"i had suffered from rather bad acne case since the age of 14. for the next 22 years, i tried all kinds of topical solutions and diets but nothing really worked except that salicylic acid reduced the severity.  i picked up on my face and my acne has left lots of scars. finally, at age 36, i tried isotretinoin, 40 mg daily for 5 months. it was almost magical! the acne cleared permanently! i still have slightly oily skin, but have 98% less acne! after one year, i used a touch-up treatment of 1 month for 40mg. over 5 years passed and my skin is 98% clear. the only side effect was dry and possibly thinner hair, which mostly went away once i was off the medicine. i only wish i started it when i was a teen!"