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Hi,
I am a 21 yr old girl with pretty severe acne issues. I have tried about everything out there so my derm said if this didn't work the next step was accutane. So he gave me the epiduo with the antibiotic Adoxa. Please make sure if you are prescribed an antibiotic you are also taking a probiotic!! This will help not only your skin but also your entire system that's being wiped out by the antibiotic.
Well anyway I only use the epiduo at night. If you're experiencing that bad of a reaction, try doing it every other day. Also be sure that you are using a facewash beforehand that is very mild. As in nothing with other medicated ingredients such as Benzoyl peroxide or Salicylic acid. Also, only use a minimal amount of the epiduo. Once it dries, add an unscented/unmedicated lotion.
I used it for about 2 weeks and also had the "initial breakout" which was horrible but it only lasted a few days before it started to get completely better. Currently I have 2 pimples on my face and it's been 3 weeks. My dermatologist said that after about 6 weeks I should be seeing dramatic results although I feel as though I already am at 3 weeks.
The GOOD thing about that initial breakout is that it means the epiduo is literally pushing everything out of your pores to the surface. So all those clogged pores that were potential pimples waiting to happen will be emptied! The point of epiduo is not to just make your pimples go away, it is to ensure that you don't get anymore pimples.
It is used to treat the issue not the symptoms. So just stick with it if you can!
ok, so basically before i started using epiduo i had used differin with amazing results, bu then my skin got used to it and my forhead stated to breakout in little tiny bumps all over. So exactly 2 weeks ago i go prescribed epiduo by my dermatologist and was told to use a cetaphil cleanser and moisturizer with it. The first day i used it, i made my face itchy and a bit red but quickly dissipated. So as the first week went on , i can just say that it has cleared up my face DRAMATICALLY !! i initially started with very mild acne anyways, so there wasn't much to clear up but now my whole face is almost clear and has a glow to it. i only have a few bumps on my chin but they are clearing up pretty rapidly. my acne never got worse before it got better so if you have very mild acne like me, you don't have to expect major breakouts when you first use it. Epiduo can also case a bit of dryness and stinging and it can get pretty bad until your skin gets used to it but now coming o the end of my second week my skin s almost used to it, just a bit of dryness here and there but i can easily fix it up with some moisturizer. so in all im so happy and i dont fell embarrassed anymore. people are asking me wha i use on my face now because they almost dont believe a little tube of cream could make such a difference. So, in all, GO TRY IT NOW !!!!!
I just got prescribed Epiduo today and I have mild acne... I am nervous my face is going to break out alot before it clears up.... anyone using Epiduo with Mild Acne???
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I had very mild acne when i started to use epiduo and i worked amazingly to clear up all those annoying pesky zits. And my acne never got wore, it only got better. its probably cause with mild acne, there isnt a lot of stuff to get out do it shouldnt make you breakout bad cause it def didnt make me. good luck !! oh, and use cetaphil wash and moisturier, which was what i used
Hey guys,
One week ago I started the combination of Epiduo and Solodyn. So far, my skin has broken out more than ever before in my life. Besides that, my skin is burning and has become easily irritable. I look horrible and I'm too just embarrassed to go out.
I have been struggling with acne for about 3 years now. I started having acne when I entered college and it has only gotten worse as I've gotten older. These past 3 years, I have tried every method and medication that you could name. My new dermatologist wanted me to try this combination out before prescribing Accutane.
I will keep everyone up to date, but so far it's not be so good.
Hi everyone,
I have been using epiduo for 2 weeks now, and i knew that it would bring out some spots because of the adapalene. But the spots that it has brought out have been on my face for about a week and a half now, and they just wont go down, they are still as big and as red as they were when they first appeared on my face. I was just wondering if this happened to anyone else and how long it took for the spots to calm down? And if the cream is worth it in the end because right now my skin looks horrible!!
Thanks x
This Saturday will be my second week on Epiduo.
Right now, I'm using:
Epiduo 1x daily
Aldactone 50mg 2x daily
This past week, I had some major breakout (purging, I guess), but for the past couple of days things have settled a bit. I can sorta deal with the zits, problem is they I get bad hyperpigmentation that takes FOREVER to fade. But I'm going to keep up with it and hopefully in a few months my skin will start to look clear.
Anyway, I've been getting super dry/burning skin as soon as I dry my face after washing. What helps a TON is 100% Aloe Vera Gel. It's so soothing and moisturizing. So anyone dealing with a dry and painful face, try the Aloe, it really helps.
Which Cetaphil cleanser are you using?
I've been using the one for oily skin with and active moist cleanser by Dermilogica for about 1 month and the results are quite good but I still have some pesky pimples!
I'm starting to use epiduo tonight, Really hope I get the same great results you seem to be getting!!!
Hi epiduo users! I NEED YOUR EXPERTISE!!!!! 
I'm a 14 year old girl with a couple pimples but so many scars or post acne marks (I really don't know) I use PhisoHex face wash only at night along with epiduo then cetaphil daily moisturizer SPF 15. (I don't wash my face in the morning...gross i know)
I have a few questions. I have had no initial breakout(not that I know of) and I experience no burning or irritation whatsoever. Which leads me to wondering if epiduo is actually working ( I think it is because my pimples have cleared) but there has been an unusual increase of scars or they stay longer. Which leads me to my other question. I haven't been using SPF during sun exposure and I read here that it makes scars permanent!!! And I'm only 14! I dont want spots all over my face!
How can I significantly fade scars naturally or even with the use of products. I don't even have wrinkles yet! Please help me T_T
PS. Epiduo cleared my acne 90% but now it's like frozen there.(no more progress) what's the meaning of this???
I used many acne treatments before epiduo nothing else works!!!!!!!! Then i went to my doctor and he told me my acne had nothing to do with the stuff i ate or the fact i play sports and my face was dirty.. It was just that im a teenager so he told me to BLAME BIOLOGY:) I started using EPIDUO and minocycline on 7/23 and I have noticed my face getting worse as I began to use these products . I became concerned and wondered why it wasn't working. I asked my doctor why this was happening and he told me this was normal. Your face is going to get worse before it gets better .... KEEP THAT IN MIND!!! Im now at the end of my third week my face is starting to clear up gradually 
my goal is to get my face clear by the start of school !!!! Wish me luck
Am : wash face in the shower with Neutrogena fragrance free soap (clear orange bar)
Afternoon : wash face with Neutrogena bar again
Pm: take minocycline pill & wash face with Neutrogena bar once more
I've been using Epiduo for about a week and a half and so far it is awful. I'm a 24/f and have suffered from mild acne for the past couple years. I used Clindamycin pledglets for a year and they were great, but my dermatologist suggested I try Epiduo. So far my acne is worse than it has ever been, my skin is oily and dry all at the same time. It is burning like crazy and peeling all over. I read on the website it gets worse before it gets better, but how long does that last? My dermatologist didn't warn me of this so I don't know how long to stick with it! Does anyone who has used Epiduo have a good estimate or experienced this as well? I don't know if I am being impatient or if I should throw in the towel on this medicine and ask for a different one.
Remember your face is going to get worse before it gets better!!! Good luck and stick with it
Does Epiduo stain/bleaches your clothes?
I have a sample of Epiduo yet to try because I still have my 5% Benzac BP. I have used both 5% and 10% and they do have the ability to bleach certain clothings. Also Nutrogena OTS.
I'm curious if Epiduo will bleach their clothes or formal/dress shirts? It has 2.5% BP so I'm guessing it has a potential to, anyone have such experience?
My condition is mixed, sometimes there's no cyst with only a few small pimples, but sometimes there can be 3-4. I usually use my BP twice a day, if I only use once, a new one will grow before the old one can be cured lol. So it'll have a net increase of pimples and acnes.
Will I experience that Epiduo's "get worse before it gets better" since I already have exposure to
BP?
Does Epiduo stain/bleaches your clothes?
I have a sample of Epiduo yet to try because I still have my 5% Benzac BP. I have used both 5% and 10% and they do have the ability to bleach certain clothings. Also Nutrogena OTS.
I'm curious if Epiduo will bleach their clothes or formal/dress shirts? It has 2.5% BP so I'm guessing it has a potential to, anyone have such experience?
My condition is mixed, sometimes there's no cyst with only a few small pimples, but sometimes there can be 3-4. I usually use my BP twice a day, if I only use once, a new one will grow before the old one can be cured lol. So it'll have a net increase of pimples and acnes.
Will I experience that Epiduo's "get worse before it gets better" since I already have exposure to
BP?
Epiduo has a relatively low BP percentage and I've personally never found it to bleach any clothes or pillows etc. I used to use Duac and it bleached my pillows and my eyebrows! But never had any issues with BP.
I know you are used to using BP twice a day but definitely don't do that with Epiduo. I did that for the first month and it didn't work - I was making my skin too sensitive. I started using it only at night and POW, my skin is healing so quickly.
For the first week of using Epiduo my skin went insane, it was so red and raw. It peeled and cracked, it hurt to laugh. I'm positive that the extent of my problems were so severe because I was using the cream too often.
It does feel strange to go the full day with nothing medicated on my skin but it works.
I do still get the odd spot but two months in and I've become more clear than I've been in years.
Thanks for sharing.
I just started using Epiduo, the sample kinda small too only 5g. About 4th day using, more blemishes and new acne... skin became real dry, i think it is the same as I first started using BP 10%. Even the 5% I'm using doesn't cause flaky looking skin.
Actually wanted to try it out and see the effects, as I still have half tube of my Benzac BP 5% & acne.org BP. Don't look encouraging but it seems that every Epiduo starter has to suffer this 1-2 weeks...
Has anybody found a time for when the initial break out should end? I started it 2 1/2 weeks ago, and I want to cry every time I look in the mirror my acne is so bad. It was bad to begin with, but this is literally the worst it has EVER been. I've been on accutane 2 times now and had clear skin for 6 years. Suddenly, I started breaking out again. I'm mortified to be seen in public right now my face looks so bad. Please let me know if this goes away so I can either stay on it or get off!!
Hi,
I found this topic when I was doing a little search about Epiduo. My background is i'm 28, and have suffered with moderate to severe cystic acne since I was 14....I never grew out of it much to my dismay and it's something I have lived with now for practically all of my adult life. I only ever suffered round my nose and chin thpough, nowhere else. Anyway, I tried numerous topical treatments which neevr really worked. I tried antibiotics which worked whuilst I was on them, but my acne always came back with a vengence once my course finished.
I eventually tried roaccutane which was simply terrible for me, became depressed and suffered from severe anxiety on that medication, and although it stopped my acne I couldn't finish the course. Within about 3 months my acne came back...I almost gave up hope of ever keeping my acne under control...and after 2 years went to see a dermatologist who gave me some more antiobiotics and then we talked about the option of roaccutane...he asked me to go away and think about the side effects and if I wanted to go through that again...when I went back to see him he told me about a new treatment which had just been made available, which is similar to roaccutane but is topical so you can use it indefinitely and it doesn't have serious side effects...I decided to give it a try...along with a course of antiobiotics...my acne dissapeared...now I thought this was a result of the antiobiotics...but my antiobiotics course finished...i continued using epiduo....my spots didn't return....I have been using epiduo for over 18 months now....3 repeat prescriptions....this is simply a miracle treatment..I use it once before bed on the problem areas....I don;t use it every day...I can now go two weeks without using it, occassionally I may get a flare up but then I start using epiduo again for a few days and the spots go again. Even when I do have flare ups they are never as aggressive as they used to be, my spots are much smaller and less red then they used to be. I can go months without major flare ups and my skin is better than it has ever been. My skin is spot free for months at a time. Even if I do have flare ups I find epiduo quickly reduces and vanishes the spots very quickly. Yes it can make your skin dry and itchy if you use it every single day, but you shoudlnt do that. In my experience it is best to use it for say 3 nights in a row...then have a break for 3 days to give your skin a chance to recover...and then use it again for 3 nights and so on...I just wanted to share my experience because epiduo has been a miracle for me. Finally I have normal skin on my face and have been clear for 18 months now on epiduo so I know it's no fluke.
The only downside to Epiduo is that is expires after 6 months and I have to ask my GP for another one....
Im a 27 year old male from Canada and have been suffering from acne since my highschool years. Usually I get whiteheads but recently cystic acne started showing up all over the chin and cheek area. It was 3 months of hell putting up with cystic acne its like for every one that would go away three more came up.
I went to the doctor and was prescribed Tactuo which is what Epiduo is called in Canada along with a months worth of Minocyline. I dont have insurance so the cost was like $105 bucks for a 60g tube.
Im 2 weeks in and 80% of my acne is gone. The only things left are remnants of the cysts. I dont have problems with dryness since i'm like the Saudi Arabia of oily faces but itchiness was an issue for me.
As for my routine I use wash cloth in morning with really hot water and a neutrogena oil free cleanser at night. Doctor recommended Cetaphil but I cheaped out. I wash pillow cases every week and try not to touch the face. So far so good im happy.
I've had moderate to severe acne since I was in the 6th grade (ie. over 30 years!). I have tried literally EVERYTHING out there, from high-end, low-end, etc. My dermatologist had me on Minocycline & Retin-A, you name it..... FOREVER with so-so results. Well, I just had a MAJOR breakout that included cysts-like acne on my nose, among other areas of my face, AND the nose area became infected!
I just so happened went to see my REGULAR doctor for my regular check-up, NOT my dermatologist, and he said, "What's up with your nose?" OMG!!!! I told him what's been going on, so he said to try this cream that his colleague uses & gave me samples of Epiduo. All I can say is "WHAT A GODSEND!"
Yes, it burns (I have very sensitive skin!), but I put a VERY light coating over my entire face the first night. I did have some drying of the skin, but I just put some La Mer skin cream in the a.m. after I washed it off with Dr. Murad's Facial Cleanser for acne, then my make-up. I now put the Epiduo only on areas that I think might have a break-out and my skin has never looked better in years!!!!! After 5 days, my skin cleared up TOTALLY!!!!! I hardly even use concealer anymore!
I feel the "burn" is worth having beautiful skin, as I am VERY oily and live in a humid state - Hawaii. Just use a mild cleanser - maybe Cetiphyl? - and a light moisturizer. Also, remember to use VERY LITTLE of the Epiduo to avoid major burning feeling & the drying of skin. Ask you doc for samples! Also, I wait about an hour AFTER I cleanse my face, then put it on every 2-3 nights due to my sensitive skin . Also, don't forget the sunscreen!
Good Luck!
Hi everyone!
My friends call me "Tech-Challenged," hence my new input is on page 9 under ALOHAMOM. Read it to see how Epiduo changed my life!
i'm 20/F been using epiduo for 4 days..my face really burnng feel like i want to cry...its also oily when since i put epiduo on my face...its never stop oily..my face swollen,irritation dan dry...i really scare..small pimples but many comes out... i'm still studying at University and this thing make me so down..i could not go out for attending the class...burning sensation owh my Godness its really hurt me... i;m also take 400ees antibiotic..i'm using mosturiser with gamat extract..help me..i need yr advice.... i been fighting with mild ance since i was 13...its not a happy journey as a teenager..
i'm 20/F been using epiduo for 4 days..my face really burnng feel like i want to cry...its also oily when since i put epiduo on my face...its never stop oily..my face swollen,irritation dan dry...i really scare..small pimples but many comes out... i'm still studying at University and this thing make me so down..i could not go out for attending the class...burning sensation owh my Godness its really hurt me... i;m also take 400ees antibiotic..i'm using mosturiser with gamat extract..help me..i need yr advice.... i been fighting with mild ance since i was 13...its not a happy journey as a teenager..
My face burned and burned as well, it made me cry and then my tears stung my sting. Epiduo hell. But stick with it. Epiduo completely rid me of acne, just need to be patient. It took about three months for it to work. You can read all about that on this post with before and after pics:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php/topic/303287-success-at-last-my-story/page__fromsearch__1
Good luck, don't give up!
I found this website awhile back and wanted to let you know about my sons experience with Epiduo. Stick with it, it works!! My son is 14 and had clogged pores and small bumps all over his forehead and chin area and occaisonal breakouts. Nothing over the counter worked to clear the clogged pores. I took him to the dermatologist and she prescribed Epiduo. He washes his face twice a day with CeraVe. And uses the CeraVe AM moisturizer in the morning only. Epiduo at night before bed. At first it did burn and get red. You do get used to it. His dermatologist said to use a pea size amount of Epiduo...he does use a little more. Pea size wont cover your whole face...just use it sparingly. He also had a few weeks of terrible breakouts. His dermatologist said it was basically all of the oil coming to the surface. Keep using it. He has been using it since July, 5 months. His face has cleared up amazingly. I have noticed if he fails to wash his face daily and doesnt use the Epiduo, his face will break out again. You have to be consistant!! His face is kinda dry but just use moisturizer. Hope this helps anyone going through the beginning stages of this.. It really does clear your face up.
call me crazy but i wash my face with head & shoulders and then apply epiduo and i still dont get any burns or irritation like everyone here talks about. there was an initial breakout but its minimal considering head & shoulders dries your face quite a bit so the acne you do get is very small and dried up. my advice to people starting out would be to wash with h&s shampoo, then apply a PEA size of epiduo before bed. i stress PEA because you only need a smidgen of this stuff for it to work. also try to spread it as thinly as possible and do not use any moisturizer unless your skin starts to crack from h&s. like bp, your skin should get used to it though.
call me crazy but i wash my face with head & shoulders and then apply epiduo and i still dont get any burns or irritation like everyone here talks about. there was an initial breakout but its minimal considering head & shoulders dries your face quite a bit so the acne you do get is very small and dried up. my advice to people starting out would be to wash with h&s shampoo, then apply a PEA size of epiduo before bed. i stress PEA because you only need a smidgen of this stuff for it to work. also try to spread it as thinly as possible and do not use any moisturizer unless your skin starts to crack from h&s. like bp, your skin should get used to it though.
I agree with the advice to use a pea size amount, Epiduo is very strong. However, I disagree with the advice not to use moisturiser. Using moisturiser is SO important in a skin care regimen, if you stop using it, your skin is likely to produce more oil to compensate. When you take the oil out of your skin by washing and using topicals, keeping the balance up is even more important.
Additionally using moisturiser preserves your skin. My mum used topicals and roaccutane but DIDN'T use moisturiser thinking that her skin was oily enough and reported that her skin aged rapidly as a result.
This isn't just my own opinion, my dermatologist prescribed me Cetaphil moisturising lotion, stressing the importance of using a moisturiser.