Red patches around mouth after lowering Accutane dose. Why?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am currently on Accutane and have been on Accutane for a year and a bit, I was taking 20 mg a day and it was going well and my skin was completely clear. Then my dermatologist decided to drop my dosage down to 10 mg, three times a week, to try and ease me off the drug. As soon as the dosage dropped my skin started breaking out again, particularly around my mouth and nose. I was devastated and so I went back and am now on 20 mg a day again and have been for just over a month but nothing has changed, in fact, the breakouts have only gotten worse.

Now I have patches of skin around my mouth that are red, irritated and dry with small clusters of fluid-filled bumps which I assume are acne. The skin that is irritated stings, and is so dry it feels almost scaly, especially with the scabbing from the pimples or fluid-filled bumps. I am 18 years old, weigh around 132.28 Ibs and am now wondering what my next step should be? And wondering why the original Accutane dosage of 20 mg per day has not helped at all this time around.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your case in detail. Please do not stop Accutane (Isotretinoin)as it is the normal response of this drug that initially all acne lesions get aggravated during the first 4 to 6 weeks of treatment. And dryness and redness are also observed as a result. So if you feel extreme dryness just take a little amount of Vaseline lotion and apply it on your palms and gently tap on your face. Do not take too much of any moisturizer because it will again block ur pores and acne will be aggravated. Be patient, acne sometimes takes time to heal, like 3 to 4 months and lesions get aggravated due to stress or hormones.