What are the side effects of taking Isotretinoin while on acne scar treatment?

Doctor's Answers 1

Isotretinoin intake while on acne scar treatment is considered generally safe based on the latest research studies published from 2014 onwards. Because acne scarring is associated with substantially reduced quality of life, early initiation of effective treatment is desirable.

Ablative CO2 fractional laser treatment for acne scarring seems to be safe regardless of isotretinoin use (10-60 mg/d) [1].

Follow-up was for at least 6 months post-treatment to evaluate side effects. No major and permanent side-effects were seen. Non-ablative lasers are also safe within 1 month after stopping oral isotretinoin use [2]. No major and permanent side-effects were seen.


References:

1. Kim HW, Chang SE, Kim JE, Ko JY, Ro YS. The safe delivery of fractional ablative carbon dioxide laser treatment for acne scars in Asian patients receiving oral isotretinoin. Dermatologic surgery : official publication for American Society for Dermatologic Surgery [et al]. 2014;40(12):1361-1366. doi:10.1097/DSS.0000000000000185 ‌

2. Saluja SS, Walker ML, Summers EM, Tristani-Firouzi P, Smart DR. Safety of non-ablative fractional laser for acne scars within 1 month after treatment with oral isotretinoin: A randomized split-face controlled trial. Lasers in surgery and medicine. 2017;49(10):886-890. doi:10.1002/lsm.22711 ‌

Similar Questions

What is the best treatment for acne scars if I still have acne outbreaks? (photo)

Sorry to see that you are still suffering from acne and acne scarring. I believe you need to restart the isotretinoin and we need to review the dosage and duration. From your photos, you continue to have a lot of underlying comedones (blackheads) and these need to be addressed. With the right combination of treatment, I believe you can control your acne successfully. Once the active acne is controlled, you can then focus on the acne scarring which can be improved with a combination of subcision, punch excision and fractional CO2 laser to treat the different types of scars.

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Answered By

Dr Stephanie Ho

Dermatologist

How many acne scar treatment sessions do I need for mild acne scarring before I can achieve significant improvements? (photo)

Hi there, One session of Picosure will give you noticeable results of 5-10% improvement with no downtime. PicoSure utilities the Focus Lens which targets the laser energy at 20x the usual strength deep under the skin, WITHOUT removing the top layer of the skin. Therefore it has no downtime. It is also proven to produce noticeable collagen at the areas where the scars are. For moderate improvement, I suggest that you will need 5-6 sessions of Picosure.

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