So I have struggled with acne since 12, it stopped around 16-19 and 6 months ago came back really bad! I am a 19 year old male and broke out pretty damn bad. Cystic acne all over my jawline and cheeks. I started taking tretinoin .025 and doxycyline for the first month. I am 9 weeks in and my face has changed a lot! I am breaking out a little but not nearly as bad as I was, I'm dealing with hyper pigmentation and some breakouts which is awesome! I have a great regimen that has worked great for me because I use couple other treatments on my face in conjunction with tretinoin. It takes time! I was like you sitting on my computer at night because I'm pissed how my skin looks and don't know what to do. Give this a try and give it time, I broke out and did have the initial breakout but so worth it! My skin can only get better from now, switching to retina-a .05 in couple weeks since my skin is easily tolerating the .025, if anyone has any questions on my regimen feel free to ask!

I have just been prescribed this product (in .05%) by my dermatologist and today was my day 1 with it. I'm only a middle schooler, and the reviews from adults using this product say that they're skin was pretty irritated and flakey after about 2-4 weeks (which my doctor warned may happen to me). School starts in 3 weeks, and I'm nervous as to how bad I'll be broken out by that time. any advice how to control it? I'd hate to get discouraged when all the reviews say to be patient for the great results.

Only cream that will actually work but may take a few months but will be worth it. I used tretinoin a few times and quit because I thought it was aggravating my acne but I now know that it gets all the bad gunk out first and brings the next skin cells up to the surface. I used this for about a month before taking accutane and haven't experienced an initial breakout so far( on day 9) .... Be patient

I've been using Tretinoin for almost 15 weeks now and let me tell you it hasn't been all rainbows and sunshine. I am a 21 year old female that was getting painful cystic acne around my chin, mouth, and cheeks that seemed to spring up out of nowhere. I went to my dermatologist who prescribed me a combination of clindamycin/benzoyl peroxide for mornings and Tretinoin .05% for nights. I went through a bad initial breakout around my 3rd week in that lasted about my 6th week. I was VERY depressed and felt so hideous that I hardly left my house. If you're in this phase of your treatment...I know how you feel and what you're going through. The redness, itching, flaking, burning...are all really annoying side effects that can honestly seem to last forever and destroy your self esteem. I was very very ready to just throw the Tretinoin in the trash and never look at it again. Instead, I decided to research. Everyday I would come on this site and read the hopeful reviews and try to tell myself that I just had to stick with it. Eventually, after about 2 and a half months I stopped getting the painful acne. Pimples became few and far between. The burning went away and the flaking became manageable. The pimples I get now are almost invisible and go away much quicker. I can finally look people in the eyes again without feeling disgusted with myself. But the number one thing is...you HAVE to stick with it. DON'T GIVE UP. And don't listen to the reviews that say they've only been using it a few weeks or a month. This takes time! It even says to give it up to 6 months. Now I'm dealing with hyper-pigmentation...but Tretinoin will help with that too. You MUST MUST MUST use it everyday. Don't skip. And always wear sunscreen. Tretinoin works by speeding up the cell turnover process...making you really susceptible to sunburn. I'm not 100% where I want to be...but that's only because I have become obsessed with my skin. However, I'm light years better than where I was 15 weeks ago. Don't stop it. Keep telling yourself that Tretinoin is a marathon...not a sprint. Don't give up.

I've been using Tretinoin .05% cream for a month and a half and I know off the bat that some people will say that that's not even a long enough period for it to work for some people but so far no good. I hate this concept that you have to use a product for a couple of months to actually see the "possible" effects that it "might" have. Right now I've been on Doxycline, Tretinoin, and Clindamycin for almost two months and I'm no better than I was before I walked into the Derms office. I'm really hoping that I'm one of the people I've read about that just take longer to see the results they want but after repeatedly being let down everything I've ever tried I'm conditioned to believe this concoction that the Dermatologist has cooked up is no different. I fear I'm one of those people who will never beat acne and honestly that just makes me really sad. Still, I'm hoping I can come back to this website in a while and update or change this review to 5 stars...

I have been on this stuff for two weeks and my skin has gotten which is to be expected but I was wondering if anyone recommends the 1% instead of the 0.05 % to speed things along if not how long should I wait to see real results with the 0.05%. it has made my skin overall smoother but it has also made my skin oily

This stuff does work, but I wanted to share this study so that if you decide to take Tretinoin, you'll be making that decision with your eyes wide open regarding the risks. There have been studies done that link these topical retinoids to internal cancers and increased mortality rates. Here's one: [link edited out] Granted, the connections still need to be explored in more depth, but given the huge profitability of this product for drug companies, I wouldn't be surprised if they are working hard to prevent further research into the potential hazards of Tretinoin.

I'm 46 and have had acne since i was 14. I've tried everything out there and nothing has worked or lasted. this includes Accutane, antibiotics, sulpha lotion, benzoyl peroxide, laser, peels, and tons more. accutane worked for a few years but after the birth of my son, acne came back in a fury. i went on accutane again, but lasted a few months. This product with a combination of other products has helped resolve my problem. In the morning I wash my face with physoderm ph reducer. Then i apply a thin layer of reversa 8% glycolic cream (wait 15 minutes after washing to apply). Then i apply a second layer of Eucerin 5% urea face cream. Since glycolic can be irritating to the skin and also dries it out, this is the best cream that i have found to give me intense moisture without break outs. in the evening, i wash my face with sebcur 4% glycolic acid. Yes, this product is meant for dandruff, but the 2% face wash that are available on the market simply was not working. i needed something stronger. once my skin is completely dry, i apply .5 retinol cream to my entire face and add a second layer of eucerin 5% night cream (very very hydrating). Note that at the beginning, i had to apply the glycolic and retin a every 3rd day to give my face a chance to adjust. eventually it was every day without any irritation. By the 3rd week into this treatment, all pimples on my chin, cheek and nose disappeared. I had a few break outs and by week 6 nothing. I'm now on week 10 and still nothing. It is so nice now to get up in the morning, touch my face and no pimple can be found! its a miracle and i'm crossing my fingers that it will continue to last. the main benefit of this regime is that your skin will shed quite a bit bit without any irritation. however, it is important to manually exfoliate your skin every second day. The best exfoliating glove on the market is Renaissance. it costs more, but it can last several years (make sure to clean it on a weekly basis). i also purchased a small microdermabrasion machine and use it once a week for more intense exfoliation. This really helps with removing a lot of dead skin. Today, my skin is amazing. Many of my acne scars are barely noticeable. They are slowly disappearing and if you are in your forties, fine lines are also considerably reduced. My colleagues cannot believe how good my face looks, they indicated that i look so much younger and healthier. I wanted to share this regime as i have tried pretty much everything that exists out there.

This is a review specifically for Retin-A Micro. For years I had been trying to get rid of closed comedones on my forehead area that just never seemed to go away. I was prescribed Retin-A Micro by my dermatologist. At first I found it to be irritating (I have very sensitive skin) and it make my skin dry and flakey. I decided to use it every two days instead. After about 3 months, I noticed that the closed comedones were turning into blackheads....I wasn't sure if that was progress or not, but continued using the product nonetheless. I would say it took a good 6 months before I saw any good results. Now, I hardly have any closed comedones (whiteheads) left. You have to be patient, but it does work.

The ingredient list on my tube has stearic acid and isopropyl myristate high on the list (first and second ingredients behind tretinoin)..both are very comedogenic ingredients. Many other people have said this product has broken them out...so to me it's not worth the risk.