@samanthaschneidermd A new Danish study followed nearly 380,000 people with acne to answer a question we get asked constantly — does isotretinoin stunt your growth? 📏 The data: less than a 0.3 cm difference in adult height between isotretinoin users and everyone else. For comparison, researchers said it would take a 5 cm difference to even count as meaningful. This fear has floated around for decades based on old case reports. Now we have one of the largest studies ever done on it, and the growth-plate concern for teens with acne just didn't hold up. Have questions about isotretinoin? Drop them below. 👇 #isotretinoin #accutane #dermatology #skincare #acnetreatment ♬ original sound - Samantha Schneider, MD

If you’re considering Accutane (isotretinoin) for your teen—or taking it yourself—you may have heard a concerning question: Can Accutane stunt growth or affect final adult height?

This concern has been around for years, particularly because isotretinoin has sometimes been associated with changes to the growth plates in older medical reports.

But newer research offers some reassuring information.

Does Accutane Affect Your Final Height?

A recent study from Denmark looked at approximately 380,000 patients with an acne diagnosis. Researchers compared people who had been treated with isotretinoin with those who had acne but had not taken isotretinoin.

One of the things they examined was final adult height.

The difference?

Less than one-third of a centimeter.

To put that into perspective, 0.3 centimeters is only about 0.12 inches—a difference that would be practically unnoticeable.

Researchers considered a difference of 5 centimeters, or close to 2 inches, to be clinically significant. The difference observed between the groups was nowhere near that amount.

Where Did the Concern About Accutane and Growth Come From?

The idea that isotretinoin could cause growth plates to close prematurely isn't completely unfounded. There have been reports of growth plate changes associated with isotretinoin and related medications.

However, much of this concern comes from older case reports involving patients who were taking very high doses or receiving prolonged treatment for conditions other than typical acne.

That is different from the dosing and treatment duration generally used when dermatologists prescribe isotretinoin for acne.

This newer research is particularly helpful because it looked at a very large population of patients and compared their eventual adult heights.

What Does This Mean for Teens Taking Accutane?

For parents, concerns about growth can understandably make the decision to start isotretinoin feel more complicated.

Based on this newer data, however, typical isotretinoin treatment for acne does not appear to have a meaningful effect on final adult height.

That’s important because isotretinoin remains one of the most effective treatments available for severe, persistent, or scarring acne.

For the right patient, successful acne treatment can prevent permanent scarring and have a significant impact on confidence and quality of life.

Should You Be Worried About Accutane Stunting Growth?

No medication is completely without potential risks, and isotretinoin should always be prescribed and monitored by an experienced medical provider.

But if fear that Accutane will stunt your teen’s growth has been one of the things keeping you from considering treatment, this new research provides some reassuring evidence.

The difference in adult height found between patients who took isotretinoin and those who did not was extremely small—less than 0.3 centimeters.

In other words, when isotretinoin is being used in the typical doses and treatment durations prescribed for acne, stunted growth may be one less thing for patients and parents to worry about.

If you or your teen is struggling with severe or scarring acne, talk with a board-certified dermatologist about the benefits and risks of isotretinoin and whether it may be the right treatment option for you.

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Want the transcript for this video instead?  

Have you been wondering if Accutane can stunt your growth?Or are you a parent and you've been wondering, will it stunt your teen's growth?Will it impact their final height?There's been some exciting data that's come out this year that can help us answer this question a little bit more clearly.I'm Dr.Schneider.I'm a board-certified dermatologist, and I see patients in my clinic with acne and patients on Accutane every day.There was this recent study out of Denmark.It looked at three hundred and eighty thousand patients who mentioned that they had a diagnosis of acne, and it compared people that were treated with isotretinoin or Accutane and those who were not treated with isotretinoin, and they compared final heights.
00:43
The final result regarding their height was less than a third of a centimeter difference in their final adult height between the two groups.Now, I mean, I live in the United States.In medicine, we tend to use centimeters, but I do live in the United States, so like inches make a little bit more sense.I brought a ruler.Let's look at what this actually means.The ruler has centimeters and inches, and because the study mentioned centimeters, I marked the centimeters.The study said that a five-centimeter difference, so this line here is marking where zero is, the first line by my, by my pointer finger.
01:20
Five centimeters is what they said would be a significant height difference.And I mean, yeah, that's pretty significant.That's close to two inches.Point three is what I marked in this little box.Point three centimeters or less.I mean, that's almost not noticeable, to be perfectly honest.This idea that isotretinoin closes the growth plates early has been around for a really long time, and it generally comes from old case reports and for certain diseases that need really high doses or prolonged treatment.
01:51
That is not the typical dose that we're using for acne or the treatment lengths that we're using for acne.So I'm really hopeful that this new study, that this ruler gives you a little bit of peace of mind if you are thinking of isotretinoin for severe scarring acne, or you're thinking about it for your teen, okay?Because it is one of the best things that we have for acne.It can really change somebody's life.If you're on isotretinoin or you're thinking about being on it, this is probably one less thing that you need to worry about.
02:24
But make sure that you are talking to your medical provider, your dermatologist, your doctor about what is right and makes sense for you.And of course, if you have acne questions, make sure you're dropping them below.