Been using retin-A cream for mild but stubborn acne that I still struggle with after accutane (accutane completely got rid of my moderate to severe level of acne, and since then I only get mild but stubborn whiteheads/blackheads that are small but persistent). Best advice I have is STICK with it to AT LEAST the 6-month mark - yes, 6 months!

BE patient and give your skin time. Slow and steady. IF you're dealing with beyond mild acne and have moderate to severe, I HIGHLY recommend accutane FIRST to get rid of the severe acne, because nothing beats accutane. 

For Retin-A I have JUST reached the 6-month mark and have been using it nightly for the entire time. After the intial purge, I go through consistent cycles of breakouts and then they clear - but over the 6 months I CAN confirm that EACH cycle is less severe and heals FASTER.

I know a lot of people use the 8 to 12-week rule of thumb for topicals but honestly that is NOT enough time to tell. If by 6-months you see ZERO improvement in severity then of course revist your derm/doctor. But do not expect clear skin in 8-12 weeks. Everyone's skin and acne are different so please be patient.

At 6 months I STILL get the same cycle of breakouts and then it clears but like I said, each cycle has been less severe AND heals faster. If you think about it, I'm still only HALFWAY until I reach 1-year of every day use, so I can't wait to see how it progresses.

Be VERY patient. For me, the lowest possible dose (0.01) has worked best - I'd rather slow and steady and avoided the initial irritation of redness/flaking/peeling nightmare etc. 

*My derm prescribed me the lowest dose 0.01 and said try to stick with it for a full YEAR to really tell if I can rely on this topical to maintain clear skin and get rid of the mild/stubborn acne

I did a review of retin-a five years ago when I was 15 years old. I didn't know a thing about skin care - barely washed my face once a day up until i started breaking out in cysts and clusters one summer. A dermatologist prescribed me retin a cream 0.05% and clindamycin for a initial 6 weeks - and to say the least the first couple weeks were pure hell. Breakout after breakout, more redness, more embarrassment, and my self esteem was at an all time low. However, I stayed with it by reading this forum and got clear by week 15. I was so clear that my doctor slowly got me off topicals that I ended up stop using it totally by the next summer. I stayed clear all the way until I turned 18 and started college, probably because my horrible lifestyle - eating crappy foods, partying all weekend, and stressing over exams. My breakout in college really was my worst ever during finals week, and I had to visit my dermatologist again. This time he gave me Differin gel, which only made my skin worse over a course of 12 weeks. I was breaking out in cysts everywhere, my nose, chin, cheeks, and eyebrows. I realized differin wasn't for me and took a tube of retin-a i had from a refill a couple years ago. 

I knew what I was getting myself into by starting Retin-A again, and was desperate to clear my skin because my self-esteem and confidence was so low. I couldn't go out to see my friends, always stayed in my room, and couldn't even look anyone in the eye fearing of them judging my pepperoni pizza-like skin. I started in September 2018, and by December 2018 I was much clearer. It wasn't all rainbows of course, I still had the purging phase, redness, and flakiness period that is normal with Retin-a. I've been on the 0.05% cream for about 6 months now and still breakout, but my acne is very much at bay now. All I can say is that Retin-a is a miracle in a bottle. I understand how tough it is to have acne and depressing it can be to know that there are people walking around without a blemish, while people like you have to worry about what others are thinking of your zits. If you're struggling to find that one product that will clear you up, give Retin-A a try. It truly has saved my life and self esteem. And if you end up trying it, stay strong and push through, I promise it gets better