If you are like many, you’ve had or have a bout with acne and know how depressing it is to wake up each morning to find yet another pimple surface overnight. Acne, especially cystic or nodular acne, can really take its toll on a person’s self esteem and many times social activities. For decades, doctors and patients have searched for the ideal acne medication to heal acne lesions and prevent scarring. Unfortunately, many acne treatment products come with a long list of side effects and can further alter your life.

Accutane to the Rescue or Not

According to data from SDI Health LLC and IMS Health Inc., 17 million prescriptions were filled last year to fight acne. One of those drugs prescribed was Isotertinoin, commonly known as Accutane. Even though the makers of Accuntane have quit manufacturing this potent drug, there are still many generic brands available for purchase. When Accutane was first introduced, it seemed to be the perfect acne treatment, but it wasn’t long before that claim became disputed due to its many side effects.

Accutane has the power to treat nodular acne, cystic acne and prevent acne scars; however, the adverse effects can range from mild to severe, seriously outweighing the benefits. For this reason, Accutane is only prescibed to severe acne sufferers where conventional options have run out. In addition, close medical monitoring is done through out the treatment for the safety of the patient.

The most common side effects can involve extreme skin dryness including lips, eyes and nose along with severe itching, fragile skin, peeling skin and photo-sensitivity. If the drug is used during pregnancy, it has been known to cause brain damage to fetuses. While on an Accutane treatment, pregnancy tests will be given monthly, the use of two different types of birth control are required and a waiver needs to be signed before treatment begins.

Researchers at the University of Baths and the University of Texas in Austin elude that Accutane can also interfere with the body’s production of serotonin, a mood hormone, and can lead to depression.

Accutane – The Depression Link

There is a lot of controversy of whether Accutane can cause depression or not. People who have severe cases of acne usually have some degree of depression and low self-esteem, but the extraordinary numbers of people who have been diagnosed with depression, suicide and suicide attempts while using or after an Accutane treatment seem to raise some questions. According to the FDA, between 1982 and 2000, there were 394 reported cases of depression and 37 suicides of people who were taking, or had taken, isotretinoin. Thirteen of these suicides occurred within three months after the patient had stopped using Accutane.

Although the link of depression and Accutane has never been proven, scientists have gathered evidence that mice experience depressive behavior after it’s use. Roche Laboratories, the manufacturer of Accutane, even advises physicians that “Accutane may cause depression, psychosis and, rarely, suicidal idealization, suicide attempts and suicide. Discontinuation of Accutane therapy may be insufficient, further evaluation may be necessary.”

What’s the Solution?

Believe it or not, there are natural skin care products that can eliminate severe acne with the help of special ingredients from Mother Nature. These biological ingredients provide enzymes that are able to restore the skin’s balance and molecules that act to enhance cellular communication. These natural acne treatments supply fatty acids, leaving the skin feeling moisturized and refreshed. The best reason to go natural is the lack of side effects. Because the ingredients work with the immune system and your body’s natural process, your won’t encounter the typical side effects of dryness, redness, sensitivity, pain or, most importantly, depression.

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Roche Holding AG, the manufacturer of Accutane acne medicine, recently announced that it was removing their drug from the U.S. market and 11 other countries after more than 27 years and 13 million users. The mega company said that its decision to withdraw its product was for economic reasoning rather than for safety, although, they’ve already paid out millions in personal injury lawsuits and still have thousands of cases pending.

Accutane contains isotretinoin to help control severe acne when patients have tried all available options with no success and are under strict supervision of a doctor because the possible side effects can be very dangerous including problems in the liver, kidneys, central nervous system and pancreas, as well as in the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and autoimmune systems. It can also cause severe birth defects, inflammatory bowel disease, psychiatric problems and has been linked to hundreds of instances of suicide.

Even though this drug won’t be available directly from Roche, pharmacies will still carry it and there are several other generic products containing the same potent ingredient. It’s understandable that when cystic acne strikes, one will do anything to get their life back  with clear skin, but do the risks of this drug out weigh the end results?

Effective Natural Alternatives

Many believe that natural acne products can’t compare to prescription drugs when talking about severe cases of acne and results, but the truth is that scientists have discovered an unique substance that the ordinary garden snail uses to bath himself on a daily basis to heal cuts and abrasions and revive his skin from the harmful environmental factors. Because human skin has been proven to have the same structural matrix as that of the snail, we are able to enjoy the same benefits.

Products containing this biological serum, Helix Aspersa Muller Glycoconjugates, have proven time and time again to fight and win against stubborn pimples that have not yielded to any other weapon. It gets the results the others don’t because it has natural anti-microbial peptides, antioxidants, enzymes and the most powerful anti-inflammatory and sebum output regulators within a botanical cream.

This powerful serum, along with other natural components, can repair lesions within the sebum canals, reduce inflammation and sebum output, nourish dehydrated skin and support the immune system. It also includes enzymes that dissolve clogged pores along with damaged scar tissue to smooth out the skin’s surface.

For many, Accutane has been a God-sent in healing their persistent acne, but there are also many who if given the chance over would not risk their health or life again for its use. These natural acne products have the capacity of not only restoring your skin from this disfiguring skin problem but also restore your self-confidence and outlook on life without the painful side effects that traditional acne treatments and Accutane leave behind. When using a product with Helix Aspera Muller Glycoconjugates, your skin will welcome its gentle, yet powerful rewards and will be refreshed and rejuvenated with each application as it eliminates acne, and acne scars removal is easy.

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