@GJ777 Only just seen your post re: moisturisers. I can recommend Clinique's dramatically different GEL not lotion as the gel is better for oily skin. Or I bought online CeraVe AM and PM lotions. X

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1659595/?page=5

Guys take a look at the table titled, patients treated with viosetrol, that's vitamin D basically. You can look up reviews of it in the review section of this site.

i'm 90% clear from using BP but i wanted to switch to retin a to help with my post inflammatory pigmentation, my doctor prescribed me differin and tetralysal but ive read through this forum and i am terrified of the initial breakout, a lot of you seem to be complaining of PIH and i only wanted this to get rid of that. i think im going to start the antibiotics for 4 weeks, then start using differin and keep using BP to minimize the IB.

HI Everyone

Just curious if any of the ladies here are older (late 20s/early 30s) and wondering about their experiences

I am 28, female, mild-moderate acne on my chin only. Always inflamed though.

I was given a prescription today for Differin Gel (i think 0.1%) and 8 weeks of antibiotics to help combat the initial breakout

I would only be putting this on my chin, so trying to figure out how much to use if you are to use a pea size amount on your whole face. maybe half that?

should i start by using it just a couple times a week? (2 times, then 3 times, then 4 times, then 5 times then every day kinda thing?)

did anyone experiences alot of redness? (i used tactuo before and it made me quite red)

how about peeling?

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I used to read this thread the past summer when my acne was bad. I just wanted to come on here to share my success story. I was not on Differin, but I am on Trentonin so it is still in the retin family. I suffered from moderate acne since I was about 14, at that time it was mostly on the chin and forehead. In my twenties when I moved from northern Ontario to Toronto, I started to break out horribly. I tried many things from natural remedies such as aloe vera and honey, erythomycin and several different birth controls ( Allesse and Tricyclen). Nothing seemed to work until my doctor put me on Diane 35 which cleared me right up for about 10 years. For 10 years I had PERFECTLY clear skin, I can count the number of pimples I had on one hand. This summer I decided that at age 30, I would be able to come off the pill. HORRIBLE idea. At first I started to break out in the chin area after about 2 months, by about 3 months I had several pimples all over my cheeks, chin, neck and the sides of my face. I had no choice but to return to the pill. I stated on Trentonin mixed with erythomycin. For a while, my face looked like a lizzard and got worse. I had alot of redness and peeling. I broke out horribly for about 7 weeks, on the 8th week I thought I had cleared but on week 9 I broke out again about 7 times in a week. After that, it just suddenly stopped. I had only been back on the pill for for about 9 weeks and the last time it took 5 months for it to kick in, so my guess is it was the Trentonin. I have went through menstrual cycles and still no pimples!! I am totally 100% clear now after about 12 weeks. In about 6 weeks, I had approx 40-50 breakouts. Just hang it there, it will be rough for the first while, as I could not stand to look in the mirror, but now it is totally worth it. I have stopped coming to these forums, but felt like I should return to share my story.

HI Everyone

Just curious if any of the ladies here are older (late 20s/early 30s) and wondering about their experiences

 

I am 28, female, mild-moderate acne on my chin only. Always inflamed though.

 

I was given a prescription today for Differin Gel (i think 0.1%) and 8 weeks of antibiotics to help combat the initial breakout

 

I would only be putting this on my chin, so trying to figure out how much to use if you are to use a pea size amount on your whole face. maybe half that?

 

should i start by using it just a couple times a week? (2 times, then 3 times, then 4 times, then 5 times then every day kinda thing?)

 

did anyone experiences alot of redness? (i used tactuo before and it made me quite red)

 

how about peeling?

 

Thanks!

 

My doc recommended me to apply differin only on the spots, problematic areas. For your case, it should be the chin. I had breakouts (small spots on my chin and forehead). My first month routine is this. I apply small amounts of differin on my chin and forehead, followed by moisturizer an hour later. This is to minimize any irritation.

Currently (moving into second month), i just apply differin direct without any moisturizer as my skin is getting used to it. I hope to see results of the pigmentation fading soon.

Hope that helps !

Wow.

I've been reading this thread for the past hour or so, and I don't mean to sound rude or arrogant, but I feel somewhat lucky that my acne isn't as bad as some of you guys. Hope that doesn't make me sound like a B I T C H. :/ Anyway, I don't know how to really describe my acne. I would call it moderate or mild. I'm seventeen and have been suffering from acne since I was around twelve. The severity of it varies more than the personality of someone with Bipolar Disorder. Unfortunately, this past summer seemed to be the worst yet though. I was on Doxycycline for about a month and it was working just fine and then suddenly....it stopped working and my face started breaking out horribly. I was getting numerous whiteheads and occasional cystic bumps and, of course, me being the stubborn person I am, made the dreaded decision of picking the more noticeable ones.

Biggest. Mistake. Ever.

I was/am left with scarring and just felt really horrible about my skin. It was even worse that the climax of my breakout occurred during the first week of school. :/ Thankfully, Dermablend covered the scarring but the bumps were still very much visible at close range. Moving on, upset with my dermatologists lack of prescribing anything effective in the past few years I've been with him, my mom found someone else. She prescribed me with Adapalene (Differin) 0.1% every day, at night, along with Bactrim once a day.

*Cue Heavenly Music*

God bless this woman. (lol)

I've only been on Differin for about 5 weeks and it's already cleared up majority of my bumps and I've also noticed an improvement with my skin tone. The quick results could be due to my new-found obsession with drinking a ton of water and cutting out sodas to one, once a week.

Neutrogena Naturals Facial Cleanser

Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Make Up Remover (Only when I wear makeup)

Also, instead of using a moisturizer, I use Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera and Rose Petal when I feel my face is really clean and/or could use some moisture. It also has Vitamin E which is helping even off my skin tone. As an alternative, I use Sea Breeze Astringent (Sensitive Formula) when I feel my skin could use a more.... thorough cleansing. I mostly only use that after wearing make up to make sure all of it is completely gone. It's strange though....when she told me what she was prescribing me, I really thought I hadn't tried it before. But when I got home I realized that I was in fact on Differin (Same strength and everything) a couple of years back for three months and had a HORRENDOUS experience, much like the one you are all suffering. I couldn't take it and just stopped using it. This time though, I have nothing bad to say about it. I apply a generous amount on before going to bed and wake up to do my "skin test." Lol. It's basically me observing my face in my bathroom which has a window right by the mirror so I can use the natural sunlight to examine my face. Before Differin, all I could see were tiny to medium sized bumps plaguing my face and now, I see clear and smooth skin with a few small bumps here and there. This stuff has worked miracles and I feel lucky (blessed) that I didn't have an initial breakout.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is hang in there. Even though I didn't have a purging phase with Differin, I've experienced it too many times to count with countless other topical products. It eventually does get better. I promise.

I've joined the differin crew lol. I'm 22.I have moderate acne,only on my chin,around my mouth,and on my forehead,and no big cysts or anything,but its always there. always quite a few too. my skin is also in bad condition. I've tried bp,sa,all the usual drugstore products,zineryt.I've changed my make up to very minimal and non comodogenic. went back to the gp and he's put me on differin 0.1 and on an oral antibiotic too. Im on day 3 or 4. no burning or anything,no drying,which I'm happy about! no huge purge(yet), not sure when that normally happens? a few new teeny tiny pimples,quite a few in fact. my major worry is having hurrendous skin for 8 weeks and it not clearing me up fully!

Hi everyone!

I've had mild/moderate acne since I was 12, and up until this year kept it in check with Benzaclin. Since graduating from college and working, I started breaking out more frequently. My dermatologist put me on an Acanya AM/Differin PM regime while taking spironolactone twice a day to prevent oil.

This is week 4 and HELL HAS BROKEN LOOSE. I imagine all the new pimples are the purging stage?

For all the older members like allisoncatherine, how is everything going? Were you pleased after the 3 months? I'm going to visit my long distance boyfriend on week 14 of differin, and I'm so scared I'll look like a disfigured monster.

Words of encouragement?

What I've learnt from Differin is that it's varies greatly with users.I use a mild tea tree oil cleanser for it's antibacterial affects, medium temperature water to avoid dryness. both of these allow me to use differin every night without needing to apply moisturizer on top.

Skipping moisturizer made a huge difference to me. in the morning i'll use sunblock and a bit of moisturizer around my mouth.

your dermatologist has you on three different treatments at once so I wouldn't recommend adding any medicated cleansers or such until post 12 weeks.

your just purging at the moment which is good and don't be discouraged, just think of it as a deep detox.

I'm sure you already know, don't pick, let the expensive pharmaceuticals do what they're made to do .

any questions feel free to ask

Hello! So, this is my first post EVER on this website, so I decided to go here because my doctor gave me Differin cream 0.1%.

I am the type of person to research just about ANYTHING to see what the effects and reviews are.

I guess you could call be a paranoid wuss, because I'm really uncertain when it comes to these types of things.

I have tried Retin-A and Clindamycin Phosphate gel before, and it was okay...Retin-A was too harsh for me.

Clindamycin, after awhile, didn't feel like it was doing much of anything, so I quit it a few months ago.

My skin is starting to get worse again (probably the worse it's been in a few months, stupid period) so I'm really itching to try my Differin. But I'm also REALLY scared about the IB, it's really scary for me to think about it.

(My skin is probably moderately severe atm, it's mostly JUST my forehead.)

I'm basically right in the middle of my Junior year in high school, and I've been feeling the pressure/stress since day 1 of it.

Should I give it a go? Or should I wait? All responses are much appreciated!

So I've been on Differin for 14 weeks now and my skin is just terrible, the IB was the worst my skin has ever been and I've had acne for 12 years so yeah pretty bad! I keep thinking its improving and then I get more new pustules. I don't know when I should just quit but I've got a new tube of Differin so I guess I'll wait till that's gone and see! I've also been on erythromycin for 6 weeks, before that lymecycline for 2 months which did nothing. I was on doxycycline which cleared me for a month or so but then I became resistant. If this doesn't work the only option really is accutane and I am NOT going on it so I will just admit defeat. Has it taken anyone longer than 14 weeks to see any improvement at all?

So I've been on Differin for 14 weeks now and my skin is just terrible, the IB was the worst my skin has ever been and I've had acne for 12 years so yeah pretty bad! I keep thinking its improving and then I get more new pustules. I don't know when I should just quit but I've got a new tube of Differin so I guess I'll wait till that's gone and see! I've also been on erythromycin for 6 weeks, before that lymecycline for 2 months which did nothing. I was on doxycycline which cleared me for a month or so but then I became resistant. If this doesn't work the only option really is accutane and I am NOT going on it so I will just admit defeat. Has it taken anyone longer than 14 weeks to see any improvement at all?

Don't have an answer, but I feel you...on my 12th week of differin, and still looking like I did at the initial breakout stage (although my acne moved around a bit, some previously clear spots are now covered in acne, and vice versa). My doc was also recommended I try doxycycline soon but now I'm not so sure...

Hey guys! New to the forums, but I figure after having acne for 17 years and not having anyone to really talk to about it besides me husband (who is very supportive but let's face it- sick to death of me griping about it)- being part of a forum was probably a good idea.

I saw Chelslaw was wondering if there were any more mature members on here, well here I am! If you think it's embarrassing to have acne at 18- just imagine having the worst acne of your life at 31 years old, and that's me.

I have had mild to moderate acne since 14, usually 2 or 3 postules at a time on my chin or jawline which left pigmentation scars and all that. I have very fair skin so the red scars stay for months. And I always thought it was the worst thing in the world. That lasted from about 14 to 28 years old. Then I went through a period that set off some kind of imbalance hormonally and emotionally and it started getting worse. I was super stressed and a bit depressed, and once the acne went off it started a cycle of freaking out over it- which probably caused more breakouts to freak out over later. Since then I only wish I had the acne I had before I was 28!

Since then I have had chronic cystic acne with at least 8 postules or cysts at a time, all over my chin, jawline, and cheeks. I switched BC pills several times, trying Ortho-tricyclin lo and Yaz, during which I gained 15 lbs and the acne only got worse. I went off the pills, and the acne got worse, I got the implanon implant and it stayed the same. I was prescribed erythromyacin, Retin-A, clindomyacin phosphate (the roller), and BP- which all made it worse plus flaky and inflamed. Put on minocycline which worked fairly well until I ran out of the pills for several weeks during a move (I'm a military spouse, we move about once a year), then when I went back on them they did nothing. Doxycycline did nothing. And the hundreds of dollars of over the counter products I have tried have done nothing. Not to mention going gluten free, diary free, cleansing, and taking multiple supplements and so-called "hormonal balance" pills like estroblock and pantothen, and even expensive anti-inflamatory juices like Nopalea.

Thankfully my new doctors finally agreed to let me go to a dermatologist (none of my other military doctors would give me the referral for a Derm, since they said they could "cure" it without sending me to a specialist), but he also prescribed me Differin (PM) and the clindamyacin phosphate gel (AM) for the mean time. For the last month I have been keeping it simple (I guess you could say I kind of gave up on all products) and have only been using jojoba oil on my face as a cleanser/moisturizer. But since I started that my skin has been purging and I have had tons of little whiteheads all over, and redness. So we'll see what differin does over the next two weeks before my first ever derm appointment!

Sorry for the novel, but after trying to fix it for so long I could literally write a book just listing all the stuff I've tried! Anyway, it's good to hear all of your stories and what has been working and what hasn't for you. Hopefully after a few months of differin and whatever my derm recommends I will have some progress to share

[Removed promotional content out]

I started adapalene .1% in February, I went to an appointment again in May with my dermatologist and she said that she wasn't seeing as much improvement as she would like and would put me on the same medication just stronger. Therefore, she put me on differin .3% gel. It hasn't improved as much as I would like but it has a little bit although I have gotten more pimples. This is kind of pissing me off. nothing works ;( Help?

Hi guys, i'm really hoping to find some support in this forum.

I have never had problems with my skin before until a year ago when i discovered a patch of whiteheads and i picked at it and things just escalated downhill from then. My whiteheads became inflamed and i just took antibiotics and tried to treat it with tea-tree oil. I thought it was gonna subside soon when i realized all the whiteheads just came out even worse than ever on my entire right cheek. It doesn't look obvious from far but the skin just looks bumpy and i feel disgusted everytime i look into the mirror. It just took a toll on my self-esteem.

I didn't managed to cure it entirely and then about nearly a year later, i left for Japan and as you know Japanese girls have such good skin and it just made me feel even more conscious of my own problematic skin. I know people don't usually ask about your skin and so far no one has pointed it out so it is still okay for now. I went to see a derm here and she prescribed me differin 0.1% gel and gave me antibiotics clarithromycin and some vit c pills. Things were started to look better because i thought i've passed the purging phase. But about 5 days ago, i think i developed an allergy to peach and i grew like 3 red itchy patches on my face. The redness have now subsided but sometimes in the mornings when i wake up, i will still feel the itch. It is now slight pinkish. And since this allergy thing, my whiteheads came out even more. Even morning and night, after cleansing, i would massage extra virgin olive oil on my skin and so far i think this has been helping a lot. Many hard beads and dead skin came out and actually even though i have more whiteheads now, they have become smaller and smaller. But i just wanna ask, is this normal in week 6 of differin? About more whiteheads coming out? I'm worried of going bareface in the public so i usually wear a mask. I'm afraid i will scare the kids on the streets.

Even if it looks worse now, i'm just telling myself "if it's worst now, it can only get better" everyday to keep me going.

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum. I've had mild-moderate acne since I was about 11 and I'm 17 now. My derm prescribed Differin and I've been using it for exactly one week now. At first I didn't notice much of a difference but after a few days my face seemed to get softer and just recently it has gotten worse. I have a terrible habit of picking at my face. I have lots of closed comedones which I can never pop but try to anyway I popped a few clogged pores on my cheek and now they're slightly swollen and red. I wear as little makeup as I can get away with. Usually some concealer on my most visible spots. I am out in the direct sunlight 3x a week for 2 hours rowing. I've never gotten burned in my life probably because of my tan skin tone. I can't wear a hat and my dermatologist did not recommend sunscreen as it causes acne. Acne has pretty much destroyed my self confidence. I don't look anyone in the eye and feel like people are always judging me. Good news is since school ended, my face has improved A LOT. Looking forward to reading your updates and sharing my journey!

Hi everyone, I'm so glad to find that differin is not as simple as the GP made me believe.

I'm 29 and have had acne since I was 12... ish. So yeah had enough of it now.

Tried so many over the counter things, prescriptions topicals, birth control and antibiotics (found I was allergic to limecycline :-/)

So day 2 of the cream and I'm throwing away all the harsh scrubs etc that I have and pulling out all the gentle cleansers and moisturisers and settling in for another long haul battle- it really can't be any worse than all the treatments I've tried before and how bad my acne is now so I am heartened that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for most of you so I'm going for it.

hi, i am a 20 year male from Romania. I have acnee from 13 years old.

On 3 July I went to my derm and she told me to use Azatrix 500mg pills 3 days per week for over 1 month and then Azatril 250mg 3 days per week for over 2 months. In the morning I use Skinoren Gel. From 24 August I started to use in the evening Differin cream 0.1%. So now I am in week 5 and I am not satisfied. I still have big red pimples all over my face. I don't know what to do. I want so much to have a clear face!!!

My experience with DIfferin Cream 0.1%

week1-2: explosion over my face. I could not believe it is possible to get so worse

week 3: the pimples didn't appear so many as before, but they appeared

week 4: it was pretty good for my face. In that week I went to my derm and I was really satisfied. She told me not to pick my pimples, but I don't listen to her.

week 5 (present): another explosion over my face. I don't know why (. I hoped it would be better from now on, but it seems will not. How much I have to wait?!?!? I am so depressed!!! I need help

How was your face with Differin in the weeks 5-6-7 ?? Please share your experience with me!

sorry for my english. I am not a native speaker.

So I was prescribed Differin gel (0.1) in June but I never really started using it because it was summer and really sunny outside and I didn't want to stay indoors and not get a tan due to the medication...Since your skin gets really sensitive etc.

I also started on antibiotics (erythromycin) which worked REALLY well (straight away) so I didn't feel the need to. I was on it for nearly three months, recently came off it. However some comedones have returned, well actually quite a lot on my forehead and some on my chin. Some of them get inflamed which is why I want to get rid of them!

My face got bad after I quit birth control. Actually it got bad when I switched pills, so I got scared and quit altogether. It got better but then it started getting worse again. Currently I'm not on the pill because I feel like it messed up my hormones and made my face look like crap!

So I'm going to start out using Differin on my problem areas. I do get some pimples on the sides of my nose but I'm reluctant to use differin there, so I'm just going to rely on my Dermalogica Overnight Clearing gel for those areas (which is AMAZING but not good enough to clear my forehead).

Morning:

1. Wash face with Lumene face wash (90% natural ingredients, really gentle).

2. Moisturize with Clinique moisture surge.

Night:

1. Wash face with Lumene face wash.

2. Wait 30 mins then apply Differin to forehead and chin, rest of face with Clinique.

3. If some pimple has surfaced on cheek or some other place, use Dermalogica overnight gel instead (where Differin is NOT applied).

I've done this for two days already, can't really tell that much of a difference yet. Mind you I've used the Dermalogica gel (2% salicylic acid) religiously for the past month or so, so my forehead is much clearer already. It does a good job at exfoliating but obviously not enough for my problematic skin....it needs stronger stuff. Dermalogica gel is crazy good at making inflamed pimples less red and they go down much much much quicker than if I'm not using it. Sometimes it's like a total miracle, I wake up and I can barely see the pimple that was really prominent the night before.

So here are some before pics as well.

Mind you this is after three months of antibiotics!!! So I know it doesn't look so bad. Also I took the pics with my phone so they're not very good.

So I'm on day four with differin... And I can't stand it. Sooo many new pimples I'm calling the doctor tomorrow. Maybe it's because I finished my antibiotics a week ago and maybe I need to be on it again. I hate this so bad!

On 9/2/2013 at 3:23 AM, Banana fly said:

So I'm on day four with differin... And I can't stand it. Sooo many new pimples [Edited image out] I'm calling the doctor tomorrow. Maybe it's because I finished my antibiotics a week ago and maybe I need to be on it again. I hate this so bad!

That's how Differin works. At the beginning your acnee may get worse. You have to have patience. I know it's difficult. Tomorrow I am starting week 6 with Differin. Now my face it doesn't look so bad, but I have a lot of red marks over my face. I also take antibiotics for 2 months.

again, sorry if i made mistakes in writting. I am not a native speaker

Hi guys, this is my first post on this forum. I'm 21 and have been struggling with acne ONLY on my forehead/between the brows for the past couple of years. I had perfect skin all through high school and the first half of college, and for some reason, one day I just started breaking out on my forehead and never stopped. I've tried tons and tons of products, both drug store and high end, as well as Ziana and Epiduo, which both did nothing for me. My derm prescribed me differin 0.1% lotion 5 weeks ago. So far, I haven't noticed much of a change. There are some days when I have 1-2 active pimples, and some days when I have 5-6. I do have a problem with PIH though, every pimple I get leaves a red mark =( I've read many of the posts in this thread and seeing everyone else's encouragement and support for each other made me really want to join. I know they say to give differin 8-12 weeks to fully start working its magic, so I still have hope!

I have a question for you guys - Is anyone else using differin lotion, not cream or gel? If so, do you think it's any different?

so, today i start week 7 with Differin cream 0.1%. I gave up using my Differin on my forehead and on my nose. Before using this cream I didn't have pimples on my forehead, I had a little acnee but it was ok in my opinion. I hope my forehead will look like before starting the treatment with differin. I hope it will not take a long time.

Anywhay, the rest parts of my face it seems they are going to heal. I hope it will be better from week to week.