Ziana : Clindamycin (1.2%) and Tretinoin (.025%) Gel

I was given this treatment by my dermatologist about 5-6 months ago, and was told that it would for sure make me break out in the beginning, but that that would just be a "purge" and that my skin would clear up. I read mixed reviews, many saying that you just had to wait it out. I have, and still not satisfied. I can't see any significant improvement, and I'm not surprised, as the product doesn't even feel like it's working. Maybe my skin is just tough. When I applied this product the clear gel went on smoothly, but I had no tingling sensation or anything, and usually I look for that as a sign of disinfection. This product feels like absolutely nothing on facial skin, and I haven't been seeing results. Not to mention the INSANE price. :c

My acne was bad and got progressively worse after I started this medication. I have HUGE bumps on my cheeks and jawline that make up draws more attention to. It's only been a few weeks but I don't see any improvements. My doctor said the cocktail I'm on (Doxycycline, Clenia and Ziana) will get worse because its "flushing the impurities to the surface". This is my 3rd time on this medication, all my doctors insist on giving it to me, after I've said time and time again that it didn't work.

I've only been using for week, but my derm never warned me that it would make my light acne moderate/severe. I know I should be patient, but its heartbreaking to watch your self esteem fly out the window in a matter of days. Also leaves a pink/brown mark on old spots. Will probably fade, but I'm more concerned about the new bumps!!! The "it gets worse before it gets better" is not comforting at all.

i did have sever acne, and i didnt know what to do, i went to my dermatologist, and she recomended ziana. the first time i used it, it worked like magic! it took a week, and my face was completley clear. i stopped using it over the summer, because the warning on the back was : dont use while being exposed to major amounts of sunlighgt. it was okay, because my acne was never theat bad in the summer. i started using it again this fall, it was horrible! my skin turned red and oily! and even worse when i put cover up on, my entire face peeled! ziana ended up not working anymore, so if you use it, dont stop! your face will break out worse then it was!

Ziana really wasn't helpful in terms of clearing acne. At first my skin broke out a lot which was to be expected. I was told it could take up to 8 weeks. Even at that point my skin still had acne on it. At 10 weeks I had my dermatologist appointment again and we decided to switch to Differin. It had the same major ingredient but at .3% (opposed to .1%.) I have been using it for a week now and it has been great! I think people who use the major ingredient at .1% don't see good results while at .3% get great results. This will cause your skin to dry out but some moisturizer and you'll be all set. Something else: When using Ziana my skin became very VERY oily. 30 minutes after washing my face the oil was already built up on my face. I'm not sure why Ziana caused this but this incredible oilness made me hate it to begin with. I wouldn't recommend Ziana. I WOULD recommend Benzaclin and Differin in terms of tropical creams. In terms of antibiotics minocylin

I am 33 years old and just had an onset of adult cystic acne about 2 years ago. I have been using this topical medication for approx. 3 months and I have seen no change in my skin. I did like that I was not affected with harsh red, itchy skin like some other medications have done to me. This gel, however, does make my skin incredibly oily in the morning even though I use the recommended pea size amount. My doctor has decided the only thing that will help is a prescription for isotretinoin so this Ziana med just wasn't strong enough for me.

After trying every over the counter topical and a variety of topical's prescribed by my dermatologist, they decided to put me on ziana. I have light to moderate acne and it is very hormonal. The ziana helps maybe a little, but not very much. I get chemical peels. Laser treatments, I use the Emergency spot treatment, I'm on an oral antibiotic and yet I still continue to have breakouts. I have exhausted all my options and have decided to try birth control(mircette). I feel like out of all the things I do to help my breakouts the ziana only helps 10%.

A few things: -do NOT review this item until you have used it for at least 3 months! -If you have any reason to believe that your acne is hormonal, do NOT use this. Topical medications such as Ziana will only bring blemishes to the surface faster; it does not treat hormonal acne. I was prescribed Ziana in the beginning of August 2012. I used it religiously for about 3 months (at bedtime) along with Clindamycin Pledgets and Erythromycin 500mg every day. I did experience a purging period. A few cysts around the chin/jawline area along with numerous, small zits. After about 7-8 weeks, I saw improvement, and my hopes were up. Yet out of no where, my acne returned to a state similar to the original purging period. 3 months into treatment, I had a follow-up visit with my derm. She kept me on it, but upped my antibiotic intake (which I'm not fond of). I was also given a chemical peel. From experience, I knew I would break out from it, but I was hopeful this was the last push I needed...it wasn't. My forehead broke out tremendously (which it hasn't done in 7 years) and it seemed like I was about to experience a third purging period! Three (3) weeks after the peel, I switched forms of birth control from Mirena (a progestin-only method) to NuvaRing (a combination hormonal method). After one week of the switch, I can already see a difference in my skin! I still use Ziana, however, it is ironic because Ziana is at least partly responsible for them being there. Long story short: If you believe your acne is a result of some sort of hormonal imbalance, or you use a progestin-only method of hormonal birth control. do NOT use this!

Honestly, I would not recommend Ziana or any other retinoids. They make your face extremely ugly while your skin adjusts to it. Similarly, after you stop using them, your face becomes extremely ugly. Doctors and studies say that the side effects of retinoids go away with continued use or after you stop taking them. The truth is that they do not really go away. Basically what I am saying is that you will never get back the skin texture that you had BEFORE you started taking retinoids, even if you discontinue using it or even with continued use. This is what happened to me. My skin texture before i started using retinoids was 10x better. Even after the side effects subside, my face still does not look like what it used to. If you are happy with the current skin texture that you have right now, DO NOT use Ziana or any retinoids because you will NOT be getting back that skin texture. Trust me.

Ziana definitely attacks acne, but there is a huge catch. I was initially prescribed Ziana to cure the whiteheads and blackheads that were stubbornly appearing on my forehead. For that, it worked great. In fact, I should have used it for solely that purpose. In a follow up appointment, my dermatologist recommended it for my whole face. Bad idea. I had pretty mild acne on my cheeks and chin, but this stuff made it a whole new ballgame. I am just weening myself off this stuff and realizing that it made my acne worse in these areas. Might as well have not used anything. Good drug for what I said it cured, but otherwise, forget it. On paper a combination of retinoid + antibiotic should work well, but for whatever reason the results for this medication are mediocre. That's pretty much the gist of it.