Prescription retinol cream - is it worth it?

[Snugglepalace]

I've been reading of the wonders of proper prescription retinol cream and would like some advice from anyone who has used it.

Do you get it from a cosmetic dermatologist?
Does it cause much irritation?
What does it improve - texture, hyper pigmentation, wrinkles etc?
How long before you saw any improvement?
Is it very expensive?

Do you get it from a cosmetic dermatologist? - Yes
Does it cause much irritation? - Yes at the beginning. All the skin on my face flaked off.
What does it improve - texture, hyper pigmentation, wrinkles etc? - It cleared up my acne (along with other prescribed things) and reduced my freckles by about 70%. Texture yes, I don't have any wrinkles so don't know about that.
How long before you saw any improvement? - about 1 month-6 weeks
Is it very expensive? - Private prescriptions cost a lot more than NHS but it's not extortionate. Maybe £15-£20 a tube, I can't remember. The dermatologist is what costs and they'll want to see you regularly (and you'll need to go back to get prescriptions anyway).

It really is worth it I pay £48 a tube from my Aesthetic Clinic. It's cured my acne, sorted out the creepy skin around my mouth. Apart from abit of dryness at first hardly any side effects x

How did you get over the dry/flaky skin? Just lots of extra moisturiser?

Yes it's worth it. It is the only product that can reverse some signs of ageing, and makes a real difference to lines, skin texture, pigmentation. thickens skin (a good thing).
But my experience is different to Blair's and wicked'. I can use it only about 3 times a week. Otherwise my face flakes off, gets red and sore. I'm using it about 3 years and have never succeeded in getting as far as daily use.

It comes in different generic brands and I am going to try a different one just to see if that helps. Maybe different 'other' ingredients might be increasing the irritation. You'd think I'd have thought of that sooner. Only took me 3 years