Adapalene (Differin) Reviews

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Prescription summary (1,070 votes)

How well it works

:):):)
3.1/5
Agreeability

:):):)
3.3/5
Affordability

:):):)
3.4/5
Common brand names: Differin

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lex, MI
Jun 23rd, 2005
How well it works
:):)
Agreeability
:):)
Affordability
:):)

the derm. gave the gel to me about 2 years ago. im a teenager and i have bad acne on my back and face. the differen gel at first just dried up my face and made it break out more..so i just put it away and stopped using it. the derm. told me to too keep using it and it will eventually work. i started up again and my face broke out really bad and was really dry, the breakouts settled down in about 6weeks. but it still looked bad. finally it got better 2 weeks later and then it broke out again. my acne just seemed to keep coming and going. so now i gave up on it and i told my derm. i want something new. if i were you..dont waste your money and try something that works better...you dont want to go through what I went through. but thats just my opinion

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Charisse, Trinidad, West Indies
Jun 22nd, 2005
How well it works
:):)
Agreeability
:):):)
Affordability
:):):):):)

At 26 yrs. old I have never suffered with acne, not even as a teen, but coming off my birth control for one month certainly took care of that. Imagine how distressing this is for someone as vain as I am (just kidding, but I do take a lot of pride in my appearance, and this is shooting my self esteem to hell). I have been on Differin Cream for about two weeks now and have actually noticed an increase in my breakouts. I'm hoping this is the "must get worse before it gets better" stage that everyone keeps talking about. It makes my face somewhat dry and causes it to peel, which I guess helps eliminate some of the surface scarring and marks, but it means I have to moisturize every morning, which causes my skin to become oily later on in the day. No irritability and redness though, which I guess is good. In terms of affordability, my doc gave me free samples to use so I didn't have to pay a cent and I guess I wouldn't have lost anything if it proves not to work. However, I'm becoming slightly discouraged and am counting on my birth control to provide me with some form of relief if this cream does nothing. But I'll probably stick with it for the next couple of months in the hope that it will start working eventually. I must say, though, that reading the reviews on this website has been very depressing :)

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Anonymous, Highland Park, NJ
Jun 22nd, 2005
How well it works
:):):):):)
Agreeability
:):):):)
Affordability
:):):):):)

I'm 28 and have had recurring acne all my life, but more recently I've become concerned with fine lines. My dermatologist prescribed differin (in CREAM formula) to rectify both the acne and fine lines. I had to wait out the initial two week TORTURE, where all the acne that you would have had for the next month or so comes to the surface all at once. But now it's been 3 weeks and my skin looks amazing! It is definitely flakier than before and I'm going to have to go out and buy moisturizer (a little nervous that this will cause me to break out again). But all in all, my skin looks 100 times better than before.

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Irene, Chicago
Jun 19th, 2005
How well it works
:)
Agreeability
:)
Affordability
:)

I have been using differin gel for 1 month. It does not work! My acne got worse then before and when I contacted my dermatologist all she kept saying was "give it a chance". She went as far as arguing with me about wanting to change my perscription. I had taken accutane 4 years ago and it worked 200% it was great!!!! I asked to be put back on and she totally disagreed what doctor does that? Well, I just wanted to share my story with those that have been convinced that they should try this very, very expensive cream. Please get a second opinion before trying "Differin" for your acne.

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Tianna-Alianna Rae, Syosset, NY
Jun 17th, 2005
How well it works
:)
Agreeability
:)
Affordability
:):):)

Differin was not effective at all. It did not reduce the number of pimples that I have up to now. I tried oral antibiotics and all but nothing works. I then tried Accutine but had to be placed in therapy because I was increasingly unstable mentally and often resorted to self-mutilation; a problem that is now cured but will always leave scars like my acne.

Right now I am not doing anything about my acne. I am still doing therapy for my mental health. But yes I have tried differin. It was so ineffective I slathered it on my scars from cutting and it actually faded them.

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Anna, Phili, PA
Jun 16th, 2005
How well it works
:):)
Agreeability
:):):):):)
Affordability
:):):):):)

I've been using this product (Differin) for a while now, along with another topical cream (Duac) and a pill. It has not been working for me. I hardly see a difference. I'm going to my dermotolagist tomorow to talk to him about how nothing has been working. Wish me luck!

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Dusta, NZ
Jun 15th, 2005
How well it works
:):):):)
Agreeability
:):):):)
Affordability
:)

Using it for about a month, in conjunction with cetaphil face wash & a topical solution on the spots in the AM. Got worse in one week but then things started clearing. I get like 1 spot at a time as opposed to 5 now, and they don't last as long. Not doing anything with blackheads tho. See what happens in a few more months.
I have oily T anyway so didn't really notice if this made it oilier. Started back swimming again a few times a week and it might be the chlorine in the water or something but it makes my face go quite dry (weird cos I don't have dry skin). So I recommend that for you oily people out there. Don't go overboard tho cos it will peel like anything.
And it cost $50 a tube here which is pretty hefty.
PS does anyone feel it is wrong to pop all this medication when you are generally healthy?? I was on doxycycline but I stopped after reading something about causing breast cancer with prolonged use and plus there's the whole superbugs thing.

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Dave, Brooklyn, NY
Jun 13th, 2005
How well it works
:):):)
Agreeability
:):):):)
Affordability
:)

I'm on Differin for about 4 months now and I feel that this product has made a difference.

I have to say that after first 2 months of use my acne really got worse, but my dermatologist advised me that it's normal with differin.
He later put me on Doxysolin pill and together with Differin my skin cleared up good.
But now it's June and I'm scared becuase I notice some break outs on my forehead. I think it's becuase of the hot wheather, causes my skin to oil up.
This product is very expensive for me, I don't know how I made my parents pay for it.

Over all I wish for more results and clearer skin, but I guess it takes time and experimentation with drug combinations.

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xianda, US
Jun 12th, 2005
How well it works
:):):):)
Agreeability
:):):):)
Affordability
:):):)

My derm. prescribed me Differn Gel along with Benzaclin three years ago. She also gave me an antibiotic which I took for a year, only slowly going of it after the year was up. At first, it cleared me up completely. I had just about zero pimples for months at a time. After a year, she took me off Benzaclin and I didn't start breaking out more until a few months later while still on the Differen gel. I go on and off Orthotriclen and I notice that when I do, I break out a hell of a lot more than I do when I'm on it. a week ago I started breaking out more often than I normally do and it's left some brown marks that are being stubborn and not going away. Differen does help with a combination of other producs and a gentle cleanser, like Cetaphil (great stuff)..however, I'm scared that my acne will continue to get worse with time and if Accutane weren't so expensive and hard to get, I'd be all for it.

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min, pensacola,fl
Jun 11th, 2005
How well it works
:)
Agreeability
:):)
Affordability
:):)

what can I say about Defferin Gel..I waisted so much money on this stuff,and also the doctor who made my life miserable.
My acne was so bad before I used this stuff. After I used it, I got even worse.
Birth control worked best. Differin Sucked.

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