Hihi! So i was given epiduo on June 9th, I tried it before, but that was when i was maybe 13 or 14 and i hadn't the sense to read information about it before i tried it (i didn't know it was supposed to make you break out first) so i stopped using it when i noticed the new bumps. I am 16 years old now, i have moderate acne. It looks worse than it really is because i have some scarring. I can't even remember the last time i had clear skin. I think its been 4 or 5 years. I got it at a really young age, thats all i remember. I've tries lots of other things but nothing has really worked for me. Things i've tried include proactiv, retin a, i can't even remember everything because i've tried so much. Anyways, sorry about the background info. So today is my 4th day of using epiduo. I read that its helpful to use it every other night until your skin gets used to it, but I want to be done with the initial breakout as fast as possible. So i'm using it every night. I wash my face with cetaphil, then follow with epiduo and the cetaphil moisturizer. The first day i woke up after using it and noticed that my scars looked slightly lighter and some spots that i had were drying up. Day 2, things were pretty much the same. Then on day 3, again my scars are visibly lighter. I felt a tiny stinging when i put on the epiduo, and then when i put on the moisturizer the stinging got a bit worse, but nothing too bad. I also felt a large bump near the very top of my cheek. And my existing bumps seem like they are drying up a lot. Today is day 4 and the bump on my cheek is completely gone. It was never red to begin with, it was just a bump. I also have a white head on my chin. And around my mouth and nose is beggining to get a bit flaky, but nothing too bad. Just drinking a lot of water to keep my skin as hydrated as possible while on this stuff. But is it normal to start getting the initial breakout so early?? From most people i read, they got it after about 2 weeks. I don't really mind though, the faster this is over with the better. Sorry for the long post! I'll try to update every day or every other day
Hey there, I too just began eipduo (well the Canadian version, tactuo, but same thing.) for the first couple of days I was using it every second day, but then decided to just go ahead and use it everyday. I'm already breaking out from it too. Well, I was using aha lotion on my face a month prior to it, so it was already purging, but since staring tactuo it's been purging quicker.
Hey there, I too just began eipduo (well the Canadian version, tactuo, but same thing.) for the first couple of days I was using it every second day, but then decided to just go ahead and use it everyday. I'm already breaking out from it too. Well, I was using aha lotion on my face a month prior to it, so it was already purging, but since staring tactuo it's been purging quicker.
I've just been noticing small bumps, luckily its nothing too noticable yet. Hopefully things don't get much worse since my face is already in pretty bad shape even though it seems to be getting better with this stuff 
Day 5, last night i washed my face and i tried to exfoliate away the little flakes by my mouth and chin, but it was too painful so i stopped and just put on the epiduo a few minutes later after my skin was dry. That didn't sting, but afterwards when i put on my moisturizer that stung quite a bit. But only for about 5-10 minutes. It only stung around my mouth and chin, but my whole face was looking kinda red afterwards. I woke up and the whitehead was gone. All my bumps still feel like they are drying up. There was 4 small bumps on my right cheek prior to using epiduo, they were underneath the surface and not really noticeable, now i see that they are getting more red and coming to the surface. I also noticed a new bump to the right of my mouth. Before i started using epiduo i would get tiny little things underneath my skin, when i touched my face i they didn't feel bumpy, and you couldn't really see them but when the light is shining on the side of my face they are visible. Hopefully they will go away because they're annoying! Overall my face seems like its getting better though. Things are drying up fast so i hope that continues. And my face looks less flaky today, but it still has that dry tight feeling. I'm afraid to put on moisturizer cuz i'll get that burning feeling.
Day 6: When I washed my face last night it stung a little. The epiduo doesn't sting when i put it on, its only when i put on moisturizer. And it only stings above my upper lip and chin. I woke up to reduced scars, and the 4 bumps on the side of my cheek are beginning to clear up. I'm glad this stuff is working! I probably shouldn't speak to soon though because i'm sure the full swing of the IB has yet to happen. But hopefully the epiduo dries up the IB quickly like it has been for my other bumps
Day 7
Its the end of day 7, and things are getting better and worse at the same time. My scars are fading and blackheads are being reduced, but i feel about 5 new bumps forming, 2 of which are sore to the touch. Also, the area between my nostrils and upper lip is extremely flaky. But i had a lot of blackheads underneath my nose before, and those are all gone now. Its just pretty red. I'm so not looking forward to the IB. I can tell its coming right now because of these new bumps i keep seeing. My mum commented today about how my face is looking a lot better though, and how the epiduo seems to be drying out the acne. I haven't worn any makeup in the past week also. The makeup just brings out the flakes even more. I'm still hoping that it will continue to dry out this new acne quickly though since i'm going to vegas soon!
Hey! I started Epiduo two days ago (24th of June 2013).
In the past I have also tried Duac and Differin.
Epiduo is definately the WORST of all these.
My face is SO itchy and I got a really bad allergic reaction to it, so now both my eyes are swollen. The left one is huge, and the skin around it is all irritated.
After the first night I thought I got this reaction because I put the gel on wrong. I thought that maybe I put it on too early after washing my face or didn't let it dry enough before going to bed. And, anyways, I read heaps of blogs saying that the itching was normal the first week.
So last night I waited 15 minutes before applying it and half an hour before going to bed.
In the middle of the night my eyes were burning so much that I had to get up and wash it all off.
Now I look like the hunchback of Notre Dame (don't laugh!)
My skin, looks fine. I have a couple of pimples that are deep, but the rest of my face is clear. There are a few areas. however, that are very red and sore on which I've put aloe vera.
I will not be using tonight for sure!
Hey! I started Epiduo two days ago (24th of June 2013).
In the past I have also tried Duac and Differin.
Epiduo is definately the WORST of all these.
My face is SO itchy and I got a really bad allergic reaction to it, so now both my eyes are swollen. The left one is huge, and the skin around it is all irritated.
After the first night I thought I got this reaction because I put the gel on wrong. I thought that maybe I put it on too early after washing my face or didn't let it dry enough before going to bed. And, anyways, I read heaps of blogs saying that the itching was normal the first week.
So last night I waited 15 minutes before applying it and half an hour before going to bed.
In the middle of the night my eyes were burning so much that I had to get up and wash it all off.
Now I look like the hunchback of Notre Dame (don't laugh!)
My skin, looks fine. I have a couple of pimples that are deep, but the rest of my face is clear. There are a few areas. however, that are very red and sore on which I've put aloe vera.
I will not be using tonight for sure!
i'm sorry to hear that! The area underneath my eyes also got very red, irritated and flaky, but they are fine now. I just avoid that area completely and i haven't had a problem with it at all after the first week.
Sorry about the lack of update! Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since i started using epiduo. I am definitely in the initial breakout phase now. There are roughly 10-13 new bumps in total. They are just normal bumps, only 1 of them has been painful so far. I think that they aren't really noticeable with makeup, it just makes the texture of my skin look a bit bumpy, but i'm used to that so it doesn't really bother me. As for peeling, i've had very minimal of that. Its just underneath my nose and a little around the new bumps. I also got some scar serum a few days ago, so that looks like its helping already. Things are improving, but getting worse at the same time. My acne and scars that i had previously are almost completely cleared up, but now these new things are coming. But i'm not discouraged at all since my acne was so bad that pretty much anything is better than where i was before. I also noticed i breakout more on the right side of my face than the left. The left side is pretty close to being cleared up except for about maybe 3 new bumps and a little bit of scarring. The right side looks pretty bad. But i'd still take this over how my acne was before! I plan on sticking with this stuff for a few months since it seems like what i am going through is normal.
Yo,
I started Epiduo 6 weeks ago, we are on the same boat.
Do you use it every night?
Have you a push of pimples? You know, the one that appears at the beginning of the treatment?
yes i use it every night, and i have almost been using it for 3 weeks now, i'm beginning to break out like crazy. How's it going for you? Does it start clearing up at the 6 week point?
Day 24? I don't even remember how many days it has been anymore haha. I decided to post an update because i noticed that things may be starting to get a bit better! So, for the past few days things got AWFUL. I got red bumps all over the right side of my face and a huge painful one on the left side. (I ended up popping the one on the left side because it was so painful. It looked terrible afterwards, but thank the lord for scar removal stuff!!) Then, just now i walked by my mirror, and i looked. I usually try to avoid looking in mirrors but for some reason i did and i noticed it didn't look as bad as before! Maybe i'm speaking too soon, but i think it might be starting to clear up again. Plus, its that time of the month so i think that may have been part of the reason i had such a big breakout so suddenly. The redness is going down, scars seem more faded, and the texture isn't as bumpy as before. So yes, i am praying that the worst of it is over!
Good luck Maya, I've just started epiduo, and kicking myself I didn't go to the derm sooner as it's my wedding day in two months. I'm hoping, hoping, hoping my skin starts to show some real improvement by then! Big cystic acnce isn't as inflamed three days in with using epiduo. I'm also on oral antibiotic minomycin and birth control yaz. Good luck!
Hey Maya! Good to hear things sound like they're starting to look up for you with Epiduo & hope things get better!
Just wanted to share my experience with the stuff way back in 2010... sorry if this sounds super negative but it's true. I actually started my first acne log back in January of 2010 during the time I was using Epiduo because I thought my skin was the worst it had ever been. I used it over ~ an 11 month period. I wrote in November 2010: "Overall, I feel that the Epiduo product did little to cure anything. Perhaps it helped with spot treatment, but I really did not feel a direct correlation between healing of specific spots the morning after using it." I was also using Solodyn 115 mg during that period (January to Nov 2010) and didn't feel like either thing helped too much 
Of course that seems soooo long ago, almost like I was a totally different person then haha... hopefully you're 180 degrees different & it works!
Good luck Maya, I've just started epiduo, and kicking myself I didn't go to the derm sooner as it's my wedding day in two months. I'm hoping, hoping, hoping my skin starts to show some real improvement by then! Big cystic acnce isn't as inflamed three days in with using epiduo. I'm also on oral antibiotic minomycin and birth control yaz. Good luck!
most people say that it starts clearing at the 2 month point! At first its gunna make everything seem like its getting under control, but then at 2 weeks you breakout like crazy! Just be patient with it though. And congratz on your wedding!! 
Hey Maya! Good to hear things sound like they're starting to look up for you with Epiduo & hope things get better!
Just wanted to share my experience with the stuff way back in 2010... sorry if this sounds super negative but it's true. I actually started my first acne log back in January of 2010 during the time I was using Epiduo because I thought my skin was the worst it had ever been. I used it over ~ an 11 month period. I wrote in November 2010: "Overall, I feel that the Epiduo product did little to cure anything. Perhaps it helped with spot treatment, but I really did not feel a direct correlation between healing of specific spots the morning after using it." I was also using Solodyn 115 mg during that period (January to Nov 2010) and didn't feel like either thing helped too much
Of course that seems soooo long ago, almost like I was a totally different person then haha... hopefully you're 180 degrees different & it works!
Hi there! I also tried epiduo once before, but i didn't stick with it for long because i was so young and didn't know how the stuff worked so i freaked out when i wasn't seeing the results i wanted. But now that i know better, things are definitely looking up for me! I'm hoping to keep seeing improvements. I'm worried and excited at the same time haha. I'm sorry to hear that the products didn't work for you though. Is your acne at least all under control now??
Day 35.. Still seeing new blemishes come up but its less than before. And i have scars left behind from the other new ones that have come up since using epiduo. The scars are fading little by little, there hasn't been much improvement since the last time. Some days my skin looks better than others. The new bumps i get rarely come to the surface, they are just dark red and leave a scar after they flatten. And epiduo doesn't really do anything to help my blackheads. So, for being on this stuff for a month, i'd say that it has been beneficial for me. I definitely think my skin is better than it was before 
Hi there! I also tried epiduo once before, but i didn't stick with it for long because i was so young and didn't know how the stuff worked so i freaked out when i wasn't seeing the results i wanted. But now that i know better, things are definitely looking up for me! I'm hoping to keep seeing improvements. I'm worried and excited at the same time haha. I'm sorry to hear that the products didn't work for you though. Is your acne at least all under control now??
Totally understandable you didn't stick with it for long... I was that way too... too impatient and wanting to get rid of everything as fast as possible! You're preaching to the choir lol. Patience was out of the question! Good to see you're consistent now and you think it's helping you. Maybe it helped me back then too but I expected it would do more 
But anyway yep, my facial acne is under control using cefuroxime axetil + a billion other little things, but body acne not so much. It's a battle!
Day 40 i think? Lol. Sooo, I have been breaking out pretty badly again. I got 8 new blemishes. And they are all pretty noticeable and hard to cover up. They aren't super bumpy, they are just really red. The little bump they have flattens out quickly but its hard to conceal it anyway. And i notice that with these, it takes the scar a long time to go away. So with progress, i say i've taken a few steps back. My skin looks just as bad as before i started using. Kinda disappointing because the left side of my face was so close to being cleared up. I'm still not giving up quite yet since i haven't been using it for 3 months
Day 40 i think? Lol. Sooo, I have been breaking out pretty badly again. I got 8 new blemishes. And they are all pretty noticeable and hard to cover up. They aren't super bumpy, they are just really red. The little bump they have flattens out quickly but its hard to conceal it anyway. And i notice that with these, it takes the scar a long time to go away. So with progress, i say i've taken a few steps back. My skin looks just as bad as before i started using. Kinda disappointing because the left side of my face was so close to being cleared up. I'm still not giving up quite yet since i haven't been using it for 3 months
Breakouts happen. But you have to be patient, it's just a bad moment, be brave.
Its been a month and a half since i started using. I haven't been updating regularly because i haven't been seeing much progress. Things will start to get better, then worse, then better, then worse. Frustrating because just when i think there's hope, bam! 5 more blemishes appear. I notice the ones i have been getting aren't quite that bad. I still have a lot of scarring, i think its going away a tiny bit. I'm thinking of adding pictures into the gallery maybe? Hmm..there isn't much more to say..i guess i've been seeing a tiny bit of progress this week? I want my skin to be cleared up before school starts!
Pictures could help you to see the improvement!
Because, to be honest, we're all sociopath here, we stare at our face in the mirror very very close, several times a day (or maybe I'm the only sociopathe here, whatever).
Do you keep using Epiduo every night?
Personnally, I just cannot. I use it three or four times a week, otherwise my skin is in tatters: red, dry, it's even hard to smile, because it hurts.