I had horrible acne and it was due to poly cystic ovary syndrome. My androgen levels were higher than normal and that cause me to have horrible acne. I went on a lo-dose birth control to even out my estrogen/androgen levels and started using proactiv and it cleared me up in 2 weeks flat. Now, I only have to use proactiv maybe one week out of every month to keep my skin clear.

My sister was on accutane and it didn't do a thing for her. Once she got pregnant her skin cleared up and has been clear ever since. But I think you need to find out the cause to be able to truly take care of it. Some people might have the same acne as me and have it clear up just from face washing whereas mine required birth control plus face washing. And, also, they tell you that you shouldn't use accutane if you're pregnant or plan on getting pregnant any time soon. It can really do a number on your body. And, my friend took it as well and she ended up having to use chapstick every 5 seconds because it dried out her lips extremely bad and made them very chapped and they would crack very easily.

I would look at the source first. I don't know what age you are, but PCOS usually occurs in girls of child bearing age (I first got symptoms at age 18) so that might be something you want to look into. Or anything that causes an unnatural flux in your hormones.