I am a 22 year old female with mild-moderate acne. However, I started using MAC makeup on my face, and it caused a terrible breakout that just wouldn't clear up. So I went to my derm and he prescribed retin A coupled with clindamycin. I have only been using retin A (a generic brand, though) for roughly 4-5 weeks. I know it takes 6+ weeks minimum to work, so I am patiently waiting! It finally seems to be improving and I cannot wait to see results! I was a bit apprehensive to give it a try based on reviews, but I gave it a shot. I wanted to share my routine that seems to help a lot with the dryness/flaking/oil. I'm the morning: I wash my face with Acne Free face wash, which is pretty mild with only 2.5% BP. I've used this for years and have always had good results. I use witch hazel on a cotton ball as a toner (I LOVE this and it is SO cheap!). In the morning, I use cetaphil oil control lotion (which seems to help a bit with the oil). A bit spendier, but worth it. I try to leave time to wait 10 min before putting on clindamycin because that's what has been recommended. However, being a flight attendant with an insane schedule, I only have time about half of the time to wait... And it's been fine. After that, I do my normal makeup routine. HINT! The combination of both medications and the dryness make my skin SO oily (and previously I had normal skin) BUT I just use a thin layer of baby powder on a blush/bronzer beush over my makeup and I can go all day with no oil :) and trust me, I have tried the fancy bare minerals/MAC/Clinique cure for oil, and this has been my godsend. And, again, it's SO cheap! PM routine: wash my face with acne free face wash again. Along with witch hazel as a toner. At night I use a heavier cetaphil lotion for dry skin. It's far too heavy and "oily" for day wear, but it does a lot of repairing at night! non comedogenic, of course. Again, I leave it for 10ish min (or more) and apply the retin A. A SMALL amount! Pea sized is all :) If I could stress one thing, it would be START SLOW. I did every 3rd day for 2 weeks, every other day for 2 1/2 weeks. I JUST started using it every day. It has helped a lot with the dryness. I didn't have much of the initial breakout I read about right away, it got a little worse, but nothing major. About the 3rd or 4th week I started breaking out more. But nothing terrible or cystic and they clear up fast. I have been very unhappy with my skin the last couple of weeks, but I can tell things are getting better. There are horror stories, but I can tell it will be worth the wait, and the wait hasn't been that bad. My advice is to take things slow, use everything in moderation, moisturize, and be patient. I will review this in a few weeks with an update. I really just wanted to help those currently struggling with dryness and oil who are going through this process as well. Good luck!

I'm a 20 year old female, with prior terrible hormonal cystic acne. I have only been using retina a (0.05%) for a few weeks. However, prior to starting this medication I also orally took Doxycycline for about a month. I HIGHLY recommend starting this way, in order to avoid a tremendous initial breakout. The Doxycycline was able to kill all of the bacteria on the surface, and beneath my skin, so I never actually had an initial breakout at all! In fact, from the second I started using Retin A I fell in love. Since most of my acne has already cleared up due to the antibiotics, Retin A is mainly my source for fading my very hyper-pigmented acne scars, and preventing future acne flareups. So far, I am very very happy with this product. It is excessively drying, which is a downside for sure, considering I already have moderately dry skin, but with the right skin care routine (I am using Cera Ve Hydrating Cleanser, Cera Ve Moisturizer, and Cetaphil sunscreen spf 50 regardless of the weather) I think the dryness is a minor downside. I cannot wait to see what this does for the remainder of my scars. I have always been very self conscious of my skin, and never been able to be seen without makeup, and slowly, but surely I feel like I can finally have fresh, clear and exposed natural skin!

When I started with this prescription (Tretinoin Cream .05%) I had moderate/severe acne. At first, I didn't have any of the expected side effects, like redness/itching/etc. However, after a few months my skin got very bad and I started to develop cystic acne. I kept using it, but I didn't see results until about a week ago. I have been using it for almost a year and my skin has just cleared up. AND my skin wasn't even that bad to start with. So just remember to stick with it if you can!

If you haven't responded to other prescriptions well and are nervous to try Accutane like I was, I would highly recommend giving this a try. I just wish I would have a long time ago.

This stuff WORKS! I struggled with acne for most of my young adult life and started using this with low expectations. My skin has NEVER looked better. It just takes time to work so STICK WITH IT!!!

I'm 31, half Asian/half Caucasian. Got bad adult acne in Feb 2012. Chin and jaw line were swollen and bumpy with deep painful cysts. Large bloody cysts on forehead. Cheeks exploded with deep painful bloody pimples. It was aggressive. Using since 6/1/2012: Tretinoin Cream 0.025% before bed I had no bad reactions. No burning, peeling, tingling, or redness. The tretinoin I'm using is the weakest prescription strength. It comes in a metal tube, it's off-white and has the consistency and slight odor of glue. The first couple weeks I still had the acne but no new ones were forming, skin was "shedding", it was painless and would wash off in the morning. Slowly, the acne cysts shrank and pimples dried up. Now, 6 weeks into it, all the acne is gone completely and the scars are starting to fade slightly. No more shedding, but skin gets oily very quickly. I used to use Biore pore strips frequently, like every couple weeks on my nose. Pores would just clog right up the next day. After 2 weeks of using the tretinoin, the pores would ooze all day long, but the oozing has slowed down and now my pores have shrunk considerably. Advice: You must wait for your skin to dry completely before applying the tretinoin (20-30 min) I don't know what Bas from Netherlands bought off the internet for $200 but it sounds like snake oil. Hair loss and tiredness, alcohol in it? Mine was prescribed from a doctor and it cost $47 for a tube that'll probably last 3 months. (insurance did not pay)

It helps with the scarring as it lightens and make it look less swollen. I also suspect it helps with the acne aswell as i used to use Epiduo aswell. So my treatment plan is: Doxycycline pills in the morning At night i wash my face with benzac wash Apply ReTrieve Cream straight after If a really painful or stubborn pimple arises i sometimes use betadine or just load heaps of epiduo on it. Bottomline : IT WORKS

No matter your acne problem, it's at least worth a try. The version I use has added antibiotics. I use it inconsistently (the whole face) and for spot treatment as needed. For light to moderate acne or sensitive skin, start with no more than 0.05 and don't overuse it. More effective than Proactive.

I got this from my dermatologist along with Oracea, an extended release form of doxycycline. Over a period of three months, my skin gradually cleared, with several breakouts where my pores were being cleared. I highly recommend going to the dermatologist and not relying on over-the-counter solutions, if you can afford it - and this is coming from someone who swore by many OTCs for years.

I was on Retin-A Micro a long time ago back in high school and it made me break out intensely until i got fed up and stopped using it and just used a benzoyl peroxide wash. I got clear and stayed clear for a sum amount of years but started breaking out again at 20 and kept at it. I ordered this product online and the first day putti ng it, no real results. Second day was the coolest thing (to me). My face looked "broken out" but what really happened was all of my acne had surfaced and whatever was arleady on my face was exfoliated into white heads, a cyst i had for a couple days even shrunk half its size! Anyways i washed my face and got redness and then just ignored it and in time i got more acne here and there but overall, once every clog in their is surfaced and ur sebacious glands shrink up, its clear skin for life :)