Isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid) is a medication primarily used to treat severe Acneplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigAcne
Acne is an extremely common skin condition which mainly affects the adolescent population (currently estimated at over 90%).
Despite very intensive research over many decades, a detailed explanation of what triggers and maintains the condition is still lacking.. It's also occasionally used to help prevent certain skin cancers such as squamous-cell carcinoma, and (rarely) in the treatment of some other cancers. It's sold under various brand names, including : Accutane, Roaccutane, Rizuderm and more than 120 others.
While isotretinoin is currently the most effective agent for patients with moderate-to-severe acne, its wide range of adverse side-effects is driving research to find replacements. This is hampered because :
"Isotretinoin's exact mechanism of action is unknown, but several studies have shown that isotretinoin induces apoptosis (programmatic cell death) in various cells in the body."
Source : Wikipedia
At pharmacologic doses, isotretinoin inhibits sebaceous gland function and keratinization, but as noted above, its precise mechanism of action is unknown. Several studies have shown that isotretinoin induces apoptosis (programmatic cell death) in various cells in the body.