Isotretinoin
AccutanePubChem CID 5282379 · 3D model
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Shrinks and calms down the skin's oil glands so they stop producing the excess oil and clogged pores that drive severe acne.
How it works
Isotretinoin is a vitamin-A-related pill that turns down the skin's oil-producing glands and helps skin cells shed normally instead of clogging pores. It works partly by acting on the same molecular switches that vitamin A uses inside skin cells, but it also reduces oil-gland cells directly through a separate pathway scientists don't fully understand yet. Over weeks of use, the oil glands shrink and produce much less oil, which is why breakouts clear up. Because the glands themselves shrink rather than just being temporarily suppressed, one 15-to-20-week course can keep acne away for a long time in many people, sometimes for good.
What it’s used for
For severe, stubborn cystic/nodular acne — the kind with many large, deep, painful bumps — that hasn't gotten better with other treatments like oral antibiotics. It's not approved for mild or moderate acne, and it cannot be used by anyone who is or could become pregnant because it causes severe birth defects.
- Mechanism
- Retinoid (precise mechanism not fully established)
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Dermatology