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Hi, so I've been struggling with moderate acne consistently for a year now and recently started seeing a dermatologist to work on clearing it up. I was prescribed a 0.1% Differin cream and 100mg Doxycycline to be taken orally.
After reading so many horror stories about Differin and the initial breakouts, which can last up to 3 months, I've become so scared to try it!
While my derm told me that irritation is common she largely dismissed the idea of an initial breakout and its severity... so I'm a bit confused.
Does anyone have any experience with starting differin, good or bad? I know this question has been covered time and time again, but I am wondering if the most vocal people on the forums who have tried differin are those who had the worst side effects.. I mean is the IB really that bad? Does anyone have any positive experiences?
I could handle an initial breakout... just not to the extent some of the testimonials I've read claim, being entirely covered in pustules for the 8-12 week incubation period... I've known someone who had been on a retinoid and their skin responded horribly.
Just asking because I really don't know if I could emotionally handle things getting worse for so long..
Irrespective of the IB I plan on starting every other night, beginning tomorrow. Please, please, please, someone share your experiences! Short or long term! I really need some advice from people that aren't my derm...
So to people who've used differin:
Were you on antibiotics when you started? How bad was the IB, honestly? And how long until you noticed any results, if any? How long did you experience purging?
I struggle a lot with hyperpigmentation and uneven skin so this could be a god send, I'm just so scared!!!!
Thank you so much in advance... I am really filled with anxiety about this and desperate for unbiased stories...
Personally, I could only stand taking differin for two and a half week before I had to quit it. I was using Doxycycline alongside it, but I feel that didn't make a difference.
The Differin was fine for the first few days; my skin didn't feel oily for once! Then the dryness came. It turned my pimples into massive flaky lumps that lasted more than a week, dried all around my mouth, sides of my face (even though I was putting the tiniest layer on). I stopped using it around 2 weeks ago and am still dealing with the dry effects around my mouth. Covering the lumps with makeup just made it so much worse and put a whole damper on my self esteem, hence why I had to stop.
If you have any bacne, its useful for that. Time to time, I might put a tiny bit on a back pimple to find it smaller and less red in the morning but this stuff doesn't go anywhere near my face anymore!
Good luck, hope this was helpful! My doctor made Differin sound so amazing, but after all these horror stories and my own experience, does this actually work on anyone?