After using Retin-A for 7 months, I am extremely happy with the results. It took 3 months to see a noticeable difference in my skin, but I'm glad I stuck with it. No more whiteheads, acne cysts, blackheads, or general pore infections. Initially it was very drying to my skin, but over time the dryness went away completely. I highly recommend this to anyone fighting acne.

Retin-A Micro completely cleared my hormonal acne around my mouth and sometimes on my cheeks. Do not bother with reviews that say "OMG I used this for 2 days and..." This medicine works with skin cell turnover which takes 3 months (12 weeks or 84 days). Please, STICK WITH IT. Hardly anyone does, and that's why not everyone sees results. I got discouraged when I'd been on it for two months and I was still breaking out. If I had quit, I would have never cleared up. At the 8 week mark it gradually started getting better, and by the 12 week mark I was almost clear or clear. I can't remember. Anyways, I stopped using it thinking Yaz had cleared me up, and I gradually began seeing an increase in clogged pores. 2-3 months after quitting I had gone back to square one. The moral of the story is: STICK WITH IT. It takes 2-4 months for MOST people.

This product is ABSOLUTELY amazing, I realize I've only been using it for 3 weeks, but before i bagn using it I had a bad breakout of like 5 cystic pimples in the same week on top of a few whiteheads, I went to the dermatologist and he put me on Solodyn pills, tretin-x cream and Aczone gel. The combination of all of these things have cleared my face up almost instantly. I couldnt believe how quickly the cysts went away and although I had a fe more whiteheads initially show up, they went away within 2 days. I can already see a noticable difference in my scars, they are less red and new pretty skin is forming beneath the old scars. I am so happy! I did not really expirience the initial breakout many people said they expirienced from this and i think its due to the fact that i am on the solodyn antibacterial pills. Tretine-x is a lower dosage of retin-a so it is less harsh on the skin and i did not expirience any burning or severe peeling. The aczone gel is very refreshing and makes my skin glow. I am EXTREMELY happy with all these products and would highly highly recommend them! I want to be a dermatologist someday, I know how devastating it is to have acne, When i breakout i dont want to see my boyfriend, go to class, or be seen in public at all I just want to hide. Its time to take control of acne and stop letting it control you, we only have one life and we should enjoy it and not have to worry about being ashamed of our faces. You are beautiful and there is a cure for every type of acne. What works for me may not work for you, but itd worth a try! In the end you will find the proper solution it is really just a matter of trial and error. For years I tried proactiv, benzoykle perozide, neutrogena, pronexin, salacylic acid, sulfur masks! EVERYTHING!!! but finally i found something that works perfectly with my skin and you will too! Just remember you are a beautiful person inside AND out!!! :)

I am a 22 year-old female who started Retin-A Micro gel (tretinoin) in September 2015 for moderate acne. It is now mid December and my skin is nearly perfect aside from hyperpigmentation (which will go away over time). No more acne, no more under-the-skin bumps. This medication works if you use it correctly and religiously. When I started Retin-A, I applied it twice a week for three weeks, then three times a week for another three weeks, etc., allowing my skin to adjust to the medication. This is important to do because this medicine can cause a lot of peeling, redness and irritation for the first month or two. You can reduce those problems by starting yourself on the medication slowly. Application of this medicine is also important. Follow the exact instructions in the provided pamphlet and apply a pea-sized amount to your forehead, cheeks and chin. A little goes a long way. Only apply this before bedtime. It can make your skin very sensitive to the sun so always apply sunscreen in the morning before going about your day. I recommend Cera Vae AM Facial Lotion with SPF 30. Tretinoin is the only acne treatment that targets all causes of acne and it is commonly used with antibiotics which can be prescribed by your dermatologist. I have been taking doxycyline since August 2015 and it helped reduce inflammation when I experienced bad breakouts. I believe it was beneficial for me to decide to start the antibiotic one month before I began tretinoin because it allowed the medicine to build up in my system first. Side effects of the antibiotic were minimal. I only experienced a slight upset stomach if I took the pill without food and water. To get the amazing results you want, you must be dedicated. This is a very challenging process and it will test your patience. For the first two and a half months on tretinoin I experienced terrible breakouts because my skin was purging. There was a lot of acne that I didn't even know was there that needed to be brought to the surface. It was incredibly difficult to deal with this mentally and emotionally, however, had I not decided to go through with the treatment plan I would still be dealing with acne. It is best to push through and tell yourself that you are taking a step in the right direction and being proactive about your skin condition. A lot of people stop treatment in the first month or two because they are not seeing quick results or they are unhappy with the side effects they are experiencing such as extreme dryness / peeling, sensitive, red skin and worsening acne. If you are on this treatment plan and see that your acne is getting so much worse, this is a good sign. It means the medicine is working and your skin is purging. It's a long waiting game and depending on your acne / skin-type and it could take anywhere between 3-7 months to see results. I was fortunate enough to be cleared in 12 weeks. I would encourage anyone who is genuinely interested in this treatment plan to also ask your dermatologist for an antibiotic to help fight the instant breakouts. Since Day 1 I have religiously followed this routine: Morning - Wash skin with Cetaphil, apply LUSH Tea Tree toner, follow up with Cera Vae AM lotion with SPF, apply another layer of regular Cera Vae moisturizer for extra hydration. Night - Wash skin with Cetaphil, apply LUSH Tea Tree toner, follow up with Cera Vae PM lotion, apply another layer of regular Cera Vae moisturizer for extra hydration, set timer for 30 minutes, then apply tretinoin. It is important to always wait at least 20-30 minutes to apply tretinoin. Your skin needs to be dry for the medication to absorb. The products I have listed above are the best options to use for this treatment because your skin is already going to be sensitive on this medicine. It would be too irritating for the skin to use any acne washes such as Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, etc. Quit them all together - it helps more than you realize. I found LUSH's Tea Tree toner and fell in love with it because it's so hydrating. It helps even out your skin tone and the tea tree is beneficial for fighting redness and excess oil. This product is 100% natural and vegan. I wanted to write a genuine, real review on Acne.org because throughout my acne struggles I have visited this website many times reading endless reviews and looking for the best solution, hoping I was on the right treatment plan. I hope this medication works for anyone who is truly dedicated to clearing their skin. It brought back my confidence and self-esteem and made me a much happier person. If you find that tretinoin was a solution for you, never stop using it. Quitting the medicine could allow your acne to return so stick to a routine! - Effy

I tried Retin-A for persistant moderate acne, which has been ongoing for 15 years, more than half my life. It didn`t work. I was incredibly patient, as I knew to expect initial outbreak, burning etc: I used it every other night, weakest strength, to start with, and my skin went red and greasy with no change to spots (unless you count that they were deeper and harder). I did this for 3 months, and my skin was constantly red and I was getting sores, so I stopped. As soon as I stopped, it went bonkers: my whole face erupted in acne. I waited a month or two for my skin to calm down, and then thought I`d try again, even slower. Used it every THREE nights, and same: red skin, no change in acne. My skin got redder and the texture changed: yes, it was "smooth" and glassy, but it also coated itself in grease within 1/2 an hour and I had to wipe it every hour because it was so heavy I could feel it. After another 4 months I stopped, and the same thing happened: within a week of stopping I got the worst cystic acne of my life. Literally hundreds of red, pus filled spots on every inch of my skin. The derm says now that my skin doesn`t tolerate Retin=a, and it lowers my skin`s defence barrier. It took all the top layers of my skin off, and left them open to all sorts of bacteria which my skin wasn`t strong enough to fend off. As soon as I stop using it, my skin - which has been totally hammered by such a strong product - is exposed to bacteria, infections etc, and every single pore becomes swollen and disgusting and acne-fied. Not for me. Wish it was but no: worse thing I ever put on my face.

I developed cystic acne on my cheeks and inflammatory acne around my temples and forehead at 23 and nothing (NOTHING) helped. I tried different topical antibiotics and proactiv (eff that stuff) and apple cider vinegar and lemon juice and an enormous assortment of expensive specialty products. I was sick of the useless antibiotics so I switched dermatologists and the first thing he said was "oh, you need some Retin A Micro!" and I started using this product that very night. I was worried about initial breakouts, but my skin was so bad I didn't notice if there were any. My acne did not change until about 8 solid weeks of using it nightly. Now I might get two or three cystic acne pimples every couple of weeks, and it's not perfect, but it's a heck of a lot better than having 8-10 all over both cheeks at a time, like I used to have. This stuff does make you peel... TERRIBLY. The area around my mouth and chin gets terrible dry patches, I can not put enough lotion on. The best recommendation I can give is to put petroleum jelly preemptively where you notice you get the dry skin every night. There is still a patch on my left cheek where I will get those one or two cysts every few weeks, so I've started putting it on night and day in that area only and using lots of sunscreen. It definitely has helped! Here's what I do: Morning: -Wash with Mario Badescu seaweed face wash -Azelex all over my face and chest and back (works GREAT on inflammatory acne) -Retin A on my problem area -Renee Rouleau Anti-Cyst Treatment on both cheeks Night: -Wash with Mario Badescu seaweed face wash -Azelex on my chest and back -Retin A all over my face -Renee Rouleau Anti-Cyst Treatment on both cheeks -Petroleum jelly on my dry areas I hope this helps, good luck!

I have such a love/hate relationship with this product! I have been using it for 5 years and in that time I have had perfect skin, problems with giant pustules, cracked skin, red skin, you name it. The condition of my skin changes with the weather, my hormones, and with my diet. I have tried every skin care system out there as well as every prescription and I know that retin a does work for me. I just really have to be diligent about using only as much as I need. When I use too much I can tell right away and my skin tends to fight back by being irritated and broken out. My "magical" combination is this: I wash with Neutrogena fresh foaming cleanser in the evening, and apply the retin a before bed. In the morning I rinse with water only and apply clindamycin gel followed by Olay moisturizer SPF 15 for sensitive skin. I am also on Ortho Tri Cyclen. I need to use this combination in order to achieve clear skin. Whenever I have tried to elliminate any of the products I have breakouts. I also notice that when my diet is poor my skin shows it. When I eat a lot of whole grains, lean meats and fruits and veggies I have awesome skin! I know that docs always say there is no evidence that a bad diet leads to bad skin but they are wrong. They just don't understand how it all works. I've struggled with my skin since I was 12 years old. I know what works and what doesn't. Retin a will work. I believe that retinols in general work. You just need to find the right strength for you and relax. Nothing makes skin worse than stress. Good luck!

I waited six months before I reviewed this product, because I wanted to make sure I saw the full results before posting. I've always had clear skin until my late 20's and then I began to break out. It kept getting worse and whenever my period rolled around or I was stressed my face would erupt in painful pimples and cysts. Going through acne when you're in your 20's and everyone around your age has clear skin is pretty rough. So I researched and decided to try Retin A. I didn't want to pay to see a doctor and get a prescription so I bought it online on a reputable site I had heard about. I started with the 0.01% gel. After a week the purging stage began and my skin was MUCH worse than before. This lasted for 3 months! I basically didn't go out most of that time, except with close friends. I was disappointed that it wasn't working fast enough so I ordered the 0.025%, but they only had it in cream. Even though I had read that the cream is comedogenic, I decided to try it anyway. I switched between that and the 0.01% gel for about a month, and was still breaking out. Out of frustration I finally made a doctor's appointment and got the prescription for 0.025% Retin A gel by Ortho Dermatologics. Within 2 weeks of using it I stopped breaking out. Before, I would break out in several pimples every week, sometimes over 10 active ones at the same time. I would also get large painful cysts on my chin. In the past month I have had about 3 pimples total, and usually around my period. No more painful cystic acne on my chin. When I get a pimple, it comes to a head much quicker and therefore heals faster. I couldn't be happier with the results. My advice would be to get an actual prescription for Retin A instead of buying it online. I think if I would have done that in the first place it wouldn't have taken 5 months to see any results. You MUST be patient on this med, it may take months to work but when it does it is SO worth it

I swear by this product! It has done amazing job in improving my overall skin condition. I am not a severe acne sufferer I must say. I have quite good skin, although a bit on a sensitive side, with occasional breakouts in a T zone and slightly enlarged pores on the nose which tend to clog and inflame from time to time. I have dry/combination or dry/delicate to normal type of skin (to use Clinique's terminology).The first week of use I really didn't notice anything going on on my face. No side effects, no improvement either. Although reading many reviews on here and elswehere, and thus being very well informed, I stupidly decided to put on more then just the pea sized amount that I had used so far. How utterly stupid of me. Around the 10th day of use my face turned really red and irritated, dry as hell and started flaking in such manner that I had to slather on moisturizer even during a day at work in my airconditioned office.Anyhow, after this mild set back I just simply took a few days off. I dont remember how many exactly but I just waited untill all those side effects dissapear. I think it might have taken about a week or so and I can tell you my skin after that week never looked better! It was Flawless! All the redness and irritation subsided and I just started applying Retin A 0,5 again, religiously following the pea sized amount rule. Never ever putting more, avoiding close to eyes areas and I am happier than ever. This product is really a miracle when used as recommended. Never overdo it! Applying more does not mean better or faster results! Trust me. Follow the instructions and you'll be fine. (Unless of course you are alergic to vitamin A).I am sticking to my Retina A 0,5 regimen, and intend to use it for the rest of my life! Since I am in about 6th week of use (including the break) I am still waiting for the fine lines to start dessapearing. But my skin is so smooth and glowing already that I have no doubt these antiwrinkle effects will arrive eventua

This product works very well as long as you stick with it. It took a month before my skin began to adjust to the treatment and that month was just plain unpleasant. My face broke out and my skin was sensitive to the touch. I was on the verge of discontinuing the treatment, but i decided listen to my dermotologist and just tough it out. This period is very crucial to the improvement of your acne and it is the reason many people give up. If your using this product and really want to drop it because of these side effects please do not. Just stick with it, in time your skin will improve drastically. Stop using this only if your dermotologist advises you to. Otherwise keep using it, I have for about 5 months and my skin looks so much better, its not totally flawless like a Neutrogena model, but it has improved so much. I love this product it just takes time and motivation.