# FITNESS and NUTRITION FORUM > INJURIES, REHAB & SPA >  Accutane info and other ways to stay acne free!

## Hazard

I wrote this over at AM and thought it'd be a good idea to paste it over here for everyone else to see..... ENJOY!


There have been quite a few posts as of late regarding acne..... Not just on this board.... but on a few others also. I figured i would just take the time to let everyone know what I do to stay acne free while on and off cycle.....

Lets get a few things straight..... there are different levels of acne. When you goto a dermatologist..... they look you over and classify you. I was considered to have "severe" acne. Just about as bad as one can get. This was also before i even so much as looked at anything anabolic ! I was just one of those unlucky kids with HELLA bad acne!

Acne treatments..... Which one do i use? This is a personal choice..... a lot of people say not to jump the gun and go straight to accutane..... while quite a few people condone the use of accutane right from the start. In my honest opinion..... you should decide which treatment/s you are going to use based on the severity of the acne.... and the scenario you put yourself in. By this i mean..... Are you going to cycle AAS? Are you active in sports? Do you naturally sweat alot? You need to look over your situation and decide which route is best for you.

There are many different treatments out there for acne..... ranging from pills to soaps and creams.... While some of you may not know all of the treatments.... im not going to go over them all. There was a rather lengthy post on each treatment so if you want to know the other drugs that i do not bring up in this post..... simply run a search and im sure you can find it.

Now..... lets talk about what you can do to clear up your acne.....

The absolute most effective way to clear up acne is to take Accutane (isotretinoin). I stand by this drug 100%. I know from personal experience and from hearing stories from others... that this drug is truely a miracle. I must caution you tho..... Many users of accutane have claimed to have gotten side effects. The 3 most common side effects are:
1 - Cracked dry skin
2 - Depression
3 - Sun burn (you burn easier while on accutane)

How can we reduce these side effects? WE TAKE A LOWER DOSAGE! The common dosage of accutane from a dermatologist is 80mg's a day. When you goto a dermatologist and get prescribed accutane.... they send you for regular bloodwork. Accutane can be very harsh on ones body..... if your bloodwork comes back not looking soo pretty..... the dermatologist will either cut back the dosage or take you off the accutane all together.

REMEMBER: YOU ARE NOT A DERMATOLOGIST!...... and if you happen to be one..... why the hell are you here? It would not be wise for you to take 80mg's a day since most of you can't read your own bloodwork..... and thats even if your able to get blood work on a bi-weekly/monthly basis.

Will taking a lower dosage effect how the accutane works for me? In a sense.... yes. Instead of clearing your acne up in a week or 2 - it may take just a little bit longer. But this short ammount of time is well worth the moisture in your skin..... and the safety of your liver. Not to mention the money you'll be saving.

What dosage do you recommend i take? No matter how severe your acne is, unless it's not bad at all.... in which you don't need accutane, I suggest taking 1/4 of the Dermatologist recommended dosage. Since the recommended dosage by a dermatologist is 80mg's/day - i suggest taking 20mg's/day. At this dosage your skin will slightly dry out.... but not NEARLY as bad as it would with a higher dosage. I personally don't have any depression problems at 20mg's/day.... but i can not speak for everyone... as everyone is different.

Accutane will work while on or off cycle. I've run 20mg's/day while i was on... and while i was off..... and it just destroyed the acne. The only difference is while you're on cycle..... you might need to stay on the accutane for a longer period.

If im taking an oral steroid ..... should i take accutane? NO! Like i said before.... accutane is harsh on your body, including your liver. Many people claim accutane is more liver toxic than Dbol or Anadrol ..... I personally do not believe this HOWEVER i would not run 2 orals together in the first place.

What do i do about acne from an oral steroid then? You must remember there are other treatments available to you. Im going to mention 2 that i find effective in reducing acne.

If you are on a liver toxic steroid..... you have 2 options that i recommend.
the first option is Vitamin B5. (pantothenic acid)
Many studies have shown that Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) reduces acne.... and can even get rid of it all together. B5 is great because you can not over dose it either..... if you have too much.....your body will flush it out.

What dosage would you recommend? This is going to vary from person to person..... but here is what i find to be sort of a happy median for everyone.
If your going to cycle AAS: Start running 2500-5000mg's Vitamin B5 daily 1 month prior to cycle. Then once you start your cycle - run 10g's B5 daily all the way through PCT. 

NOTE* Acne may get worse for a week or so when taking B5 as it pushes the remaining oil to the surface of the skin. After that tho..... your acne should start to clear up.

Whats the other option? you said you had 2....? The other option is Retin-A. (tretinoin) Retin-A is more or less a topical accutane. It doesn't work as fast as accutane does tho. I would start it 1 month before cycle and continue all the way through PCT. Just rub the cream on the affected area.

LASTLY..... whether you used a treatment that i talked about or a treatment you found on your own..... i suggest taking a daily shower (which i hope you do anyways.....) and scrubing the affected area with an anti-bacterial soap and a wash cloth. Possibly shower 2 times a day..... depending on your daily activities and the ammount you sweat. ALSO REMEMBER: Change your sweaty clothes ASAP.

ooooo wait..... Mr. Acne..... where can i buy these products?
Be still young grasshopper..... i was just about to tell you......

Where to locate.....
B5: www.beyond-a-century.com - here you'll find the powder version of vitamin B5. Not only is it easy to mix in your protein shakes..... it's easy to dose..... and it's CHEAP AS HELL for an ASSLOAD of the stuff.


*note* I edited out the info on where to get accutane ebcause i didn't think it was allowed on this board..... please don't send me any PM's asking where to get it, as i will not respond.

~haz~

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## Hazard

Bump

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## niXon)(

good read

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## hotstang46

good info.....anybody tried B5 with tetra? HAZARD....know if this would work well?

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## bolin

hey Hazard... I've been taking Dalacin C for the past 4 months because of chest acne after I did waxing! the acne is gone (nearly) but there are still like purple marks where the acne used to be!!! How can this go away? My doctor told me that he would give me accutane if the acne is still there...... Does accutane cure this type of 'stain'????? 

Thanks

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## LeanMeOut

Bump for a good post

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## LeanMeOut

> hey Hazard... I've been taking Dalacin C for the past 4 months because of chest acne after I did waxing! the acne is gone (nearly) but there are still like purple marks where the acne used to be!!! How can this go away? My doctor told me that he would give me accutane if the acne is still there...... Does accutane cure this type of 'stain'????? 
> 
> Thanks




The purple marks are scars.....stop tanning and put vitamin e and lotion on them, and eventually they will get lighter.

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## bolin

ok mate i will try that........any other opinions?

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## chi

anyone ever get acne on their shoulders? I have naturally oily skin and just the rubbing of the shirt on my shoulders gives me small break outs. Have had this ever since i did a prop cycle and has continued being 2 yrs clean?

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## bigslick7878

> I wrote this over at AM and thought it'd be a good idea to paste it over here for everyone else to see..... ENJOY!
> 
> 
> There have been quite a few posts as of late regarding acne..... Not just on this board.... but on a few others also. I figured i would just take the time to let everyone know what I do to stay acne free while on and off cycle.....
> 
> Lets get a few things straight..... there are different levels of acne. When you goto a dermatologist..... they look you over and classify you. I was considered to have "severe" acne. Just about as bad as one can get. This was also before i even so much as looked at anything anabolic ! I was just one of those unlucky kids with HELLA bad acne!
> 
> Acne treatments..... Which one do i use? This is a personal choice..... a lot of people say not to jump the gun and go straight to accutane..... while quite a few people condone the use of accutane right from the start. In my honest opinion..... you should decide which treatment/s you are going to use based on the severity of the acne.... and the scenario you put yourself in. By this i mean..... Are you going to cycle AAS? Are you active in sports? Do you naturally sweat alot? You need to look over your situation and decide which route is best for you.
> 
> ...


Agreed on pretty much everything. 

The dosage is tricky, if you are getting generics there are a few different ones and they all vary in strength. 

If you go to a doctor and they prescribe it and you get Roaccutane 80mg is overkill. My first time they gave me 40mg a day of Roaccutane and that obliterated it. 

Later on I did a few different generics, and needed at least 60mg for good results. Some of the generics are garbage and I wouldn't even touch them they are so weak. Isogem is the strongest generic I used, and I still needed 60mg a day for a few months straight to clear the last bout up.

Cipla is a another generic form, but it is weaker than the Isogem and about 1/2 as strong as the Roaccutane. If you were taking 40mg of roaccutane you would need about 80 of Cipla.

I forget the one other one but it is garbage, it comes in powdered capsules and you need a ton for it to work. Can't remember the name off the top of my head right now. Either way whatever you get it should always be a liqui-gel and never in a capsule powdered. Accutane is not stable enough to be effective in that form.

Make sure you know what you are getting and adjust the dose accordingly.

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## dooie

nice post haz..

have to get some accutane when im considering my cycle.

ive always had acne as a kid i am nearly 24 now and its slowing down FINALLY!! i just had raging hormones haha
for face acne. i used so many antibiotics and face creams it was ridiculous butt...
when using a cream that really dries ur skin out like benzoyl peroxide 10% u MUST moisturise.. as ur skin gets dryer it produces more oil to compensate.. same as anything!! eg. when u have to much test ur body stops producing it naturally and creates more esterogen to ****eract it.. its the same for real dry skin.. ur body will produce more oil so u need to moisturise..
once i found this out there was a dramatic change.. the dermatoligist that told me this. changed my life!!

just my 2 sense guys!!

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## boz

Thanks haz really enjoyed that post, i am currently breaking out during PCT, while on there were none to be seen.

I will def invest in some accutane soon though.

I also believed in the salt water (beach) and lots of tanning, but our summer here down under has not been great lol.

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## dooie

Yesterday was nice boz haha

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## Rust

Bumpity...

Why isn't this a sticky? Very good read Haz. If only I had read this a year ago......

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## Akrobatik

I been pron to Acne when I was a teen and I had to take 80mg of accutane per day. But then after I did my first cycle of just Test E I ended up with harsh back/shoulder/chest acne. I just finished a 20mg per day accutane for 3 months and its 99% gone. All i have left is nasty scars  :Frown:

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## devil-1986

how long we can get accutane ? and in 20 mg daily dose How much time it takes to full effect ?

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## devil-1986

bump

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## devil-1986

bump

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## nussnussbaby

Thanks for posting. Informative. Hope I never need to refer back..

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## Lunk1

If you are a female and read this post, there are some severe measures you should consider before considering Accutane. Derms. will all but guarantee birth defects of a child or even death of the unborn child if you become pregnant while on Accutane or within a month or so after stopping the drug. DO NOT use Accutane if you plan to get pregnant or are not using guaranteed forms of birth control!

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## ChrisG217

I got 2 months left of taking accutane!!!!!

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## derekkpapa1

Thanks lunk great write up. Saved this info for future asst.

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## Mezz

I have mild acne right now but it never seems to go away, and its something I really worry about when I start my first cycle. I know I will get depressed as **** if my face becomes as horrific as it was when I was 17 when I start AAS. I don't think a derm would prescribe me accutane before I start because as I said my acne isn't that bad right now. But I really don't want to wait until I've already started my cycle and my acne is horrible, how do I get accutane beforehand so I don't have to go through this please help?

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## shaunjohn242002

Well I got on the accutane wagon after my first cycle and it totally cleared my skin. Bg made a good suggestion about taking it before my next cycle which I did. Made a big difference. I didn't get a single pimple and maybe 3 during pct. the bad news: I was suffering debilitating joint pain. It seems it's starting to subside. I have it in my knuckle as I type but nothing like it was. It moved all over my body going from knees to ankles and so on. It would wake me up in the middle of the night and I would begin screaming from the pain. I was on 40 mg/daily. This should be a last resort by all means. Minocycline or doxycycline are very good at eliminating acne and IMO these and all other meds should be tried before even thinking about that sh$t. If it's severe nodes and it's the disfiguring type of acne then I'd say go for it, if not, stay away.

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## shaunjohn242002

Been off for over 6 months btw

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## shaunjohn242002

Mezz IMO start minocycline while on cycle and be sure to use an ai,

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## bilgee

Bump

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## Mezz

> Mezz IMO start minocycline while on cycle and be sure to use an ai,


Thanks for the advice shaun..its funny to come back to these old threads to read how much my situation has changed in less than a year. I found a great derm that actually did prescribe the drug for me in May...Did 80mgs for 5 months cleared up face very well but its still on back and shoulders so I will be running another course here shortly. Sides were very minimal for me, typical dry lips and skin and some joint aches and nose bleeds but nothing to complain about really. I always say if you can't handle accutane sides you sure as **** cant handle gear sides. I am hoping after this second course my skin is perfect and I will not have to worry about acne once I start to enhance. They say accutane is even more effective in preventing remission the second time around so I'm crossing my fingers. Btw all the cyclines sucked for me and didn't do shit, accutane is a miracle drug for many and in my case was the only thing that actually helped make me clear. Hope this helps someone on the fence about accutane.

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## Duo

Brilliant, thanks for your knowledge Hazard. Although I wouldnt say the acne after my first cycle was severe, it scared the shit out of me. My arms were covered in litte bumps to begin with and eventually got some dark purple larger ones which are still present now 4 months later. I ran PCT for 5 weeks after first cycle and have started 2nd cycle now 2 weeks ago. I have continued to see spots appear on my arms even now but not as bad as the breakout after coming off the gear (started about 2 weeks after finishing first cycle). I am conscious of how it looks in the gym when wearing a vest and have started wearing tshirts instead to cover up the nast looking ones around my delts. 

My questions is, I am based in the UK and wanted to find out what the best method would be to obtain some Accutane? Am i likely to be able to just book an appt with my GP and make a suggestion of running a course of Accutane or is it more likely he will suggest other treatments before (which would piss me off)? I have asked my supplier if he can get some Accutane for me but he says it is now very difficult to get hold off. Is there an alternative which is just as good as Accutane (in the UK) that others have experienced easier to get hold off.

Thank you for reading this post and I appreciate any support that can be given.

Sorry quick PS for Hazard or anyone else that can answer, is it true after running Accutane the spots don't come back even when continuing to run cycles?

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## Duo

Bump

Please can someone makes any suggestions or answers to my post above.

Thanks in advance

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## bartman314

thanks for this thread...

i've struggled with really bad back acne since trt and my first cycle. all my sheets are now blood stained and the pain and... unsightliness is a big problem. i tried self medicating with generic accutane obtained overseas (tretizen) at 60 mg/day. after 2.5 months, i saw mild (if any) benefits. so... i bailed and saw a dermatologist yesterday. she will put me on the real stuff after bw. stay tuned as i will report results over the next couple of months. i'm praying to any and all gods that the real stuff works. as some of you know, acne degrades significantly from the aesthetics of a great physique.

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## bartman314

duo... i'mnot sure what you want to do with this, but there are many overseas pharmacies that deliver to the states (and maybe the uk?!?). the risk you run is quality... which in my case seems to be a little off.

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## Duo

Hi Bartman, thank you for taking the time to reply. I have been in to see my GP today and he asked me outright if I take anabolic steroids which I laughed off and denied (felt sh*t for lying to the guy) because I didn't want it to go on my record. He says he cannot think of the cause other than folicitus (trapped hair follicles through shaving) which I told him I don't shave my arms.. He has referred me to see a dermatologist, now after reading your post above stating the dermo will make you take a blood test its got me worried that the roids will show up and they will inform my GP. Advice please guys on what to do??

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## bartman314

my dermatologist also asked about aas, which i denied indicating that the trt was root cause. she seemed to accept this, but who knows, she could still think i juice (which i have). 

anyways, she only requested tests for cholesterol and lipids - no direct test of test or estrogen. duo, if your doc is the same, then you might be ok unless your off on cholesterol and lipids, which you probably want to know anyway. also, you could always lie and say you're on trt.

good luck.

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## Juced_porkchop

I prob told you on AM under name "blergs" to avoid it. go with heavy antibiotic over accu IMO, if you needed. 
I rec 3-4 servings of apple cider vinegar ed and use organic soap , peppermint or teatree from brand "dr.bronners magic soaps"

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## Duo

> my dermatologist also asked about aas, which i denied indicating that the trt was root cause. she seemed to accept this, but who knows, she could still think i juice (which i have). 
> 
> anyways, she only requested tests for cholesterol and lipids - no direct test of test or estrogen. duo, if your doc is the same, then you might be ok unless your off on cholesterol and lipids, which you probably want to know anyway. also, you could always lie and say you're on trt.
> 
> good luck.


Thanks Bartman, just so I am clear please can you confirm what you mean by your on TRT? It is not illegal to take AAS in the UK so if TRT means Test then how do you handle this when AAS are banned in the US?

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## Duo

> I prob told you on AM under name "blergs" to avoid it. go with heavy antibiotic over accu IMO, if you needed. 
> I rec 3-4 servings of apple cider vinegar ed and use organic soap , peppermint or teatree from brand "dr.bronners magic 
> soaps"


Thanks for the Tip JP, I am not on any other forums so not sure what AM is but if there is something else that I can read to help with getting this sorted on way or another I would appreciate a link to it (privately of course).

Do you just take by mouth 3-4 tbl spoons of apple vinegar or is it mixed with something? How soon did you see this method start to work for you? I will look online for the soap? 

The spots have their good and bad days, its the site of the ugly purple big ones under the skin that really irritate me and fkin hurt like hell if you try to squeeze lol... I know it comes with taking AAS and if I don't like it quit, I can handle it just want to understand why there are so many guys doing AAS and they don't appear to get the spots and how I can overcome them??

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## bartman314

dr prescribed testosterone replacement therapy is legal in the us. unlike aas use, the goal of trt is to restore normal levels of test in the body. lower test is a natural consequence of aging (and other medical conditions), if your test goes below the low end of the normal range, you are a candidate and can legally obtain injectable test from a dr. you may want to look into it in britain.

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## bartman314

well... i met dermatologist today. apparently, there's a possible interaction between accutane and wound healing. since i have a hip replacement surgery in a month, i need to wait until february to start treatment... :-(

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## RigPig

> well... i met dermatologist today. apparently, there's a possible interaction between accutane and wound healing. since i have a hip replacement surgery in a month, i need to wait until february to start treatment... :-(


I've heard fro numerous people (maybe they are wrong) the same thing you were told about accutane having a negative impact on the body healing itself. I wonder why that is? Did your dermatologist elaborate any? I've never bothered to ask because I've never used it, but now I'm curious.

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## bartman314

the dermatologist didn't have any specifics, and i asked... not very satisfying. i searched when i got home and found this meta-analysis:

Should Isotretinoin Be Stopped Prior to Surgery? : PracticeUpdate

my assessment is there is nothing conclusive about accutane impeding healing. so... i think the dermatologists are just being conservative in the face of anecdotal hearsay. ugh... i really want to get rid of the acne and can't start accutane until february.

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## RigPig

What about a more mild anti-biotic type of pill (from the tetracycline family) and Stieva-A Topical cream. Worked wonders for me and way less harsh then accutane (apparently)

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## bartman314

right... she did put me on cephalexin (500 mg 2x/day). i'll report on how well it works...

we talked about the topical cream, but it is very difficult for me to apply to my back and she didn't think it would help that much - i passed.

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## RigPig

> right... she did put me on cephalexin (500 mg 2x/day). i'll report on how well it works... we talked about the topical cream, but it is very difficult for me to apply to my back and she didn't think it would help that much - i passed.


Good luck man, hope it works quick for ya..

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## ChrisG217

> thanks for this thread...
> 
> i've struggled with really bad back acne since trt and my first cycle. all my sheets are now blood stained and the pain and... unsightliness is a big problem. i tried self medicating with generic accutane obtained overseas (tretizen) at 60 mg/day. after 2.5 months, i saw mild (if any) benefits. so... i bailed and saw a dermatologist yesterday. she will put me on the real stuff after bw. stay tuned as i will report results over the next couple of months. i'm praying to any and all gods that the real stuff works. as some of you know, acne degrades significantly from the aesthetics of a great physique.


I feel your pain bud. I finished my 2nd round of Accutane for a severe breakout from my first cycle from summer 2013. Started my treatment around November 2013. In addition I have been on TRT since January 2014. So I can tell You what to expect from what's happened to my body. I rarely get a pimple now, only on my chest or traps. I'm pretty sure they can't deny you treatment even if you do admit you used AAS and have severe acne as a result. You have a problem and it's there job to provide a solution. On the plus side though you shouldn't have another cycle induced breakout after your treatment is complete. I can only say that for TRT though, I haven't cycled since so I'm not sure if it would come back bad from another cycle. Jus my .02 cents. 

Look up austinites acne treatment protocol for an alternative.

Hope this helps man

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## bartman314

thanks for the inputs. after ~4 weeks on cephalexin, no real progress. my hip replacement is thursday... expect to start accutane ~2/1.

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## bartman314

just an update on the saga.

cephalexin is working a bit, but i want to nuke the acne. hip replacement went fine (see post in injuries and recovery), and i have the green light to start accutane. i learned something else at the doc's today - whey can contribute to acne, see my separate thread in this forum.

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## henryjames

Great and informative post! BUMP

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