Is
Isotretinoin
Isotretinoin · 13-cis-Retinoic AcidActive
A prescription pill for severe acne, taken as a course a doctor plans and watches. It isn’t something you put on your skin.
What it does
For severe, deep acne, the US label gives 15 to 20 weeks as a normal course. Side effects can be serious, and the label warns of depression and other mood changes, so it needs medical monitoring. It isn’t a skincare ingredient.
The evidence, graded
expert consensusOral isotretinoin is a confirmed human teratogen. Exposure in the womb carries an estimated 20–35% risk of major birth defects, and about 30–60% of exposed children show neurocognitive impairment even with no physical defects. No dose is safe in pregnancy — an absolute contraindication, not a precaution. In the US it is dispensed under a mandatory pregnancy-prevention program (iPLEDGE). It is an oral course a clinician manages, not a skincare ingredient, and Drop does not schedule it.Lammer 1985 · New England Journal of Medicine ↗
expert consensusOral isotretinoin is approved in the US for severe nodular acne from age 12, and the AAD acne guideline strongly recommends it for acne that is severe, scarring, distressing or not responding to standard treatment. It is not something anyone starts alone: every US course runs through a restricted program (iPLEDGE), and the label warns of depression and other mood changes, and of bone effects in teenagers. Drop does not schedule it at any age.Upsher-Smith 2022 · DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) — FDA Structured Product Label ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Also known as
accutane
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