I don't use any of the really expensive products as there's no way I could afford it. However, I have used retinol based creams, at night only, for a few years now & they definitely work. They smooth out your skin, making your pores look smaller & your skin generally better, though lines don't disappear. I started with ROC, then progressed to Skin Doctors Retanew which is a bit stronger & they only recommend that you use it every other day. I'm currently on a Vichy night one from Ebay & that one is great too. The downside is you MUST use SPF as the retinol makes your skin sensitive to the sun & you can look shiny in some photo's, even with powder.:up: