's Accutane log" before I started Accutane, which she had remarkable results. I'm sure there are others too who've had good results, that after getting treatment and the results they desire, leave the forum. On the flip side, yes, I've read posts of others who've not had good results with Accutane for one reason or another. Their dose too high, the drug exacerbated other preexisting skin or internal conditions, or it just didn't work. Accutane is a strong drug, and while it can work well for most and is the closest cure for acne, it may not work for everyone.

Yvette

[GJ]

I would suggest you try neither (and certainly, given your symptoms, definitely not accutane). If you try a last resort and that fails, you might be overcome by hopelessness.

I would suggest trying red light therapy. In fact, the more I think about it, I would suggest trying infra-red light therapy (perhaps in tandem with red light therapy). It could well help the redness; could well help the appearance of the skin (I can make no promises (or guesses) regarding pore size).

Being at your wits end (and turning to last resorts) hints at a certain desperation. Here's the thing: you might see improvements from laser/IPL in four months time (arrange a test patch; reflect on the results; book first appointment; wait perhaps five weeks between treatments - more when the practitioner buggers off to Aspen; see improvement after perhaps the third treament..) yet you could see improvements from LLLT in time for Christmas.

Go with LLLT. Take time to research the best laser procedure, best laser practitioner for you, so that should you need to turn to laser next year it represents a considered decision - not a last resort (and all that that implies).

[Yvette]

Good suggestion GJ. Red Light may be good to try first. I personally haven't tried Red Light, but have read it's helpful for some here on the Forum.

Thanks for your good suggestion.
Yvette