I have an immense amount of experience on this topic. I wish I didn't, but I do.
Keep in mind that acne is widely genetic and that the extent to which each individual gets acne is different. Not only that, but a lot of people will claim this or that worked for them when it actually may have been something completely unrelated. What works for one person may or may not work for another. It's pretty hit or miss when dealing with acne anecdotes.
Also, as depressing as this information is, acne is worse for girls due to the way they develop differently. In lots of cases of males who have acne, it disappears after puberty. But for girls, the struggle will continue.
That said, I personally have undergone the fabled Accutane treatment. It lasted six months and I've been off the treatment for about 3-4 months. Like you, I was unwilling to try because of the side effects. I had heard horror stories of what the drug has done to people. Even when I learned that very few people got the permanent side-effects, I still didn't want to take the shot. I went through a whole flurry of other treatments before finally deciding to go on the treatment. Let me tell you, it was six months of hell. Your lips hurt, your joints hurt, your eyes hurt, your head hurts. Everything hurts. But guess what? I didn't get any permanent side effects and it annihilated my acne.
My only regret is that I allowed my fear to get to me, thus prolonging my risk of acne scars. Luckily for me, however, I had very tough skin that, even in the face of extremely severe acne, stayed resilient for the most part and did not scar.
Now the acne has returned, but at nowhere near the severity as before. I'm going back to the dermatologist in a week or so to get some topical stuff to suppress the remaining minor case. When I look back at pictures from the time I had severe acne, I am extremely thankful I went on the treatment.
So anyways, if you do have acne that is deemed worthy of accutane treatment, I would suggest you bite the bullet. If you have mild to moderate acne, I suggest looking into tetracycline. I never went on that treatment, but it's supposed to be extremely good.
Also, http://www.acne.org/. Remember: there's no shame in seeking treatment.
/peptalk
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