Unfortunately I don't have B&A pictures due to being so self-conscious about my skin, but I want to share my experience.

I've had mild to moderate acne for my entire 20's and tried basically everything recommended, prescription and OTC to absolutely no results. 2-ish years ago I saw a dermatologist and was prescribed retin-A miscrosphere gel. Again, no results, even using the 0.1% religiously. Awhile back I kind of stopped and my skin was the same with regular breakouts and lots of CC's.

Then one day I read (can't remember where) that applying acne products to damp skin could improve their effectiveness. This was something I was told NEVER to do because it could cause irritation, but I decided to give it a shot.

It's been about 2 months since then and it's been a game changer. I've gotten a few pimples here and there, but not nearly as frequent, inflamed or painful. Before using this method I would easily have 10-20 active pimples at any given time and right now I have 3. A lot of my CC's have gone away and my skin is a lot brighter. Moreover, I had cystic acne on my jawline and hairline that would heal and then become active over and over that are almost completely gone.

The difference is such that my s/o, son, best friend and doctor all commented on the improvement.

As for irritation... I've had a few red and flaky days here and there, but nothing terrible.

My skin is naturally really dry and not terribly supple. My going theory about why the damp skin method is working for me is that basically my skin is so dry that it is impermeable to the gel at anything more than the top layer unless my skin is wet.

Just wanted to share for anyone who is struggling with similar issues. This is the first time I've been sure that an acne medication is actually working. Massive improvement. And that applying retin-A to damp skin isn't necessarily the worst thing ever.