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@GJ777 for my first 8 weeks i applied pretty much straight after towel drying face (I don't find differin irritating). Some people like to wait some time, 5-20min.
It depends on how your skin reacts to differin, after towel drying your face there's still moisture in your skin, any topical you apply will penetrate much quicker when moisture is present therefore can be more irritating. If you find differin irritating then you should wait, if not then go ahead and apply it straight after.
Last few days I've been waiting about 10 minutes only because I'm having a 2nd purge and just want to be a little more gentle but as soon as it clears up I'll go back to applying it straight away.
Noregrets, thats totally normal!!! My skin continued to get better and then worse and then better and then worse till 2.5 months into the treatment. I wanna say towards month 3 is when I stopped having huge acne show up. Now I've had consistently better skin for like an entire MONTH and a half! Its great!
Ariesgirl...I use the Obagi Nuderm Clear with 4% hydroquinone. I use that EVERY day, twice a day and I am telling you...within like the first month, I saw the difference!!!! I only incorporated it when my active acne disappeared so that I could deal with the PIH! I only use the retinoid 3 x a week now, however, I do use my clarisonic brush every night!
GJ777: lol...I apply it right after I wash my face. But my skin is really tough. So...I guess it depends on your skin type. If you feel too irritated after putting it right on....then I would wait the recommended 20 minutes.
So update time:
well my face broke out. Yes I literally broke out in all these tiny pimples, IT SUCKS.
I didn't know what I was doing wrong, because I started using differin again and it didn't clear up. And then I realized that it had been 2 months since I stopped taking antibiotics (minocycline) and it must be that my acne was coming back. Well, DAMN.
So I continued applying differin and hoping it would clear up, well it didn't. So I went back to the derm, and she gave me dalacin T (a clindamycin lotion) to put on my face. We'll see how that goes.. She said that if this didn't work, she'd put me again on antibiotics, or BC/accutane.. So I'm hoping this will work, cuz I'm definitely not gonna take antibiotics again because it's only a temporary solution. And thinking about accutane makes me sick, cuz my acne is very mild.
Gosh, I HATE MY SKIN RIGHT NOW :@
ohhh no jacinthaa i'm so sorry to hear that your acne has come back! Did you stop using the antibiotics cold turkey? Also, did you stop using the differin?
wiseboy, and to all others dealing with hyperpigmentation....please try taking a zinc gluconate supplement 50 mg/ day!!! Zinc helps repair and heal skin wounds and keeps it from scarring and it works well with hyperpigmentation!
I quit the antibiotics like 2 or 3 months ago, and most of the time that's when your acne flares up again. I didn't quit cold turkey, but weaned myself of from time to time. And yeah I did quit differin for about a week when I had that nasty sunburn, but restarted it after that..
So I guess it's just the antibiotics that are completely out of my system 
But I got clindamycin lotion now, which is a antibiotic lotion, and it seems to be helping. Have about 5 pimples now, which aren't too big so it still doesn't look like I have acne. They're not concentrated in one part of my face (1 dying on my forehead, 2 right of my nose, 2 left of my nose) And the ones next to my nose aren't big so I put a little conceiler on it and I'm good to go. But it still sucks so yeah I'm really anxious that everything will come back :l
Jacintha, it could just be a 'Random' breakout, earlier in the week my skin randomly broke out, literally over night and continued for a few days and now it's cleared up.
Allison I'm using zinc gluconate as well, there's loads of different zinc forms you can buy, gluconate form is absorbed best guys. zincs safe up to 50mg/day .
Found a new brand sunscreen, Heliocare, they have a gel and a cream form depending on what skin type you have, the gel form is non comedogenic and aimed at acne prone skin. It's available in SPF 50 and 90. I've ordered some samples, looks promising because the brand is aimed at skin that's recieved treatments and retinoid users. I'll let you guys know how they turn out.
On 6/16/2012 at 10:06 PM, Jacinthaa said:I quit the antibiotics like 2 or 3 months ago, and most of the time that's when your acne flares up again. I didn't quit cold turkey, but weaned myself of from time to time. And yeah I did quit differin for about a week when I had that nasty sunburn, but restarted it after that..
So I guess it's just the antibiotics that are completely out of my system [Edited image out]
But I got clindamycin lotion now, which is a antibiotic lotion, and it seems to be helping. Have about 5 pimples now, which aren't too big so it still doesn't look like I have acne. They're not concentrated in one part of my face (1 dying on my forehead, 2 right of my nose, 2 left of my nose) And the ones next to my nose aren't big so I put a little conceiler on it and I'm good to go. But it still sucks so yeah I'm really anxious that everything will come back :l
I'm on Dalacin T too. Apply it twice a day, not sure what it does for me, but I guess it seems to work.
Where can I buy zinc gluconate? Seems something I would be interested in!
@GJ777 for my first 8 weeks i applied pretty much straight after towel drying face (I don't find differin irritating). Some people like to wait some time, 5-20min.
It depends on how your skin reacts to differin, after towel drying your face there's still moisture in your skin, any topical you apply will penetrate much quicker when moisture is present therefore can be more irritating. If you find differin irritating then you should wait, if not then go ahead and apply it straight after.
Last few days I've been waiting about 10 minutes only because I'm having a 2nd purge and just want to be a little more gentle but as soon as it clears up I'll go back to applying it straight away.
GJ777: lol...I apply it right after I wash my face. But my skin is really tough. So...I guess it depends on your skin type. If you feel too irritated after putting it right on....then I would wait the recommended 20 minutes.
Thanks for the responses. I think I'm going to wait 10 minutes just to be safe. AcneNet, a Website, made by the AAD recommends waiting between 5 and 15 minutes prior to applying any topical acne medication. I have applied Differin immediately after washing my face without any irritation, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!
I first used Differin when I was 17, nearly 12 years ago! Never thought I'd be back on it at 28, almost 29! Sheesh.
Oh, for those of you looking for sunscreen, I highly recommend the brand Elta MD. It's available at dermstore.com. They have different formulas, but they are all micronized zinc oxide, which is natural, like regular zinc oxide. Unlike regular zinc oxide, micronized zinc oxide goes on without leaving a whitecast. I'm using the one that's for oily skin and is SPF 45.
Wiseboy, you can get it from CVS/publix/wal-mart...really anywhere...i take one supplement of zinc gluconate 50 mg per day!
What is up with these acne flares..? I'm scared mine might come back! I felt a few underground pimples but hopefully they will be gone by tomorrow!
Wiseboy i get mine from holland and barret.
Guys i've decided to reduce my differin use to once every three days, even less frequent eventually. My skin's starting to scar, not PIH, actual atrophic scars without getting any acne some look like icepicks most are like indednted scratches. For me i've had this problem when using anything harsh on my face, scrubs, AHA, BHA and now retinoids as well.
I've had this issue for years and If something makes it worse i have to stop.
The scar are always permanent which is worse than having any acne.
To not freak anyone out, I've had this issue for a long time before differin.
despite my acne being mild I've never been able to get it under control becuase anything i try, i've always had to stop after a few weeks.
Hanna,
I would advise for you to maybe consult your doctor and see if you should continue on with the differin or perhaps move up to something stronger. Almost 70% of the time, one topical doesn't completely clear acne. They have to switch you up to a higher strength to get rid of EVERYTHING. I got bumped up to retin a 0.1 after 3 months of differin use. But I definitely saw improvements within the 3rd month.
Hey guys,
I have entirely mild/moderate comedonal acne with blackheads on nose.
I started using differin gel May 23rd 2012 and so am about one month in I guess. I really want to know what exactly is IB and purging. Because I never have any inflammatory acne but I am starting to see a some small 2-3 active pimples starting week 3. Is that a part of the dreaded IB or is my acne getting worse.
Guys, I am paranoid about my acne. It has RUINED my social life. I do not wanna go out, do anything.
Please help me out here!!!! Any information would be highly appreciated.
naina that's perfectly normal, Differin is just bringing everything to the surface.
you have comedones and you also have micro-comedones, which can't be seen by the naked eye and are also the first stage of any acne lesion. When you use a retinoid, your skin turns over much quicker so all these comedones and micro-comedones are brought to the surface, some get inflamed on their way up, it's just the way it is. once they've all purged then it's clear skin.
to minimize the IB use differin less frequently at first so you don't purge all at once.
You have to understand, when you use any retinoid, for the first 3 months you will purge, some good weeks some bad, but at the end it should calm down and be much clearer. it's down to whether your willing to ride it out.
be gentle with your skin whilst using differin and use SPF during the day, you don't want to further irritate your skin because that risks turning comedones in to inflammatory lesions.
Read through the pages in this thread and you'll see we all purged and had a IB
Back to 3 pimples! 1 next to my nose (which I popped) and 2 tiny ones on my forehead. So I think the not-stressing part is really helping me, and of course the clindamycin solution must work a little..
What I'm really curious about is the fact that the pimples raise on the places where I had prominent red marks. I had like these 3 tiny red flat dots next to my nose, which have been there FOREVER. And this week and last week they came to the surface, so maybe they're coming up and healing themselves? I don't know, but it's a nice thoughts right 
makes me feel al i little less CRAP.
Having my derm appointment next monday, guess I'm gonna ask about BC or maybe some oral antibiotic again..
naina that's perfectly normal, Differin is just bringing everything to the surface.
you have comedones and you also have micro-comedones, which can't be seen by the naked eye and are also the first stage of any acne lesion. When you use a retinoid, your skin turns over much quicker so all these comedones and micro-comedones are brought to the surface, some get inflamed on their way up, it's just the way it is. once they've all purged then it's clear skin.
to minimize the IB use differin less frequently at first so you don't purge all at once.
You have to understand, when you use any retinoid, for the first 3 months you will purge, some good weeks some bad, but at the end it should calm down and be much clearer. it's down to whether your willing to ride it out.
be gentle with your skin whilst using differin and use SPF during the day, you don't want to further irritate your skin because that risks turning comedones in to inflammatory lesions.
Read through the pages in this thread and you'll see we all purged and had a IB
That definitely is a relief, if this is in fact an IB. I have insanely wasted my time using all sorts of over the counter products that never worked. I wish I had started differin long time ago. But I guess better late than never.
But this is what I have been thinking, should I switch to retin a after giving differin another month, because I have a strong feeling that whatever differin is doing, retin a will do it 2x faster. Or is it just my desperation?
naina that's perfectly normal, Differin is just bringing everything to the surface.
you have comedones and you also have micro-comedones, which can't be seen by the naked eye and are also the first stage of any acne lesion. When you use a retinoid, your skin turns over much quicker so all these comedones and micro-comedones are brought to the surface, some get inflamed on their way up, it's just the way it is. once they've all purged then it's clear skin.
to minimize the IB use differin less frequently at first so you don't purge all at once.
You have to understand, when you use any retinoid, for the first 3 months you will purge, some good weeks some bad, but at the end it should calm down and be much clearer. it's down to whether your willing to ride it out.
be gentle with your skin whilst using differin and use SPF during the day, you don't want to further irritate your skin because that risks turning comedones in to inflammatory lesions.
Read through the pages in this thread and you'll see we all purged and had a IB
That definitely is a relief, if this is in fact an IB. I have insanely wasted my time using all sorts of over the counter products that never worked. I wish I had started differin long time ago. But I guess better late than never.
But this is what I have been thinking, should I switch to retin a after giving differin another month, because I have a strong feeling that whatever differin is doing, retin a will do it 2x faster. Or is it just my desperation?
NO! I cant stress that enough, give differin the full 3 months before considering retin-a. With retinoids a lot of people make the mistake of starting too quickly /or to strong of a concentration (Differin is the mildest). A while ago Allison posted a study done on differin in which 40% of patients had side effects such as erythema. scaling and dry skin, (redness flaking etc). The study showed differin was effective at treating acne but only 40% suffered side effects, so what i'm trying to say is that irritation redness and excess flakiness that are common with retinoid use is in fact not necessary for positive results. Stick with differin it's mild but still effective. some flaking is good (shows differin is working) but it should not be all the time.
I'm 20 and also wasted a lot of time on over the counter stuff
@Wiseboy, time seriously flies
naina that's perfectly normal, Differin is just bringing everything to the surface.
you have comedones and you also have micro-comedones, which can't be seen by the naked eye and are also the first stage of any acne lesion. When you use a retinoid, your skin turns over much quicker so all these comedones and micro-comedones are brought to the surface, some get inflamed on their way up, it's just the way it is. once they've all purged then it's clear skin.
to minimize the IB use differin less frequently at first so you don't purge all at once.
You have to understand, when you use any retinoid, for the first 3 months you will purge, some good weeks some bad, but at the end it should calm down and be much clearer. it's down to whether your willing to ride it out.
be gentle with your skin whilst using differin and use SPF during the day, you don't want to further irritate your skin because that risks turning comedones in to inflammatory lesions.
Read through the pages in this thread and you'll see we all purged and had a IB
That definitely is a relief, if this is in fact an IB. I have insanely wasted my time using all sorts of over the counter products that never worked. I wish I had started differin long time ago. But I guess better late than never.
But this is what I have been thinking, should I switch to retin a after giving differin another month, because I have a strong feeling that whatever differin is doing, retin a will do it 2x faster. Or is it just my desperation?
NO! I cant stress that enough, give differin the full 3 months before considering retin-a. With retinoids a lot of people make the mistake of starting too quickly /or to strong of a concentration (Differin is the mildest). A while ago Allison posted a study done on differin in which 40% of patients had side effects such as erythema. scaling and dry skin, (redness flaking etc). The study showed differin was effective at treating acne but only 40% suffered side effects, so what i'm trying to say is that irritation redness and excess flakiness that are common with retinoid use is in fact not necessary for positive results. Stick with differin it's mild but still effective. some flaking is good (shows differin is working) but it should not be all the time.
I'm 20 and also wasted a lot of time on over the counter stuff
@Wiseboy, time seriously flies
I guess it's only reasonable to give differin the time it deserves considering I have already given so much time and spent so much money on the worthless over the counter crap.
naina that's perfectly normal, Differin is just bringing everything to the surface.
you have comedones and you also have micro-comedones, which can't be seen by the naked eye and are also the first stage of any acne lesion. When you use a retinoid, your skin turns over much quicker so all these comedones and micro-comedones are brought to the surface, some get inflamed on their way up, it's just the way it is. once they've all purged then it's clear skin.
to minimize the IB use differin less frequently at first so you don't purge all at once.
You have to understand, when you use any retinoid, for the first 3 months you will purge, some good weeks some bad, but at the end it should calm down and be much clearer. it's down to whether your willing to ride it out.
be gentle with your skin whilst using differin and use SPF during the day, you don't want to further irritate your skin because that risks turning comedones in to inflammatory lesions.
Read through the pages in this thread and you'll see we all purged and had a IB
That definitely is a relief, if this is in fact an IB. I have insanely wasted my time using all sorts of over the counter products that never worked. I wish I had started differin long time ago. But I guess better late than never.
But this is what I have been thinking, should I switch to retin a after giving differin another month, because I have a strong feeling that whatever differin is doing, retin a will do it 2x faster. Or is it just my desperation?
NO! I cant stress that enough, give differin the full 3 months before considering retin-a. With retinoids a lot of people make the mistake of starting too quickly /or to strong of a concentration (Differin is the mildest). A while ago Allison posted a study done on differin in which 40% of patients had side effects such as erythema. scaling and dry skin, (redness flaking etc). The study showed differin was effective at treating acne but only 40% suffered side effects, so what i'm trying to say is that irritation redness and excess flakiness that are common with retinoid use is in fact not necessary for positive results. Stick with differin it's mild but still effective. some flaking is good (shows differin is working) but it should not be all the time.
I'm 20 and also wasted a lot of time on over the counter stuff
@Wiseboy, time seriously flies
I guess it's only reasonable to give differin the time it deserves considering I have already given so much time and spent so much money on the worthless over the counter crap.
Hey Noregrets, just curious what week are you on with differin?
ohhh no jacinthaa i'm so sorry to hear that your acne has come back! Did you stop using the antibiotics cold turkey? Also, did you stop using the differin?
wiseboy, and to all others dealing with hyperpigmentation....please try taking a zinc gluconate supplement 50 mg/ day!!! Zinc helps repair and heal skin wounds and keeps it from scarring and it works well with hyperpigmentation!
Heyy Allison I started following this thread today and have noticed
of all the people in this thread you seem to have had the most positive results (not to sound creepy or anything...Lols)
I just want to know how did you manage putting differin 3 times a day.
I am on differin 0.1 gel and I really do not want to go Over board . What do you think?
Also I am in the 5th week which I guess is supposed to be like the classic IB period and I have the most horrible urges to pick on my comedones and pimples. To control this I have decided to not look in the mirror for 2 weeks straight. This might sound silly, but yes this is how paranoid I get. I look in the mirror around 15 times a day. And it only makes me go more crazy. I just apply differin without lookin in the mirror as I apply it on my whole face anyway. I really wish time passes by quickly I wanna have perfect skin again like I used to a year ago.[Edited image out]
heyy everyoneee!
Naina, I would definitely suggest the same thing that Noregrets did....give differin a full 3 months. I switched up to retin a 0.1 after 3 months of use and only use it 3x a week now for maintenance. My initial breakout period lasted from week 3-week 5. By week 8, there was a slight improvement. By week 12, I had no active acne. I'm month 4 right now of total retinoid use. Since week 12 , I've gotten like maybe..one pimple. I do, however, still suffer with hyperpigmentation but thats going away too.
The reason I totally agree with noregrets is because since I waited the entire 3 months out with differin and then switched to retin a....I didn't have to go through ANOTHER initial breakout period. It was a very smooth transition (literally) because differin had already purged me...
I think I upped my use of differin 3x a day because a) I DONT go out in the sun very often so I could afford to use it that often. So if you are outside a lot, I would NOT suggest it because you will burn. I think I started using differin 3x a day around week 9 or so. Don't up your differin dose during your initial break out period just because It might irritate your skin even more and cause more inflammatory acne.
Also...If you DONT go out in the sun a lot and have gotten done with your IB and your skin feels relatively normalized to differin use, i would start by applying it twice a day. Once in the morning...and then sunscreen (just in case) and then in the evening.
Also....there is NO WAY you can use retin a 3x a day or even more than once a day at night. Differin is a synthetic retinoid so it is more tolerant of sunlight but true retinoids like retin a and tazorac and accutane are SURE to get you burned. You CANNOT wear them outside. Hope that helps!
Oh one more thing....for those of you who suffer from hyperpigmentation...there is some good news 
The red marks are the last stage of truly conquering acne Even accutane doesn't clear red marks. People get on it to clear themselves of the problem itself--acne, and THEN dermatologists prescribe them topical retinoids such as retin a (and maybe add hydroquinone) to help take care of the red marks. Remember...ACNE is the problem, hyperpigmentation is often a consequence of it...so wiseboy, keep being patient. It can take anywhere from 6 months- 1 year for hyperpigmentation to truly disappear. Its a slowly but surely kinda process... but its not permanent Thank GOD! <3 <3 <3
lots of looove!
@naina, I've completed 10 weeks today. I was using Differin every night from week 2-9 but since summer came round my face was constantly sunburnt looking (can't avoid sun) and getting irritated. Now I'm using it every other night and cetaphil to wash with. since doing that my skin's no longer red and much less flakey. Damn Allison's got some resilient skin haha.
Every other night works for me.
Eventually you'll find a regimen that suits your skin. we're all different.
Allison congrats, your acne's pretty much dealt with