I cannot give up on Retin-A. It makes your skin look like baby's skin. So.. i got to thinking and researching things on the net. The base ingredients in retin a micro and retin a cream are many. I am super sensitive and will react to just about anything. I read the base ingredients for retin a gel. There is only 3 -4 things in it. I looked up each one on the net and felt that none would be overwhelming to my skin. I called my derm and they gave me an rx but warned the gel is very drying. This is what I do... I moisturize first using Almay Milk Plus. Wait 10-15 minutes then apply a thin layer of retin a gel over it. It felt fine..SO FAR. I will need several days of this to tell if i will react. I am only using it everyother night too due to winter and drying and all. I pray this works because nothing else does. The only one I have not tried is Tazorac. I hope to know by my next derm appt on 12/6 if this new plan will work for me.
Its been two weeks now and yesterday i finally got up close to see what the retin a is doing. I cant use the "micro" because something in the base products makes me react. I tried generic cream but there is just as many other base products in it too so I asked for the gel. My skin seems to be ok. Its peeling a lot but that is what retin a does. It looks good under the peeling. It smoothes out the skin so any scarring becomes much less noticable. Helps wrinkles too. Im glad I didn't give up all together. Sometimes i put a moisturizer on over it after 1/2 hour or so. Doesn't seem to hurt anything. I found a great way to keep moist during the day. I have some serious skin care (HSN) oil free moisturizer that is a clear liquid. I put that on after the am shower. then when that drys i put complex 15 moisturizer right over that and then when it drys i use makeup as usual. This really helps my face from feeling too dry and tight. I think this is going to work for me.
quick update: I am doing fine with retin a gel. I am in 7th week and the two initial breakouts i got are gone and things seem fine. I still peel but not so bad and my skin seems less oily than it was at first. I still take antibiotics but i take one a day and two a day for 10 days during my cycle time. My goal is to get off antibiotics altogether.
The retin a gel didn't seem to do much for the redness like the micro did so I added some serious skin care fading fluid in the am. Wow what a difference it makes. I had a sun spot on my nose that was getting pretty visible. ( Im very fair skinned). Its almost gone now or at least it is very hard to see.
ALSO: I started using clearasil daily creme clenser ( oil free) . It has an antibacterial in it and i think its working great. I am hypersensitive so i decided to try to get off all bar soap. ( made from animal base products--fats) I really like this stuff a lot.
P.S. I added EPO to my routine and i find that my skin does not seem so oily. I was oily or something at first from the retin a gel. I still peel but its subtle and if i exfoliate once a week it helps a lot.
I have heard that sugar is a good exfoliator if you mix some in with your cleanser. I used to use baking soda but its drying and with me on retin a gel, im dry enough without adding to it.
Update for this post: Im 3 months into Tazorac and after 14 yrs of nothing working it is AMAZING - not sure how things will be long term but its the best I've used, and i've use them ALL - including accutane!
Oh good, i want to post an update too: I just had my derm appt this past saturday. Here is my routine and i look the best I have in years:
I am still taking amoxicillan. I tried to take it cyclically and i started getting breakouts again during af time so i went back on it full time. I take 2/ 500 mg. capsules a day.
I added Klaron Lotion about 2 mts. ago. It is sticky so i couldnt use it under makeup. I started putting it on under my retin a gel and its fine.
I use Retin a gel 0.025% every night. First I put on Klaron Lotion, then a lt. layer of Almay Milk Plus and then the retin a gel.
Use the Brand Retin A however, when I used the generic i didn't feel it was plumping up my skin. Thats the whole reason to use it in my opinion.
Back to RETIN A 0.025% GEL this time! 
