Been Using This for 13 Years - Chicago, IL

I started using Tazorac back in March of 2003 when I was a 15 year old Freshman in High School. My acne had gotten so bad that my face was covered in breakouts as well as whiteheads and severe hyperpigmentation from each breakout as well. It started getting really frustrating because every time a new breakout would appear I knew I would have it linger around for days/weeks then it would leave a brown pigmentation scar on my face that lasted for months. Over the counter products never did anything for my skin. I tried using Proactiv and Acne Complex which was popular at the time but no improvement ever occurred. Finally my parents took me to a dermatologist who prescribed Tetracycline for my white heads Duac 5% Benzoyl Peroxide Gel and .1% Tazorac Cream. I was to take the pills once a day and use Tazorac at night and Duac during the day. I remember the Tazorac irritating my skin drastically and after about a week or two of using it my face was tight, red, dry and peeling non stop. It got to the point where just opening my mouth to eat would cause my entire mouth region to crack and peel non stop. Needless to say I was not impressed and was pretty discouraged at how my face was looking. Then there was the initial "purge" where my skin got even worse than what it was before. Even more breakouts than before and a lot of dryness and peeling. I still stuck w/ the regimen of applying Duac Gel all over when I got home from school then Tazorac before I went to bed. After about 3 months as I was getting ready one day in the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror and realized that my breakouts were pretty much gone. I only had slight hyperpigmentation and was in shock that my skin was about 70% clear. As of today (13 years later) I still use Tazorac almost every single night before bed. I am now 28 years old and have had 100% flawless clear skin since using this medication. I look like I am 17-18 years old and people are shocked when I tell them my age. This can be attributed to either my good genes from my dads side since everyone ages so well or the fact that Tazorac also prevents wrinkles and tightens up your skin and provides a nice glow. For those thinking about giving up on this medication because the side effects are too severe I encourage you to continue with it. I will always remember just wanting to throw in the towel and give up on the medication since going to school with an irritated dry peeling face for about 2 months was hell. Luckily I stuck with it and it's the best thing to ever happen to me. I'm not saying this will work for everyone but it is worth giving it a shot and sticking with it even if you don't feel like it's working.