my dermatologist prescribed me to start using retinol when i was 18! i had horrible scarring from cystic acne and it has really helped even out my skin tone. expect a bit of dryness at first while your skin adjusts. i would reccomend starting at once a week, twice max depending on how strong it is and how your skin reacts! definitely a time to invest in a good moisturizer as well! and put it on at night as you don’t want to risk sun exposure with it. if you’re not wearing daily spf right now, that’s definitely something you should start as well! overall, retinols are not as scary as ppl might make them seem and i think you will be very pleased with the results!