Retin-A for Acne User Reviews (Page 3)

• CRJ...
• March 22, 2016

"My experience with Retin-A has been a lifesaver! I have used it for at least 20 years. It has helped with my acne problems over time... But it also helped soften and vanish much scarring. I was also amazed at how fast it would help my lesions heal. It was recommended to me years ago by a dermatologist, along with an Aqua Glycolic face wash (you can get it over the counter at the pharmacy only). My only complaint is how the price just went way up.... I was paying $33, and I went to pick up my prescription the other day, and it went up to $79! And that was with a pharmacy coupon. Eek! I will continue to buy it... It saved my life!!"

• ema...
• April 25, 2015

"I was on the 0.1 cream started in Oct 2014 and ended early March. I got it for whiteheads and uneven skin tone. After 4 1/2 months, whiteheads diminished but left with even more scarring. We are going into May, and my skin hasn't healed. Just ugly red chickenpox on my face. :( Another con about this product is that my skin texture isn't the same. When I was on it, it was smooth, but after I finished the tube, it's just dull and my pores are huge. It just looks terrible and so much thinner, and my skin tone is still uneven. It's depressing how much this cream has given me the uglies. It aged my skin 20 years. I'm only 23 and female, by the way. I don't know what to do now."

• Jay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 5, 2020

"I have been on this for 5 months. I originally tried adapalene and broke into blisters and a rash and was hesitant to try another similar product. My derm said the Retin-A was gentler and to start slow and do what I can tolerate. I used it every third day for two weeks and then every other day and continue every other day. I also use Aczone, but Aczone was not effective on its own. My skin is almost completely clear. I don't even use it daily and have not felt this good in a while. I am so happy and can only imagine I will continue to see results. Consistency is key. Best acne product I have ever tried! Finally, something that works."

• I W...
• June 11, 2015

"Retin-A is great. It helps a lot. It was September 2014 when I decided to go to a dermatologist. She recommended Glycolic Soap (use night and day), Clarifying Toner in the morning, Clindamycin (night and day), RA Gel every night, and Skinlite cream in the morning for the scars. Last March 2015, my face is already smooth. People were saying that it looks great. Now it's June 2015, and I'm still using RA Gel and Clindamycin, just to maintain my skin. Reminder: Please, when you start using RA Gel, do not stop. The pimples will come back... worse!"

• Che...
• January 21, 2018

"I have been using Retin-A along with the oral antibiotic Clindamycin for 4 months now. I am 20 and have had severe cystic acne since I was 11. I also had a lot of hyperpigmentation and scarring, to the point where my face was always bright red and bumpy. In just 4 months, my face has completely cleared up and smoothed out, it is visibly brighter. The hyperpigmentation is lightening significantly at this point, a few small pimples or blackheads occasionally, but mostly clear! The only other product I use is witch hazel as a toner and an oil-free moisturizer."

• Pay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 11, 2020

"Retin-A is just an awesome cream. There are side effects also, like peeling of skin and drying of skin, but it recovers with moisturizer. I applied moisturizer on my face during the daytime, and at night before sleeping, I use this cream on pimples in very little amount. I've been applying this for 1 month, and it's really working on my pimples. My pimples have reduced, and my dark spots have also lightened. It's taking time, so you have to be patient, and you have to apply it on your face where you feel like pimples are coming. Also, there’s no need to worry, it recovers new pimples and treats the whole face with pimples, it removes pimples very easily. I love this Retin-A cream, and it's working on my face very nicely."

• Nic...
• October 17, 2015

"I'm 16 years old. I'm a boy who suffers moderate acne. I have blemishes of previous acne. The downside is that I'm really white. I've been on Retin-A since September 1st. I'm on week 5 or 6, but my face is getting better. Acne decreasing much more. I still have the red blemishes and marks on my cheeks, but I'm excited to see the result people say they see in 3-6 months. I'm prescribed clindamycin phosphate and antibiotic pills with Cetaphil wash. I use Retin-A at night and then moisturize 30 minutes after, then apply clinda when I go to sleep. So stick to this cream, the whiteheads and stuff will suck, but my acne bumps/marks are slowly disappearing even though they are still visible. Can't wait till I can clear up and feel happy."

• Jus...
• May 25, 2018

"32-year-old female. I'd been on Acanya (benzoyl peroxide and clindamycin) for about 3 years before it stopped working very suddenly. Like, one day my skin was clear, and the next, I had breakouts on my chin and cheeks again. Anyway, I'd ordered a tube of 0.05% Retin-A online a while ago and used to use it as a spot treatment, which worked for a bit. I think that was too strong for me. Just starting prescribed 0.025% Retin-A and the morning after use on my entire face, my skin was less inflamed. I noticed 2 new pimples surfaced, but they were easily extracted. I use Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser and then a toner + moisturizer in the mornings. Cetaphil cleanser - wait 20 mins - Retin-A - wait 20 mins - and Neutrogena Hydro Boost moisturizer at night. I have noticed some blemishes come to the surface and minor peeling. But my general skin tone looks so much better than when I was using the Acanya, despite those two drawbacks. Will keep using and see what the long-term results look like!"

• dan...
• February 10, 2017

"I've read so many reviews about Retin-A being amazing and working almost immediately, but I have been using this gel for about 7 weeks, and my skin is still so much worse than before I started using it! I broke out in deep, painful acne almost immediately, and it still hasn't gone away. Breakouts all over my face, and my skin is red and very, very noticeably dry and peeling. Hoping it will start to work soon, I'm getting pretty discouraged that it's taking so long! :("

• Jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 1, 2017

"I have always had acne from my early teens, but just a few pimples now and again. I am now 23. I have relocated to the north coast, where I started experiencing terrible breakouts. It started with a rash, then small pimples, then a disaster. In 2016, I went to my dermatologist, who prescribed Retin-A 0.05%. Two days after using the product, I started having unbearable burning when using anything on my face, be it water, cleanser, or moisturizer. It just burned like crazy, and my acne got worse to the point where people were asking me what was wrong with my face. So about two weeks in, I stopped using the product. Five days ago, which is almost one year later, I decided to give it another try, and so far, there is no burning and no new breakouts."

• lvy...
• August 6, 2015

"I have very sensitive and oily skin. Whenever I go under the sun and/or get dirt on my face, I just get acne by that day, and once it starts appearing, it just breaks out vulnerably, leaving extreme bad scars on my face. I was just looking for my perfect products everywhere. I used a lot of things for this, but finally, I went to a dermatologist, and he suggested I use Duac gel twice a day, Retin-A cream at night over spots and blemishes, and suggested acne aid liquid cleanser. I just started using it for 4 days, and I just felt the quick changes in my skin. My scars were getting lighter, and all the newborn pimples were just fading with my skin. It is really an excellent spot treatment and a reliable drug. Please have it once. Greatly recommended."

• GVa...
• June 6, 2018

"I have used Retin-A .01% cream for acne for the past 20 years. I find it to be very therapeutic to my skin. Recently, my doctor switched me to the gel, and it's incredible the way it feels. It is not tacky or greasy. It's a very greaseless, lightweight gel. There is a little bit more alcohol in the gels than cream, but overall it feels great on my skin and is keeping the acne at bay. I highly recommend this gel, or even the creams for acne, but you have to know how to use it. Speak to your doctor if you have any questions and do exactly what he says. Your skin needs to get used to the strongest strength of them all to treat the acne. It's a wonderful, wonderful product."

• Tha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 24, 2015

"Well, I started using Retin-A cream .25 about a month and 3 weeks ago. I started by using it every 3 days for one month and then using it every other day. My face has gotten red, and my acne scars seem to be more noticeable, but around my eyes are really white, so you can imagine how I look. Well, I'm not sure if this is part of the process. I'm going to stick with it one more month and see what happens. I use CeraVe PM moisturizer after applying, and yes, I use a moisturizer with SPF 50 during the day that is a Cetaphil product. So I really hope this is just a phase I'm going through. I'll update in a month."

• Tir...
• January 25, 2018

"I started using Retin-A 0.1% two years back, but within a month, my skin became very dry. I stopped using it, though there were no other side effects. But after reading comments here, I got inspired and got the courage to use it again. So I have started to use it again and hope that it will work for me as well. I'll leave an update on my experience soon."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 16, 2012

"Okay, I just switched from using Differin, which helped my skin but didn't completely cure it. I have always had mild to moderate acne. I went to my dermatologist, and I started using Retin-A every other night for the past weeks and few days. I'M BREAKING OUT LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW. This is awful, and I have to go to school during this. I really hope this is just the initial breakout, and I'm not one of the people who ends up saying this left my skin worse than when I started. I'm going to give it another month or two."

• GEE...
• December 3, 2015

"For me, it got worse before it got better. And it got a lot better! I was prescribed Retin-A by my dermatologist back in July, and have been using it as directed for 4 months already. I'll say, it was very difficult to believe in this product since the first couple of weeks because my skin would just not catch a break. It got really bad, and I was miserable. However, I now attest to the true wonders this stuff can do for you if you're patient."

• An0...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 5, 2016

"I have posted early before about my 1st and 2nd week using Retin-A 0.025 cream. My 3rd week was much better than my second week, some of my acne started to calm down, and my face felt less bumpy. During this week, I started to use the cream 4 times a week because my cheeks were hurting. My 4th week was the most improvement. I started to use the cream every night again since my face had stopped hurting. During the 4th week, most of my pimples disappeared, and my skin felt smoother. I still had some pimples popping up, but not as much. Now my cheeks are pretty smooth with a couple of pimples, but my cheeks are really red from the scars that were left behind from the pimples. I'm hoping they will slowly fade later. Will keep updating!"

• Chi...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 6, 2021

"My dermatologist prescribed me Retin-A, and I feel like my skin has been the worst it’s ever been. I don’t even know why they keep this stuff in circulation. I literally had the worst breakouts ever on this. I did research, and most people said that you have to wait a few months to see results. But after 6 months of trying this stuff, I’m done. My bottle is almost empty, and it’s been a couple of days since I’ve used it, and of course my skin has been clearing up. If you get prescribed this, don’t take it because it’s going to wreck your skin. I have so many acne scars now."

• Kim...
• March 3, 2021

"I’ve been using Retin-A for the last 5 months now. The first 3 months were awful as I got the worst acne breakouts of my life, and they came in the form of cystic, pus-filled, painful acne spots. My face looked horrible, I dreaded going out. It was a nightmare, but after reading reviews of people's experiences, I decided not to stop. Fast forward to 5 months now, and there has been tremendous improvement, most especially in my skin texture. My acne is now 80% under control, but I am dealing with intense hyperpigmentation, but overall my skin has never looked better. My skin texture is really amazing now. So my advice to anyone about to start: stick with it and buffer with a heavy-duty moisturizer when you’re about to start to minimize irritation and purging. And lastly, don’t rely on tretinoin alone. Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide in combination with Retin-A would give you better and faster results, so talk to your dermatologist about what works for you."

• kat...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 5, 2023

"I started using this 40 years ago for acne. I am now 70. I have no wrinkles on my face and my acne is, of course, gone. I've always used the cream and didn't have much of an issue initially with redness or peeling. At this point, I love the fact that the side effect is no wrinkles."

• ros...
• December 10, 2015

"I highly recommend this product to anyone suffering from acne! I started breaking out very badly, and I was put on this cream by my dermatologist, and I am so happy with the results. It's only been 5 days since I started using it, and I am very happy with the results so far!"

• An0...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 5, 2016

"I have posted earlier before about my 1st and 2nd week using Retin-A 0.025 cream. My 3rd week was much better than my second week, some of my acne started to calm down, and my face felt less bumpy. During this week, I started to use the cream 4 times a week because my cheeks were hurting. My 4th week showed the most improvement. I started to use the cream every night again since my face had stopped hurting. During the 4th week, most of my pimples disappeared, and my skin felt smoother. I still had some pimples popping up, but not as much. Now my cheeks are pretty smooth with a couple of pimples, but my cheeks are really red from the scars that were left behind from the pimples. I'm hoping they will slowly fade later. Will keep updating!"

• Yan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 20, 2015

"Today is my first day using Retin-A 0.04% microderm gel. I work in a pharmacy, and the RPh told me that when using this gel, I have to also use clindamycin 1% lotion before the gel. She also told me to use minocycline 100 mg capsules as well. Anyway, she said it will work alone but will work excellent together (gel & lotion). Then the capsules will top it off. My face (due to a thyroidectomy that was performed) was always CLEAR. Within 6 months, I had a lot of scars and pimples galore. I tried Epiduo, Nuquin, Proactive, RX for brown skin, No7, everything, but my hormones are out of whack. Hopefully, this combo will work. Will keep you posted."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 1, 2021

"Took this for two months (topical cream), and my face broke out the entire time. Tried to wait it out as much as possible, but I have never had worse acne in my entire life. After not using it for about two weeks, my skin cleared up. I will NEVER take this medication again."

• kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2020

"This was the worst experience of my life. It made my face break out, and I had big red dry patches on my face that burned so bad. I still have red scars from those spots that I didn’t have before. Do not use this, I suggest Accutane. I have done that before also."