I started using Retin-A 0.050% in April and it is now September, so I've waited a while to see if it really works. Unfortunately for me, this does not seem to have helped at all. Week 1: major peeling Week 3: still peeling + HORRIBLE BREAKOUTS (worst I've had in my life - I'm 33 and have suffered through acne since my teens) Week 5: no more peeling, but very bad purging phase. I can't even go out anymore :( Week 6: I went back to the doctor to ask for an antibiotic to use while my skin is still purging while on Retin-A because I couldn't take looking like Frankenstein's bride anymore. Week 8: Skin got better, but probably due to Minocycline, which has always worked for me but gives me the worst side effects. I was willing to go through the side effects just to have clear skin this time. Week 18: Finished my course of Minocycline. Skin is still better. Week 20: Started breaking out again because I've stopped Minocycline. Week 22: Skin looks worse than before I started Retin-A and I'm almost finished with my first tube. I won't continue with this anymore. I'm sure this works for some people, but it didn't for me. I went through a horrendous purging phase that was not worth it at all for me because even after 5 months, the medicine hasn't worked. I know a lot of people are saying to stick it out, but that will only really work for some. I don't want to give false hope. I only give it 2 stars because it is very affordable (I do live in Canada).

I've had acne for about ten years, and it was bad during high school but has cooled off a lot. I still wanted to see what could be done about the oily skin and few whiteheads that would pop up around the mouth and nose area, so I went to a dermatologist who gave me this and doxycycline. She started me off on the 0.025% which made be break out a little but worked well. It smoothed out any scars and pretty much solved the oil problem. After a few months she put me on 0.05%. This made me break out more and chapped my nose area. It went away after about week 4 and I'm now in week six and things are much better. Not many whiteheads or any of the pigmentation, and it's working better for the oil. If you're struggling through the so called "purge" just know that I did as well, but it will get better. It did for me, and I'm an oily Italian to begin with! Good luck!

So I'm not typically someone who writes reviews on products, but Retin-A was hands down the best thing to happen to my skin so I felt this review could really help some people who are currently struggling with the "purge phase" to push through. I have now been on Retin-A for about 9 weeks. So for a quick backstory on my skin, I first started breaking out pretty badly in high school, which is when I went on Accutane. That did wonders for my skin until about my sophomore year of college (I'm now about to be a senior) when my skin started to have random breakouts again, with my forehead being my biggest problem area. Overall, I would have pretty mild breakouts, but nothing too terrible. At the beginning of the summer I was prescribed the .05% cream and had a slightly different experience than most people, so here's a recap of my experience thus far: Upon my first night of using Retin-A, I immediately began the dreaded "purge phase" and my skin began breaking out into a bunch of little bumps where I applied the cream. It wasn't my typical breakout where I had varying size pimples, but rather more consistent small white head type bumps, which unfortunately is completely normal and shows the product is doing its job. Although this really sucked with my skin being my biggest insecurity, I pushed through and tried to be as positive as possible. In addition to breaking out, the texture of my skin also began to change a lot, but this is where my experience really differs from a lot of other reviewers. So instead of the typical super drying effect most people experience, my skin got a lot oiler. This was something I was actually something I was pleasantly surprised with though because my skin texture has always been super dry and never smooth (which has always annoyed me when applying makeup). I went through this consistent breaking out phase for about 6-8 weeks, which some days looking a little better than others. Although, yes, this is a lot time and I know this purge phase differs with everyone, I am now happier with my skin than I've ever been. I just began my 9th week on the cream and my skin is literally flawless. Not only am I not breaking out at all, but my skin texture is what I'm almost even more excited about. It feels like I have a completely brand new layer of baby soft skin (which basically is what the product does), which I literally haven't experience since pre-puberty. I am seriously in love and couldn't recommend this product more. So with all of this being said and taking into consideration that everyone has a different experience, I promise the purge phase is so so worth it, so stick it out! As I mentioned earlier, I began Retin-A this summer, which I am really happy I did since I didn't have any big plans going on that overlapped with my purging phase. Being as insecure about my skin as I am, having a time period where I didn't have many social obligations/ school going on made this time a lot less hard to get through. I know not everyone's schedule allows for something like this, but if you do I guess that would be my only recommendation for starting this product. I hope my review will help some people struggling with this phase now because I know other people's reviews really helped me power through it. You got this and I promise the end results will make the weeks of bad skin beyond worth it!

Retino-A 0.025% Tretinoin Cream for acne scars is best medication, i use it from last 3 years

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.

It cleared me up for about a week. It's great for Anti-aging, but not for my stubborn, hormonal acne.

This is the best thing that has ever happened to my skin. To avoid the purging stage, you really have to be patient and start slow along with following the instructions that come with the product. I started with 0.5% and I applied it three times a week, and then every other night until I could apply it every night. Just see how your skin reacts the day after you used retin-a. If it's red, itchy, and aggravated then wait until it's back to it's normal state. Once your skin is free from any kind of discomfort, then apply it again. This is what I did and my skin got accustomed to it without being irritated anymore and I am on my fifth month. Some extra tips: Use a very gentle cleanser that doesn't really dry out your skin. I use spectro cleanser as it doesn't have any sulfates or fragrances. Wait 20 minutes then apply retin-a, let it dry, and wait 20 minutes again before putting on moisturizer. Again, use something that's really gentle and extremly hydrating like the first aid beauty ultra repair cream or the cerave moisturizing cream. Hope this helps!

Please see the update that I posted under comments. This stuff has destroyed my skin. I am not sure if it will ever recover. Please note that I didn't have red, peeling, or irritated skin while using it every other day. I followed all of my derms instructions and followed up with them monthly. I can't believe that I am writing this, I really thought this would work for me. I am 36 years old, female and have sensitive, acne-prone, oily skin. I have been using Tretinoin 0.025% Gel for 6 months for moderate inflammatory acne caused by taking oral steroids for a medical condition. OK, so, the Initial Breakout was brutal and lasted much longer than I expected, started at about week 3 and lasted for months! My skin is not yet better than it was before treatment (getting there though, hopefully, I don't know, it seems like acne comes in waves, right?). My pores appear larger than before and I am getting indented scars frequently, my skin has always been acne-prone and I have never scarred before. My Dermatologist says that this does not promote scarring, but I am not so sure. These scars may have happened anyway, I don't know, my acne has never been this bad before. I tried to use this every day, but ended up with an irritated-orange-peely texture, this is much better after switching to every other day, though the texture still is not normal. It definitely peels a thin layer of skin off and reveals newer skin with every use, a very good thing. It also brings closed comedones to the surface quickly. This is definitely not a miracle cure, but it just doesn't seem like there is one when it comes to acne... I do see glimmers of hope with this, but I think that it takes a very long time and must be used in combination with other treatments, especially for people that have something internally driving their acne.

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!!

I was on Retin-A with duac, bactrim/doxycycline. It worked wonderfully and gave me clearer skin than I've had since before I began puberty. It burned at first but other than that, I experienced no ill side-effects. I used it every night while I used duac in the morning. At first, I didn't apply it every night because my skin was so dry that it was too painful to apply, but once my skin got used to the chemicals in the Retin-A and Duac, I applied it every night and had amazing improvement.