Tretinoin

Extremely smooth skin
Lessened breakouts dramatically
Easy and cheap, its very easy to remember putting it on every night
Helped smooth out scars
Great texture, evens out complexion
A little boost in confidence :]

Cons:

Some peeling, but not really dramatic (just rinse your face with warm water)
Noticeable redness on some days
Have to avoid daytime(although I already did so)
Doesn't get rid of occasional breakouts

Im a 20 year old male college student. I finally decided to stick with this because I had absolutely nowhere else to go. My insecurity was turning me into someone I didn't like. I dont have insurance or money for peels and treatments. I bought this online for about $80, 0.5% then increased to .1% and now I'm at .025%. I went to my university clinic where I got a free consultation. I started using it in June. So, about 6 months. It took a while to work but I have seen noticeable improvement. My skin is more radiant and less worked up and pale. It has lessened breakouts on my cheeks dramatically, which is great because my cheeks are my worst are by far. Very scarry and red. My skin feels great when I slide my hands over them. Which brings me to my only dislike. Many of my red marks and PIH are still there. They feels smooth when I touch them. But theyre still very noticeable. This product has had a hard time getting rid of my marks. I use st.ives apricot scrub and then apply the gel at night. I also use a tinted moisturizer with spf30 which really helps my skin look better. I am European white so it's a tough thing to deal with.I feel like I'm cheating the process but it's honestly something you should look into. I'm thinking of buying glycolic peels online and hoping this will take care of it. But I'm going to keep using this gel for a couple more months until the summer, and hopefully combining this regimen with peels. Thank you to everyone that posted positive reviews and helping me stick with it!

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Tatalicious

December 10, 2011

Pros:

clear skin somewhat
smooth skin

Cons:

acne gone and then back again
redness

I've been using retin a cream 0.025% for about 4-5 weeks. In 1-4 weeks, my skin clears up and it's so smooth, but somehow in week 5, my skin begin to feel very raw and very red, it hurts to touch and use moisturizer. Currently i'm using etude vitamin c 02 white tone up toner and capsule cream in the morning, i don't know if this is supposed to happen while using retin a, but i think I'll stick with it to see if the redness will gone

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crystalxo

December 9, 2011

Pros:

i didn't have any with this product unfortunately

Cons:

I have very dry skin to begin with and this only made it worse didn't exfoliate what so ever when my dermatologist put me on this my skin was pretty clear except for a butt load for red marks and some scars and after using this for 8 month my skin is back to how it was before i got rid of my acne only worse

not a good experience. pretty depressing actually still looking for the right product if nothing works soon im gonna have to try accutane cause this is just bloody ridiculous.

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Theresa

December 9, 2011

Pros:

-treats cystic acne
-clears up scars
-evens out complexion
-shrinks pores
-affordable

Cons:

-made skin zombie dry and flaky for first two months
-made acne worst for first month
-occasionally burns when putting moisturizer on

This, in combination with Yaz birth control, has FINALLY cleared my skin. I know it is tough, but be patient!

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dermaguru60

December 8, 2011

Pros:

Smoothed out my skin completely
Within a week my whiteheads are gone
lightens dark marks/scarring
Reduces pimple size overnight

Cons:

When first using the product I felt tightness of the skin, itching, burning sensatiion
Broke out during wk 2 of using medication (but that's to be expected, my skin was adjusting to the medication)

I honestly began seeing results during wk 1. I felt and noticed a difference in my skin. I had some dark marks on my face that went away during wk 1 of using. As for my whiteheads, as I said w/i a wk they'd be gone. However, I would still break out constantly. It took a total of 12 weeks for my breakouts and whiteheads to fully subside. I love this product and it's inexpensive. I use it every night and it has done wonders for my skin. It's just important to be patient.

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Judy

December 7, 2011

Pros:

- cleared up scars?
- honestly, not really any...
- no initial breakout for me

Cons:

- didn't really work
- made skin more oily
- still get acne, maybe worse than before?

I'm 14, and I've been using this product for about 9 months, and there has pretty much been no improvement. I stuck with it because everyone said BE PATIENT! And it's been nine months.....and nothing. I thought I was supposed to see improvement after at least like 4 months... At first, it seemed like it was working, but then after a while, my acne just came back, and in places I don't usually have acne (my forehead). I have good days and bad days with my skin using this, mostly bad. Probably going to try something else. :

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Audrey

December 6, 2011

Pros:

None for me personally.

Cons:

Developed severe chemical burn that has persisted for over a month since discontinuing the treatment.

I don't doubt that this is an amazing drug for most people, but I just want to post a word of caution for those with very sensitive skin. My doctor gave me samples, and I therefore I didn't have a package insert or know any of the precautions or side effects. I had no idea how harsh this drug was. I used only a TINY amount on an old acne scar. Even though I only used it a few times, I developed a SEVERE burn about an inch away from the acne scar. I am upset that the dermatologist never asked anything about my skin type, or gave me any instructions whatsoever. I stopped using the cream over a month ago, yet still have this terrible burn that doesn't want to heal. I went back to the doctor, and even he was stunned at how bad it was. He currently has me using a steroid regimen with hopes that this somehow brings it under control. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying this, but do be aware of it's harshness if you have very sensitive skin, and if you get samples, make sure to read how to use it properly in order to avoid unwanted side effects.

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posies80

December 3, 2011

Pros:

- brighter, smoother, more even skin
- no initial breakout
- works deep down
- bonus: supposedly hides wrinkles!

Cons:

- my skin sometimes switches from very dry to slightly oily
- sometimes irritating, though that is lessining with time
- can be expensive without insurance (I think mine would have been around $175)

So I'm 25 years old, female- and my acne was getting worse than it was in high school. I've always had blackheads on my nose and chin, but the past few years have brought on deep acne in my chin and jaw line. It tends to be hormonal, and I often would have just one clear week of the month. And even though I was clear, there were ALWAYS underground blemishes just waiting to pop up... my chin was a minefield. And being impatient and frustrated, I almost always ended up popping them, leaving me with tons of pigmented spots. I've been using this regimen for 4 weeks(see below), and I've noticed a HUGE improvement in the underground acne that's lurking beneath in addition to my skin tone. Though I still have a ways to go before my coloration is completely even and my chin is fully clear, I haven't used any other products that have worked this quickly. My skin is smoother and brighter. I finally have hope for clear skin!! Luckily, I did not experience the initial break-out (knock on wood). I've had a few breakouts since I've been using these products, but nothing that I hadn't already been through. I think that the clindamycin/benzoyl gel may be helping with that, as I believe it is partly an antibiotic. To start out, my dermatologist told me to use the tretinoin every third night, which was a great recommendation. At first it was slightly irritating, and there was some very intense drying and redness. That pretty much was just from the 2nd to the 3rd week. I just started using the tretinoin every other night, which has been great. Here is my current full regimen: -wash with Loreal Go 360 Deep Clean -Tretinoin Cream .025% every other night (applied at least 20 minutes after washing) -Clindamycin Phosphate/Benzoyl Peroxide Gel on the alternate nights, and sometimes in morning (though morning sometimes tends to irritate, and I try to wait a while to apply this as well) -still trying to find a good moisturizer

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kayrae

December 1, 2011

Pros:

clears cystic acne, whiteheads, blackheads
smoothes skin

Cons:

Initial drying/readness

I really like this stuff. The first week was strange, because it dried my face out. I was peeling, i looked like I had severe sunburn peeling. (also, i think applied too much) Anyways I am on my 3rd month, and I never really had an initial crazy breakout that people talk about. Some hormonal breakouts were worsened, but nothing unmanageable. I have cut back on how often I use it to every other night, and that seems to be working much better. I dont use BP the nights I use Retin-a. Overall, really really like this stuff. :)

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793

November 30, 2011

Pros:

Got Rid of Acne
Leaves My Skin Smooth
Works Quickly and Keeps Working

Cons:

May have dried out my skin a little at first, but I don't really remember

Using the generic version of this at night paired with the generic version of metronidazole in the morning has completely cleared up my skin. I would recommend it to any one suffering from moderate acne.

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