The miracle drug...not so miraculous?

A controversial cure. A decade of dosing. A tale of self-acceptance.

- Diya J Verma

Coming from a non-pill popper who held back just short of a decade before succumbing to the anti-acne drug, I’m going to lay my cards on the table here. Isotretinoin works, there’s no two ways about it, but it’s no permanent fix...or so I’ve come to believe, for myself anyway.

I first became acquainted with the wonder pill during my teens...my dermat was quick to recommend Accutane—a brand name of isotretinoin that is no longer manufactured—when she diagnosed my condition as ‘cystic acne’.

Iso, for the fortunate few with spotless skin—who are likely unversed in pimple prate—is an oral retinoid for recalcitrant acne. Known to shrink your sebaceous glands, this prescription drug is the holy grail for us acne sufferers.

As for me, the run-of-the-mill spot treatments just didn’t cut it, and while I was apprehensive about dosing on the “closest cure to acne”, my compromised self-esteem prevailed.

It wasn’t until a week after, that I dropped the dose. You see, tretinoin has earned a reputation for being contentious. It strips the skin off moisture—think cracked lips that sometimes bleed—can impact your gut microbiome, and even trigger suicidal thoughts. As prep, lipid panels and liver function tests aren’t uncommon, and if you’re expecting, it’s a big no-no. To cut to the chase, I was scared as f**k, so I quit merely a week after popping my first pill.