p> Accutane is patented by the well-known drug manufacturer Roche Pharmaceuticals. In the United States, it goes by the brand name of Isotretinoin. In other countries, Accutane is known as Roaccutane.

Accutane works by decreasing the amount of oil that is produced by the skin’s oil glands, and it may be as long as two months before you actually even see any improvement in your skin. There is really no medicine that can be added in order to speed up the effects of this drug, and in fact, acne will often get even worse during the first few months or so of treatment.

  Acne is a condition in which normally colorless, liquid skin oils are converted to solid white material. Then the skin responds to the trapped solid oil by turning red and swelling. A three- or four-month course of Accutane damages the oil glands and markedly reduces the amount of oil that your skin produces, making Accutane the most effective drug to treat acne. Having less skin oil should not cause any serious side effects as its only known function is to keep you from feeling too cold in the winter, because it slows evaporation of sweat. Dry skin is associated with lack of water, and aging of skin is associated with lack of collagen, not with lack of oil.

Isotretinoin is the only medication that works in many ways. Isotretinoin is a form of vitamin A. It reduces the size of the sebaceous glands, decreases cellular accumulation, eliminates bacteria and lessons inflammation. Another positive attribute of Isotretinoin is that it continues to exhibit productive results well after the individual stops using it. This drug may have a long lasting, positive effect on the skin and in the curing of the nasty symptoms associated with acne.

Isotretinoin is also used to treat severe nodular acne. It is usually given after other acne medicines or antibiotics have been tried without successful treatment of symptoms.

Before taking Isotretinoin, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any foods or drugs, or if you have:

• a personal or family history of depression or mental illness;

• heart disease, high cholesterol or triglycerides;

• osteoporosis or other bone disorders;

• diabetes;

• asthma;

• an eating disorder (anorexia nervosa); or

• liver disease.

If you have any of these conditions, you may not be able to use Isotretinoin, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.