Hey all I have been following acne.org for a while but it never occurred to me to actually sign up and write a personal log until now because I am so frustrated with my acne and would like to share my journey with everyone with the various products i use until i succeed! anyway this log will be about retin-a aka tretinoin.
One thing is certain, I hate acne. 3 weeks ago marked the start of a brand new Regimen for me, RETIN A (0.025% cream). I think that by making this diary and posting pictures and such I will be able to document my results and get advice from all you guys. I promise you that I will not backout of the treatment and will give it a decent show....no matter how irritated my skin gets.
My current regimen includes the use of:
Morning:
Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Face Wash
Clindamycin phosphate lotion 1% (every other morning)
Moisturize with Cetaphil moisturizer for dry skin
Night:
Wash with gentle wash
Apply Retin-A Cream Tretinoin 0.025% (every other night)
Apply moisturizer after 30 minutes
Since it has been 3 weeks already, I'm going to explain the first couple of weeks in words and show a few pictures now.
To be quite honest, my skin is really odd and it'll be clear for 2 weeks and breakout really bad after a week, and that's what I hate. The very first day I used Retin A I woke up and I felt like my skin was already clearing up, but obviously it was just my mind. So for the first week, my face pretty much stayed the same, maybe even looked a little better at the end of the week. But by week 2, I woke up with a big underground (cyst) pimple on my chin and I was horrified because I have never had one before and it just hurt so badly and I just wanted it to go away. Unfortunately, the next morning 2 more small ones appeared above my eyebrows.
End of Week 3 (as of right now)
You can see my skin is really bad on my right cheek, but it has gotten a little bit better except a few pimples have popped up but nothing serious. 
Front view.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Do you consider this mild, moderate or severe acne?
Mild to moderate in my opinion! I've seen many girls who have it far worse than you. And yeah the first 2 months of Retin A suck (moisturizer is your best friend), but let me tell you that it is completely worth it. I'm on month eight of my Retin-A Micro 1% regimen and my face is completely clear and I used to have it so bad. It not only stops the acne but it somehow makes it soft to the touch and just rejuvenated it. In my opinion, it is a miracle medication. Best of luck!
Sorry for such a late update! But now I am 11 weeks in retin-a going on the 12th. Here are some pictures
Edit: Whoops, the "before" pics just loaded for me.
Actually, your skin looks really good now! Could be the lighting/flash, of course, but I only see a few red bumps!
Yay, progress!
