i never experienced acne as a teenager but 3 months ago i started getting frequent breakouts at the age of 23 years.i did not try to use any over the counter products and went straight away to my dermatologist who prescribed me retin a 0.025%.the first week was a complete disaster as i used too much of the cream and it caused excessive peeling.i went back to my dermatologist who then told me to use only a pea sized amount and wait for at least half an hour after washing my face and then apply the cream....the initial 3 weeks i experienced frequent breakouts for which i even used topical clarithromycin but i did not stop using retin a.i have completed 6 weeks of application and it really works.acne is gone and scar marks are fading.i would suggest every patient who has acne to consult a dermat and see if retin a is the drug of choice for them.it needs patience and time to work but it really is effective.

I posted a few weeks ago. Well, now it's been a little over a month and I have to say I am in LOVE with this stuff! Blemishes are gone, and now I only get one or two small pimples that go away very quickly. Tonight, after washing my face, I noticed that my red marks are starting to vanish! My skin is well on its way to being acne-free. I still have a couple small pimples and red marks especially on my cheeks, but wow. This stuff really worked for me. I am infinitely glad I used it. My advice for those who are discouraged: stick with it!! It may not be an instant miracle, but with time and patience this stuff is awesome. Don't be discouraged if you get irritation or IB, that means it's doing its job! **side note: I still think the Nizoral shampoo (as a cleanser) has helped my skin tremendously also! If you haven't yet, give it a try too! Good luck :)

It won't clear you up completely and not right away, but i promise you will see improvement! I cannot stress the word TIME! Give it time! I know acne is a struggle we all face, but this product will bring you a step closer to a clearer face! :)

I have mild acne that I have been managing for about 8 years with BP. With BP I consistently had about 3 -12 zits on my face at any one time. So I decided I might try and get a prescription for something else and give it a try. After reading lots of reviews here and other forums I was terrified about looking like a pizza for a couple weeks after starting this cream. But here is the breakdown of how my results looked: Week 1: (Personally) Noticeable smoothing of areas that did not have acne. (Probably not noticeable to others) Week 2: Continued smoothing of skin without acne on it, some reduction of acne Week 3(My purge): My purge looked like a pretty regular outbreak, I got about 5 new zits that were of pretty average size and duration. Definitely nothing that would be extremely noticeable to those around me. Weeks 4-5: Acne fading continued smoothing of all skin. Weeks 5-16 (Present): Rarely have more than 1 zit on my face at any 1 time. Zits that do appear are MUCH smaller than average, usually clear up within 1-3 days. How I use this product: 0.25% Tretinoin nightly - followed by lotion 2.5% BP in the morning - followed by lotion If you've been using BP for a while I don't think you'll find this treatment too drying, I have a feeling that complaint comes from people who are generally new to acne treatment. This is not an overnight solution, it took about a month for my skin to be noticeably clearer to my girlfriend and people I hadn't seen in a while. At 3 months I was getting comments from lots of people about how clear my skin was. Finally, DON'T FEAR THE PURGE. Remember, most people who post on the internet about something like that are only posting because they had a horrible experience, the people who had average symptoms or no purge are unlikely to come back and post about it. My doctor assured me that most people have very mild worsening of acne at first if at all. So If I were you I wouldn't do it in a month where you have any special ceremonies like graduation or something like that. Otherwise, I'd say your safe to give this a go. My skin has never looked clearer, softer or more healthy.

I got so tired of hearing this when I was researching this medication but you really must be patient! I have been using Retin-A for over a year now and I love it. It has faded most of my acne marks and really cleared my skin up!

i used retin-a since jan. by march my face was unbearable to look at. before i started using it i used Differin which did nothing. My acne was mild but enough to get a rx from march until today my face is covered in cysts. i had cysts before but one at a time. i went to the derm today and got 12 cortisone shots in my face. i read everyone else's review and they said they had an IB but it didnt last 2 months like mine. now i'm going on accutane which i'm scared to do but i think i had a bad reaction to the retin-a. now i have to deal with all the scars left behind. yay me! :[

great product but u have to be patient and consistent

My dermatologist prescribed my Tretinoin Retin A cream and it literally cleared 95% of my white heads the first week! I do still have scars and redness, but they are fading. I have to wear a sun screen everyday, and get burned much easier. I would definitely suggest this product! It has done wonders for my skin, and I hope you can get the same results.

it worked so well for me. the first 2-3 weeks were the worst. I had experienced lots of peeling and extreme sensitivity. I heard a lot of people saying that had really bad initial acne, but I really didn't have any. After my skin stopped peeling, my skin looked and felt so soft and smooth...it looked so pretty. Then I stopped and I started getting acne again. So now I'm back on retin-a, but I realized it also made all my acne scars fade too. I really love this product and I think I will continue to use this product for the rest of my life.

I have now used Retin-A 0.025% for 4 months already. The first one week was hell.. I broke out a lot, and because I was desperate, I put a bit too much of it on my face - hence came the peeling, burning of my face - so bad it made me cry. So I took a rest for a week to let my face cools down, and started the retin-A again. I wait for 30mins-1hr after I last washed my face to put it on - a pea-sized amount for my whole face. I used to flake a lot initially, but with time I guess my face adjusted to it, and the flaking stops. Retin-A takes it time, but it's worth it. I am now 100% clear of cystic acne, pustules and macules that I used to have on my forehead and cheeks. It exfoliates my skin, and now my pigmentation is fading very well. Just a few marks left, which I'm quite certain that they'll be gone in 1 month or so. Now I only need to put a little bit of concealer on my face, and it looks flawless. For mosturizer, I used Neutrogena Moisture with SPF-15. Bottom line: I'm happy to have found Retin-A, but it is a product you have to be very patient with. Stick to it even if it gets bad initially, because the end result is worth it :)