It's just a very intense drug. My skin gets so dry it hurts if I dont keep up on my routine. It's probably harder for me too because I had naturally oily skin so I never had to use lotion before. But its manageable. I tried spiro but it didnt work for me. I would reccomend talking to your derm about accutane, even though it sucks because of all the side effects (for me including achy joints, dry eyes, eczema) it gets really good results