I am a 16 year old female that has battled with all-around acne since 7th grade (blackheads, whiteheads, cysts, etc). I would probably consider my face either oily or combination skin because I get really oily in my T-zone but sometimes I get dry skin around my lower cheeks, chin, and mouth. I'd consider my acne to be mild-moderate because I have quit a few small pimples with no heads on my forehead, a few with heads, probably around one cyst every two months (small cysts), blackheads ALL on my nose, some acne on my cheeks, and blackheads on my chin. My skin looks very uneven from my huge pores and some hyper-pigmentation (very mild). In certain lightening my skin might look absolutely clear, but get in a very lit, florescent bathroom and you can see EVERY pore (most lights nowadays!).

Now, I am currently using the Clear Proof Acne System by Mary Kay. I usually only use the cleanser as I have found even though the moisturizer says oil-free, I get more oil. I'll also occasionally use the toner as well. I use the acne serum and acne spot-treatment gel quite often and it seems to help. The system I am on right now, is probably one of the better acne systems I have tried.

I have tried:

-Acne Free (didn't work for me but worked for a friend with milder acne than I)

-Clinique (might try going back to this.. it worked for awhile then stopped)

-Murad (was pretty good, stopped seeing results again)

They all work for around a month and then quit and it's really frustrating.

Then, exactly a week ago, I went to my normal doctor for my well-child check-up and just mentioned my struggle with acne. So, he prescribed Retin-A Gel .025%. He told me to use everyday at night. First, to wash my face with my acne cleanser, then moisturize, then apply the Retin-A (all waiting around 25 minutes to put on each one). He did mention my acne would get worse, but I don't know when or how bad the breakout period is going to me and school starts in 3 weeks.

Questions:

Is Retin-A going to help my skin? I don't want to waste all this time for nothing.

How bad will the breakout be (or the normal person's breakout with acne like me)?

Will Retin-A reduce pore size, help with skin evening, and overall look?

Will I get a few cysts during Retin-A?

How long until I start seeing progress (doctor said around 4 weeks, but a lot of people vary)?

Will the blackheads disappear after using Retin-A?

Any concerns with this product?

Sorry for the long post, but I felt as though you should know my whole skin before you have to answer my questions.

Thanks ahead of time for feedback that will be given!