I've been using this product since my teens and now I'm my early 40's. It's the only thing that has worked for me. I had moderate acne in my teens: I.e. pustles, pimples and cysts. When I stopped using this product, the pimples and cysts would reappear doing my menstrual cycle. When restarting use of this product those problems were kept at bay.

I've been wanting to write a review for this product for a while. I've been suffering from moderate acne for about 6 years (I'm 22) and have been through the ups and downs of MANY different products. I've researched extensively and I've seen 6 different dermatologists from 4 different facilities over the last 6 years. If you're a young person with moderate acne/oily skin, 90% of you should listen to me and do this:

For starters, use Cetaphil Daily Face Wash 2x a day.

Mornings - use either an antibiotic (clindamycin - topical worked great for me for 1 year) or Aczone 30 mins after washing your face.

Evening - Tazorac .1% gel (pea sized amount) 30 mins after shower. Wait another 30 mins and apply moisturizer as needed (meaning chin, around mouth, near nose, maybe even upper cheeks), but don't apply to areas that are naturally greasy.

Other useful and true tips:

Avoid greasy foods, excessive sweets, and cheese.

Change your pillow cases 2x a week (minimum).

After sweating (working out, sun bathing, etc) shower ASAP.

Most importantly, if you live in a sunny region, ENJOY THE SUN.

So many derms advise against sun tanning because of skin damage; but trust me, if you have oily skin, the risk of burning, wrinkles, or even permanent scarring is minimal to nonexistent.

Derms hate the sun - Why?

Because it provides Vit. D, dries the skin, and blends blemishes for FREE!...They can't compete with that.

The risks associated with drugs are FAR WORSE than skin damage from the sun.

Case and point: Took minocycline and doxycycline on different occasions - both resulted in blue teeth/nails, migraines, and stomach pain.

And we all know the numerous detrimental side effects of Isotretinoin/Accutane.

Eat healthy, keep your face clean, try topical products first and try to avoid oral rx’s like doxycycline and minocycline due to their numerous and harmful side effects (less systemic absorption of rx drugs),

I usually don't write reviews, but this is a great product. I had pretty bad acne, and in the matter of 4 months it has all cleared up!! Amazing!

I am an 18 year old who has struggled with acne for about 4 1/2 years. It's not terrible but it's bad enough that it's made me self-conscious/reclusive when it flares up.

I was very set on taking the pill, but my doc advised the 1% topical gel be tried first. I was skeptical at best. That night, I applied a light mask to all of my face, let it dry, and went to sleep. When I woke up, no new developing acne had shown. My acne is genetic (as my father had used accutane TWICE) and often cystic. I've been using this twice daily after thoroughly (yet gently) washing my face with a salicylic acid cleanser and patting dry for 5 days. I haven't had one pimple or "problem area" yet. I have had no dry skin. I have had NO side effects whatsoever. It doesnt change your skin (make sticky, etc.) throughout the day as long as you use just enough.

I honestly couldn't be happier. I wrote this review in hopes of swaying a few acne troubled kids into trying some thing that actually works. I loathe reviews and never write them...but I need a good deed of the day :P

I suggest you read the Wikipedia page on this stuff and truly compare it to other "acne remedies" out there. This is the only thing that's ever worked for me after trying some 10 over the counter cleansers including ProActiv. Give it a go (:

I originally took clindamycin as a pill but switched over to a topical product after it gave me severe nausea. I had taken it for about a month before I stopped, and by then my acne was pretty moderate. Mine is not a gel, its more of a sponge-liquid type, and I use it whenever I get a mild breakout. It works great to get the acne gone without irritating my sensitive skin. I'd probably try the pill first - you probably wont get a nauseated as I did, but it sure does clear up your acne real fast. However you take this product, its great

So, i started using this about 3 days ago. When i was younger i had severely bad cystic acne, but cleared it up with benzyl peroxide creme. So you'd think I'd have great skin now? Well, better but, I break out all the time now in hormonal acne, blackheads, whiteheads, clogged pores. And after three days of using this along with my benzyl 10%, it has seriously cleared up my face a lot. I have ridiculously oily skin, and it doesn't dry it out to make it worse. If anything my face has been less oily, which is fantastic. There is a bit of a smell to it, which doesn't really bother me as I'm used to it from using so many different acne products over the years. All in all, this may be one of the best medications for acne I've used besides benzyl. I put on the clindamycin first and then the benzyl.

This is an antibiotic, and like all antibiotics, the bacteria in your skin will become used to it. It will clear up pustules in a very short time, but you better have another treatment started, too, because this will stop working. I would recommend saving this for when you start something else like topical retinoids - this would do well to control the pustules that will come up at first, and by the time this stops working, the retinoid should be working well. After several years off it, it will work again because you will have a new spectrum of bacteria on your face, but I find that the "effective time period" shortens with each course of therapy. The first time I used it, it worked for about 6 months; the second time I used it (10 years later), it only worked 6 weeks.

I'm 18 yrs old with sensitive skin. I've been using Clindamycin Phosphate Top Gel 1% in the morning after I was my face and at night with Differin .3% (put it on before applying Differin works better). Have seen my many visable clogged pores on my cheeks practially disapper within 3 days, looked so clear I haven't been needing to wear any foundation. I have also notcied it gets rid of acne cuts ( you know how when you pop a pimple and it turns into a cut after) go away quickly as though it wasn't even there. I really enjoy this product it works so well with Differin. So excitied to not be needing to use any foundation anymore with the help of this new addition with my other acne medicine Differin.

I've used this for a long time, in combination with various other topical and oral treatments. Although I found, particularly at first, that it improved my skin but my spots never completely cleared up and after a few months the effect seemed to wear off.

Of all the topical treatments I've used, this is definitely the only one that had any effect at all, so in mild acne i think it could be a good solution.

i have been using this product for less then a week and i can say in my personal experience it doesnt work well with sensitive skin and i had a horrible rash on my face that took 2 weeks to get rid of. so in the long run i wouldn't recommend it to everyone...