Isotretinoin Use in Adolescence Not Linked to Reduced Adult Height: Analysis

Concerns that isotretinoin therapy during adolescence could impair skeletal growth were not supported by findings from a large nationwide Danish study published in JAMA Dermatology.

Researchers analyzed conscription and registry data from 379,196 individuals in Denmark. The cohort included 368,338 men and 10,858 women, with isotretinoin exposure reported in 4.5% of men and 2.6% of women. Investigators linked military conscription records with nationwide prescription registries to compare adult height among individuals treated with isotretinoin, oral tetracycline-class antibiotics, topical acne therapies, and untreated controls. Adult height was assessed at approximately 19 years of age. The predefined minimal clinically important difference was 5 cm. Mean adult height was 180.4 cm among men and 168.3 cm among women.

Compared with untreated individuals, isotretinoin users showed only small adjusted differences in adult height. Among men, isotretinoin exposure was associated with an adjusted mean height difference of 0.31 cm (95% CI, 0.20-0.41 cm), while women demonstrated an adjusted mean difference of 0.25 cm (95% CI, −0.47 to 0.96 cm). Both findings were not clinically significant. Results remained consistent across subgroup analyses evaluating age at isotretinoin initiation, cumulative dose exposure, and stunting as a secondary endpoint.

“In this nationwide cross-sectional study, isotretinoin for acne was not associated with reduced adult height,” the authors wrote. “These findings may inform evidence-based decision-making when considering isotretinoin treatment during adolescence.”

Source

Schmidt S, et al. JAMA Dermatology. Doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2026.1197