Try it. Try to last through the first 14 days of peeling sensitivity and irritation. Use moisturizer and make sure you are not exposed to the sun.

Stay on it!! IF you get off and get back on the cycle will start all over again. That was my mistake, don't make it yours. It wiilll be sooooooo worth it in the end.

These results were worth the wait! I was sad reading these bad reviews but I stuck with it because my Doctor told me it would work. I broke out for almost 8 weeks but I could tell my skin was changing for the better in a weird optimistic way lol. I experienced mild peeling so I exfoliated with crushed aspirin mixed with a mild cleanser which helped alot! I didn't experience harsh burning because my doctor was INTELLIGENT enough to start me out with the mildest retin-a (0.025% cream) and then bumped me up to the 4% retin a micro after a month in a half. My skin looks GREAT now and I feel so happy and blessed when I look in the mirror. My boyfriend told me that my skin looks beautiful :) I go out and I don't need makeup anymore and it takes me about an hour less of maintenence when I go out! I just hope that this message helps someone like me. Just have fait, Acne is stressful and painful. I wish you all the best

Adult Acne: Never had acne in my life. Started with medium acne condition. 10- 15 pimples on my forehead and under the skin surface. Aug 10 - Went to see a doctor. Started on Stieva A (Tretinoin 0.025%) Aug 24 ' Went to see the same doctor again. Prescribed Erythromycin but asked me to wait two more weeks to start. First three weeks - very bad condition, more pimples and bigger in size. Forehead and chin were the worst. Aug 26 ' Went to see another doctor. I was prescribed Bezaclin and told not to use Stieva A if not effective. But I've read here that people have used both tretinoin and Benzaclin at the same time. So I took the risk and used both. Benzaclin in morning and tretinoin at night. Aug 31 - Saw little improvement but lot of pimples still under the skin. Sept 6 ' Started Erythromycin. Twice a day Sept 13 ' Cleared all. In Canada, it is so hard to get to see the specialist unless it is life threatening. Thanks to this website. I got m

I faced problems with acne through all my life and now, with 26 years old, I'm still with the same issues (the only notable difference is where the pimples grow). I have adult acne (hormonal acne) and this condition started to really bother me at the beginning of October; I was with 5-6 cystic pimples in my chin and left cheek. So I decided to seek for a 'birthcontrol pill' free treatment (side effects sucks) and went to the dermatologist. She prescribed me 100 mg of spironolactone and topic tretinoin 0,25mg/g with clindamycin fosfate 12mg/g. I was really excited to get rid of this problem, but actually, It just get worse. I've had the WORST breakout ever (a lot of cystic acne and some pustules), and was facing dizziness and fainting sensations due spironolactone. The conclusion: the side effects of spironolactone&tretinoin were worse than taking birthcontrol pills. Through all the month, I was sad, kind of depressed and with painful acne. Last week I visited my dermatologist and my gynecologist, I'm now taking Diane-35 (hopefully I'll switch the pill in the future), a lower dosage of spironolactone (50 mg), doxycycline (100 mg) and topic tretinoin. Since then, I had zero breakouts and the appearance of my skin is slowling improving, so yes, I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Apart from the prescribed drugs, I've made some daily changes that also seem to have helped. I'm using FPS 60 (I was using FPS 30 before) and I always manage to cover my face when I'm outdoor, I'm really engaged in moisturizing my skin and this really helps!!!!! I'm using this gel moisturizer with thermal water, 2 times a day. Also, it's REALLY important that your skin is completely dry when you are applying tretinoin. Finally, I'm trying to avoid dairy products (so sad). To put it shortly: if you're having a bad time with tretinoin, try to moisturize your face frequently, use high FPS sunblocks and apply tretinoin only when your skin is dry. And also, keep in mind that stress affects your acne situation and the picture can really get worse (try to relax). Hope it helps. (Sorry for my english, I'm from Brazil :) ).

Going to be straight to the point. It will clear you up about 60%. It will destroy your skin for the first couple months though. Use it at night only, and sparringly. DO NOT put it near your mouth or eyes because those areas will forsurely peel uncontrollably. Use coconut oil as a moisturizer, and tea tree oil (dilute with water) as a toner. Those two things will help A LOT!! If you have some cash, go out and buy the ZAP kit by Saje. You will only need to use this cream once to twice a week then. Also, the moisturizer by Holista called Tea Tree and Vitamin E oil will save your skin from break outs and dryness. Use it at bedtime, after your night care routine, or after you use the retinoid cream.

The best thing I ever did was go to the Dr and get prescribed tretinoin!! Don't spend money on bogus cleansers and acne treatments that don't work, go straight to your Dr or dermatologist and get help!! This stuff has almost completely cleared me up, I'm 24 years old and had hundreds of blackheads and closed comedones and as a result was constantly getting inflamed pimples. I was put on tretinoin 0.05% (Stieva-A brand, not retin-a) and within 3 months I could see a huge improvement. The only thing is that my purging stage on this treatment was terrible, I broke out so badly. I did also peel quite a bit but with a good moisturiser it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. In the end I would do it all again if I had to. I've been using it for 4 months now and am about to go up a dose to the 0.1% just because I can. Get this stuff asap, you won't regret it!!

*Advice or comments are encouraged. I have had mild-moderate acne since I was 13 and I am now almost 21. I decided that I want to have completely clear skin. I was previously only using soap in the mornings and my face had maybe 3-5 pimples at a time. On tretinon, it took me back to my middle school acne where I have acne all over that I am trying to hide with hoodies, collars, etc. I saw the dermatologist and he put me on .025% tretinoin and told me to use a benzoyl peroxide wash in the mornings. I can't say I went through an initial purge. A constant purge is more appropriate. I went from have pimples to having zits and cysts, some of which had to be injected to remove and left scars. My skin would look like it was starting to clear and then it would erupt with acne-so depressing to be so close. I was boosted to .05 in month 2 and same thing. My skin broke out and cleared up super-fast, but it was a continuous thing. Today has been month 3 and I have been using .1% for a week with the same results. This stuff makes your skin look smooth, but it also makes you look like you have been out in the sun and your skin is dried out. It is frustrating to get new zits where you have dry skin. Anyway, this has been a last ditch effort before accutane. I will use for another month with my fingers crossed. I have followed the instructions completely and have maintained a healthy diet. Read the reviews here, but IGNORE the people that said they have used it for a week or two and their skin cleared. It does not work that fast and they have yet to go through the initial purge, which lasts much longer! Also, ignore the reviewers who were prescribed an antibiotic at the same time. It is more likely the antibiotic clearing the skin rather than the tretinoin.

I want to start by saying that this product apparently has worked for many people, but please be aware that it does NOT work for everyone. I have been struggling with moderate acne since my teens (I'm now 31). I went to the doctor and she prescribed Retin-A. She did not warn me that my acne might get a LOT worse before it got better, and for an extended period of time. I really wanted to give this a shot, but after 9 weeks on the product and my acne was significantly WORSE than before I started using Retin-A, I just couldn't take it anymore. It was difficult to cover all of the cysts that were popping up on a daily basis with makeup, I started avoiding leaving the house, and I didn't want my boyfriend to see me without makeup. It was terrible, and it was affecting my self-esteem as well (I am normally quite a confident individual). Who wants to suffer through weeks and even months of painful, cycstic acne in the hopes that your acne may or may not finally clear up?! I finally decided to explore a natural route, and about a week ago I went to see an acupuncturist who specializes in Chinese Medicine. I stopped using Retin-A the same day. I received an acupuncture treatment, started taking Neem herbal supplements daily, and have reduced my carbohydrate intake. To wash my face, I'm using a natural Syrian soap called Chami, that's it. No moisturizer needed. Almost ALL of my cysts from using Retin-A have already dried up, my skin is much less oily, and I'm feeling so much better about my skin! I'm also using a Fuller's Earth mud mask every other day (commonly used in India, called Multani Mitti). I can't believe I spent all this time on Retin-A when a natural approach would have worked much better in the long run. It's only been a week, but the results so far have been very promising. If you're going to use Retin-A, just make sure you understand the risks!

I'm 19 years old and I've always had bumps/clogged pores/blackheads on my forehead and nose for as long as I can remember. It was the worst, because no matter how much make-up I'd use, it would be impossible to cover up (especially in certain lighting). It was bothering me so much that I asked my doctor to put me on birth control pills, solely for the purpose of acne. She did, and I stuck to the pills for about 10 months until I realized that my skin was getting much worse (huge painful cyst like acne on my jaw line/neck/chin/cheeks/around my mouth STILL ALSO had the bumpy skin) it was so awful and embarrassing. I just recently went to the dermatologist and was prescribed Minocycline 200mg per day and 0.025% Tretinoid cream to be applied every night. Literally, after 2 nights of using this cream my face was 99.7% clear! I put my make-up on and you couldn't even see a blemish. Now, I have been using it for almost 2 weeks, all of my dark spots from acne are fading very quickly, a couple of new zits have popped up but I'm not even mad because it's cleared up so much of what was already existing. I'm aware that there is supposed to be a "purging" period, but I am 2 weeks in and haven't experienced that yet. Very minimal flakes around my nose area. I did make the mistake of using this cream too close to my under eyes and it did burn very much when I used make-up remover in the same area. Overall my face always has a warm sensation now, not painful though. I don't remember the last time my skin has been so smooth, I could not be happier. I can't wait to see more results with this product!