You don't say how bad your acne is - if it's not cystic then topicals may very well work, and what they've offered you in a good start.

Retin A can take a while to kick in, so be patient- but yes it is worth a try! I do believe you can beat acne, but it is war- and you need to fight on multiple fronts- your diet what is it like? skin care routine, what do you do today?

have you ever tried the regimine here on acne.org? you can make progress but you have to choose a path and stick with it for several months, if it doesn't work then you tweak from there, but you need an action plan

I agree with mrsrobinson, the battle with acne all comes down to going on a treatment and sticking too it. If it doesn't work, great, at least you will know what not to use next time. Acne wont get better if you just slack off with taking your pills, trust me, I learnt that the hard way too.

Keep going with your current treatment, and like mrsrobinson said, you should also have a look into the sites regime. HOWEVER, try and stick you what you have now for the estimated duration of your treatment. It might work!

The battle with acne is hard, but it's not impossible. I've been dealing with acne for as long as I can remember, and there comes a time when you just have to do what you have to do, and get on with your life. Acne doesn't define you, and you shouldn't let it crush your confidence. Your acne will clear up one day, just don't give up hope

Good luck!

My acne used to be mild to moderate, but there was a lot of it. I have always had acne in my cheeks ever since I was little. I also have trouble with picking at my skin so there is scarring but over the course of the summer my acne has gotten a lot worse. This summer I was really depressed so I never washed my face, and now I think I just wrecked up my skin to the point of no repair. My trouble areas are especially in my forehead and chin now, but I still have acne in my cheeks and now there's maybe one or two cysts in my forehead. I've never really tried to fight it because I'm just afraid of failure, but do you guys really think it can help? I've had acne for so long I feel like it's a part of me haha. Has it helped any of you?

Also nearly all of my friends have flawless skin(seriously, how is that possible?!) and I've just always felt like "the one with acne." And I guess a part of me thinks that it's just my identity now, and doesn't think I can change it.

And have you guys done the regimen?

You sound so much like me!

I started off with my forehead absolutely covered in pimples. Then it moved to my chin, then later on spread to both my cheeks. I used to pick A LOT so now I have scars all over my cheeks and forehead. After trying all the store-bought acne cleansers (Clearasil, Proactive, all of those things), and failing them might I add, I kind of just gave up on my skin as well. I tried soooo many prescription medications from my doctor, and at one stage I was put on this certain cream that literally burnt my skin to the point where I had to stop because I thought my skin was beyond repair.

Acne treatment is all trial and error. My doctor used to say "So that one didn't work? Okay, lets try something with different ingredients." I've never tried the regime, but this site is FULL of success stories, and progress blogs that people on the regime have written. It's supposedly great stuff. If I was never put on Accutane, then I would be getting into it.

Failure is the first step to success, so don't be disheartened when something doesn't work. Don't worry, you aren't alone. I'm "the friend with acne" too, and pretty much every single person in my SCHOOL has clear skin, and it sucks. But don't let it bother you too much because one day your skin will be flawless, and they'll be the one getting pimples.

I have 100% faith in you that one day your skin will be clear. Keep up with your treatments, and one day you will find the one that works for you. Your dermatologist is the skin expert after all! I suggest you have a look around at some of the other peoples posts about the stuff you're on, and give it a go yourself.

Good luck!

Thank you so much, you're so lovely.

It's just really tough being that friend with acne when everyone else has perfectly flawless skin. Like I remember once whenever acne commercials would come on if we were watching something in class, I could feel people looking at me and it's just mortifying. I'm going to really try what my doctor said, but I've just never tried to stick to a regimen because I would rather not try than fail. But if I don't try then you're right I won't find what helps. Have your prescriptions ever helped at all?

Hahaha I know that feeling! One time in health ed my teacher was talking about the difference between pimples and acne and the she said,

"Acne usually forms on the chin and cheeks." and half the class turned around and looked at my chin and cheeks that were covered with acne. Not a good feeling for sure.

Yeah they have. Over the last few months I've been going on some stuff prescribed by my derm, and they've worked quite well. I went on this medication called Minocyline which cleared it up a little, but one day I mixed it with a couple of my allergy medications and got a massive allergic reaction to it, so I had to stop. Otherwise I would've kept on using it.

I'm on Roaccutane at the moment, and if you don't know what that is, it's pretty much the strongest medication a person with cystic acne can go on I think it's helping (Check out my blog if you're interested) but acne gets worse before it gets better.

Honestly, I don't even know how people get flawless skin. It's sooo not fair hahaha.