So, I've been pouring over research but I'm still unsure. I was using retin-a- micro o.04% and it went wonderfully. Not 100% clear of my moderate acne, but clear enough. Like 98% and glowey. Switch to 0.1%. Two weeks go well, almost no acne, scars look bad ,but only on forehead.

NOW, a month later, I have a tonne of red marks.. where I had no acne. Seriously. And brown spots, one is black, and there are four shallow, slightly brown marks. My skin looks awful. I was able to wear a tinted moisturizer and now I need foundation.

Oh, and I have a burn mark on my forehead from when I was a kid, and suddenly a twin mark appeared underneath it, diagonally! Just appeared one day, and I know it's not connected due to a space between the scars and it was never this big. What the hell? Just randomly. No acne, and it's a 2 cm line that is moderately thick.

When I use my eyelash curler, it leaves a dented spot on my face, albeit temporarily, when I use it.

I now have little zits everywhere, under the skin. Two cysts that were small and healed nicely. Still, on my cheeks I have been getting shallow indents.

I want to cry.

The flakyness makes it hard to apply foundations. I exfoliate gently once a week with honey, olive oil and sugar scrub. NO redness ensues. Then I apply a moisturizing mask, then foundation. I also use clinique super city blocker spf 40 every day. I just don't understand how my skin got like this. My friend told me it was so nice and glowy. I could wear no foundation and be okay. I just had moderate blackheads in t-zone. Now my skin is hell.

I used to use it every night. Took a break for a few days, resumed every night for a bit. Not sure if I should stop completely, or do it two to three times a week.

I use burts bees gentle skin cleaner at night, and water in the am. oil levels seem to be under control.

I use the bioderma water to remove make up and water.

clinique city blocker spf 40.

now emu oil once or twice a day.

If someone can please help me I'd appreciate it. This is my third time on retin a. The second time I stopped, no scars, but i got a bad break out, which I shouldn't have ever attributed to retin a- I was doing oil cleansing.

Second time I got scarring randomly, but the dermatologist kept telling me to use glycolic acid so I attributed it to that.

Retin a micro is the only thing that has made my skin nice, up until... the past two weeks, maybe two and a half.

I want to continue this because every time I go off it my skin gets almost as bad as it is now, and I regretted it every time a few months later. Still, the random scarring is concerning.