Hi there. I started using the retin a cream about 3 weeks ago, the .025% as well. Have you found the answers to your questions?..any improvements?

Not really. I'm about 6 weeks in and am not using it every night, just 3 times a week. Nothing noticable yet, except that it dries my skin out but there isn't any flaking. My son is using it 3 x a week too and I think he is experiencing the initial breakout, but it isn't too bad. The GP that prescribed the cream said that there is no difference between the cream and gel, but so many people say the cream isn't good for acne. I can't find out the truth about this. How's it going for you?

I have read that the cream has an ingredient in it that clogs pores, I use the micro gel and it's working great for me. For retin-a to work you really need to commit to it, you should use it every night and continue to use it even when your skin clears. Retin-a works by exfoliating the skin much faster than normal so that the skin doesn't clog so flaking means it's working. I exfoliate the dead skin in the morning and I think that's why it's working so well for me. I also use a lot more product then what is recommended and I apply it after I wash my face. I rub it in really well but I kind of stop before it completely dries so that it feels like there is a layer all over my face. I find that if I rub it in too much I'm pretty much just rubbing it all off my face and I break out a little bit, but if I leave a layer on all night it works perfectly. After about 2 months I wasn't breaking out anymore and I just had some small red marks. I've been using it for 4 months now and things are good. I hope this helps.

If the cream was originally formulated for acne, and there was success with it, then why would it clog pores? I read that the benefits it provides for people without acne but who had wrinkles, discoloration and scarring were discovered afterwards. My son's GP suggested the cream becasue it is easier to spread and so he could "see" where he was putting it.

If the micro gel provides continual bursts of the active ingredient, are the original formulas only delivering a whopping dose when you first put it on? If so, is it really necessary to leave it on for hours and hours?

JenniferElizabeth - Does your skin get flaky and red using it so often and generously? What was the condition of your skin before you started? What cleanser do you use and what do you use to exfoliate? What moisturizer and sunscreen do you use, if any? Do you use any other products with it? Sorry for all the questions...and thanks!

I'm not sure why the cream would clog pores, I thought that sounded strange when I read it too so I don't know, I'm just telling you what I've read. I don't know if you have to leave it on all night for it to work but in my case I really wanted it to work so I try to leave it on for as long as possible. I guess you could try just leaving it for a couple hours or something but if that doesn't work definitely leave it all night and see how that goes.

At first my skin was very red and peely but my skin is really sensitive so I knew that would happen and I was fine with it. There's actually been times in the past when I've given myself peels and used harsh scrubs and strong astringents and stuff and my face would be extremely red and irritated so I've had worse. The retin-a was less painful then I thought it would be and now the redness is less. I still peel a lot everyday but that's a good thing because I know it's working and keeping my pores clear. For exfoliating I use those scratchy exfoliating glove things, it seems harsh but you get used to it and I try to be gentle but get off as much dead skin as possible. I guess you could use whatever you want to exfoliate as long as your gentle with it but I find scrubs kind of irritating with the ingredients. I know exfoliating probably isn't recommended but I really think it's important and I know for me it works and that way I don't constantly have all this dead skin on my face and I exfoliate in the morning so during the day my face looks normal now, just slightly pink but it always was anyway. I use spectro jel to wash my face morning and night but you can use anything that's gentle, there's no need for anything with harsh ingredients like salicylic acid or whatever but I would not recommend soap, I think it clogs pores. For moisturizer I use the neutrogena oil free sensitive skin moisture one but again you can use what you want as long as it's oil free and gentle. I don't use sunscreen right now but I will in the summer, again as long as it's oil free and gentle.

Ok so this is pretty much my routine. In the morning I rinse my face and then I wet my exfoliating gloves and use them all over my face so that I'm sure as much dead skin is off as possible and then I wash my face with the spectro jel. I do this in the shower. At night I remove my makeup with makeup remover and then wash my face with the spectro jel. I gently pat dry so that my face is still damp but not dripping wet and then I combine 1 pump of moisturizer with a large amount of retin-a, the amount of retin-a I use is larger than the pump of moisturizer so that kind of tells you how much I use. So I mix that with my fingers and then rub it all over my face and for me it spreads really well, so I make sure that my entire face is covered really well and then I stop rubbing before it is completely absorbed so that there is a layer all over my face and I just let it dry and then go to bed. It sounds complicated I guess but it's really not, for me it's a lot more simple then they way I was doing things before and a lot more effective. My skin before wasn't really bad but I was breaking out constantly and I just couldn't get it to stop so it was on it's way to getting really bad like it has been for me in the past. I've been dealing with bad skin for a long time, about 10 years and I've done accutane twice and antibiotics and birth control pills and peels and all kinds of stuff and I'm really happy with the retin-a, it's saving my life right now. Sorry for the long response but I love retin-a and I really think it can work for anyone as long as it's used the right way. I hope this helps, if there's anyting else just ask.

Thanks so much for your detailed response! You've inspired me to look into the Micro. And congratulations on your success!

No problem, I hope it works for you! I had results quickly compared to other people and I keep forgetting I was using retinol for a while before I started the retin-a so it might have helped me adjust to it. It takes time and sometimes it's not fun but it's worth it in the end. Good luck!