i'm 15 and i have mild acne, mostly acne scarring on my cheeks and sometimes medium sided pimples on my forehead. i went to the doctor and she prescribed me the Tretinoin Cream in 0.025%. after reading many of these reviews, i was nervous for the initial breakout to be bad. After a few days, it made me flake and dry and it was a very uncomfortable dryness. I had to skip a night of usage because it was so dry. because of this, i bought a clean & clear moisturizer and i use Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes in the morning, it really helped with the dryness and the peeling on my face, i really recommend using these products. It has been 12 days of use and i do see an improvement in my skin, although when my skin started getting dry i got a few breakouts on my forehead which are mostly flat now, so i think i'm passing the initial breakout period which means this medication is working fast. my face currently is very soft and i see a good improvement. Also, before i apply the tretinoin, i wash my face with clean & clear morning burst (wait 20-30 minutes of course) then apply and go to sleep. I highly recommend the products i mentioned in this and i will make an update in a few weeks.

I use the tretinion in the evening and the acne.org regimen in the morning. I waited until my skin was clear (thank you acne.org) before introducing this product. I did not have any issues of initial breakouts. I think because I was using BP in the mornings. I would highly recommend using the acne.org regimen first for a few weeks before introducing this product. My face is clear and I couldn't be happier.

I have been using Retin-A for about a year now, and the results have been truly amazing. I am a 15 year old female who struggled with acne as all teens do, and my derm prescribed me with Retin-A, Clindamycin lotion, and gave me a list of lotions and facial washes be recommended. I will tell you my routine, but if you don't care, scroll down to see the actual review. I use Retin-A .025 every other day because I'm a red head with sensitive skin at high altitude. Every morning, I wash my face with cetaphil, and apply my moisturel face lotion immediately after. Note that the lotion and face wash neither have acne fighting ingredients in them. I then apply sunscreen, and after either my makeup or the Clindamycin if I'm not wearing makeup. At night, I take my make up off If I wear any, and wash my face and use the moisturizer again. I then apply Clindamycin lotion. If I apply Retin-A that night, I wait 30 minutes after moisturizing to apply Retin-A. My derm told me this step is extremely crucial!! And then go to bed. When I first started using this product, my acne never got extremely severe, but my face peeled pretty seriously for about 5 months. I was embarrassed to be in public with my flakey skin, and no matter how much moisturizer I used, it wouldn't go away. No matter how much I exfoliated lightly, the flaking wouldn't go away until about 2 months ago. But truly for me, this was the only con. I had acne and I was ashamed and extremely insecure. But retin-a has changed my life. My skin is completely clear now, and on the way to recovery from my old scars. I would completely recommend this product to a VERY patient person, who follows their dermatologists orders. And remember everyone's skin is unique and may not be as pleasant ad mine was during the process. Many people's acne gets extremely worse before it gets better with Retin-A. But if you use the product properly and adjust it properly to your skins needs, then this product will work similar as it did for me and for you. Disclamer: just because I had much success doesn't mean everyone will. Some people's initial break out lasted 6 months before it got better. But whatever you do, if your derm prescribed this, DO NOT discontinue use! This is an extremely Long process, please do not give up! :)

So this was actually my second time on tretinoin cream. The first time was around 2.5 years ago when I was a sophomore in college. I was extremely stressed out and it showed in my face. Deep pimples began appearing and my doctor put me on tretinoin cream 0.1% immediately. It worked wonders but left some scaring near my temples possibly due to 0.1% being too strong of a prescription to start off. Soon after my face cleared up (6-9 months) I completely stopped using tretinoin cream. I thought that it was over but little did I know my acne would return with a vengeance. So this brings me to my junior year of college. Once school started and side effects of school (stress, sleep deprivation, eating unhealthy food, etc) appeared, my face broke out badly everywhere except my forehead. This time, my face broke out much worse than the first time. I'm talking like all over my cheeks, under my chin but especially bad along my jawline line. They were very painful too and I was miserable and self-conscious once again. So I waited a few monthes until I had a doctors appointment with a new doctor this time and I told him about my problem and he put me on tretinoin cream 0.1% again. Knowing I had to wait around 6 months to see results was a huge bummer. I would look at myself in the mirror and feel like sh*t. But I persevered and used the cream. My routine consisted of washing my face with alba botanica natural hawaiian facial wash around 30 mins (have to make sure your face is dry) before I would apply tretinion cream. I would also wash my face with the same facial wash in the morning. At first, washing my face was a hassle. Scrubbing my broken out face hurt so badly and my pimples would pop leaving my face a bloody and puss filled mess. This purging period will leave your skin extremely sensitive and your face will hurt but after you get past this period, you are in the clear. I did not see result until around 3 months after I began using it and almost full results until 6 months. The point is to be patient! This stuff works but it takes time for your body to push the gunk up from deep underneath your skin. During this purging period, apply sunscreen to prevent sun burns. Do not listen to those that bitch about this stuff not working. Most did not give it enough time to work. I still get a couple pimples every now and then when I eat greasy foods but I could care less about them because they clear up very quickly. It has been almost 13 months since I started my second round of tretinoin cream and now, I am much more confident and could care less about the minuscule scar marks on my face that are essentially too small to notice. Stick with your routine and keep applying the cream. Oh and drink lots of water keep you body hydrated and try not to eat too much greasy food. I also found the other positive reviews on here very inspirational in my own journey. I hope that my story can inspire and help others to persevere. I wish you all the best of luck through your own journeys and remember to keep your heads up, things will get better!!

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.

I highly recommend this product. I had chin acne that nothing, including BP, worked for. I am overall highly sensitive to BP and this product does not irritate my skin. I had an awful initial breakout - multiple painful cysts on my chin for about a month. I read on this website that many experienced the same thing and stuck it out. Then suddenly, acne started fading and I stopped getting new cysts and now my chin is clear except some scarring spots and occasional breakout. 4 stars instead of 5 for the initial breakout.

Preliminary results are good, time will tell!!!

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!

very procative AMAZING:my friend saw how clear my face was just in a few days of using it :) even she ask me to get one of my refills for her

I tried this product a few years ago and the irritation was so bad I had to stop. After trying almost everything else on the market I decided to give tretinoin a second shot. It cleared my skin. This is what I did: -Put a pea sized amount of .025 tretinoin cream in your hand -Put about twice that amount of cerave pm facial moisturizer on top of the tretinoin and mix it thoroughly to form a paste -Apply paste to affected area at night -Moisturize with cerave again in the morning My skin was almost completely clear in a week. I think the lotion helped my skin absorb the tretinoin better. Regardless, it really helped and the moisturizer helped reduce the facial redness I had experienced before! I sugest people give this a shot for a few weeks.