what's good everyone? well i'm basically going to give you the run down about my retin-a micro experience. i've been on retin-a micro for a solid six and a half months. i can honestly say that it has been one of the most difficult periods of my life so far. i never had great skin, especially on my cheeks, but it had been relatively controlled through high school with the use of epiduo, atralin, pills, and various other medicines. i didn't fully know how to take care of my skin so i never used moisturizer or cleanser during the time i used these medications so i believe that i did a lot of harm to my skin. as i entered my first year of college, i felt comfortable with everything. however, i started to take pre-workout lifting supplements such as jack3d, no-xplode, etc and other basic supplements like whey protein and cassein protein in order to gain size for my sport. although my skin had been far from perfect, i believe that these supplements just exacerbated it and made it much worse. i eventually went to my dermatologist and he prescribed me retin-a micro. i really wish he told me the adventure that i would be undergoing. lemme just say that i now feel like i could star in the film indiana pimples: the raider of the hidden acne. retin-a slowly improved my skin for the first month and then month two popped up and said hey mofo check this shit out. the dreadful initial breakout came around and brought the pain. my initial breakout lasted from month two to month four? i forget. i can say that it had been extremely difficult to cope with it. everything possible popped out of my face. month five rolled around and things started to get progressively better. it is now halfway past month six and while my acne has significantly improved, i'm still not fully clear. i do have some hyperpigmentation and a couple scars. i still get a few small pimples and zits on my cheeks (the worst part of my acne) and my nose still has a bunch of blackheads/small zits. however, i have complete faith in the medicine. i know that if i stick it out then i will eventually be completely happy with my skin. im going to leave a few points for everyone to learn from.
- don't follow timelines that you find on the internet. everyone's skin is different. i thought i would be completely clear by month three and i found that's just not the case.
- use moisturizer and a cleanser. it helps with dead skin.
- try to use another medicine alongside retin-a micro in order to help control breakouts a bit. (duac, clindamycin phosphate, etc.)
- don't pick at skin or pop pimples. you're only hurting yourself in the long run.
- expect hyperpigmentation. find a good sunscreen to use to prevent it.
- most important point. as miserable life may be at times, always remember that people do care. keep grinding and try to find happiness. acne has certainly made me a stronger person and i know that it betters people in the long-run.
and don't blindly follow advice on the internet. consult a dermatologist or professional before you try anything that may have a serious effect on your skin.
Thanks for your post! I am on Retin-A Gel (not micro) 0.01% and I'm just at the three month point and extremely frustrated. My skin was fairly cleared up with other stuff I was using (the derm added Retin-A on top of all this) and we added Retin-A to finish clearing it up. I expected a breakout in the beginning, but like you, I was expecting to be at least seeing an improvement by this point and my skin is still worse than when I started. Ugh! I am thinking about calling the dermatologist and asking what she thinks. I have an appointment in a month but honestly I don't want to wait that long if she things I should be improving at all by now.
Hey if it means anything, I'd say wait the month cause you really gotta be patient! I'm no expert, I am using ziana gel and its my first topical I am ever using. My acne is mild/moderate, but it's still inconvenient and embarrassing! I currently am on day 37 and my purging has joined me along the ride from week one 
but I am trying to have faith and remember that it'll be worth it I know waiting is hard, but you judge yourself a lot harder than everyone else is, if that makes you feel any better! Although my skin is way worse now, I know things will work out.. In time if course
Thanks havefaith22! I know this is late, but for some reason I am not getting notifications for anything. I went to the derm actually and she said that this is not purging and I shouldn't be breaking out like this at this point. She increased the dosage of the antibiotics I am on and I see her again in a couple weeks (which was 6 weeks from the appointment). She said that it shouldn't take long to improve if it's going to help (a month at the most) and if it's not better she's going to change my prescriptions up completely. Well..it's not getting any better haha so I guess I'm getting the change up. =) Thanks for the encouragement though. This adult acne thing is so frustrating. Way more stubborn than my teenage acne ever was. I definitely think it's important to have a good dermatologist that you trust though. I know mine's going to be aggressive with treating my acne and she is wanting my acne to clear up just about as badly as I do. =)
Hey we'll that's good to hear that you have a good connection with your derm!! And ironically enough, my derm switched my meds completely at my last appointment cuz she agreed that I shouldn't still have been breaking out! Now I am on epiduo and doxycycline once a day! I think I'm seeing improvement as I'm about 2.5 weeks deep, fingers crossed!!
