Accutane Vs. Topical Treatments
Introduction
Accutane (isotretinoin) is the single most effective treatment when it comes to treating acne, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only one. As a matter of fact, tretinoin, which comes in the form of a cream, is much more frequently used than Accutane to treat acne.
There are some side effects that have been linked to Accutane which some people are wary of, even though in the majority of cases those side effects aren’t nearly as bad as they’re made out to be.
In other cases, people simply may not feel like their acne condition is sufficiently bad to warrant being treated by Accutane, which does clear up 85% of patients by week 16 in a standard course.
A typical progression could involve starting out with topical treatments and then moving eventually to Accutane if the results aren’t what you’re looking for. Accutane is likely to clear up cases the topical creams won’t be able to, and produces more significant long-term remission figures across the board, as well as some typically mild side effects early on.
But what about the rest of the treatment experience? How exactly does Accutane match up to Tretinoin, and what are the key differences you should know that exist between them?
In the following article, we’ll talk about some of the main points to consider when comparing tretinoin with isotretinoin (Accutane).
Convenience
Tretinoin is generally available as a cream. Because of this, it’s something that needs a significant amount of time to apply properly every day.
Depending on the treatment plan in question, you may find yourself applying it more regularly than once a day as well. In addition to the time you spend applying it, you have to factor in time to wash your hands and take care of any other bathroom-related tasks. Remembering to do this at roughly the same time every day is easier said than done, and inconsistency can cause subpar treatment outcomes.
In comparison, Accutane comes in the form of a pill that will typically be taken twice a day. If you’re talking about sheer convenience, it’s hard to do much better than a task that takes about five seconds at most. You will have to remember to take the pills, but if you can get yourself into the habit of doing that the pill will always present an easier, more consistent way of staying on top of your treatment schedule.
Effectiveness
Tretinoin has solid long-term results as a way to treat acne, although it doesn’t work for everybody. When it’s working against acne, tretinoin has been demonstrated to inspire cell turnover. This has a number of different beneficial effects, among them treating breakouts of acne and mitigating the appearance of any acne scarring that may have accumulated. It’s often prescribed for less severe cases of acne, and in cases where there’s a reason the patient isn’t a viable candidate for Accutane therapy.
Accutane is the single most effective acne treatment currently available on the market. It’s also the only acne therapy that combats all causes of acne, and it produces long-term remission in many patients who complete one full course of four to five months.
There are side effects associated with the medication, the most common of which involve dry skin, itching, or dry eyes, but the majority of these will have ended by the end of week 8. There have been reports done into any links Accutane may have with depression or suicidal ideation, but “as of yet there is no clear proof of an association.”
By week 16, 85% of patients will be acne-free. Accutane is most often prescribed for particularly severe or treatment-resistant cases of acne and is processed in approximately one million US prescriptions annually.
Conclusion
Accutane and tretinoin are usually used in different cases, depending on the severity and the patient in question’s own biology. For that reason, it’s difficult to compare them in a one-to-one way. However, it makes sense to become familiar with what the two kinds of treatments involve, and how they’re applied. If you’re wondering whether your acne situation makes you a good candidate for Accutane, why not take our free quiz? It’ll only take a few minutes, and at the end, you’ll know whether Accutane or a topical treatment like tretinoin is best for your situation.
If there’s anything else you’d like to know about how Accutane is prescribed or the side effects associated with it, get in touch with us here at AcneXpert and we’ll answer anything and everything we can!
