"i never ever had an issue with acne in my life until i started working after college (i correlate it with the crazy stress at work).  so, i started using 0.25% retin a about a year ago.  a couple months in, i wasn&#039;t seeing the results i wanted; still breaking out, skin flaking.  i emailed my doctor and asked for the 0.5% strength... big mistake. i used that for about three months and my skin could not tolerate it at all.  regardless, i wasn&#039;t about to give up totally on retin a! so i went back to using the 0.25% and finally got the results i&#039;ve expected all along.  i always get comments now on how clear and &quot;fresh&quot; my skin looks. retin a (especially with a clindamycin and benzoyl peroxide cream) was a miracle for my skin. no pimples.. ever!"