When my doc first prescribed tretinoin, I did my due diligence and researched on the Internet. I got terrified 'the purge' would happen to me, as I had a bad experience with clindamycin in high school and I broke out pretty badly. I put off using T for weeks. But my boyfriend said to me one day, "You'll never know if you don't try it out - why would else this treatment be so popular if it didn't work?" Here's some background: I am a 23 y/o Asian female with moderate acne since middle school, mostly painful and swollen papules/pustules that come up around my menstrual cycle. I'd have 2-3 big pimples on my face at a given time (mostly around my T zone), and some other random zits would pop up here and there. But the worst were the red marks that got left behind - I'd pop my zits (bad habit, I know) and then the marks would just not go away! My skin is naturally pretty oily, with some dry patches here and there bc of my eczema, but my complexion was always reddish and when I drank alcohol I'd always get Asian glow and my face would look splotchy. I had bad hyperpigmentation and the only way to improve my complexion was to first stop the acne. I was sick of having to rely on makeup and foundation daily to hide the zits, it was especially hard because I love to exercise and hated working out because I had to remove my makeup. When I started T, I started VERY slowly. I used it twice a week for 3 weeks. The first three weeks my face flaked a bit, especially around the chin/mouth area. But I'd exfoliate every now and then and it'd take care of the flakiness. It never got to the point where I had patchy or broken skin, I found that moisturizing multiple times a day helped to control the dryness. I didn't experience a purge. The worst it ever got with the T was a few small whiteheads around my chin/mouth. But since T speeds up the rate of skin cell production, the zits went away and faded pretty quickly - a trend that would happen in the months to come, which was awesome. I didn't experience any 'purge' at any point in time. My skin started getting better, and by week 5-6 you could start to see some results. I stopped getting those painful hormonal zits that I usually get a few times a month, and it felt great. I was also taking minocycline for the first month I was on T, but I stopped after a while as I didn't think it was really making any impact. After 3 weeks of 2x/week, I upped the T to 3x/week for another 3 weeks. Then I upped to 4x/week for 3 weeks. Now I'm at 4-5x a week, and my skin has adjusted pretty well. I'm 13 weeks in now. There's no flaking at all now and my complexion has improved so much. I stopped getting painful, swollen zits. I have virtually no acne anymore. At times there's a small whitehead or two, but those almost always fade after 2-3 days. My hyperpigmentation has improved as well, though that takes a bit longer to see big improvements for complexion. I've also started buffering now, as I'm getting a little lazy with having to wait every time I use T, so I'll mix moisturizer and T together and apply right after I wash. The other day, I went to work without using foundation! That was definitely a first for me, and it felt great. I highly recommend using this product for acne, but you MUST be diligent about using it the correct way. I always see people say things like "I started T 2 weeks ago and I have been using it 3x week, my skin broke out!" Well, of course it would break out - you're not using it correctly. The key is to start slowly to make sure your skin adjusts, and to use it in a regimented scheduled way, making sure to wait at least 25 min between applications of T and moisturizer. Here's my skin regimen, if that's of interest: MORNING - Cerave or Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Creamy Cleanser - Moisturize with CeraVe Lotion - makeup EVENING Nights with T: - Cerave or Neutrogena Cleanser ----Wait at least 25min - pea-sized amount of T ----Wait at least 25min but I like it give it up to an hour if I have time - Cerave Lotion and 3 drops jojoba oil (I use Now Foods Organic Jojoba Oil, it's actually great for oily skin. I would highly recommend this product to hydrate skin, it makes your complexion incredibly supple the morning after) Other products - Panoxyl 4% benzoyl peroxide face wash, on days I do not use T (bp and T counteract each other so do not use on days you use T) - Philosophy Microdelivery Vitamin C Peel: for hyperpigmentation, this stuff is expensive but does wonders. I would only recommend this after your skin has adjusted to T (at least 3 months into treatment). I only use this every 1-2 weeks or so. Good luck!

Tretinoin is clinically proven to clear acne. The formulation of the drug is extremely important, and Atralin is formulated PERFECTLY. A .05 concentration of tretinoin isn't too strong, or too weak. Instead of other gels which have alcohol denat in them (which can be irritating), this has a much more tolerable alcohol in it. Not to mention it's other good for your skin ingredients like fish collagen hydrolyzates and glycerine. Overall, this is the best thing I have ever used for acne, and I'm never going to stop using it. It's that good.

So as of today I am on week 6. My derm told me it would take about 6 weeks to see a BIT of improvement...he sure was right. My skin is so soft now and I can see my dark scars and acne slowly fading away. The first couple weeks I was using this was HELL. I don't have zits or cystic acne I just have crazy black heads that cause lots of swelling and I pick at my skin like crazy. On this it caused me to have zits and cystic acne and EXTREMLY dry and sensitive skin (I have extremly oily skin). I was really upset during these weeks and my face literally hurt when I put mosturizer on it or smiled. I went crazy!! But I have found a solution. I still use it every 2-3 days and during the days I'm not on it def the morning after, I wash my face with coconut oil. I just lather a bunch of coconut oil (organic; extra virgin) and get a wash cloth, soak it in hot water.. ring it out and wipe it off. This adds lots of mosture back into my face and it feels so good. I apply cetaphil moisturizing cream or muraid intense moisturizer. I do this every pm/am till the night I have to use the tretinion. Than I just wash my face wil cerave and apply it. My skin is so smooth and soft now, no tiny little bumps that I usually have. Black heads are still there but I'll be patient. Also good for removing full face and eye make up for you girls out there. Just do as I explained up there and after you wiped and is dry do the step over again.(Do your research in coconut oil before trying it out)

I've had acne, pretty bad acne, for the last 4 years. It has destroyed my confidence, made me decide to take many "sick days" so that I didn't have to go to school, and took me away from living my life to the fullest. Life sucks when you can't look other people in the eye, or when you cry every time you look in the mirror. I've been on many many antibiotics and prescription topicals that haven't worked. I used a combination of acanya and epiduo along with antibiotics for over 5 months, only to see little to no improvement. I got frustrated and upset and decided to be a little selfish and use some of my sister's topical (tretinoin) that she was prescribed from a different dermatologist several months back (her skin has really cleared up). After a few days of use, my skin became the most red and itchy and dry and irritated that my skin has EVER been. My skin looked awful. I stopped using it and applied moisturizer on my skin as much as I could, but it burned a ton. I was also breaking out in a rash under chin and down my neck so I decided to use hydrocortisone cream on my neck and face. It burned, but after applying it a few times throughout a day and night, my skin was back to about normal and it was like my skin shedded a complete layer of skin, I had so much dry skin peeling off my face. After the dry skin peeled off, it left my face a LOT clearer. I have now used this product sparingly for over a week now and my skin has NEVER LOOKED BETTER IN FOUR YEARS. Use this product as instructed and ease into the treatment to know how it will treat you. This has been the best product for acne that I have ever used and although my blemishes are not all gone, this product also seems to do a good job of fading the red pigmentation that acne leaves behind. This product has been a miracle for me as there was a point that I decided to just almost give up. Stay faithful acne sufferers! You're not alone and there IS a product out there for you!!

I have suffered from acne and cystic acne for 10 years. I have tried almost EVERYTHING there is to try from topical to oral treatments. I recently stopped taking minocycline after 5 years of use. I regret taking that because I now have to live with the side effects of taking an antibiotic for so long with results of hyper pigmentation, yellowing of the eyes, and gums/tooth discoloration. Anyway, the day I stopped taking minocycline, I began my treatment with tretinoin. It has been six months and my skin is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I am no longer embarrassed to go without makeup in front of my boyfriend and it is such a freeing state of existence. Those with acne will understand what I mean. There still is slight discolorsfion from years of acne but it is improving every day. Please, please, please give tretinoin a chance. It works, just be patient!! It took 2 months for me to be happy with my skin. Hope this incredibly long review helps :)

I had recently completely switched up my acne treatment medications. I switched my birth control to Loryna, started taking doxycycline hyclate (sp?) twice a day, and I also take 1 vitamin to improve skin, hair, and nails. On top of that I started using Tretinoin cream 0.025%. I watched a ton of youtube videos to see what it was all about and I watched and read all negative things. I was kinda scared to see how it would work on my skin so I have been using it every other night and wow, I have not had 1 breakout since. Before, I had a new breakout daily, sometimes more depending on stress but now all my acne has gone away. All I have left is a few acne scars from my really bad cystic acne below my nose and that will take time to go away. This product has made my skin a little dry, so I use lots of moisturizer and try to stay away from liquid makeup. But the dryness is nothing too bad. I would definitely recommend trying this product.

I've been using tretinion cream off and on for almost 15 years. You must have patience with it and give it at least 6 months. Also to note; I tried it without benzoyl peroxide or sylic acid wash and it did not work. I'm 28 so I've tried all different approaches to this. If you keep using it when you get older your skin will look much more youthful. Can't hurt to add this with your regimen of other products!

Day 20- no improvement, new pimples still forming, acne scares still there, may even be getting worse. Felling very down About 3 days after my skin cleard up. In a month or so I think I will have perfect skin Use clymidicin gel with this

I have been using tretinoin for almost 7 years now and it has been greatly beneficial to my skin. Tretinoin helped my skin to reduce the size of scars as well as help prevent blackheads. Here are the combinations of topical applications I used with tretinoin -Tretinoin + Benzoyl Peroxide Cream + Aveeno Calming Cleanser = VERY DRY SKIN, peeling, redness, irritation, needed a great amount of moisturizer... sometimes the moisturizer was too weak to reduce the dry skin so I had to use something thick like sunblock. -Tretinoin + Oxy Benzoyl Peroxide Face Wash = Dry skin, redness, a small amount of peeling -Tretinoin + Clindamycin Phosphate + Cetaphil Everyday Cleanser = Best results, didn't over-dry the skin, kept the skin nice and tight, seems like my pores are shrinking, scars are starting to level-off with the rest of the skin, no peeling, no dryness. Tretinoin should be used at night because it makes your skin sensitive to UV rays as well as artificial sunlight. Try to apply this right before you go to sleep; my skin got oily when I applied this and went out. Only use a pea-sized amount to prevent over-drying/redness. Try to wash your face after 7-8 hours after you apply it on your face because it can irritate your skin.

So I have struggled with acne since 12, it stopped around 16-19 and 6 months ago came back really bad! I am a 19 year old male and broke out pretty damn bad. Cystic acne all over my jawline and cheeks. I started taking tretinoin .025 and doxycyline for the first month. I am 9 weeks in and my face has changed a lot! I am breaking out a little but not nearly as bad as I was, I'm dealing with hyper pigmentation and some breakouts which is awesome! I have a great regimen that has worked great for me because I use couple other treatments on my face in conjunction with tretinoin. It takes time! I was like you sitting on my computer at night because I'm pissed how my skin looks and don't know what to do. Give this a try and give it time, I broke out and did have the initial breakout but so worth it! My skin can only get better from now, switching to retina-a .05 in couple weeks since my skin is easily tolerating the .025, if anyone has any questions on my regimen feel free to ask!