Honestly when I used differin I broke out for 10 weeks the worst acne I had ever had in my life. I thought oh it will clear up but it just didnt and its taken me months to reduce the damage that differin did.

However my best friend used it and it worked wonders, her skin was the best Ive ever seen it.

So what im trying to say is no one can really tell you whats going to happen when your using a cream as everyones skin is different and will react differently. Good luck I hope it works for you!

Thanks for your reply

Were you on 0.1 or 0.3 differin?

Did your friend have an initial breakout also before her skin cleared up?

We both used 0.1 and I remember her saying it took ages for it to work but when it did her skin cleared up wonderfully.

I am still using differin 0.1 % since starting in September, skin looks awful due to PIH but in regard to number of spots it has reduced it (I still currently have 4 active spots). However, I'm also still getting red dry flaky skin.

I thought about speaking to my Doctor earlier but I've decided to finish off my last tube of differin. Give it a long trial period and expect it to cycle from good to bad and reverse during that time.

It HAS worked for many people and HASN'T for others. Give it some time

Thanks for your reply

You're so lucky do have just 4 !!!

You should try cetaphil moisturiser for dry skin , it's like 8 pounds and it's sooo good !! It's also non comedogic

How long did you notice before your skin dramatically cleared up ? (From acne to the way it is now?)

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll be sure to try and pick a bottle up! Didn't know they had it in the UK

I should have mentioned that some of those spots are the inflammatory type, so two of them are large red lumps and the others are minor pimples. I started off with about 7 of those inflammatory spots which were incredibly large and painful but honestly 3 months in I saw improvement i.e a few spots here and there (I was antibiotics as well called tetracycline).

The number of spots have increased slightly since coming off the antibiotics with consistently having at least two spots or at the moment 4 but I'm gonna finish my last bottle and assess the situation before I go to the Doctors again.

It's all about giving it time, give it at least 3 months

I'll definitely use it for three months and fingers crossed it'll work by then !

Just two months to go !!

My forehead has cleared up like 40% since I started using it so I'm taking that as a sign it'll work on my cheeks and chin in the next month or two !

Keep us updated, even through personal message week by week if you want to talk about anything at all

Middle of week six now and my right cheek has exploded like nothing I've ever seen

It's so red and inflamed and it's from my ear to my chin in a line

Need some motivation to keep at this for another month please ???

I've been on Differin 0.3% since december... so for 5 months ! It really started looking good (in my opinion) after maybe 2 months. However it didn't clear me up completely. If you are having an initial breakout it means that in some ways, it is doing something with your skin !! Don't worry and keep going !

Thanks for your reply !!

It seems no one is writing about differin success stories just initial breakouts lol

I've heard it's starts getting better around week 8..

Did you have a problem with closed comedones and if so does differin work on them? So far I think some of mine have shrunk and these last few days my skin does feel a little softer but having a major problem with red marks

Is anyone out there on differin or has been in the past ?

In 2 days I'll have completed 6 full weeks of differin

My skin is the WORST it's ever been

Can someone out there PLEASE give me reassurance that this will work ??????? Please

Yes It helped with closed comedones especially on my forehead ! I also foud out that it ''turned'' my cystic acne into white heads which are easier to get rid of ! If you are to worried, maybe you should talk about it to your dermatologist, but I think you should keep going, and anyway the results are different from one person to another !

Good luck !!!

I was prescribed Differin (with Duac, as well) years ago - it cleared my skin beautifully. Unfortunately, this only seemed to last 2 years and then I begun to break out bad again. I still to this day use Differin nightly though and try to use Duac as much as I can handle (it hurts my face terribly). Hope this helps a little!

Also, I do remember getting the irritating initial breakout - it was so long ago now though that I can't remember too many details. It also could have been the Duac working to break me out at the beginning.

Thanks for replying

It's been 6 weeks now and my skin is still breaking out

It's quite sore as well

It's all whiteheads though so I'm hoping they come to the surface soon

Do you remember when you started to clear up?

I am on 3rd week of differing and havent seen any improvement. I did not experience the initial break out and it helps control my formation of new acne. However, new pimples are forming starting yesterday.

End of week 6/ start of week 7 update :

Still in the until breakout which has lasted for about 3/ 3 and a half weeks

I was looking at pictures of my skin before differin and realised all my closed comedones have pretty much gone from my cheeks (there were about 250) A LOT !!!!

But the way my face LOOKS now is 100 times worse as it's actual acne - red and inflamed

Inbetween my acne the skin is very smooth but you couldn't tell because my cheeks are completely red with acne and scars , which looks absolutely horrible

The acne is all whiteheads so I'm hoping they go soon ??

Since it's the start of week 7 I hope in another 2 weeks (end of week 8) I'll begin to clear up as that's when most people say they do

Just about giving it time to work ...

Hopefully by 12 weeks I'll be clear !!! Just like a month left to go before I see results fingers crossed

Anyone out there on differin / who was who would like to share their success stories ? Especially those who had an initial breakout

Thanks

I can't remember when my skin started to clear, but I do remember that it didn't take too long. Not immediate at all, but definitely not months and months of waiting. Honestly Differin (and Duac, for me) was one of the best decisions I have ever made! Really sorted my skin out and like I said, I still use it every night. My dermatologist told me that I should use it forever. I also read somewhere that it's an excellent anti-wrinkle cream. It's just annoying as sometimes I would like to put other things on my face before I go to bed, like some of these so called wonderful night creams for 'problem skin' etc etc, but seeing as I have to put Differin on every night, I can't.

Stay strong and carry on using it every night, eventually it will clear you up.

Hey thanks for replying !!

I'm so glad it worked for you that's brilliant !

Did you have an initial breakout ?

No problem - yes I do remember having an initial breakout - I don't remember it being absolutely terrible, but my memory with my skin isn't very good. I'd say it took about two months (three at the most) for my skin to clear completely, but when it did, it stayed clear. It was AMAZING! Unfortunately, for me, it wasn't forever, so now I'm taking the Dianette pill and currently going through a horrible breakout (much worse than I remember when I used Differin/Duac). I know it's really common for people to have quite bad initial break outs on Differin, so I'm sure it's just doing its job and seeing as you've been on it for 7 weeks, you're well and truly on your way!

I have initial breakout at week 5-6 usage of differing 0.1% too. It totally freak me out with all the redness and cystic acne. I dont just use differin. Im also taking PO minocycline and clindoxyl gel but I don't really find the antibiotics are helping in reducing the redness.

Now I'm at the week 11 usage. There is still some redness left with some comedone that came out recently. I felt the healing just take forever and like it will never totally heal. Kind of upset of the skin condition as I never had this bad skin problem before. I mean my skin condition might not be the worst here but its looks bad to me. Attached is the photo of my current skin condition. I'm hoping that chemical peel will clear my skin, which I had not yet consulted my dermatologist.

I'm glad it's worked for you !

Your skin looks amazing !!!

Good luck with the rest of the treatment

just been prescribed differin today with oxytetracycline to help clear up my skin asap.....(i can hardly look even mates in the eye anymore unfortunately).....how long does it take to work?

Hello there

It takes 8-12 weeks to work and most people get an initial breakout from about weeks 4-6 roughly

Don't be worried when you notice your skin breaking out it means it's working

I'm starting week 8 today and I'm still breaking out but it's slowing down since yesterday

Try not to let it take over your life , keep your head up

Believe me , I'm still at the stage you are where I can barely be around my friends even though I know they don't care about my acne

Keep your head up and stay strong

Honestly , the 8 weeks has went so fast I barely noticed it

Good luck xx