"accutane works. i&#039;ve had cystic acne since i was a teen, and tried nearly every medicine. acne went away but came right back after a few months taking antibiotics. tried every topical cream i could find (prescribed or otc), and all they did was dry my face out without fixing the problem. i will say that retin-a helped a little bit (made it at least manageable with a good brand of makeup). acne got much worse as a young adult (painful, deep, multiple cysts) and finally got prescribed accutane. i&#039;ve been taking it for a couple of weeks and already noticing a huge difference in my face. i don&#039;t get big painful cysts anymore, and while my lips are really dry, i&#039;ve had no issues wearing contacts. i swear by carmex lip balm!"