Ive used proactive for 4 years now and I find it works great. It does dry my skin out in some places because I have combination skin, but not in others and it isnt drying enough to stop using it. For the most part it clears up acne and keeps the skin soft and smooth. It is very gentle and it works great! It does bleach things if it comes in contact with them like towels, pillow cases and I even had it bleach the neck line of my pj's! I don't know how I managed to do that but it doesnt seem like a big price to pay for the results. Ive used a topical Retina A cream from the doctor as well, and it works well and even a little better then the proactive, but it dries the skin out so badly. After time, it stops doing that if you use it consistantly, but for about 2 weeks your skin is peeling and flaking to the point that I couldnt wear makeup and that even water burned my skin because it was so raw. If you have moderate acne I would definately recommend proactive, but for something more serious a Retina A cream would be more appropriate. Hope that helps!