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

I'm 17 years old and have struggled with mild to moderate acne since i was about 12 or 13. It goes in cycles where it will be really bad, then decent, then awful again. I've been applying ziana for probably about a week now. Before i applied it, the right side of my face was almost completely clear, but the left side had a cluster of acne that i couldn't get rid of. Ever since I've applied it my skin has been horribly breaking out more than it ever has before and it' even breaking out on my forehead where I haven't applied it. This new acne makes me extremely insecure to the point of tears. I don't even want to look in a mirror and I'm constantly thinking about it. I've read that I should just stick with it and that it will clear my skin eventually, but honestly right now it's really hard to stay motivated. I'm too a point where I don't want to leave my house to see my friends because i feel like all they'll see are the bumps on my face. Someone please help I don't know if my face is just purging really bad or if i should stop using it.

I'm a 20 y/o female with mild acne and very occasional cysts only on left cheek. I started using Ziana after Epiduo was way too drying for me. I've been using it for about a month and a half. Ziana is not drying at all, and has definitely helped with some minor spots, but I noticed that throughout the day my skin gets RIDICULOUSLY GREASY. Like unbelievably shiny...makeup looks terrible. I use Ziana before bed, wake up and my face isn't oily at all, but throughout the day it becomes so oily. One of those oil blotting sheets from Clean & Clear is literally transparent after I wipe my face with it. So I've decided to stop using Ziana and instead try Drunk Elephant AHA serum!

Decided to give it a shot after my derm wanted to switch me from clindamycin phosphate.Turns out the skin peeling is little too much for me.However dries up the worst of zits pretty quickly.

First, I want to share my background. I have never had a problem with acne. I have always had very smooth clear skin, with an occasional outbreak. I started washing with proactive in 2006 when I was 18 for prevention of those minor outbreaks (I don't recommend this because it destroys your skins natural barrier). Two years ago, in 2011, I started getting a cystic pimple every couple months, that I would handle by getting a cortisone injection. Not a big problem. Then Last year, in May 2012, I got my mirena birth control removed. I had an AWFUL outbreak. Huge pimples that wouldn't go away. One swelled up after it popped when I washed my face.. it was half the size of my forhead. I had cystic pimples, surface pimples, and clogged pores. My dermatologist put me on Doxy, spirolactone, and retin-A. After a few months, and a couple deep cleansing facials, my skin was clear... but I still had scars. In August, I decided to stop using Retin-A because my skin was still red. I started using Pro-Active again, and continued taking Doxy and Spiro. My scars went away in less then a month, and I had completely clear beautiful skin for about 6 months. In February, 2013, my skin started looking red and a little oily. By April, I started getting minor clogged pores that would go away fairly quickly, and I started getting cystic pimples every once in a while. I decided to stop washing with Pro-Active In june because I found out that it can cause oily skin. I also stopped taking doxy because it wasn't preventing acne anymore. I started using Jojoba oil to cleanse, but this only lasted a month because it was cause tiny little white heads to surface all over my face. I started using Cerave to cleanse. It doesn't create acne on my face. I did have clogged pores on my chin and forehead from the Jojoba oil. They are skin colored tiny bumps. I had a similar reaction years ago. I've now learned that it just doesn't agree with me. By August, I was getting more and more cystic pimples. Usually only one at a time, but when one would go away, another would appear. My dermatologist prescribed me Klarons. This did nothing for my skin. The cystic pimples kept coming and the clogged pores stayed where they were. I used it for over a month before I stopped. In September I decided to risk using Proactive again. It did nothing. It didn't make it worse or better. My skin was still pink, still a little oily, still had the clogged pores, and I was still getting those dang cystic pimples. This is when the Dermatologist prescribed me Ziana........ On September 25, 2013 I started using Ziana, and also had a bad cystic pimple injected. First week: (9/25) peeling. Red face. surface acne and scars start to go away. No change to clogged pores. Cystic on on left side of nose goes down but still under the surface. Second week: (10/2) less peeling. Red face. Scars fading very quickly. No change to clogged pores. Cystic on on left side of nose starts coming back... Two heads. Cystic appears on right side of nose. Third week: (10/9) (Stopped spirolacton on 10/11) New Small pimples show up but come to a head and go away quickly with in a couple days. Oily skin. Less peeling. Red face. Old scars almost gone. New scars fade quick. Both cystic pimples still present but no pain. One deep clogged pore is gone after popping it, but 8 remain. Forth week: (10/16) Tiny amount of peeling. Red face. Oily skin. Old scars almost gone. New scars still fade quick. Both cystic pimples still present, the one on right is forming a white head. Deep clogged pores still there. I'm getting the two cystics injected tomorrow and I will be back to update how this week goes. I have my fingers crossed...

I went to the dermatologist on October 4th, 2012. She prescribed me ziana gel, which I am still using the samples since she gave me about 7 of them along with cerave lotion. I have been using this product religiously to this day, so for 27 days or so now. I am getting pretty frustrated and losing hope because my " purging period" seems to be never ending! Although I can say my fine lines have smoothed out. I know I must give this more time but I expected to at least see SOME improvement acne wise by now, but it just seems to be getting worse :/ is this normal? It's been a month already! Anyone have similar problems with good results ? Ha

Not enough time to tell good or bad....beginning not so pleased with not knowing thw expectations...

I've been using this for a couple weeks....and I guess you can say it works. It initially broke me out pretty bad but now I don't get any large pimples. I'd much rather have smaller bumps than larger bumps on my face, so I can't really complain. Although, I would love it if this would also help the smaller bumps.

Honestly, only use this product and other retinoids (Differin, Atralin, etc.) only if you ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY have to AND if you see that your skin responds to it in a non-crazy way. The benefits don't always outweigh the side effects.

I didn't get the dry, red, flaky skin that others have been talking about when using this product. I didn't get that at all actually. What Ziana did was greatly increase the oiliness of my skin overall - yuck! I had oily skin to begin with and now when I wear make-up I have to blot every hour. I have been using Ziana for about 12 weeks and haven't had any large cysts during that time, but still get random pimples that don't come to a head. They annoy me. Oh well.

I've been using this for about 12 weeks and although it's definitely improved the appearance of my skin in general, I can't say it's improved my acne (which is mostly small, deep zits without a head that I've had for YEARS.) It's definitely worth it if you're prone to painful, cyst-like pimples. I haven't had one since I started using.