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.

I controlled my acne using the contraceptive pill for about 8 years, until constant headaches required me to stop to rule it out as a cause. At the time I was never particularly happy with my skin, always having a couple of spots, but after going off I remembered how depressing it is to have bad skin. After about 4 months off the pill, and a face like a pizza I finally went to the doctors to get some help clearing my acne. In New Zealand the Retrieve cream (0.05%) is under full subsidy so only cost $5. At first I thought my skin wasn't going to react negatively, but after about a fortnights daily use it made my skin dry and sore. My forehead because covered in tiny skin coloured lumps. After a couple of days off to rest my skin I started again, and now at week 7 I am starting to see my acne clear. Every day I can see it getting a little better, and hopefully within the next month or so my face should be clear. Before treatment my skin was extremely oily from going off the pill. This has now calmed right down, to the point I have dry areas on my face, especially my chin and jaw where most of the acne is. I'm hoping it also helps lighten my freckles :P My advice would be to persevere, even when it's hard watching your skin get worse to start with. The results in the long term will be worth it. Start of slowly, building up application, and use the minimal amount you can. Using a mild exfoliant in the morning can help clear up dry patches, but only start this once your skin has settled into treatment.

Started with 0.025% now using the 0.05%. After close to a year will feel like no longer effective. But stopping brought adult acne back so I will probably never get off this product again. Skin memory will kick in for this product so adjustment/break-in period irritation only severe for 1st time use. Subsequent returns to Retin-A again will be a breeze. Severe acne managed to clear and even the scarring/hyperpigmentation faded very well and skin is close to perfect again. Put this on after I turn the lights off to sleep because any form of light will break the formula down. Only way i know it's working is waking up in the morning and finding a layer of skin that can be rubbed off while washing. As weeks go by, acne is under control. Comedones dry up and can be extracted easily. No more pustules. New papules are flattened quickly. Scarring goes from red to brown, to pink as it fades. Took about 8 weeks to see that acne stopped surfacing & 28 weeks for discolouration to fade such that not really necessary to use foundation as cover-up. 1 x 25g tube lasts me 2 months, I use slightly more than a pea-sized amount.

I've had acne since seventh grade, and Im going to be a freshman in college so its been a very long 6 years! I've tried a lot of different Clean & Clear and Neutrogena acne products but they didn't really do anything for my skin (I think part of that is I didn't use them consistently when I was younger ;) I think my soph year of high school I was prescribed clindamycin phosphate & BP gel, since my acne consisted of mostly hundreds of little bumps at that point. Again, I don't really think I used it super consistently but I also don't think it was enough for my skin. My doctor put me on an antibiotic, but I kept getting weird side effects so I went off it. The start of this summer my doctor put me on birth control (ortho tri cyclen), tretinoin 0.025%, and the clindamycin gel still. I couldn't start the BC until 3 weeks into the retina a, which I think gave me an initial break out on top of an initial break out from the retina a! My skin started to get pretty bad, and I had full blown pimples instead of little bumps. I was so frustrated with it, but eventually got to a point where I could start using the clindamycin gel again, and I switch off between that and retin a every night. I'm almost to week 10 and my skin is basically completely clear! My one piece of advice is don't give up! I wanted to so badly, and I know all of the reviews on here said not to, but it was really frustrating. It takes some peoples' skin a long time to work with the product :) Also, I used Garnier makeup removing wipes, then a quick swipe of witch hazel (buy it, its amazing and kept my skin from flaking! About $7 at Whole Foods), and then I wait to apply the retina a or clindamycin gel each night. I also use Aveeno calming moisturizer! Don't give up on this! Its probably going to be a long process, but play around a little with the products you use and you'll see good results eventually! Good luck :)

I'm a 24-year-old Asian from Hong Kong. I started my first application of tretinoin 0.05 when I was 22. My boyfriend at that time (now an ex-bf) is a dermatologist and I was so "lucky" to be breaking out while I was dating him. He gave me tretinoin 0.05 and an antibiotics (took it for around 1.5 months and went off it). So I used the cream religiously (day and night!) and all my breakouts subsided in 1 month. What's more - I continued to have good result with it. I had no initial breakout, no flaking or dry skin until I reached my 8th month, which was around January - the coldest and dryest time of the year. Then I got flakes and dry skin. I was stupid enough to keep using the cream without reducing my usage - All of a sudden, I developed an allergic reaction to it. My face got red and itchy. I cried to my bf (ex-bf) and he gave me Elidel cream. I applied for 2 days and recovered. After that I became paranoid about using tretinoin (how stupid!!) and started investing in products that are "natural" and "non-irritating" - Origins, Lush, etc. For the first couple of months, my skin was happy and easy - still breakout-free. Then I broke up with my bf, and stopped using tretinoin altogether. BIG MISTAKE!! My blackheads and whiteheads returned, followed by enlarged pores. Then out of nowhere, breakouts! At first it was just one to two acnes here and there - but then it got worse, and much worse after I started working (I'm an auditor). The thing about being an auditor in Hong Kong is you're working from 8 am to 3 am and it worsened my acne. Out of the blues I finally went to the derm in June 2012. He prescribed me Tretinoin 0.01, 0.025 and 0.05 (to switch flexibly according to skin condition), Minocycline for 3 months and Clindamyacin. Now I'm on 7th week and I am so happy that my skin is 100% clear! Even if I got an acne, it was so small and nothing like what I used to have. I swear I will never ever go off tretinoin! again! : )

I would totally recommend this product. Along with Clindamycin, my skin was completely clear in 1 1/2 months. It's taking a little longer to work on my back acne but I can tell it is working. I find this also helps minimize scarring. However, do not go off of it. I tried because I thought my skin would be fine but my acne came back and it was frustrating getting my skin used to the drying aspect of these gels/creams again.

I've been using this product for at least two years. I stopped for a moment then started back on it again with another medication. I have to say this (along with now, Clindamycin) has done miracles on my skin. Something my dermatologist told me (and I don't think most people know) is that your skin WILL get worse before it gets better. But after about 3-4 weeks of a major breakout the zits dry up and disappear. I still get acne, but they're minor and they move on fairly quickly. For drying and sensitivity I just take a day off (I apply twice a day) and put on a good moisturizer (like Eucerin).

With BP and SA not working at all for me, i went to derm and got this prescribed along with clindamycin. Im in week 7 and i can honestly say my skin is 95% clear which is a huge improvement for me who has had acne for half a decade. The worst thing was about week 3 until week 6 my face was constantly breaking out with bumps everywhere. I was told it takes until week 12 to see huge full results so im glad i have 5 more weeks to see my skin continue improving. and without insurance it is kinda expansive but to many of us suffering for years, cost does not a matter if we can have clear skin. I used tretinoin (Generic) .01% If used properly the small tube can last a very long time. A Little goes along way with this stuff!

I didn't pay anything for this, my doctor prescribed me Retin-A cream almost four months ago along with minocylcine pills and clindamycin. The pill and the Retin-A work, but the clinda had to go. Retin-A didn't take a long time to work for me as it does with many people, and it didn't dry my skin very much.I saw results within two weeks. I started using it once a day, and then I starting using it twice a day because I felt once wasn't enough. You aren't supposed to do that, but my doctor actually agreed to it. It works really well. I've had moderate acne since 4th grade and I am now 15. I have not a single spot. I have a few pigmentations, but I'm 99.9% sure that'll be gone soon enough. I'd recommend this to anyone. I get complements on my skin all the time, and I never got that before when I had to pile on makeup (Although I love my makeup, I had to let it go. It wasn't allowing the medications to work). Also, if you're a picker, stop picking and get your hands on this. You will be so glad you did so. The dryness and itchiness go away so if you can deal, it's worth it. I don't know about anyone else, but for me this was a miracle.

i have used this as a night treatment for years and then in the morning i would use clindamycin. i recently stopped using clindamycin on a hunch that it was making my acne marks darker and as soon as i stopped it and only used tretinotin i have noticed a HUGE diffrence in the texure of my skin(iv always been afraid of my acne leaving indented scars and now its like there disapering!) and how fast my acne is healing without leaving those dreaded purpleish red marks. its like i got the full effect of using this cream once i stopped using the clindamycin