192 replies to this topic

[Yaroon]

Wow, so many positive reviews here, it's inspiring!

I've been on Differin 0.1% for 6 weeks now, but haven't seen any improvements. I'll keep at it for a while longer and it my skin doesn't get any better, I'll switch to this. Thanks guys!

[EverySingleDay]

I use epiduo only for acne spot and i see resultes

[wll37]

I used epiduo and I'm breaking out like crazy. painful red pimples all over my face. I just applied for 2 days and I stopped. now, I'm switching back to benzoyl peroxide. maybe I'll try epido during summer break but for now, it's a big no.

[genesis91]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this forum and wanting advice on what topical acne treatments are worth trying. I'm 20yr old female with mild, persistant facial acne, (and have just started taking Marvelon birth control pill). I used an anti-bacterial cream under the name of Duac for 6 months & it worked, however my skin unfortunately built up a resistance to it. I was then put onto a much harsher treatment; retinoid based gel ISOTREX. After the first 2 days of use I had a shocking outbreak from it- acne worse than I'd ever had before! I stopped using it. I've been told about this Epiduo product, just wondering if it is really worth my while trying it or not? Or could somebody recommed any other topical treatments for me to try (I'm not concerned about the price)?

[abigailwheeler]

Hi Genesis

I suffered from acne for nearly three years, I too used Duac plus various other topicals and oral antibiotics. Eventually my derm prescribed me Epiduo and it is the only thing that was effective in treating my acne. I would go as far as to call it my 'cure', because I haven't had a spot for nearly six months.

Of course, everyone's skin is different and what worked for me might not work for you.

If you want more information about how I got over my acne you can read my blog-thingy. http://www.acne.org/...60#entry3152560

I wish you the best of luck. x

[sandra23]

I've been on Epiduo for about 3-4 weeks now and it's not doing SH*T for me. It's cleared up my skin maybe 10%, but then the next morning I just wake up to find new pimples/bums forming. My doctor told me to apply at night EVERY OTHER night. I tried that. It didn't do sh*t. I applied twice a day, it burned the heck out of my face, I couldn't even put moisturizer or makeup without my face feeling like it was on fire. Also, it made my face peel like crazy. Now I'm using it once a day, sometimes every other day, depending on how my face feels and looks, its not really doing too much. I have new pimples popping up every or every other day. My left cheeck is infested with like 30 pimples. The other cheek, completely clear. WHAT THE HECK?!?! My forehead has cleared up some, but still not like it should for $200+. I called my derm today and he told me it takes 6-8 weeks to show real results. WHAT??!?!?!? And he keeps telling me how stress in my life is the main factor. I'm not that stressed....and some stress is just apart of LIFE! I can't do anything about that. smh! I have NEVER had acne throughout my entire life. Now, I'm 23 years old (female), and the past year I look like a 14 yr old girl going thru puberty. A few zits here and there during my or before my period but this stuff is horrible. I feel like I have a disease on my face! #WTFFFF I don't know where this came from and why and I can't find any medicine to fix it. I'm going to give this stupid epiduo another 3 weeks, if I don't see major improvement....I'm not wasting my $$$ again and giving it a F- rating on ALL OF MY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I kno how you feel! its so frustrating. ive been on epiduo for 6 weeks and im still breaking out..i heard you have to give it 3 mth! thats so long i kno..im just giving it another mth which adds up to 2 and half mths..if not im getting on accutane..i cant take it no more:(

[christinaaxo]

Hi guys,

I have had moderate acne on and off for several years due to genetics. When I began to get acne more often and bigger pimples I went to my doctor for help. She recommended I go on birth control which I thought was safe considering it helped two of my sisters out. However, the brand that she prescribed me to made me break out unbelievably and left both sides of my cheeks scarred for life. I was very upset with the results and went back to the doctors to be prescribed to Yaz. This has not had any negative effects on my skin so far and has done an okay job at improving it. My doctor decided that I should try something stronger which was the epiduo gel. I have been using this for roughly a month (once per day) and am really unsure if I should continue using it. My skin has become very dry, flaky, and ITCHY. I itch my face non-stop causing redness and due to the dirt on my nails I'm sure it is causing more pimples. Not only that, but I am still seeing new pimples on my cheeks, chin etc. I cannot deal with another bad experience due to medications and my self esteem is dropping lower and lower. I'm at the point where I don't even want to go to school because I am so insecure with my skin. Somebody please help!! Should I continue to use or not?

[fadedjay]

like most retiniods flaky and dry skin are side effects over time your skin should become used to medication - though it is not uncommon for this not happen as it varies for different skin types.

on average it takes around 3 months to see a noticeable improvement - i know it seems like a long time but you have to be patient.

if you feel like it is not right for your skin you should speak to you gp or derm and see what other topicals you could try.

[abigailwheeler]

Hi guys,

I have had moderate acne on and off for several years due to genetics. When I began to get acne more often and bigger pimples I went to my doctor for help. She recommended I go on birth control which I thought was safe considering it helped two of my sisters out. However, the brand that she prescribed me to made me break out unbelievably and left both sides of my cheeks scarred for life. I was very upset with the results and went back to the doctors to be prescribed to Yaz. This has not had any negative effects on my skin so far and has done an okay job at improving it. My doctor decided that I should try something stronger which was the epiduo gel. I have been using this for roughly a month (once per day) and am really unsure if I should continue using it. My skin has become very dry, flaky, and ITCHY. I itch my face non-stop causing redness and due to the dirt on my nails I'm sure it is causing more pimples. Not only that, but I am still seeing new pimples on my cheeks, chin etc. I cannot deal with another bad experience due to medications and my self esteem is dropping lower and lower. I'm at the point where I don't even want to go to school because I am so insecure with my skin. Somebody please help!! Should I continue to use or not?

Continue!!!

It gets better I promise. I know the flakes and redness are absolutely rubbish, especially when your make up is coming off with your skin! But I found exactly the same thing and was clear in 2 months. The flakiness and redness went away for me roughly at the same time I got clear.

I took photos of all of it and put them on my blog if you'd like to see what I experienced getting clear and how my skin looks now after a year and a half on epiduo.

How clear are you currently?

Here's the blog link: http://abi-girl.blog...-treatment.html

[InSonia]

I ran out of differin after using close to 3 months. So far so good. Now, he prescribed me epiduo, asking me to try it out. Much more costly and smaller tube. Hope it works!

[InSonia]

I would like to know if epiduo can be used for longterm, like for years?

[abigailwheeler]

Hi Everyone!

 

Today I filmed and uploaded a video to Youtube. I'm talking about Epiduo and how it cured my acne... Since I had so much support on the .org while I was really suffering, I was wondering if you guys could extend that support again? Please could you watch my video and let me know what you think...? I don't mind what kind of feedback, I just want to figure out if I should make a habit of making videos talking about acne... I'd put this to my facebook friends but I'm a bit shy (weird I know)

 

Thanks acne.org! 

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=lUB2hkwq6SY

[VBee]

Hi everyone, just prescribed the Epiduo today after a nightmare with Differin that lasted two nights only! honestly, I would rather have the acne than what the Differin did to me... holy cow...I am picking up the Epi tomorrow; I was hesitant at first because I know this is a "new" product, but after reading some of your posts I am feeling better about it. I have two thoughts remaining:1) This product contains .1% of the adapelene, right? Which is exactly what Differin contains? So how will using that PLUS another treatment on top of it be less horrific for my face in terms of redness, flaking, burning, drying, etc? I guess there are some inactive ingredients in it? My dermatologist said something about Vitamin A?2) So how much is this really drying out your skin? On the second day after using Differin, my face was covered in dry, red splotches that were flaking everywhere, including, weirdly enough, on my scalp. It burned to the touch and whenever I tried to put ANY product on it to relieve it or cover it up. So what can I expect from the Epiduo?Let me know your dryness factor, thanks a bunch,

Hey, your post caught my eye due to the fact that you mentioned the flaking on your scalp...
If you we're experiencing flakiness and redness on your scalp, it could have been one of two things: either you were applying the gel too close to the hairline, or you actually have what I have, which is excema. I get it on my scalp, and it actually is the worst aound my hairline. It looks like dandruff, really.... But sometimes I would notice a thin red edge around the area. This got worse when I started Back using Retin-a, which prompted me to go to the doctor, where I got a corticosteroid ointment for my "chronic eczema" and a prescription for epiduo - since the retina gave me nice skin, but the dryness never got better in my case - no matter how long I used it... My nose would always look like I had a booger or something hanging from it, but it was just the flaky dry skin... Not super sexy. So check with your doc to see if that flakiness around your hairline and on your scalp isn't actually eczema. It's really common, and gets confused for dandruff.

Epiduo does contain vitamin a (or retinol), which is what (eventually) makes your skin so smooth and flawless looking. Vitamin a promotes healing and cell turnover, it acts like an exfoliant, which is why you should NOT try to scrub your skin when you wash it or dry it off. I know you may be tempted to exfoliate to get rid of the dry skin flakes, but don't, just let the medication do its thing.

As far as timing, I would give it a month to work. If your skin is not clearing up after 4 weeks, then ask your doctor to switch medications. I saw a lot of people crying about their break outs getting worse after using the product for two weeks, and I think that's just the cycle of it. Everyone is different and needs time to adjust to the medications, get rid of the dead skin, dry out the acne, and clear the pores. With the Retin-a, it took a month for my redness to go away and my skin to clear up. I only got dry skin around my nose, but the rest was pretty ok. I love these products because I feel like they almost make you look younger since they make your skin look so smooth.

I've not used epiduo for that long, but the side effects (getting worse before it gets better, redness, dryness, burning like hell) are a lot worse than with retin-a, which is to be expected, since it contains a whole other ingredient that's super strong and drying. Any product like this is going to have you looking like hell for at least the first two weeks. Seriously, very normal, but the end result is worth it. You just gotta get through the initial horror and shock. I do find that my moisturizer makes the burning worse, and even aloe burns like crazy. This burning/redness didn't start until my 4th day on epiduo. The first 3 days were symptom free aside from some slight dryness... And I'm sure it will last another week at the very least.

I'm going to do the following:
1. First off, I will give it a month to work, since its my first time ever using the medication, and I know it takes a while to get through its cycle of horrible, to worse, to painful, to holy crap ill only leave the house with a paper bag over my head, and finally to smooth, acne-free, gorgeous skin.
2. I'm going to use it every other day for a week or two (if im still not used to the med) and then bump up to once a day (never twice a day - I don't see how someone can have skin left on their face if they use it 2x a day). If I can tolerate it, I'll stay there, if not, I go back to applying every other night.
3. I will try to stay away from wearing makeup this month - I wore some today and when I started to sweat, my makeup (bare minerals) got into my pores and all of a sudden I was bright red, bumpy, and feeling like my face was on fire. Plus, wearing makeup while trying to clear my acne is completely counter intuitive. Bass Aackwards, as they say. (If you have acne and you think you have to pile on Mac foundation to "cover it up"... Consider that the foundation is what is causing those zits in the first place. I promise, if you wear no makeup and religiously pull off a good face-care routine 2x a day... Your skin will clear up in one week without any meds).
4. I'm going to use the epiduo at night after washing my face with a SUPER gentle (neutrogena calming night wash or cetaphil for sensitive skin ), non-drying face wash (I religiously use a new, clean washcloth to wash my face and this has helped my skin tremendously... just dont scrub too much). Then moisturize with an oil-free, fragrance free moisturizer for sensitive skin (I haven't found one that didn't make the burn worse, I've tried cetaphil, Clinique dramatically different gel and the oil-free neutrogena one for sensitive skin.... The Clinique one felt the best and moisturized me the longest, and I'm going to buy the neutrogena anti-redness stuff, but otherwise I doubt I'll find a gentler moisturizer than the ones I listed). Of course, I'm going to softly pat my skin dry, use a bit of toner ( i spray a non-alcoholic neutrogena toner on my face and let it dry instead of using a cotton pad... Otherwise it's doing too much exfoliating), put on the tiniest amount of epiduo to barely cover my face (none around my hairline, mouth, or eyes/eyebrows (my eyebrows peel like crazy, yours may be ok), and then moisturize and off to bed. In the morning I do the same thing again minus the epiduo, and if I absolutely have to, I'll use a BB cream or tinted moisturizer instead of foundation.

I'll report back to tell you how it goes, but my skin regimen alone really helps to keep my skin clear. I recommend it, especially using a clean washcloth everytime you wash your face. The regimen cleared my skin within a week, and I don't even use acne-geared products, everything is gentle, non-drying, alcohol-free, cheap neutrogena stuff. If you're not on epiduo or the like, then you can use the washcloth to scrub a little bit harder and unless you're using the Clinique clarifying lotion as your astringent, (which is really another exfoliator) you can use a cotton pad to apply your toner/astringent. Otherwise get a little spray bottle, spray your face, brush your teeth while it dries, and then moisturize. I also wipe my phone off with alcohol as much as possible (I always break out where it touches my face), and change my pillow cover at least 1x a week, ideally 2x. It holds a lot of face germs, just like our phones.

Ok that was my novel on skin care. I'd love to hear how your skin is feeling/looking now, and if anyone has tips on how to get through the summer on this stuff (I'd like to get a tan, but don't want to risk the 3rd degree burns, know what I mean?)

Thanks and good luck!