389 replies to this topic

[XXYY]

i'm 90% clear from using BP but i wanted to switch to retin a to help with my post inflammatory pigmentation, my doctor prescribed me differin and tetralysal but ive read through this forum and i am terrified of the initial breakout, a lot of you seem to be complaining of PIH and i only wanted this to get rid of that. i think im going to start the antibiotics for 4 weeks, then start using differin and keep using BP to minimize the IB.

[chelslaw]

HI Everyone
Just curious if any of the ladies here are older (late 20s/early 30s) and wondering about their experiences

I am 28, female, mild-moderate acne on my chin only. Always inflamed though.

I was given a prescription today for Differin Gel (i think 0.1%) and 8 weeks of antibiotics to help combat the initial breakout

I would only be putting this on my chin, so trying to figure out how much to use if you are to use a pea size amount on your whole face. maybe half that?

should i start by using it just a couple times a week? (2 times, then 3 times, then 4 times, then 5 times then every day kinda thing?)

did anyone experiences alot of redness? (i used tactuo before and it made me quite red)

how about peeling?

Thanks!

[Stawberry1981]

Hey everyone,
I used to read this thread the past summer when my acne was bad. I just wanted to come on here to share my success story. I was not on Differin, but I am on Trentonin so it is still in the retin family. I suffered from moderate acne since I was about 14, at that time it was mostly on the chin and forehead. In my twenties when I moved from northern Ontario to Toronto, I started to break out horribly. I tried many things from natural remedies such as aloe vera and honey, erythomycin and several different birth controls ( Allesse and Tricyclen). Nothing seemed to work until my doctor put me on Diane 35 which cleared me right up for about 10 years. For 10 years I had PERFECTLY clear skin, I can count the number of pimples I had on one hand. This summer I decided that at age 30, I would be able to come off the pill. HORRIBLE idea. At first I started to break out in the chin area after about 2 months, by about 3 months I had several pimples all over my cheeks, chin, neck and the sides of my face. I had no choice but to return to the pill. I stated on Trentonin mixed with erythomycin. For a while, my face looked like a lizzard and got worse. I had alot of redness and peeling. I broke out horribly for about 7 weeks, on the 8th week I thought I had cleared but on week 9 I broke out again about 7 times in a week. After that, it just suddenly stopped. I had only been back on the pill for for about 9 weeks and the last time it took 5 months for it to kick in, so my guess is it was the Trentonin. I have went through menstrual cycles and still no pimples!! I am totally 100% clear now after about 12 weeks. In about 6 weeks, I had approx 40-50 breakouts. Just hang it there, it will be rough for the first while, as I could not stand to look in the mirror, but now it is totally worth it. I have stopped coming to these forums, but felt like I should return to share my story.

[InSonia]

HI Everyone
Just curious if any of the ladies here are older (late 20s/early 30s) and wondering about their experiences

I am 28, female, mild-moderate acne on my chin only. Always inflamed though.

I was given a prescription today for Differin Gel (i think 0.1%) and 8 weeks of antibiotics to help combat the initial breakout

I would only be putting this on my chin, so trying to figure out how much to use if you are to use a pea size amount on your whole face. maybe half that?

should i start by using it just a couple times a week? (2 times, then 3 times, then 4 times, then 5 times then every day kinda thing?)

did anyone experiences alot of redness? (i used tactuo before and it made me quite red)

how about peeling?

Thanks!

My doc recommended me to apply differin only on the spots, problematic areas. For your case, it should be the chin. I had breakouts (small spots on my chin and forehead). My first month routine is this. I apply small amounts of differin on my chin and forehead, followed by moisturizer an hour later. This is to minimize any irritation.
Currently (moving into second month), i just apply differin direct without any moisturizer as my skin is getting used to it. I hope to see results of the pigmentation fading soon.
Hope that helps !

[TeamAmby4Life]

Wow.

I've been reading this thread for the past hour or so, and I don't mean to sound rude or arrogant, but I feel somewhat lucky that my acne isn't as bad as some of you guys. Hope that doesn't make me sound like a B I T C H. :/ Anyway, I don't know how to really describe my acne. I would call it moderate or mild. I'm seventeen and have been suffering from acne since I was around twelve. The severity of it varies more than the personality of someone with Bipolar Disorder. Unfortunately, this past summer seemed to be the worst yet though. I was on Doxycycline for about a month and it was working just fine and then suddenly....it stopped working and my face started breaking out horribly. I was getting numerous whiteheads and occasional cystic bumps and, of course, me being the stubborn person I am, made the dreaded decision of picking the more noticeable ones.

Biggest. Mistake. Ever.

I was/am left with scarring and just felt really horrible about my skin. It was even worse that the climax of my breakout occurred during the first week of school. :/ Thankfully, Dermablend covered the scarring but the bumps were still very much visible at close range. Moving on, upset with my dermatologists lack of prescribing anything effective in the past few years I've been with him, my mom found someone else. She prescribed me with Adapalene (Differin) 0.1% every day, at night, along with Bactrim once a day.

*Cue Heavenly Music*

God bless this woman. (lol)

I've only been on Differin for about 5 weeks and it's already cleared up majority of my bumps and I've also noticed an improvement with my skin tone. The quick results could be due to my new-found obsession with drinking a ton of water and cutting out sodas to one, once a week.

Neutrogena Naturals Facial Cleanser
Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Make Up Remover (Only when I wear makeup)

Also, instead of using a moisturizer, I use Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera and Rose Petal when I feel my face is really clean and/or could use some moisture. It also has Vitamin E which is helping even off my skin tone. As an alternative, I use Sea Breeze Astringent (Sensitive Formula) when I feel my skin could use a more.... thorough cleansing. I mostly only use that after wearing make up to make sure all of it is completely gone. It's strange though....when she told me what she was prescribing me, I really thought I hadn't tried it before. But when I got home I realized that I was in fact on Differin (Same strength and everything) a couple of years back for three months and had a HORRENDOUS experience, much like the one you are all suffering. I couldn't take it and just stopped using it. This time though, I have nothing bad to say about it. I apply a generous amount on before going to bed and wake up to do my "skin test." Lol. It's basically me observing my face in my bathroom which has a window right by the mirror so I can use the natural sunlight to examine my face. Before Differin, all I could see were tiny to medium sized bumps plaguing my face and now, I see clear and smooth skin with a few small bumps here and there. This stuff has worked miracles and I feel lucky (blessed) that I didn't have an initial breakout.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is hang in there. Even though I didn't have a purging phase with Differin, I've experienced it too many times to count with countless other topical products. It eventually does get better. I promise.

[BlackHeart12]

I've joined the differin crew lol. I'm 22.I have moderate acne,only on my chin,around my mouth,and on my forehead,and no big cysts or anything,but its always there. always quite a few too. my skin is also in bad condition. I've tried bp,sa,all the usual drugstore products,zineryt.I've changed my make up to very minimal and non comodogenic. went back to the gp and he's put me on differin 0.1 and on an oral antibiotic too. Im on day 3 or 4. no burning or anything,no drying,which I'm happy about! no huge purge(yet), not sure when that normally happens? a few new teeny tiny pimples,quite a few in fact. my major worry is having hurrendous skin for 8 weeks and it not clearing me up fully!

[Adubs]

Hi everyone!

I've had mild/moderate acne since I was 12, and up until this year kept it in check with Benzaclin. Since graduating from college and working, I started breaking out more frequently. My dermatologist put me on an Acanya AM/Differin PM regime while taking spironolactone twice a day to prevent oil.

This is week 4 and HELL HAS BROKEN LOOSE. I imagine all the new pimples are the purging stage?

For all the older members like allisoncatherine, how is everything going? Were you pleased after the 3 months? I'm going to visit my long distance boyfriend on week 14 of differin, and I'm so scared I'll look like a disfigured monster.

Words of encouragement?

[Noregrets92]

What I've learnt from Differin is that it's varies greatly with users.I use a mild tea tree oil cleanser for it's antibacterial affects, medium temperature water to avoid dryness. both of these allow me to use differin every night without needing to apply moisturizer on top.
Skipping moisturizer made a huge difference to me. in the morning i'll use sunblock and a bit of moisturizer around my mouth.

your dermatologist has you on three different treatments at once so I wouldn't recommend adding any medicated cleansers or such until post 12 weeks.

your just purging at the moment which is good and don't be discouraged, just think of it as a deep detox.

I'm sure you already know, don't pick, let the expensive pharmaceuticals do what they're made to do .

any questions feel free to ask

[mysecretinsecurity]

Hello! So, this is my first post EVER on this website, so I decided to go here because my doctor gave me Differin cream 0.1%.

 

I am the type of person to research just about ANYTHING to see what the effects and reviews are.

 

I guess you could call be a paranoid wuss, because I'm really uncertain when it comes to these types of things.

 

I have tried Retin-A and Clindamycin Phosphate gel before, and it was okay...Retin-A was too harsh for me.

 

Clindamycin, after awhile, didn't feel like it was doing much of anything, so I quit it a few months ago.

 

My skin is starting to get worse again (probably the worse it's been in a few months, stupid period) so I'm really itching to try my Differin. But I'm also REALLY scared about the IB, it's really scary for me to think about it.

 

(My skin is probably moderately severe atm, it's mostly JUST my forehead.)

 

I'm basically right in the middle of my Junior year in high school, and I've been feeling the pressure/stress since day 1 of it.

 

Should I give it a go? Or should I wait? All responses are much appreciated!

[lionheart88]

So I've been on Differin for 14 weeks now and my skin is just terrible, the IB was the worst my skin has ever been and I've had acne for 12 years so yeah pretty bad! I keep thinking its improving and then I get more new pustules. I don't know when I should just quit but I've got a new tube of Differin so I guess I'll wait till that's gone and see! I've also been on erythromycin for 6 weeks, before that lymecycline for 2 months which did nothing. I was on doxycycline which cleared me for a month or so but then I became resistant. If this doesn't work the only option really is accutane and I am NOT going on it so I will just admit defeat. Has it taken anyone longer than 14 weeks to see any improvement at all?