retin a

[tollo]

I asked my doc for accutane for my acne and this is what I got(retin a). Is this accutane or is this some cheap knockoff?

[eleven11]

I know it's very good for acne. but I don't know if they're the same.........11

[latinpride1]

no they are not the same thing, retin-a is a vit. A derivative...it works but certainly not as well as accutane..and actually they do not even work in the same way...if im not mistaken, accutane dries up oil pockets in the face, which prevents oily skin and hence stops the acne...retin-a speeds up the shedding of dead cells.when this process is not happening at a rate thats normal, you start having clogged pores..so retin-a speeds this up, and helps clear out your pores...its also good for dark spots on the face...ive never used accutane, but have used retin-a many times....it has its down sides, your face peels, it burns, makes your skin super sensitive, and takes a while to work..and actually makes your skin worse before better....but its much safer then accutane, which im sure is why your DR. gave it to you instead of the accutane...hope this helps some.....LP

[cvguy]

retin-a and accutane are very closely related compounds. Retin-A is a cream or gel (depending on brand), and accutane is a gel-cap that you eat.

Like the previous poster said, retin-a works from the outside in, and accutane works from the inside out (drying up all kinds of tissues, including lips, sinuses, etc.)

And yeah, accutane is generally much more effective than retin-a. Both take several weeks to really start working, and can actually make acne worse for the first two weeks before it gets better.