I've suffered from breakouts for a little over 10 years. In high school I used to use benzoyl peroxide (Proactiv) and had lots of success, but I haven't used an acne treatment in years.

So I decided to try Differin, and I'm aware of a "purge" that causes excess breakouts for some people. My problem is extreme amounts of flakiness that it causes for me. It makes the corners of my nose so dry that I have to use vaseline on it before bed, and have to rinse my face off at work 1 - 2 times a day and carry around a moisturizer for emergencies.

What is causing this, and about how long do I need to continue use before I'd expect it to go away? Also, what can I use on my face to help clear up the flaky bits without irritating my skin too badly? I already wet shave with a safety razor, and I feel like combining that with a harsh scrub could lead to irritation on my sensitive skin. Thanks for any tips!