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Why does accutane cause hair loss?

Asked by Ashley

Why does accutane cause hair loss?

Ashley answered
    Dr. Schultz 1.86K Rep.

    To answer your question, I need to point out that the hair follicle and oil gland are anatomically connected to and related to each other. It’s called the “pilosebaceous unit”….”pilo” means hair and “sebaceous” means oil gland.

    Accutane works by turning off the oil gland and in some cases of accutane treatment (usually after a few months of high dose accutane) the “pilo” part (hair follicle) incurs some temporary collateral damage from the involution (shrinkage) of the oil gland, and thus the hair falls out.

    Good news: after the accutane is stopped the hair follicle wakes up and the hair grows again.

    Dr. Schultz answered

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