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Okay ... what I'm wondering is... if you were to do Accutane before a cycle, would the atrophy of the sebaceous glands REDUCE the potential for acne? I guess the most qualified person to answer this is a person who ...
Ran a cycle, had acne ...
THEN ...
Did Accutane for a while...
THEN ...
Did another cycle ...
I'm looking to see if the AAS induced acne can be minimized by having ran accutane inbetween them.
thanks
Bumpity bump bump.
Awe, come on guys... Can no one site experiences?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TrumanHW
im in the stage thats in the bold right now
im gonna run a bit of tane on my next PCT to minize it from poppin up.
usually once you are on accutane us will not ever get bad acne again bc it kills those whatevers in your pores so if they are gone you cant have acne
Wow, that almost made sense. What country are you in?Quote:
Originally Posted by ly22
i took accutane once when i was younger in highschool then i did a cycle about a year ago and towards the end i broke out worse than i ever had before my arms, sholders, my whole back, and face. And even when i was younger before i took accutane i never had pimples on my back or sholder or arms. just some on my face. After i was done with my cycle even like 3 months later it still didnt go away. and i tried everything i had to take accutane again.
Had you done a cycle of AAS BEFORE aswell as after?
in a nutshell, no one can really answer this since everyone's predisposition to acne varies, but here is what i have found:
on my third cycle of accutane, which should tell you everything you need to know right there Truman. If you are very scared of acne, my suggestion would be to run accutane with a cycle that has a low incidence of liver toxicity - this is definitely not the safest way, but depending on you acne considerations, it can work with minimal side effects.
as for your question, accutane should *reduce* the incidence of acne in a cycle taken afterward, but this is certainly NOT guaranteed given your individual predispostion to acne. Acne being caused by inflammation, p acnes bacteria, clogged pores, and the production of sebum. Accutane is the only medication that works on all four of these causes while antibiotics (the cycline family) will only work on inflammation and bacteria.
as we know, cycles can increase the production of sebum and inflammation which can lead to more acne and accutane is certainly not going to immunize you to the effects of fusking with your hormones, although it may go a long way.
me being on my third cycle of accutane ironically had nothing to do with a cycle (my second did), so that is proof right there that acne can return. Also, being on "stuff" right now while I am on accutane, I can tell you affirmatively that it is no joke. While my blood lipid profile was stellar the first four months, you'd be shocked what a little BBQ and beer during 4th of july will do to your liver values and cholesterol on a blood test a few weeks later.... here's a hint, my LDL shot through the roof (150 --> 225), my HDL dropped like a stone (40 --> 10) and my total cholesterol, over the four months, went from 185 --> 275. Before this last month my total cholesterol was around low 200s, well within reason given that I was on accutane to begin with. FYI, HGH is not a blood lipid miracle cure.
unfortunately, as for visual appearances, you will find that mike88's experience is not all that uncommon. I am just trying to raise awareness of the problems that can happen on the inside when you use accutane... and I'm an accutane veteran (and advocate)! I don't get that bad sides while on it, so I have no problem running it while on, but timing with accutane is very interesting.
you will break out when your hormones fluctuate - that is, beginning and end of a cycle (usually during or just after PCT). Knowing this, timing your taking of accutane is critical. Accutane will produce results in approx 2 months for mild cases where people take to the medication well and up to 4 months for those who don't. Depending on what kind of cycle you are running (always assuming it is minimizing liver damage), but I am talking duration here, you may want to start the accutane in the middle of the cycle or well before. If you know you break out more at the end, start in the middle, if you know you break out in the beginning start well before and hope that PCT doesn't mess everything up.
also, the impact accutane has on night vision, joint pain / muscle aches, fissures (dry lips), is no joke. if you've never done accutane before, you should know of these and be prepared at all times with face moisturizer (SPF 15 at least recommended), vaseline lip stuff, eye drops, and if your nasal passages become horribly dry use vaseline in there at night.
pm me for my full story.
This is SUCH an excellent response... I've just been trying to get the time together to reply with the proper gratitude. For now though, just know it's on its way.
thanks!
TrumanHW, i was wondering the same thing. Im taking 200mg of Minocycline right now and have seen amazing results in 1 week of taking it. I just came off a HUGE fina cycle so i know that has to do with alot of this ance in my shoulders and arms.
i took accutane in high school, and now i NEVER get acne, and when i am on cycle i might get 1 zit every month or so..so 1 run of accutane set me for life.. the skin on my face is always dry now, which can cause acne.. so i dont really ever wash my face because it will get too dry..and i use facial lotion every morning
tt sounds like you had awesome results. truman, thanks for the props, it took a while to type. good luck!
Great post GoldenFloyd, there is not an abundance of information about accutane related to BBers and gear, so your input is very helpful.
The post below was in response to an inquiry about using accutane while on cycle. See the original thread here: http://67.18.108.244//showthread.php?t=179219Quote:
Originally Posted by Defconx3
Note how my cholesterol has shot up recently due to other factors - diet and alcohol in my opinion. Also, I was going overkill on the fish oil - 30g a day or so. My statistically-irrelevant "experiment" was to see if over-dosing on omega-3 fatty acids while on cycle and accutane would be beneficial for the blood lipid profile. My conclusion is that it is "not enough" - at least when having BBQ and beer. The take away is to always be careful and always monitor your lipid profile and liver values when using Accutane.
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Accutane is not an anti-biotic bro. Yes, my acne is all gone. It helps to know the basics of what makes your skin break-out.
Why You Get ACNE
1) Excess Oil Production: My understanding is that your body's pores produce sebum (the slick grease that comes out of your pores). The more sebum you produce, the more likely you are to get clogged pores and develop an any one of several types of "infections" - acne, whitehead, blackhead, cystic acne, etc.
2) p. acnes bacteria: This infection is caused by bacteria getting in the pore and, with the sebum, clogging the shit out of it. Sebum has the effect of trapping outside dirt and bacteria in the pore - if it sits in the pore too long it will develop the aforementioned infection.
3) clogged skin pores: 3 = 1 + 2, from above.
4) Inflammation: inflammation causes the buildup of under-the-skin puss that results in a whitehead with a red ring around it. This is to be compared with a blackhead where it is just an open pore packed with dirt and other shit (basically not infected or inflamed).
ACNE while Cycling
Now, your body produces more sebum (everyone is different) with increased hormone levels (testosterone) and the time you are "most susceptible" is when your body is fluctuating in it hormones - beginning of the cycle when you ramp up (like going through puberty) and the end of the cycle while you are doing PCT to come down and try to maintain a steady level of hormones in your system. People who run accutane through their cycle and not through their PCT will oftentimes see a recurrence of the acne as a result of their still fluctuating hormone levels. Knowing this and knowing that a doctor prescribed regimen on accutane lasts 4-6 months, people with acne problems plan their cycles accordingly.
Most Common Types of Prescribed Medicines
Antibiotics - the "cyclines" family of drugs - monocycline, doxcycline (effective against inflammatory acne), tetracycline (the others are considered derivatives of tetracycline). are antibiotics and fight against the bacterial infection of the pore.
Accutane, isotretinoin, is not an anti-biotic: it is a massive dose of concentrated synthetic Vitamin A and belongs to the retinoid family of acne remedies. It actually attacks all four of the causes of acne above - reducing sebum production, unclogging pores, reducing inflammation, and fighting the p. acnes bacteria. This is the reason that you get really really dry on accutane and not on antibiotics - two seperate mechanisms for fighting acne.
Topical Anti-microbials: topical solutions that are like antibiotics, attacking the proliferation of P. Acnes. You may have seen names like Clindamycin, Benzoyl Peroxide (no need for prescription in US), Azelaic acid, Erythromycin, or sodium sulfacetamide.
Topical Retinoids: think of these like topical accutane, but much much less effective in treating severe acne. To the best of my knowledge these fight to unclog pores, attack P. acnes, and prevent inflammation, but not the production of sebum, which requires an internal remedy like Accutane. Still, these seem to work for a lot of people, but not as handy as popping 1 or 2 pills a day. You may have seen brand names like Adapalene, Tazarotene, or Tretinoin.
A Homebrew Method
Incidentally, you will read people saying that putting dishwashing fluid on the acne seems to "dry it out" - well, it is kind of funny but logical when you think about it - "dawn cuts the grease" and "antibacterial" are a double-pronged attack against clogged pores. My theory is that the "cutting grease" agent used in those dishwashing soaps polarizes the grease and push it out of your pores while the antibacterial property of the soap works to kill the bacteria that would result in an infection if it clogged the open pores. Most people I have read about find success with this on their body - back and chest - but I have never tried it. It might be a nice homebrew method without the liver or other accutane risks though and worth investigating if you have the time.
Personal Opinions
Anyway, to answer, accutane absolutely works against acne. You have to be ready to deal with the sides of a lot of dryness, possible reduced vision during nighttime, possible depression (very very debateable - how much of "depression" attributed to Accutane is psychosomatic and how much is real? My own opinion is that if you have no depression, I wouldn't worry about it on accutane. But there are a lot of angry parents out there who sleep better a night knowing that their kids committed suicide because of Accutane and not inattention to early signs of problems - see some of their stories here: http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/bme/accutane.htm and for some heavy subcommittee reading here: http://energycommerce.house.gov/107/action/107-143.pdf ), possible muscle aches, and.... oh yea, NO ACNE.
If you have any more concerns about accutane or fighting acne in general, ask away, I consider myself a veteran of keeping the skin clean.
Also, do research on www.acne.org. I've never tried ProActiv (I think they may be a sponsor of that site), but the information posted there is real and informative. Another good site is: http://www.skincarephysicians.com/acnenet/index.html
Dude, this will not make or break your cycle in my opinion. If you have a skin problem that is getting out of hand and not responding to doctor prescribed remedies, get on the accutane and keep pumpin and shooting. When faced with a cycle impacting conundrum, it is always useful to remember that a vast majority of your gains are made at the dining table, in bed, and with your intensity in the gym - all elements that remain 100% under your control. GOOD LUCK.
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ps, I am on an ORAL AAS (among other things AAS and non-AAS) and on ACCUTANE and my liver values are within normal range:
06/12/05 ALT: 28 -< 36 (PERFECT-O)
05/13/05 ALT: 38 -< 36 (SLIGHTLY ELEVATED)
04/15/05 ALT: 37 -< 36 (SLIGHTLY ELEVATED)
People with liver disease get 3 digit numbers for ALT. My dermo joked that he and his med buddies would work hard on trying to get their ALT as high as possible (binge drinking). Not to make light of the situation because everyone reacts differently to these things (who knows, maybe you have liver problems in your family)... but accutane isn't necessarily the death knell for a cycle. That said, you should always cycle ONLY when you have everything together (anti-es, PCT, etc) so if something unforeseen like this comes up, you can deal with it accordingly. This is your health, after all.
Great post GoldenFloyd
If he means what i think he is trying to say then hes wrong....i took accutane in high school years ago and it worked wonders....that is until i did my first cycle earlier this year....i still cant take my shirt off at the beachQuote:
Originally Posted by ly22
Bump for another great post from goldenfloyd.
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